It can happen to any dog, but it usually happens to big dogs. It strikes males more than females, and if not treated, can kill within hours. No one knows what causes it and no one is sure how to prevent it; there are lot of opinions all based on anecdotal evidence, but no hard facts to go on. Bloat, as it is commonly called, is a condition technically known as gastric dilation/volvolus, or GDV, which at first seems and is, similar to stomach gas. The abdomen becomes enlarged and distended, and the dog shows signs of discomfort – pacing, salivating, whining and trying to throw up.

When your regular vet closes for the day, they open for business. When your vet opens the next morning, they close. On weekends and holidays, they are there, ready to handle any medical crisis or problem facing pet owners. Most of us drive right past them without even noticing that they are there, but should the need arise, they are the ones we call on to treat our pet’s injuries or save its life. Every pet owner should know where the nearest animal emergency center is located, and exactly how to get there. Below is a list of the emergency medical facilities in the metro area.

A survey conducted by the Humane Society of the United States indicates that 85% of women entering domestic violence shelters left a pet behind when they fled the abuser. The Department of Human Resources reports that over 400,000 domestic violence-related activities occurred in Georgia in 2003. That means approximately 340,000 animals in Georgia were impacted by family violence that year. What happened to them?

It isn’t as if they went away or changed their ways, but it seemed as if they weren’t getting as much publicity for the past year or two. Mosquitoes are always there, leaving red welts on arms and legs and just being annoying. They were getting a lot of bad press because of the two main conditions that they spread in this area – heartworms in dogs and West Nile Virus in people, horses and to a limited extent in small animals. But both heartworms and West Nile Virus stopped being newsworthy when both seemed to be under control.

Would know what to do if your dog broke his leg? If your cat couldn’t breath because something was stuck in his throat? If your pet got bitten by a snake? Would you know the signs of an allergic reaction and what to do, or what to do if your pet ingested a poison or toxic substance?

The good news is that the program is a big success. The bad news is that it was so successful that it had to be shut down. The Dog and Cat Sterilization Fund, which provided financial help for people who were unable to pay for spay or neuter surgery, was forced to suspend operation recently because it had run out of money.

Court awards $45,000 for cat killed by neighbor’s dog
A Seattle woman whose cat was mauled to death by a neighbor’s dog was awarded more than $45,000 recently in a wrongful death lawsuit against the owner of the dog. It is believed to be the largest damage award given in this country for the death of a cat.