Although most people don’t go around sniffing a dog’s paws, individuals who come in regular contact with dogs might have noticed dog feet sometimes smell like stale popcorn or corn chips. The condition has thusly been dubbed “Frito feet,” a reference to the popular brand of corn chip snacks.

Furry dogs with a lot of hair between the pads of their feet may be more susceptible to foot odor.

Pet owners are often concerned about foul odors coming from their dogs simply because odor can be a signal of an infection. Therefore, veterinarians are often questioned about the corn chip smell on paws.

The consensus behind the Frito feet is that it is largely caused by bacteria and fungi. Dog’s feet are in constant contact with the ground, which is full of microorganisms. In addition, dogs cool off by panting and sweating through the pads of their feet. The combination of moisture and bacteria  that builds up in the fur of the feet and between the pads can contribute to the nutty, popcorn-like or corn chip aroma. Essentially it’s a form of doggy B.O.

If the minor odor is all that is present, most vets will tell you it’s nothing with which to be concerned. If the smell is accompanied by licking or biting at the paws, limping, lumps, blood, or swelling of the feet, there could be a more significant problem that will need to be promptly addressed. There could be a foreign object caught in between the pads, like a pebble or grass burr. There also may be a small cut.

Pet parents who can live with the popcorn smell should not be overly concerned. However, when bathing the dog, spend extra care washing the paws and between the pads to remove extra dirt and sweat. For dogs with long hair that grows between the pads, such as shaggy breeds, consider trimming the fur short on the underside of the paws so less dirt will become trapped.

Feet alone are not the only places on dogs that may become malodorous. Routinely check dogs’ ears for buildup or odor, which indicates an infection. Also, bad mouth odor can mean dental decay and disease.

Foot odor may be slightly offensive on dogs, but generally it’s nothing to worry about.

Only a quarter of the people who took part in a recent AP-Petside.com poll said animal shelters should sometimes be allowed to put animals down as a population control measure.

Gisela Aguila, 51, of Miramar, Fla., believes shelter animals should only be euthanized when there is no chance they’ll be adopted — for example, if they are extremely ill or aggressive. “I don’t think shelters should be euthanizing animals to control the population,” she said.

She’d like to see an end to shelters destroying animals when they run out of room, saying, “We are way too civilized of a society to allow this.”

This undated photo courtesy of Best Friends Animal Society shows Turtle Dove, a Labrador retriever, resting at the Best Friends Animal Society in Kenab, Utah. Best Friends Animal Society operates the country's largest no-kill sanctuary for abandoned and abused animals. (AP Photo/Best Friends Animal Society, Molly Wald)

But Leslie Surprenant, 53, of Saugerties, N.Y., believes shelters should be allowed to control populations. She says no-kill shelters that only accept animals with good prospects for adoption or that turn away animals once the shelter reaches capacity do not solve the problem.

“That doesn’t truly mean no-kill shelters. It means there are more animals out on the streets being hit by cars and starving and living in Dumpsters,” said Surprenant, who has two dogs and a cat. “It does not mean the general population is lower; it just means that they’ve opted not to kill.”

Surprenant believes spaying and neutering is the way to go. In fact, higher rates of spaying and neutering in recent decades have cut the number of abandoned puppies and kittens, which in turn has cut euthanasia rates. Before 1970, about 20 million animals were euthanized each year in this country. In 2011, fewer than 4 million abandoned animals were euthanized.

Younger pet owners are most likely to favor no-kill policies, with 79 percent of those under 30 saying shelters should only euthanize animals that are untreatable or too aggressive, compared with 67 percent of those age 50 or over saying that.

The poll results are encouraging to leaders of the nation’s no-kill movement, who’d like to see the U.S. become a “no-kill nation” with homes for every adoptable pet, and euthanasia reserved only for extremely ill or aggressive animals.

Any plan will take teamwork between shelters with government contracts that must accept every animal and the no-kill shelters that often only take animals they can help, said Ed Sayres, president and CEO of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Rich Avanzino, president of Alameda-based Maddie’s Fund, pioneered no-kill in San Francisco in the early ’90s through a pact between the open-admission city shelter and the local Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

“We are just a breath away from doing what is right for the animals,” Avanzino said.

He believes the country can achieve no-kill status by 2015, partly due to corporate giving to animal causes, which totaled about $30 million in 2010 and is expected to reach $70 million by 2015. That money can help with spaying, neutering and outreach, he said.

Public attitudes are also changing, with more people saying it’s unacceptable for pets to languish or die in an animal shelter, Avanzino said.

Avanzino pioneered the no-kill concept in San Francisco. Sayres succeeded him and nurtured it, then went to New York and implemented it there in a much bigger way. The model is the same, but instead of two partner agencies like in San Francisco, New York has 155, Sayres said.

About 44,000 animals enter New York City shelters each year. Since Sayres has been there, the euthanasia rate has dropped from 74 percent to 27 percent.

The ASPCA has also teamed up with 11 communities from Tampa, Fla., to Spokane, Wash., in no-kill efforts, Sayres said.

He believes he will see a no-kill nation, at least for dogs, in his lifetime. Cats may take a little longer because of the large feral population, he said.

The euthanasia issue attracted some attention this week when it was reported that a stray cat being held at a West Valley City, Utah, animal shelter survived two trips to the shelter’s gas chamber. The shelter has stopped trying to kill the cat, named Andrea, and she has been adopted. Shelter officials are investigating why the gassing failed.

Best Friends Animal Society operates the country’s largest no-kill sanctuary for abandoned and abused animals. The Kanab, Utah, preserve is home to 1,700 dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, horses and wildlife undergoing rehabilitation, said Best Friends director Gregory Castle.

More than 800 grass-roots rescue organizations belong to Best Friends’ No More Homeless Pets Network and are working to make their communities no-kill, Castle said. Attendance at an annual conference for network members has grown from 250 in 2001 to 1,300 last year.

The sanctuary’s newest venture is a groundbreaking effort involving what Castle believes is the largest public-private partnership ever forged in the no-kill movement.

Best Friends is going to operate a shelter for the Department of Animal Services in Los Angeles as an adoption and spay and neuter center, he said. All animals will come from six open-admission Los Angeles city shelters.

The coalition’s initial goal is 3,000 adoptions and 6,000 sterilization procedures, Castle said.

Differences in the varying no-kill campaigns are mostly a matter of nuance, Castle said, and how you define sick and aggressive.

Nathan Winograd, director of the Oakland-based No Kill Advocacy Center, believes 95 percent of all animals entering shelters can be adopted or treated. And even though the other 5 percent might be hopelessly injured, ill or vicious, he said they should not all be doomed.

Some, if not most of them, can be cared for in hospice centers or sanctuaries, he said. As for pit bulls and other dogs with aggressive reputations, he said shelters need to do a better job of trying to find them homes.

The AP-Petside.com Poll was conducted Oct. 13-17, 2011, by GfK Roper Public Affairs and Corporate Communications. It involved landline and cellphone interviews with 1,118 pet owners. Results among pet owners have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.

___

AP Global Director of Polling Trevor Tompson, Deputy Director of Polling Jennifer Agiesta and News Survey Specialist Dennis Junius contributed to this report.

Fight the urge to swerve as you brake if you don’t have time to check traffic first, said Julie Startup, a Washington State trooper and spokeswoman in the agency’s Seattle and Bellevue area.

“If you are able to make a safe lane change, by all means do it,” said California Highway Patrol Officer Tamara McCormack, a spokeswoman in the Los Angeles office. But swerving without looking could result in an accident.

The size of the animal matters. If it’s shorter than your car’s hood and you don’t have time to check other lanes, go through it, Startup said. If the animal is taller than the hood, avoid it if you can, knowing it still might be better to hit the animal.

“These crashes happen so fast, often times drivers don’t have the option of making a decision about what to do,” said Russ Rader, spokesman for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, “but the best thing, unfortunately, in most cases is to hit the animal and try to avoid swerving or doing something that could cause you to lose control and hit somebody else or an object or go off the road and roll over.”

Most human injuries from animal collisions occur not when animals are hit but by the crash that follows. And most fatalities could be prevented by using seatbelts in cars and helmets on motorcycles, Rader said.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recorded 173 fatal crashes and 12,000 injury crashes involving animals in 2009, the latest year statistics are available, said spokesman Jose Alberto Ucles.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety estimates there are more than 1.5 million crashes involving deer each year, resulting in more than $1 billion in vehicle damage annually.

Very few dogs, cats or other small animals are included in national studies about animal strikes because they are not reported to police or insurance companies, Rader said. But using data from several agencies, including NHTSA, the institute did a comprehensive study in 2004 that found 77 percent of reported animal crashes involved deer, 10 percent involved cattle, 6 percent horses and 6 percent dogs. “We even had one case that was a bear,” he said.

If your own dog gets out of the car or house, “do anything you can to keep it from moving in the direction of traffic,” said Cheryl Conway, a spokeswoman for the Aurora Animal Shelter in Colorado.

“Do not chase it,” she warned. “Try calling and running in the opposite direction, like you are playing.”

In this Friday, Jan. 6, 2012 photo, Bonny Kelani reacts as a car approaches by while she is being walked by Cheryl Conway on a sidewalk in Aurora, Colo. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

One of Conway’s three Labrador retrievers is Bonny Kelani, who was 7 months old when someone threw her off a freeway overpass in Aurora.

Foster families cared for her through thousands of dollars in surgeries and weeks in rehab. Conway’s family was Bonny Kelani’s fourth foster stop in July. They officially adopted her in August.

Bonny Kelani is still afraid of traffic, Conway said. The first time Conway tried to take her for a walk next to a street “she panicked. Like a colt on a rope, she reared back and almost flipped over.” The family has tried sitting with her on the porch and in the yard but when she gets close to the road, she still tries to get away.

Bonny Kelani owes her life to the good Samaritan who took her to the hospital, but experts recommend letting authorities handle animals hurt in crashes. “If they are injured, they will lash out and bite anything without realizing what they are doing,” Conway said.

If you hit an animal and your car will make it, get off the road and call 911. And if you do try to help a dog or cat, cover it first with a blanket or towel so it can’t hurt you.

Based on claims, State Farm Insurance estimated there were 1.09 million crashes between deer and vehicles in the United States between July 1, 2010, and June 20, 2011, said company spokesman Eddie C. Martinez in Los Angeles. That is 7 percent lower than a year earlier and down 9 percent from three years earlier, he said.

Pennsylvania had the most deer-vehicle crashes, with 101,299, Martinez said, followed by Michigan with 78,304. But he said the chances of a driver hitting a deer in the next 12 months are greatest in West Virginia, at one in 54. That’s better than a year ago, when chances were one in 42, he said.

Martinez said the average cost of a crash with a deer is $3,171, up 2.2 percent from a year earlier.

Deer are most active between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m., and during mating and migration season, typically fall and winter. Top months for deer-vehicle collisions are November, October and December, according to research from State Farm.

Watch for deer crossing signs, use your high beams whenever possible at night, don’t rely on car-mounted deer whistles and remember that deer usually travel in herds, he said.

Boulder County 4-H, which provides educational programming for kids 8 to 18, is starting a “Lease-a-Goat” program.

The program, which will be open to any members of Boulder County 4-H, will provide more than a dozen Angora goats for youth to care for and exhibit at this year’s Boulder County Fair.

“The Lease-a-Goat is supposed to be an opportunity for kids who don’t have farm ground, or maybe even their grandparents don’t have farm ground,” said Nicolette Ahrens, who works with Boulder County’s 4-H youth development in equine and livestock. “Maybe they’ve not ever even had an interaction with an animal, except for maybe a dog or a typical house pet.”

Ahrens said that fewer and fewer youth in Boulder County have the chance to work with livestock, as once-rural areas increasingly fill up with coffee shops and townhouses.

“There’s just a lot less access or exposure,” she said.

That’s where Sue Struthers comes in.

Struthers lives on her family’s ranch along North 63rd Street, about halfway between Boulder and Longmont.

Kenzie Struthers, 11, shows how she leads Onyx, an Angora goat, up and down steps at her family's farm, Friday Dec. 23, 2011 in Longmont, Colo. Kenzie's mother Sue Struthers is starting a program allowing kids to lease her family's goats for 4-H. (AP Photo/Longmont Times-Call, Lewis Geyer)

The family has 13 Angora goats now — along with an alert llama named Checkers for protection against predators — with many babies due early next year. It’s the baby goats that will be used in the 4-H program.

“You want the kids to be able to learn how to take them from little babies up to show goats,” Struthers said.

Angora goats are a common sight at the Boulder County Fair, both as show animals and in the fiber competition for their fluffy white and brown wool.

Struthers said she got the idea to provide a place for youth to learn about goats by talking with families at the fair.

“Kids who come by just fall in love with the goats, and then you say, ‘Well, why don’t you do 4-H and goats?’ And they always say, ‘Because I live in town, so I don’t have the opportunity.’ We do have the land; we do have the opportunity.”

The baby goats will be leased to 4-H members for $5 each per year. That gives the kids a stake in the animals, Struthers said. Lessees will have to keep detailed records about the animals and put in at least six hours of work at the ranch each month before showing off the animals at the 2012 Boulder County Fair. They must also meet 4-H requirements, such as completing a community service project.

Kenzie Struthers, 11, is a veteran with the animals at her house.

She rattled off the names of the family’s goats — Onyx, Comet, Marcie, Molly, Ashley, Boo, Obie, Destiny, Minty, Pearly, Ivory — and showed off her three-ring binder full of details from last year’s goat projects.

Her friend, Sarah Smith, 11, will be leasing one of the forthcoming baby goats for the first time this year.

“I think it’s going to be fun,” Sarah said. “Babies are so cute. I’m looking forward to being able to see them — often, if I can.”

Her mom, Karen Smith, of Firestone, said the Lease-a-Goat program offers the kind of access that’s just not available in town.

“I think it’s wonderful,” she said. “We are animal lovers and have a lot of pets, but we can’t have livestock. It’s a wonderful opportunity for (Sarah) to see what’s involved, other than just coming over here and petting them and feeding them hay.”

It’s typical for snowy owls to arrive in the U.S. every three or four winters, but this year’s irruption is widespread, with birders from the Pacific Northwest to New England reporting frequent sightings of the yellow-eyed birds. As many as 30 were spotted in December around South Dakota’s Lake Andes.

“Thirty in one area, that’s mind numbing,” said Mark Robbins, an ornithologist with the University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute.

A snowy owl clings to a powerline, Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2012 near Lake Andes, S.D. The Arctic creatures have been seen from coast to coast more frequently this winter and have reached further south than in past years. (AP Photo/Dirk Lammers)

The arrival of the birds, which can top 2 feet in height with a wingspan of nearly 5 feet, is the result of a plentiful population of Arctic lemmings this summer, which led to a strong breeding season, said Denver Holt, director of the Owl Research Institute in Charlo, Mont.

Lemmings are snowy owls’ main food source, and the baby boom is sending many of the youngsters across the border to scrounge for voles, field mice, rats, rabbits and shore birds.

“It’s very unusual, because it’s coast to coast,” said Holt, who has been researching the owls’ Arctic habitat for 25 years.

Snowy owls are drawn to frozen lakes, which remind them of their tundra back home in the Arctic, Robbins said.

“And if they’re finding rodents there, they’re staying there,” he said. “And perhaps seeing a couple of more snowy owls there, they may think, ‘OK, this is a hot spot.’”

The owls have been regular visitors to Boston’s Logan Airport, and one even showed up just after Thanksgiving in Hawaii. Chicago’s Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary has become a haven for the creatures, with “countless sightings” this season, said Matthew Cvetas, an Evanston, Ill., birder.

“It’s just been really incredible,” he said.

Cvetas said owl sightings are exciting for birders, as the creatures are mostly nocturnal and difficult to spot. Though snowy owls hunt day and night, the allure of their plumage helps make them a prize sighting.

“Here’s the largest North American owl in terms of weight, a near all-white ghost of a bird for an adult male,” said Cvetas, who has spotted four snowy owls since November. “For me, it symbolizes wilderness at its best.”

Missouri and Kansas typically draw just a few snowy owls every three or four years, but reports this year have been widespread, Robbins said.

Birders spotted three snowy owls sitting on an irrigation unit west of Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge near Missouri’s borders with Nebraska and Iowa, and there have been five of the birds hanging around Smithville Lake just outside of Kansas City.

“In Missouri, I don’t think there’s ever been two at a single site,” he said.

People have always had a fascination with owls, but the book and 2001 film “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” in which a snowy owl named Hedwig first appeared as Harry’s companion and mail courier, thrust the species in the spotlight. Holt said the movie series helped land the winged creature a December 2002 National Geographic cover story.

“We were inundated with phone calls from people about all these kids wanting to have pet snowy owls,” Holt said. “It just went crazy for a while there.”

Snowy owls begin life with a mix of white and dark brown feathers. Males, which tend to be smaller, lose their dark feathers as they age, with many winding up pure white. Their lifespan is not known, but Holt estimates that snowy owls can likely survive 10 to 15 years in the wild and three decades in captivity.

There’s no good estimate on the size of their population. Holt recalls a study in which researchers working on a Canadian island found thousands of snowy owls one year, only to follow up the next year to find not a single one.

Bird watchers have reported higher-than-normal numbers of Snowy Owls across the Dakotas, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan, and the white, yellow-eyed birds have been spotted as far south as Kansas. (AP Photo/The Bellingham Herald, Andy Bronson, File)

“They’re too spread out and they move around too much,” Holt said.

Holt said snowy owls are remarkable predators, nearing flying speeds of 70 miles per hour with the ability to attack and eat creatures as large as Canada geese and great blue herons. Yet despite that diverse diet, their breeding seems dependent on a single food source — the Arctic lemming.

He said this year’s influx is following in Harry Potter’s footsteps to return the snowy owl into the public spotlight, which is great for the species and his research.

“It’s wonderful,” Holt said. “It’s great for snowy owls. It’s great PR.”

State health officials are warning central Kansas residents to avoid a creek near Herington following a sulfuric acid spill.

The Department of Health and Environment issued the warning for 5 miles of Lime Creek north of U.S. 56. The acid leaked Sunday from a ruptured tank on a Union Pacific rail car at a rail yard, sending 11,000 gallons of the pollutant into the water.

The health department says people, pets and livestock should avoid drinking from the creek or using it for recreation.

KDHE will continue testing the water to determine when it is safe again.

Adopting a cat from a shelter is a way to reduce the number of animals routinely euthanized each year.

The Humane Society of the United States estimates that animal shelters care for 6 to 8 million dogs and cats in area shelters. Of these animals, 3 to 4 million are euthanized each year. Adoption of animals is the primary solution to prevent animals from being put to sleep.

Felines are routinely picked up on neighborhood streets as strays or individuals relinquish their pets. While cats can make ideal pets, preparation for the animal can help him or her bond in the household.

Be sure the family is ready for a cat. Have a discussion with members of the household to determine if everyone is on board with cat care. Talk about the needs of the pet and who will handle certain chores.

Understand cat behavior. Cats use meowing and yowling to communicate. Felines only meow at humans, not to one another. Meowing will indicate a “hello” or a request for food or attention.

Cats generally are nocturnal creatures. They’ll sleep for long hours during the day (primarily if you’re not home to entertain them) and can potentially be rambunctious at night. By playing with a cat during the day, and feeding him or her a meal before your bedtime, you can cut down on the amount of nocturnal shenanigans.

Stock up on cat supplies. Purchase the necessities for your new cat:

- a litter box and the brand of litter he/she has been using

- cat food, preferably a brand the cat is used to

- a sturdy, rough-textured scratching post

- grooming tools

- a soft, warm bed

- safe, stimulating toys

Provide a low-traffic area for a pet retreat. While your new cat is acclimating to new surroundings, provide a space where he or she can retreat to become situated. Gradually you can make the transition for the pet to roam the house. However, for starters, a small room or out-of-the-way-area is a good safety space.

Gradually introduce new family members. It can be overwhelming for a cat to warm up to a new family. Potentially it can take a week to two weeks before he or she feels comfortable. Members of the family should be introduced to the cat one-by-one, so the pet can feel safe and secure.

Choose your vet. It is important for cats to receive routine well visits and vaccinations. Veterinary care is essential to a good pet-parent relationship.

Babies and animals have similar needs. Each relies on a parent to provide basic essentials: food, shelter and affection. Pets that are already established in a home may feel jealousy or confusion when a baby arrives. A child can throw schedules out of the window and contribute to a bit of chaos until a routine is established. Animals who are used to a certain way of life might be upset by the changes. Then again, there are some pets that simply go with the flow.

To be a responsible pet parent and parent to an infant, there are certain things to do to ease the transition at home. Here are some things to consider.

Before the baby comes home

• Make sure the pet is up-to-date will all vaccinations and gets a clean bill of health from the veterinarian.
• Gradually introduce the pet to the smells and sounds that will be the baby’s world. Have the pet go into the nursery and see the new furniture and toys. Let the cat or dog sniff at the baby’s clothing.
• Practice devoting attention to a doll and cuddling with it. This will acclimate the pet to seeing its owner doting affection on someone else.
• Invite friends or family over who have a young child. Observe how the pet reacts around the youngster.
• Start correcting behaviors that should be changed now so the pet won’t associate them with the baby. For example, have the pet stop sleeping on the sofa.
• Stock up on food, litter and other pet essentials so that the supply will be full when the baby comes and time for shopping is hard to come by.
• Make arrangements for care of the pet for a few days during the hospital stay.

When the baby is here

• Send home a piece of clothing that the baby has worn to acclimate the dog or cat to the smell.
• If the pet is very affectionate toward Mom, have someone else carry the infant into the house so Mom can greet the pet.
• Gradually introduce a leashed pet to the baby using a lot of praise.
• Check to see if the pet shows any behavioral issues, such as chewing, scratching or guarding food and toys. This could prove problematic when the baby is crawling.
• Never leave the baby alone with the pet. Again, even a well-behaved pet may lash out if he or she feels threatened.
• Teach the child the proper way to interact with the pet.

Dog owners are well aware that caring for man’s best friend has taken on a greater responsibility in recent years. Perhaps that’s a result of the popularity of the cable channel Animal Planet or the television show “The Dog Whisperer,” each of which has helped to educate dog owners about caring for their canines.

Caring for a dog might be a daily responsibility, but it’s one that’s often enjoyable for both dogs and humans alike. Dog owners concerned about their best friend’s health or those simply hoping to avoid problems down the road can adopt a daily routine that ensures Fido stays active and healthy for years to come.

Freshen up the dog’s water. While this might seem obvious, keeping fresh water in a dog’s bowl is something many owners overlook, sometimes leaving the same water in a dog’s dish for days on end. Unfortunately, when that happens owners are allowing dirt and dust to build up in the water, which can also become stagnant and prove a great breeding ground for insects if the bowl is outdoors. Humans need a certain amount of water each day to stay healthy, and so do dogs. Change the dog’s water at least once per day and twice if the dog eats two meals per day. Also, keep an eye on the water bowl and refill it whenever it’s empty. Be sure to clean inside the water bowl at least once per day, and pay attention to any dirt buildup on outdoor water bowls and clean accordingly.

Feed the dog healthy pet food. Though it might seem fun and friendly to feed a dog directly from the dinner table, it’s best to only feed the dog high quality dog food. All dogs are different, and dog owners should consult their veterinarian as to which food is best for their particular breed. While less expensive dog foods might be appealing, keep in mind such foods might be the equivalent of fast food restaurants for humans, which often provide little or no nutritive value.

Playing with a dog on a daily basis can help the dog remain both physically and mentally healthy.

Take the dog out every day. Few animals on earth are as naturally active as dogs. Dogs need daily exercise to stay healthy both physically and mentally, so owners should make certain their dog gets substantial physical activity every day. A walk around the block might suffice for smaller breeds, while a trip to the dog park where Fido can run, jump and play with other dogs might be best for medium-sized or larger breeds. Avid outdoors people should take their dog along for hikes through the woods or along for any other excursions they feel their dog can handle. Consult a veterinarian for the recommended daily amount of exercise depending on the breed, but know that all breeds of dogs need exercise as part of their daily routine.

Play with your dog. A healthy dog isn’t one that’s just physically healthy, but one that’s mentally healthy as well. Dogs need attention on a daily basis, as most breeds are highly susceptible to boredom. Make time to play with your dog every day, as play time with a dog can help it avoid feelings of boredom while providing stimulation for the dog. In addition to playing with the dog, try to include an activity such as teaching the dog to fetch the frisbee. Such activities pull double duty, providing the dog both exercise and mental stimulation, not to mention fun for the dog owner.

Give the dog some freedom. The conventional wisdom that a dog can be chained in the backyard and left there for hours has thankfully fallen by the wayside. Nowadays, such behavior from dog owners is commonly viewed as abuse. Dogs should not be chained for extended periods of time, and exposing dogs to the elements of nature for prolong periods is potentially very dangerous. A dog’s fur, regardless of its thickness, can only protect it against winter weather for so long, and dogs can overheat very quickly in warmer climates. If the dog must be chained, make sure the chain is long enough to allow for significant mobility and do your best to minimize the amount of time the dog is on the chain.

The canine influenza virus, (CIV), H3N8, affects dogs and can cause the same symptoms experienced by people: persistent coughing, runny eyes and noses, lack of energy and loss of appetite. Canine flu is usually mild, but in about 20 percent of cases, more serious signs occur, such as high fever and pneumonia. A small number of dogs –up to 8 percent — may die from complications associated with canine influenza. Unlike human flu, which tends to occur seasonally during the winter months in the United States, dog influenza shows up all year round.

CIV was discovered in 2004 at a greyhound racing track in Florida. Since then, thousands of cases have been confirmed in various breeds in at least 30 states across the U.S. CIV is often mistaken for other respiratory diseases, such as kennel cough (Bordetella). Like most viral infections, there are no medicines to cure CIV and cough suppressants don’t help much, according to veterinary experts. Antibiotics, which are not effective against the influenza virus, may be prescribed for bacterial infections that develop as complications of the flu. Human “flu” medicines should not be given to dogs.

Dogs that socialize with other dogs are at greatest risk for canine influenza.

The canine influenza virus spreads easily and dogs are most contagious before they show any sign of illness. The germs are spread in saliva and nasal secretions through the air, on shared water bowls or toys or even loving hands. Because the virus is new, all dogs are potentially susceptible to CIV infection. Those attending doggie day care, visiting dog parks or being boarded are at greatest risk because they are in contact with many other dogs.

After canine influenza was identified in 2004, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) began receiving calls from concerned veterinarians, pet owners, and shelters wondering what they could do to protect their dogs. In November 2006, the AVMA executive board took the unusual action of issuing a statement emphasizing the urgent need for an effective canine influenza vaccine to improve the health and welfare of animals and reduce the financial impact of canine influenza.

In May 2009, the U.S. Department of Agriculture approved the Canine Influenza Vaccine, H3N8 from Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health. The vaccine has been proven to reduce the symptoms and most serious consequences of CIV infection, specifically lung lesions and pneumonia. The initial vaccination requires a two-dose series administered two to four weeks apart. After that, a single dose is administered annually for flu protection. Dogs six weeks or older who are currently being vaccinated for kennel cough (Bordetella), are candidates for the Canine Influenza Vaccine, H3N8.

Keeping your dog in good health is the first step to protection from canine influenza. A stronger immune system is better able to fight infection. Take the quiz below to see if your dog is a candidate for canine influenza vaccination and then talk to your family veterinarian about keeping your furry best friend flu-free.

Should My Dog Be Vaccinated Against Canine Flu?

Does your dog:

• Come from a shelter, rescue center, breeding kennel or pet store?
• Board at a kennel or go to doggie day care?
• Attend group training or “dog kindergarten”?
• Visit grooming parlors, dog parks or engage with other dogs on daily walks?
• Enter dog shows or other canine competitions?
• Spend time with other dogs in the waiting room during visits to your veterinary clinic?

If you answered “yes” to even one of these questions, talk to your veterinarian about canine flu vaccine.

Canine influenza is a highly contagious disease that causes prolonged coughing and other respiratory symptoms. It is spread from an infected dog to other dogs through direct contact (nuzzling, sniffing or licking); through the air (coughing or sneezing); and by contact with contaminated objects (doggie bowls, toys, people’s clothing, etc.). Please note that while dogs easily transmit canine flu to other dogs, they cannot infect humans.