Top news and other stories
2008

Second transport from UK to ROLDA arrived safely ! more ...

ROLDA latest appearance in the international media more ...

Our dogs available NOW for adoption internationally !more ...

Our dog Oache adopted in UK!more ...

Homeless child - winner of the contest about homeless animals !more ...

New education campaign ,17.03-17.04 in partnership with local newspaper "Viata Libera" more ...

Trailer purchased for international adoptions scheme more ...

Mittal delegation visiting ROLDA new shelter.Please "meet" the people that became our strays'"guardian angels", helping not only hundred of homeless...more ...

Azorica adopted in Holland !more ...

Thanks to Mr.Robert S.generosity, we can have FREE transport/shipping from UK to our shelters ! more ...

Financial report 2007 more ...

Emergency needs at ROLDA small shelter more ...

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2007

ROLDA represented at ICAWC and "International Conference of Humans-Animals Interaction" more ...

Our friend,Willie is one of the IFAW winners of "Animal Action Award" (oct.2007) more ...

BBC reporter spreading out the word about Romanian animals' real life. A documentary about ROLDA more ...

Willie Nugent from Armagh ,Northern Ireland visited our shelter and "shake hands" with ROLDA dogs ! more ...

Peace Corp 'volunteer , Maria D.-a high school teacher became a constant helper at ROLDA shelter more ...

ROLDA helps the local community by providing free sterilization and free treatments for flea & ticks control ! more ...

Introducing our new vet. -DVM Gingarasu more ...

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Veterinary Advice

Keeping Pets & People healthy

Pets occupy an esteemed place in many of our households, often being treated as members of the family. They offer a source of amusement, pleasure, and companionship. They provide opportunities for outdoor exercise and socialization. And, according to some studies, they can decrease our blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and triglyceride levels.

But along with the emotional rewards and health benefits of pet ownership also come health risks. Pets--and other animals-can give us diseases.

Animal diseases that can be transmitted to humans are known as zoonotic diseases, or zoonoses. Some people are more likely than others to get zoonoses: the elderly, pregnant women, infants and children less than 5 years old, people undergoing treatments for cancer, people who have received organ transplants, and people with suppressed immune systems, such as those with HIV/AIDS.

The list of zoonoses is long and continues to grow as people travel to more remote parts of the world and bring diseases back with them, and as animals that carry diseases are imported.

Even if people never leave the country or acquire a pet from further away than their local animal shelter, they may still be vulnerable to getting certain diseases from pets. Fortunately, the risk of getting a disease from your pet is small, and you can minimize the risk by practicing good personal hygiene, keeping pet areas clean, controlling disease-carrying insects, and getting regular vaccinations and veterinary care for pets.

Worms

Worms, such as roundworms and hookworms, can infect dogs, cats, and some other animals. Worms can also infect people if they ingest the organisms or, in the case of hookworms--which can penetrate the skin--if they walk barefoot on infected soil.

Worms live in the intestines of animals and are expelled in the stool. If left untreated in pets, homes and yards can become contaminated from worm eggs that are passed in animal feces and hatch in the soil.

More than 90 percent of puppies are born with worms. Mother dogs can pass worms to their puppies before birth and both dogs and cats can pass it to their offspring through their milk after birth.

Touching the stool or contaminated soil and then touching the mouth or handling food are common routes of transmission of worms to humans. Children are at risk for acquiring worms if they walk barefoot or play in the dirt where an infected dog has defecated or on the floor where a dog may have tracked in dirt or feces.

Hookworm larvae can cause painful inflammation in areas where they penetrate a person's skin and crawl just below the skin's surface. Roundworms may also cause problems. In most cases, it never becomes apparent and doesn't need to be treated but in some cases, larvae migrate through the body and damage tissues and organs.

Just one roundworm larva has been known to damage the retina of the eye and cause blindness.

Prevention and early treatment are the best defenses against worms ,your veterinarian can provide dewormers and a treatment schedule.

Adult animals should have their stool tested at least annually by a veterinarian, who can also prescribe drugs to help prevent your pet from getting worms in the future.

Flea and tick-borne diseases

The tick is a small, grayish insect that usually lives in fields and forests, particularly around the burrows of wild rodents (e.g., moles, voles, mice). The Ixodes deer tick is a common vector for Lyme bacteria, the cause of Borreliosis or Lyme disease.

Fleas and ticks are responsible for a number of diseases in pets and people. Some types of ticks, for example, can transmit the bacteria that cause Lyme disease to animals and humans.Lyme disease is one of many tick-transmitted diseases. The Lyme disease bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi hitches a ride inside the tick between hosts. In dogs, Lyme disease usually produces disease signs characterized by arthritis, though it can less commonly involve heart, nervous system and the kidneys.

It is important to note that Lyme disease is not found everywhere that ticks are found. Your local veterinary clinic will be able to advise you whether this infection is a concern in your geographic area. Although pets cannot give flea- and tick-borne diseases directly to people, they can transport these pests into their homes, exposing family members to potential infection.

Fleas cause much discomfort to pets. They spread disease and can lead to conditions such as allergic dermatitis. They jump on pets from the outside or any flea-infested environment, bite pets, lay thousands of eggs and then die.

To clean up a flea infestation in a house, sprays and foggers are somewhat effective. Just make sure to treat all dark areas. Turn up sofa cushions, and spray well under sofas and chairs.

The worst thing pet owners can do is shampoo their carpets, as this provides the moisture fleas need. The most effective method of treating a house is to contact a professional exterminator. It is crucial that pets and homes be treated at the same time. For more information, contact your veterinarian.

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