Getting those Christmas ideas started

My mother always impressed me by how she was able to have all her Christmas shopping started in July and completed by October. I've not always been that well organized, with the holiday sneaking up on me despite the fact it is always the last week of the year and well marked on the calendar. However,  after watching Roby Baer draw her wonderfully executed pastel of a vizsla, I started to think what a lovely gift a commissioned portrait of our dog would be for my husband.  After a quick Google search using commission pet portraits, vizsla I discovered quite a few who do pet portraits.  I then branched off to see what other vizsla themed products are out there. Of course there is always the merchandise that supports the various Vizsla Clubs and their Vizsla Rescue efforts around the world that offer books, coffee mugs,  key chains and notecards.  After exploring a bit more with companies that  sell merchandise on line I was amazed at the variety and well, utility of their products.  Below are a just few that caught my eye:

Vizsla Artwork Underwear & Panties: Thongs at $12.50, boxers at $16, its what the discerning Vizsla fanatic puts on first!

The Cafe Press provides many other articles of clothing, collectibles and other dust-able tchatchkes for Vizsla lovers.

PetPro.com provides themed merchandise as well. For Vizsla lovers there are three pages of great gifts and indispensable stuff each with the image of Vizsla. Of course we will have to get a few Vizsla Christmas ornaments for our tree prices ranging from $12.99 to $14.99

Doodle Sport provides a wide range of gifts for dog lovers. Using a drop down selection choice of what appears to be every breed in the world (except the newer accepted models such as the Chilean Terrier), items for the kitchen, entire wardrobes, golf items all can have an image of a Vizsla emblazoned. Even babies can proudly bare the image of their family dog: 

For the art collector the Big Tall Dog site has many bronzes that pictures Vizslas as the hunters they are. Prices are in the $100- $200 price range :  

I definitely will be prepared this year and hopefully will be able to have some of these items make their way through customs here in Chile and show up at my doorstep in time!

The artful dog

Thanks to a fellow Vizsla owner for sharing this video. It is such a pleasure to observe the talent of the artist, Roberta "Roby" Baer,  as she expresses in her art the beauty and energy of this great breed.  Working from a photo, she marvelously captures the intensity of the V's expression, musculature and readiness to leap to action as it bounds through the snowy field. The artist accepts a limited amount of commissions... hmmm....





With permission to post byRoberta "Roby" Baer.

Blood Test For Canine Cancer

We were relieved to discover this to be a benign  skin tumor,  common in dogs with short hair. It was removed surgically.  Photo by D. Martinez

The National Canine Cancer Foundation has announced to all dog owners and veterinarians, the availability of a new tool to assist in the management of canine cancer. It is a blood test called VDI-TKcanine+.
The mission  statement of the  National Canine Cancer Foundation is to save dogs lives by finding cures, better treatments and accurate, cost effective diagnostic methods in dealing with canine Cancer.

VDI-TKcanine+ test is a very good adjunct to assess if cancer might be present in dogs where there are other signs of the disease. A positive test should always be followed by additional confirmatory tests, including imaging, biopsy, etc.

If you want to know more about if this test is the right tool for your dog, you are encouraged to contact your Vet and discuss the all the options available to you and your dog.

Pet Owners: 

VDI tests are available to veterinarians across the U.S. Please contact your vet if you would like to have one of these tests performed on your dog or cat.

I am awaiting information about availability of the test internationally and means for send samples internationally for testing.

Veterinarians: 

You may order tests direct from VDI Laboratory by filling out the Lab Testing Services Agreement. Once you fax back the completed agreement, VDI will ship you the required specimen shipper kits free of charge. To access the agreement form, please click here>

   OR

The tests INCaSe, VDI-TKcanine+ and VDI-TKfeline may be ordered from Webster Vet Supply. For more information on ordering from Webster, please click here>

Below are some of the key informational points supplied to us by VDI Labs.

Q: What is this test?

A: VDI-TKcanine+ is a blood test for dogs, used to help aid diagnosis when cancer is suspected, and to monitor the course of treatment once the presence of cancer is confirmed. VDI-TKcanine+ is a test run by veterinarians and is made available to all veterinarians in the U.S.

Q: What does this test measure?

A: The principle element, or biomarker, that VDI -TKcanine+ measures in the dog’s blood is an enzyme called thymidine kinase or TK for short. TK is released into the blood stream by cells that are undergoing unusually rapid cell division; a hallmark of cancer.

Q: How effective is this test?

A: VDI -TKcanine+ is very good at confirming the presence of cancer when the test returns a ‘positive’ result (a result above the range of normal). The test is also good, but not perfect, in confirming that cancer does not exist, when the result falls in the normal range. There is a possibility that certain types of cancer, or cancer in very early stage, might still result in a ‘normal’ result. No diagnostic test is perfect. Like most diagnostic tests, VDI-TKcanine+ is most effective when used in combination with the other established procedures veterinarians have available to them.

Q: How can this test be used on my dog?

A:VDI -TKcanine+ is used to help confirm a diagnosis of cancer, often in combination with a physical examination and other diagnostic procedures. The test is also used following the diagnosis of cancer, to help determine if the cancer has spread or returns, through periodic monitoring.

Q: What should I discuss with my Vet regarding this test?

A: Contact your veterinarian if you suspect your dog might have cancer. Discuss the reasons for your suspicions and ask whether the VDI -TKcanine+ blood test can assist in the diagnostic process. If your vet is not familiar with the test, they can obtain information by contacting the laboratory that provides the test,Veterinary Diagnostics Institute (VDI)..

Specimen Handling 

All specimen shipments to VDI Laboratory require use of the VDI Shipper Kit pictured here.

We utilize FedEx Overnight Express to ensure all specimens are handled with utmost care. But a large part in maintaining specimen integrity and delivering the highest quality result rests with our valued customers.

All instructions for the collection, handling and transport of the specimen(s) are listed on the inside lid of Shipper Box. Please take a moment to review them closely prior to drawing blood from the patient.

 Should you wish to draw a patient prior to the arrival of the Shipper Kit, these instructions will help ensure proper sample collection and storage. Use a standard red-top tube for the blood draw, separate the serum within 45 minutes of draw, and transfer the serum to a standard plastic tube with cap. FREEZE the specimen immediately and maintain frozen state until ready to ship. You do NOT need to thaw the specimen and transfer to the VDI specimen tube that is provided with the Shipper Kit. Instead, use the original plastic tube with frozen serum and follow the remaining instructions for submission to our laboratory.

Learn more here: http://vdilab.vdxinstitute.com/page_new.php?id=3 

COMMENT PERIOD FOR NEW APHIS REGS EXTENDED UNTIL AUGUST 15

From: SAOVA http://saova.org/federal.html

ANIMAL AND PLANT HEALTH INSPECTION SERVICE (APHIS)
DOCKET NO. APHIS-2011-003 PROPOSED RULE

COMMENT PERIOD EXTENDED UNTIL AUGUST 15

SYNOPSIS 
APHIS proposes to revise the definition of "retail pet store" to bring more pet animals sold at retail under the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) licensing and regulations. APHIS will narrow the definition of retail pet store so that it means a place of business or residence that each buyer physically enters in order to personally observe the animals available for sale prior to purchase and/or to take custody of the animals after purchase. Under the proposed rule, no dog or other pet animal will be sold at retail without either public or APHIS oversight.

WHO WILL BE AFFECTED? 
Anyone who sells the following animals to the public for use as pets: Dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils, rats, mice, gophers, chinchilla, domestic ferrets, domestic farm animals, birds, and cold-blooded species.”

APHIS plans to license and regulate these retail sellers unless they can meet the exemption requirements in the revised definition of retail pet store. A breeder may gain an exemption by selling only to buyers who physically enter the premises to observe the animals available for sale prior to purchasing them. A breeder can be exempt from regulation if income from sales (for listed species) is less than $500 a year; this does not include wild or exotic animals, dogs, or cats. Finally, a breeder may be exempt if he/she maintains a total of four (4) or fewer breeding female dogs, cats, and/or small exotic or wild mammals, such as hedgehogs, degus, spiny mice, prairie dogs, flying squirrels, and jerboas,and who sells only the offspring of these dogs, cats, or small exotic or wild mammals, which were born and raised on his/her premises and sold for pets.

*** NEW *** LIVING WITH USDA LICENSING *** DOWNLOAD FILE IN PDF

FILES FOR PROPOSED RULE CHANGE
Docket No. 2011-003
APHIS FACTSHEET. Questions and Answers on Proposed Rule – Retail Pet Sales
Title 9 Integrated with proposed rule
TITLE 9 - Complete including Part 3 Standards of care

Regulatory Impact Analysis & Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis

TRANSCRIPT APHIS TELECONFERENCE MAY 10. QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSION ON PROPOSED RULE

SEND COMMENTS ON THE PROPOSED RULE 
It is IMPERATIVE that dog, cat, and small animal breeders submit comments on this over zealous proposed rule. Hobbies and livelihoods are at stake. APHIS needs to hear from breeders and rescuers how this impacts your hobby. APHIS needs to hear how this proposed change impacts breeding programs if you cannot ship dogs/puppies/cats between friends and fellow breeders.

POST A COMMENT ONLINE via Federal eRulemaking Portal. GO TO THE PORTAL.

SEND THE COMMENT YOU SUBMITTED TO YOUR CONGRESSMAN

This is a proposed rule by an agency, not a law Congress will vote on. However the impact on the retail sector, economy, and the agency's budget is enormous and has far reaching affects. This proposed rule over-regulates responsible home breeders and small private entities, threatening to drive them out of existence. If enforced to its full extent, rescue organizations and their efforts will also be severely weakened.

Send a copy of your comment to Congress reference Docket No. APHIS-2011-O0003. 

Send a letter to Secretary Vilsack opposing the rule

IMPACT ON BREEDERS AND RESCUE 
Basically the new rules present breeders with few choices. Sell all animals only to buyers who physically enter your premises, reduce and maintain the number of breeding females to four (4) including co-ownerships and dogs shared with family members; or obtain a license under the Animal Welfare Act, have a federally compliant facility, and allow APHIS inspectors to inspect your homes and facilities.

Selling even one pet off premise via shipping, at a friend's home, at a show, at a park, will result in loss of an exemption from licensing, placing limitations on both buyers and sellers. The narrow limits of the exemption restrict the ability of hobby breeders to work together remotely, sharing dogs from litters in order to implement their breeding programs and/or increase diversity in their lines.

This Rule would have dire consequences on the ability of rare or uncommon breed breeders to sell their puppies. Generally, if a purchaser desires a puppy of a more unusual breed, they probably will not find one within easy driving distance, and the puppy must be either shipped commercially or otherwise transported, or the breeder will meet the buyer half way. If each purchaser is required to visit the breeder to observe the animals or pick up his/her purchases, the number of buyers who are able to do this in the case of the more uncommon breeds is very low. Without a ready market to sell pups, these breeds will quickly die out.

In the case of rare or uncommon breeds, this Rule would make it difficult to maintain genetic diversity, since a breeder could not ship a puppy cross country to another breeder for the purposes of improving the genetic diversity in that person’s breeding program.

Breeders will no longer be able to assist rescue by fostering and/or selling dogs unless they are willing to lose their exemption from licensing. This will have a severe impact on purebred rescue.

Rescue organizations have long enjoyed the same retail pet store exemption that excluded breeders from federal licensing requirements. It has been the practice of USDA/APHIS to interpret that regulation falls within the commercial/wholesale sector. The Rule removes that previous commercial/retail dividing line for pet sellers and proposes only a very narrow exemption for retail pet sellers.

It has become common practice today for rescue organizations to utilize the Internet to locate buyers, along with transporting dogs from high volume shelters to areas with shortages. The new Rule being proposed will apply to all retail sellers of dogs, cats, and small animals without special exemption for rescue. Rescue organizations would therefore be at risk of losing their current retail exemption for multiple reasons: (1) transporting dogs or other animals for sale to buyers who did not physically visit their primary location; (2) selling rescued animals, which are not born/raised on premise thus failing to meet exemption criteria; (3) selling animals off premise, i.e. adoption days, thereby failing again to meet the exemption criteria that buyers must physically enter business or residence. The proposed rule could end most rescue organization efforts.

FINANCIAL IMPACTS 
The FY 2012 federal Budget contained appropriation for APHIS programs of $837 million, which was 8.3% or $76 million lower than the amount appropriated for APHIS in FY 2011. For the past several years, APHIS’ budget has been shrinking; since 2010 the budget has decreased by approximately $87 million, or roughly 10 percent. In a recent February meeting, APHIS administrators discussed agency changes in response to reduced funding and how the agency plans to preserve core functions while challenged by annually decreasing budgets.

Budget cuts are likely to continue into the foreseeable future. The President's 2013 budget request submitted in February to Congress calls for a decrease in APHIS’ funding by an additional $54 million, or 6.6 percent.

The massive expansion of regulatory responsibilities into the private sector outlined in the proposed rule is not only impractical but unaffordable within an agency that is currently addressing serious budget challenges.

Natasha Rose and her sister together in competition in Argentina

Watch Natash Rose and her sister, India Can d'Ijuma competing at Centro Costa Salguero Buenos Aires, Argentina dog show sponsored by the Federación Cinologica Argentina 5 -8 of July, 2012.
  
Natasha Rose Can d'Ijuma, with her handler, Fernando Burgos, leads the pack followed by her sister India Can d'Ijuma with their breeder and India's handler, German Rodriquez. Despite her recent surgery to remove a benigne tumor on her flank she was still able to come in third. 

Judge: SR. JUEZ SALVATORE TRIPOLI  

Here, Natasha leads off the pack with Fernando Burgos. She is taken through her paces at the 0:49 seconds.  She wins second place.
 Judge: EXP.224.- DR.JUEZ DI VANNI

Opinion seems to be that she just needs to fill out a bit more. Guess we'll just have to take her out hunting a bit more!