New Mexico

New Mexico remains free of canine respiratory disease – for now

Published

6 months ago

November 29, 2023

New Mexico remains free of canine respiratory disease – for now

Farmington shelter director urges caution but not isolation

An unidentified respiratory disease that has plagued dogs in a handful of states across the country has not turned up in New Mexico or San Juan County, but several cases have been reported in Colorado, leading to concerns the ailment may soon spread here.

Stacie Voss, the animal welfare director at the Farmington Regional Animal Shelter, said there have been no signs of the disease locally as far as she knows. Symptoms of the illness reportedly include coughing, fever, lethargy, nose and eye discharge, and/or a loss of appetite. In some cases, the disease has progressed rapidly to pneumonia and has even proven fatal.

A Nov. 22 post on the Colorado Department of Agriculture website reported that the agency has been receiving calls from veterinarians in the state about the ailment for the last two months. The disease also has been reported in Oregon, Illinois, Florida and parts of New England.

The illness has yet to be identified, and veterinarians are unsure whether it is caused by a virus or bacteria. The Colorado Department of Agriculture website indicates that while some diagnostics have been completed, there has not been any conclusive testing performed to indicate what may be causing the increased prevalence of the disease. Officials there cautioned that there can be many causes for canine respiratory infections, and the illness may not necessarily be a new or novel ailment.

The disease has drawn considerable media attention, becoming the subject of recent stories in such outlets as The New York Times, CNN, NPR, TIME and the Washington Post.

Voss said the staff at the Farmington Regional Animal Shelter always closely monitors its animals for disease, moving quickly to isolate animals that show signs of illness, such as an elevated temperature, cough, runny nose or watery eyes. In rare cases, she said, if an animal is sick enough, it can be euthanized.

Voss recommended that pet owners keep their animals fully vaccinated against various forms of disease as a precaution. Even if there is no vaccination for this unidentified respiratory ailment, she said, a dog would be better equipped to fight off a potential infection if its immune system has not been compromised already by another illness.

Some observers fear that the disease is poised to expand rapidly over the next several weeks as people travel and board their dogs for the holidays, thus leading to increased exposure to other dogs. Voss said that is certainly a concern, but she said it’s unlikely that pet owners who plan on leaving town this year will be able to come up with a Plan B on such short notice.

“At this point, I don’t think people are doing to be able to organize other boarding plans,” she said.

The staff at the San Juan Veterinary Hospital in Farmington did not respond to an interview request from The Daily Times about the disease.

Voss emphasized that the presence of the illness has been limited thus far, and she said it’s too early for New Mexico dog owners to be overly worried about taking their animals to a dog park or to a boarding facility.

“There’s always a risk, no matter what you do, especially for older dogs or those that are immune compromised,” she said. “But socialization and exercise are important, too. Until we see (the disease) in New Mexico, I would say, just use caution.”

Mike Easterling can be reached at 505-564-4610 or measterling@daily-times.com. Support local journalism with a digital subscription: http://bit.ly/2I6TU0e.

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New Mexico

Riding the rails with New Mexico voters • Source New Mexico

Published

3 hours ago

June 5, 2024

Press Room

Riding the rails with New Mexico voters • Source New Mexico

Over the last eight years, I’ve spent many hours outside polling places from Albuquerque to Española begging voters for interviews.

This time I tried something different. The day before New Mexico’s primary election I rode the Rail Runner from end to end, from Santa Fe to Belen to talk with voters along the way.

It was surprising how open people were to talk with a stranger on a moving train about their political views.

The people on the train are from different backgrounds and almost all said the same thing: they are frustrated with their choices for who will lead their government.

‘I wish there were more options’

Lauren Hartzell, a 19-year-old biology and chemistry student at the University of New Mexico, took the Rail Runner down to the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge to study rats.

We spoke as the Rail Runner took us through Kewa Pueblo, Sandoval County, and the Town of Bernalillo.

Hartzell said she will be voting in the general election, but she forgot about the primary, and said she didn’t know whether she could vote Tuesday. This year will be her first presidential election; her first time voting was in 2022.

“I remember when I turned 18, I was like, ‘Oh yeah, I’m really glad that I’m finally old enough, but it had kind of fallen off my radar,’” Hartzell said. “American politics are not a very high priority in my life. My car’s broken down, I’m doing a lot of work stuff, and traveling a bunch.”

Asked what would make it easier to vote, Hartzell suggested more education on how to follow the voting process. Without the internet, she said, she wouldn’t know what to do.

Hartzell said she knows what she’s signing up for with Biden and Trump in the presidential election.

“It’s annoying to see the same two people who we were already upset with them being the only two choices in the last election,” Hartzell said. “I don’t know if it’s just because I’m a young person myself, but I’m really annoyed with seeing just old people in office. I wish there were more options out there.”

Hartzell said she wants to prepare a bit more for this election by researching local candidates and issues like cleaner energy.

“I think we need to start really going in a different direction — as a state, as a country, as a people,” she said. “As a biologist, I really care about the planet and I really don’t want to see species dying off.”

She said she thinks nuclear energy seems like a better option than oil and gas.

Hartzell said she thinks there are plenty of people out there who could run for office, but do not have the money to run a campaign.

She said she thinks it’s important for everyone to vote because the U.S. was built on democracy and without doing so, one’s voice on laws and policy won’t be heard.

“I would encourage everyone to vote, not just people I agree with,” she said. “I think it is really important to vote, get out there and voice our opinions.”

The Rail Runner arrives at the Santa Fe Depot. (Photo by Austin Fisher / Source NM)

Political exhaustion

Starla Martinez, a student and a mother, was headed back south to her home in Albuquerque after a job interview in Santa Fe.

We spoke as we were passing through the Village of Los Ranchos and the North Valley, in the last few minutes before she had to depart.

Martinez said she’s voted in-person in every previous presidential election she could, starting in 2008, but didn’t vote in this year’s primary. Martinez said she will vote in the general election, but she doesn’t know who to vote for yet.

“I’m a person of color, I am kind of tired of seeing old white men in office,” Martinez said. “They don’t represent all of us, they don’t really care about what all of us think and say. Lobbying makes things incredibly difficult, because they have a voice over the people who should have a voice.”

Martinez said she feels a sense of political exhaustion she shares with friends and family.

“People who are stark Democrats, and stark Republicans, are like, ‘All the choices are bad,’” Martinez said. “I wish they could require politicians to get certified to be able to run. It seems like nobody’s really in touch with what’s happening with real people.”

She said this feeling applies to the presidential candidates and local elected officials.

“It doesn’t seem like they’re listening to their constituents over what they want to do,” Martinez said.

Martinez said she believes the U.S. needs “to break away from a two-party system.”

Even with the existing third parties, Martinez said, all the money gets pumped into the two major ones, “so we really don’t learn about who else we have to vote for.”

‘I’d probably vote for Trump, which does not make me happy’

On the way back up from Belen headed northbound, I spoke with Lily Rich, a 19-year-old registered independent from Albuquerque and a student researcher in atmospheric physics at New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology in Socorro.

This is the first election in which Rich is eligible to vote. She registered shortly after becoming a legal adult. Rich said she probably would not vote in the primary on Tuesday, but said she would feel differently with better candidates.

“I think voting is important, and I plan to do so, but as of now, with all the changes in what’s going on, I don’t feel like I have all the information or time to make a decision about who would be best.”

Rich said information about how the primary works should be more widespread, and there should be a better way to educate and inform young voters.

“I think having a source that’s unbiased where you can find all the information without people’s own opinions being in there would be really helpful, because these topics are really heated,” Rich said. “Especially at my age, where a lot of people are super liberal, it’s really hard to tell what’s going on.”

Rich said she thinks both Trump and Biden are bad candidates.

“I really don’t know, but I’d probably vote for Trump, which does not make me happy to say, but I don’t like how Biden has run this country,” she said.

Rich said a hypothetical candidate who would excite her would be a moderate who isn’t anti-abortion, is not racist, is not sexist, and who would “help America continue to flourish, but not have all these foreign problems right now.”

“I don’t completely agree with the left’s social views because I feel like they’re a little bit radical sometimes, but I don’t agree with the right’s social views either,” she said. “On some policies, it’s just better to be in the middle.”

The Rail Runner arrives at the Santa Fe Depot. (Photo by Austin Fisher / Source NM)

‘The system is pretty much run by white people, for white people’

On the second half of the journey back north, the fourth person I spoke with was Kanji Tanka, who was on his way home to Santa Fe. The setting sun filled the train car with an orange and yellow light.

Tanka (Lakota Oyate) and his partner voted by absentee ballot last week. Tanka said his partner did a lot of research into her choices, while he did what he has done in all previous elections: he voted for all Democratic candidates, because “There’s nothing else to vote for.”

“There’s not much hope for Biden, but it’s better than having no hope at all,” Tanka said. “Basically, the system is pretty much run by white people, for white people. People like me, women and children, we’re at the bottom of the pile.”

Tanka said he has not voted for most of his life, but decided to vote in this election because “everybody keeps telling me, ‘your vote counts.’”

“You know what? For Native Americans, it’s highly doubtful,” he said. “It might help a little, but we have a government system — doesn’t matter who’s running it — they’ve always been anti-Indian.”

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New Mexico

Primary night live blog: Polls close at 7 p.m. in New Mexico

Published

10 hours ago

June 4, 2024

Press Room

Primary night live blog: Polls close at 7 p.m. in New Mexico

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New Mexico

Which states are having primaries today? What to watch in key races

Published

17 hours ago

June 4, 2024

Press Room

Which states are having primaries today? What to watch in key races

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Voters in Iowa, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, South Dakota, and the District of Columbia head to the polls on Tuesday for primary elections. This is also the first time former President Donald Trump is on the ballot following his felony convictions in a New York court last week.

The leading candidate for the GOP will be on the Republican ballot in Montana, New Jersey, and New Mexico. President Joe Biden will also appear on the Democratic ballot in those states, including Washington, D.C., and South Dakota.

After today, the only remaining primaries will be two contests in Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands on Saturday, June 8.

Here’s what to watch:

Montana

In Montana, there are contested races for the U.S. House and Senate, governor, attorney general, state legislature, state Supreme Court, and several other state and local offices.

The most high-profile races include Republican challenges to incumbent Democratic Senator Jon Tester and candidates for an open U.S. House seat held by far-right Republican Representative Matt Rosendale, who is stepping down at the end of his term in January 2025.

In the presidential race, only Biden and Trump are on the primary ballots, with the option to vote “no preference” or write in a candidate.

Polls close at 8 p.m. local.

Washington D.C.

In D.C., there are contests for the Democratic presidential nominee, congressional delegates, and the City Council. President Biden is up against Marianne Williamson, Armando Perez-Serrato, and any write-in candidates.

Polls close at 8 p.m. local.

Iowa

Iowa already held its presidential caucus in January, one of the first of the primary season. It’s holding races for the U.S. House and Senate and the state House.

Polls close at 8 p.m. local.

More: Right-wing challenges, legislative matchups: 3 things to watch in Iowa’s June 4 primary

New Jersey

Voters in New Jersey will decide on their party’s pick for president, U.S. House and Senate, and local races.

More: NJ’s primary election is June 4. Here’s everything you need to know cast your ballot

Biden is running against Terrisa Bukovinac and can vote uncommitted or write in. Trump has no opponent besides any write-ins.

Polls close at 8 p.m. local.

New Mexico

In New Mexico, nominations are at stake in presidential races, U.S. House and Senate, state House races, and other statewide offices, including district attorney.

Though former Republican candidates Chris Christie and Vivek Ramaswamy have already dropped out of the race, they will appear on the ballot alongside Trump and “Uncommitted.”

Biden faces Williamson and “Uncommitted.”

Polls close at 7 p.m. local.