Guest Blog: Dr. Sheldon Rubin – Spring Is Here

This guest blog is written by Dr. Sheldon Rubin, past president of the Illinois and Chicago veterinary medical associations. Many times awarded and honored for his veterinary skills and civic contributions, Dr. Rubin is also president of the American Heartworm Society.

Welcome to my first ever blog! So I thought I would start
with just some fun information. Topics you may not have known before and can
use to expand your water cooler talks at work.

I know that your pet’s health is
a top priority. To keep your animal healthy, it’s important to be informed
about new information on heartworm – a potentially fatal, but
absolutely preventable disease, that’s been found in all 50 states. The
American Heartworm Society (AHS) recommends yearly testing and year-round use
of preventative medications.

Speak
to your veterinarian about the proper product to use. It’s the least you can do
for a friend. If your pet’s aren’t protected – now that  mosquitoes (which carry heartworm) are buzzing, it’s time to do something about it.

Let’s start with National Pet
Week (May 2-8). Remember “Be Kind to Animals Week” when we were kids?  For me that was a long time ago.
Anyway, the Auxiliary to the American Veterinary Medical Association sponsors
this every year and veterinarians, animal professionals, and pet owners
celebrate this tribute to pets.

This year the theme is “Pets & People — Healthy Together.”  In addition to emphasizing the importance
of proper health care and exercise, another purpose of National Pet Week is to increase
awareness of the many psychological and physiological benefits of pet
ownership.  Everyone knows that
pets provide companionship.  They
also help ease the ’empty nest syndrome’ for senior citizens, and teach children
about responsibility.

What would you do with your pet
if there was a disaster?  Do you
have a plan?

May 8 is National Animal Disaster Preparedness Day.  We want to raise awareness about the
importance of planning for pets’ safety
before disaster strikes. The American Veterinary Medical Association offers
an array of disaster preparedness resources, including “Saving the Whole
Family,” a brochure on ways to provide for pets during an
emergency.
 
Keep a watchful eye on Las Vegas
as they just enacted a mandatory spay/neuter Law.

In a recent survey, 65 percent of respondents said the ordinance was unfair. It
took effect Thursday (April 1) and requires dogs and cats to be spayed or
neutered, with owners facing fines that range from $225 to $1,000, based on the
number of violations.  As you know,
Chicago tried to enact the very same law, which has been tabled. While Las Vegas has a much higher
euthanasia rate (65%) than Chicago (6%), the law overlooks the basic problem and
penalizes all the responsible pet owners who choose not to spay or neuter their
pet as well as the irresponsible pet owners.  The decision to spay and
neuter needs to be made between the veterinarian and the client … not the
government.