Pet Turtle Health Reminder

Although we are primarily a Dog and Cat site I wanted to add this because I have seen these turtles being sold. Many people have more than one pet, so we will also put Health and Safety items as they concern our Pets and Families.

Pet Turtles May Be Harmful to Your Health!

The FDA is alerting parents to the danger of human disease from small turtles, which are illegal as pets. Small turtles are a source of salmonellosis, an infection of the intestines caused by bacteria called Salmonella.

Symptoms of salmonellosis may include diarrhea, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, fever, and headache. Symptoms begin in six to 72 hours after a person is exposed to Salmonella, and they generally last for two to seven days. Salmonella, which occur naturally in turtles, usually do not make them sick.

Anyone can get salmonellosis, but the risk is highest in infants and young children, older people, and others with weakened immune systems.

The sale of turtles with a shell (carapace) length less than four inches has been banned in the United States since 1975 because of the public health impact of turtle-associated salmonellosis. The FDA enforces this regulation in cooperation with state and local health jurisdictions. Experts estimate that the regulation has prevented about 100,000 cases of salmonellosis a year; however, there has been an increase in the sale of turtles in recent years.

The FDA urges parents and others responsible for the care of children to be alert for any turtles in petting zoos, parks, child day care facilities, or other locations. People who come in contact with turtles or their housing should wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water.

Copyright Superintendent of Documents Sep/Oct 2005



Source: FDA Consumer

Disaster Relief Fund - 2005

Disaster Relief Fund - 2005: "
Yes! I want to help animals affected by Hurricane Katrina and other disasters by supporting The Humane Society of the United States' (HSUS) Disaster Relief Fund.
LAST UPDATED: Wednesday, September 14, 2005; 1:40 p.m.
The HSUS is leading a massive relief effort to rescue animals and assist their caregivers in the disaster areas. Our highly trained Disaster Animal Response Teams are working around the clock in New Orleans and Mississippi. We now have more than 300 people on the ground doing search-and-rescue and staffing temporary shelters, and have rescued thousands of animals from New Orleans and other areas - with many more still stranded and needing our help."

This will be my last (I think) post concerning the relief effort for the animals affected by Katrina.

Pet project aids the elderly

Herald Sun: Pet project aids the elderly [13sep05]: "Pet project aids the elderly
Jordana Borensztajn
13sep05

LOOKING after dogs and cats has proven health benefits for pet owners of all ages.

But many elderly people face the heartbreak of losing their beloved companions because they are unable to care for them. "


Nice article about how to help the Elderly and their Pets


Kevin

New Email, Still looking for Your ideas

Howdy Everyone

As I promised in an earlier post, I did setup a email address just for the blog. If everyone would please use this address from now on, it realy would make things a lot easier on this end. No need to re-submit what was already sent, I have it all saved.

And the New Address is: petnews4catsdogs@gmail.com

That should do it for this time around. We still would like to hear from you about the website.

Kevin