rg DVM. Jom R Robinson he ‘A few days later. ‘Mrs. Jackson phoned to say all the ‘children were showing red -I looked. again at the blotches’ on~ their ‘skin, “nde little grey kitten mainly he neck, face and - which ‘the . Jackson family had brought | in for vaccination at eight "weeks of age. She sat on the examination table ... the centre of attention as. the four . Allison Had seen ‘t em Od recommended Tinactin cream. “Good,” I said, “the infected areas are - easily seen on humans and will clear up much quicker than those in.the kitten. Come back in a month and J will re-check -her when we oP ‘delighted girls, ranging give thé second vaccination.” in age from four to nine, gathered around “to admire the new addition and tell me what fun they were having. . I directed my question to Joanie, the oldest «where did she come from?"*Oh, we ~ saw her advertised on special at Murphy’s Pet Store,” said Janie en- thusiastically. Next I asked) which case it would be most “how long have you had her?” “We got her on my birthday just over a week ago ™chipped in’ Pamela the next oldest. - I was worried. I looked at the amount of grey crusting above the left eye and on the edge of the left ear. “Mrs. . Jackson,” I said, “we nor- mally do a complete physical check on all new puppies and kittens which is included in the cost of the initial vaccination. I would like you to bring the kitten and come with me to the dark room while the children stay here.” In the dark room I set up’ an ultra violet lamp which produces black light. We call it a Wood’s Lamp. With the room in darkness and the kitten held by Mrs. Jackson we could see a_ greenish fluorescence of the area above the eye and on the ear and also a couple of places on the chest and legs. As I suspected... fungus in- fection...micropsorum can- is...or commonly called Ringworm. The fluffy little pet was a time bomb for the children. “Mrs. Jackson” I began, “I must emphasize the im- portance of a complete check up for all pets as soon as they are acquired. This fungus infection is tran- smissible to the children and possibly to the parents too and I feel sure that with all the hugging she has had over the past week we may expect lesions to appear on_ the children within a few days. She must be isolated from them for a month while we give medication in the food and apply cream to the arcas we can see are affected. The cream alone is nol satisfactory because it is sometimes very hard to spot the affected areas. Is this Possible?"Yes,” she replied, “we can put her in a rabbit cage we have in the basement. It hasn't been used for several months and is quite clean.” I campleted the vaccination and sent home the necessary medications. ‘legally becomes yours unless All would be well but it-is - aM experience causing a lot of inconvenience and worry...and could be avoided. + QUESTION: This , dog about 9 months old has been hanging around our house for several days and it seems so hungry we have fed it. It has no collar. Can we take it in and keep it as our own? ANSWER: Yes you can...in fortunate, but jt never the Municipal Pound is notified with a complete description of the animal. They must then follow the provisions of the by-laws of = your particular community. In my city all found dogs are advertised on our tocal radio station daily at 2:30 p.m. for four days and if not claimed * by then become the property of the City. They don’t use the newspaper because it only comes out once a week. They must also post a notice at City Hall of all animals in the pound which must be updated twice a week. In your case the pound keeper may allow you to house the dog temporarily while he advertises it. If it is not clainied after the four days he will come around and sell you a licence and probably, charge a small handling fee. The dog is then legally. yours. But since many pound operators have to provide their salaries through the Sale of impounded dogs they are not always as cooperative as one would wish. QUESTION: How often should a dog be wormed? ANSWER: About as often as you worm your children. Young dogs harbor round worms and children harbor pin worms. They are quite different and are “host specific”. That means they can't be passed from kid to dog or vice-versa. Puppies are usually born with worms which they get from their mothers. After these are climinated, probably twice a year would be desirable, But there are several different types of worms and I will write a special article on the subject. ‘QUESTION: Has a dog ever a s ens a must | 7 been mated with a cat or ‘vice versa...and what was - the result, \ ANSWER: I’ve read about it several, times...usually a press report emanating from™ somewhere in Italy. But I’m skeptical. If: your dog is_ Starting: to make passes at your cat, perhaps you should: consider neutering him! (If there are particular subjects | you would like me to write about please drop a line ‘to the editor...). Warning Health and Welfare Canada advises me danger to health increases with amount smoked-— avoid inhaling. Average per cigarette —King Size: “Tar” 12 mg Nic 0.9 mg. Regular: “Tar” 14mg Nic. 0.9 meg. PASHA Is A beautiful neutered pure bred Samoyed. He needs a new hoine and f is gentle | in every way: Please se phone Doris Orr'at t 987-9015.