My oh my. I was looking through old pictures of the cats and came across this one of Zebulon from November 2009, when he was only a year and a half old.
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Look at how chubby he was!! One nickname he's had is Pear-Shaped Cat for the way he looks when sitting. At his top weight he was about 16 lbs. Ideal for him is about 10 lbs. He was 6 lbs overweight for his entire adult life. That means about 30% of his weight was excess.
Until this year.
This year, my new year's resolution was to put the cats on a raw diet. The goals were overall improved health, including getting Zeb to lose the extra weight.
After guffawing at the old picture I took this one. November 2012, three years later. He now weighs about 12 lbs. Amazing what losing 4 lbs can do to a cat!
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I still hope to have him lose a couple more lbs. He still has a bit of extra. As with humans, excess weight can cause a lot of health issues. Diabetes, joint problems, trouble breathing, more strain on the heart. You can't control genetic predispositions, but you can control diet and weight.
I've been very busy the last few weeks. My mom had another stroke and I went home to help her for a week (she's doing ok). My in-laws have been here for a week for Thanksgiving, and I was on the news the other day with Diesel to talk about the foster organization for pets of deployed military service members and to try to find a new foster for him.
Diesel did great on the news! I'm going to call the organization tomorrow to see how many applications came in for him. Some friends-of-friends are interested so I'll get those applications bumped to the top of the list to see if they are suitable. You can see Diesel and I on the news on KUSI San Diego's webiste on the GMSD [Good Morning San Diego] tab. The clip will only be up for a few weeks. What you can't see is they were deep frying turkeys about 20 feet away from us.
http://www.kusi.com/video?clipId=7986968
^Watch us on the news!
Near the end of October Dr. Jean Dodds posted new canine vaccination protocols. There are slight changes from what was listed in the Vaccines post earlier this year.
The 2012 protocol is as follows:
Dodds’ 2012 Canine Vaccination Protocol
Note: The following vaccine protocol is offered for
those dogs where minimal vaccinations are advisable or desirable. The
schedule is one I recommend and should not be interpreted to mean that
other protocols recommended by a veterinarian would be less
satisfactory. It’s a matter of professional judgment and choice.
Canine Vaccination Protocol
9 - 10 Weeks Old:
Distemper + Parvovirus, MLV (e.g. Intervet Progard Puppy DPV, now renamed Nobivac DPV, when Merck and Intervet merged)
14 Weeks Old:
Same as above
16 - 18 Weeks Old (optional):
Same as above (optional)
20 weeks or older, if allowable by law:
Rabies
1 Year Old:
Distemper + Parvovirus, MLV (optional = titer)
1+ Years Old:
Rabies, killed 3-year product (give 3-4 weeks apart from distemper/parvovirus booster)
Perform vaccine antibody titers for distemper and parvovirus every
three years thereafter, or more often, if desired. Vaccinate for rabies
virus according to the law, except where circumstances indicate that a
written waiver needs to be obtained from the primary care veterinarian.
In that case, a rabies antibody titer can also be performed to
accompany the waiver request. See www.rabieschallengefund.org
To review from the Vaccines post, MLV stands for Modified Live Vaccine.
Modified Live Vaccines (MLV)
Modified-live vaccines contain a weakened strain of the disease causing
agent. Weakening of the agent is typically accomplished by chemical
means or by genetic engineering. These vaccines replicate within the
host, thus increasing the amount of material available for provoking an
immune response without inducing clinical illness. This provocation
primes the immune system to mount a vigorous response if the disease
causing agent is ever introduced to the animal. Further, the immunity
provided by a modified-live vaccine develops rather swiftly and since
they mimic infection with the actual disease agent, it provides the best
immune response.
There are also Inactivated Vaccines, also called Non-infectious Vaccines:
Inactivated Vaccines (Killed)
Inactivated vaccines contain killed disease causing agents. Since the
agent is killed, it is much more stable and has a longer shelf life,
there is no possibility that they will revert to a virulent form, and
they never spread from the vaccinated host to other animals. They are
also safe for use in pregnant animals (a developing fetus may be
susceptible to damage by some of the disease agents, even though
attenuated, present in modified-live vaccines). Although more than a
single dose of vaccine is always required and the duration of immunity
is generally shorter, inactivated vaccines are regaining importance in
this age of retrovirus and herpesvirus infections and concern about the
safety of genetically modified microorganisms. Inactivated vaccines
available for use in dogs include rabies, canine parvovirus, canine
coronavirus, etc.
The following common vaccines are not recommended for most dogs, however you need to consider your dog's lifestyle and if there are specific concerns in your area.
1. Distemper & Parvo @ 6 weeks or younger
*Not recommended.
*At this age, maternal antibodies form the mothers milk (colostrum) will
neutralize the vaccine and only 30% for puppies will be protected. 100%
will be exposed to the virus at the vet clinic.
2. Corona
*Not recommended.
1.) Disease only affects dogs <6 age.="age." br="br" of="of" weeks="weeks">
2.) Rare disease: TAMU has seen only one case in seven years.
3.) Mild self-limiting disease.
4.) Efficacy of the vaccine is questionable.
*Leptospirosis
*Not recommended
1) There are an average of 12 cases reported annually in California.
2) Side effects common.
3) Most commonly used vaccine contains the wrong serovars. (There is no
cross-protection of serovars) There is a new vaccine with 2 new
serovars. Two vaccinations twice per year would be required for
protection.).
4) Risk outweighs benefits.
*Lyme
*Not recommended
1) Low risk in California.
2) 85% of cases are in 9 New England states and Wisconsin.
3) Possible side effect of polyarthritis from whole cell bacterin.
*Bordetella (Intranasal)
(killed)
*Only recommended 3 days prior to boarding when required.
*Protects against 2 of the possible 8 causes of kennel cough.
*Duration of immunity 6 months.
*Giardia
*Not recommended
*Efficacy of vaccine unsubstantiated by independent studies
