From the Editor's Desk

The arrival of spring brings warmer weather, blooming vegetation, and beautiful, sunny days. However, it also brings fleas and ticks, so now is the time to begin preventative measures. With longer days, it is also a good idea to make sure our Poodles are protected from too much sun.

Worms are particularly troublesome this time of year. Grass has been dormant over the winter and is very short so our Poodles’ noses are closer to the ground than usual. That makes it prudent to treat our yards for the various kinds of worms that infect dogs.

Giardia is another very common organism that we see this time of year. Sources of infection can be contaminated water or environmental, such as bird droppings. Signs of Giardia will show up in a Poodle’s stool as diarrhea, but mothers can also be carriers and pass it on to their pups. Giardia is not easy to detect in the stool and is often diagnosed symptomatically.

Keep in mind that the European Parvo virus is now in the U.S., and we have limited protection from this strain. http://www.cdc.gov/ElD/content/13/8/1222.htm Parvo is particularly difficult to clear out of the ground in warmer areas, specifically in those places that do not freeze during the winter. Unfortunately, over the past couple of years, I have heard of many puppies lost to this virus.

On the upside, springtime brings new adventures: some Poodles will be competing in one or more of the many sports events while others will be entering conformation shows. The staff of the International Parti Poodle Gazette wishes all of its subscribers and their Poodles the very best in the 2008 dog show and performance season.