Archive for the ‘Health’ Category
Pay-It-Forward Friday 6/4/2010
June 4th, 2010
If you have dogs or ferrets, this is your lucky Friday. It has been a challenging week for me. I have had a number of issues come up regarding dogs and ferrets. I had to do some research and contact other rescues and shelters for help. It’s amazing how animal people all stick together and help each other so animals can have a better life. Thank you!!
One challenge I had were ferrets with fleas. I never had ferrets with fleas so I was not sure what to do about them. I know they are delicate animals and it can be deadly if they are treated like dogs and cats for a flea problem. Here are some of the things I found out:
1. A flea condition is 100% fixable. I spoke to rescues who told me that ferrets die from fleas. They are such small animals and it doesn’t take long for them to be sucked dry. The fleas are coming in from a source. Once you find out what the source is, you can correct it. Ferrets, being indoor animals, should not have fleas.
2. If you have dogs or cats that come in and out you can give them Capstar. You have to get it from a veterinarian. This should not be given to ferrets, unless you just adopted them and need to get the fleas off this one time. (Talk to your vet about dosage).
3. You can also get an 8oz. spray bottle. Put about 2 tablespoons Skin-so-soft with 1 teaspoon alcohol (to cut the oil) and fill with water. You can spray that on the dogs and cats and rub it in. This will kill fleas. Again, be very careful not to use this too much with ferrets since they have very sensitive skin.
The one recommendation I got over and over again, get everyone and everything out of the house. Fumigate the whole house and have the yard treated. While you are gone, get all of the fleas off of all the animals. When you return, you are starting new. Make sure all of the animals stay in the house. If they must go outside, make sure they stay in your yard, if possible. Give them Capstar before they go out to be sure they don’t get any fleas. The ferrets should no longer have a flea problem, ever.
I also had people asking me about the proper food they should be feeding their dogs. Since I have not had dogs in years, I was not sure what to tell them. I have a friend, Greg Martinez, DVM who just wrote a book called, “Dr. Greg’s Dog Dish Diet”. That book has a wealth of information when it comes to feeding your dog. It gives you histories of different breeds, what different breeds eat, how different foods affect different dogs, etc. Did you know dogs are not suppose to have any corn or beef?
Here are a few tidbits I got from the book that I thought were interesting and I wanted to pass along:
1. A Tablespoon of olive oil or canola oil on the food daily, or an egg yolk in the food three or four times a week, can have a wondrous effect on health.
2. Never give your dog chocolate. That goes for ferrets too. Ferrets should not have any sugars or fruit.
3. The closest ancestor to a dog, the wolf. 99.8% of a dog’s DNA matches the wolf. To feed dogs well on a diet that resembles the natural diet of a wolf, make sure the mix of ingredients and nutrients are similar.
4. Wild game provides the wolf with a high-water, low-carbohydrate diet that is also high in protein and fat. With the exception of a few of the newer diet; canned dog foods most closely match the wolf’s natural diet.
5. Ounce for ounce, canned dog food has about a third the calories of dry food.
6. A healthier diet may actually prevent, decrease and often cure many of the common chronic problems in dogs.
These are the top 10 claims for Veterinary Pet Insurance:
A.Ear Infections
B. Skin Allerfies
C. Pyoderma (hotspots/ bacterial skin infections)
D. Gastritis/Vomiting (stomach upsets)
E. Enteritis/Diarrhea
F. Urinary Tract Infections Benign
G. Skin Tumors
H. Osteoarthritis
I. Eye Inflammation
J. Hypothyroidism
7. Allergies in dogs are caused by three common allergen groups:
A. Fleas
B. Pollens, grasses and molds
C. Allergenic food ingredients (most often wheat, beef and corn)
8. Wolves keep their teeth clean by chewing on the bones of prey animals. In that tradition, you can give your dog raw or frozen chicken theighs, smoked pork bones or beef knucklebones, and they’ll gnaw the tartar away. PLEASE, be careful what you give your dog. They should be able to chew NOT eat bones. The book goes into detail about this.
To learn more about dogs and their diets click here for Dr. Greg’s Book.
Then I had questions about adopting dogs. The best timing in the world because I had information sent to me from “The Camping Dog”.
It specifically talked about adopting a shelter dog. They say one of the best gifts you can give yourself is adopting a shelter dog. Are shelter dogs right for everyone? Absolutely not. You never really know what you’ve got until you get your new friend home. And odds are even that your dog will need specialized attention and care for health or behavior issues for some period of time. Unless you’re willing to be patient and work with your pup, you have no business having a dog at all – and especially not a shelter dog who may well have had traumatic experiences.
There is nothing more rewarding than watching a dog blossom into their true personalities. Seeing a dog learn how to play for the first time is a delight. And watching them grow as they learn new behaviors and have new experiences is so much fun! And they do thank you for it in so many ways!
If you would like to know the questions to ask yourself if you are thinking about adopting a dog click here.
Can anyone explain why the USDA will NOT step in and help the dogs and puppies in the mills? There has been so much evidence of mills abusing and neglecting these animals. Many of these animals are dying horrible deaths. Most people have heard about these atrocities. The flip side, they go into a pet store to buy something for their animal. When they are there they see the poor puppy eyes looking at them. At that very moment they feel they need to buy this puppy and give it a good home. They forget where the puppy came from. It is a vicious cycle. I like what they have done in West Hollywood California. The stores only sell puppies that come from shelters or rescues. Click here to learn how you can do the same thing in your community.
This past week there was a report about the USDA failing to cut down on puppy mills. They detail the horrific conditions and lax enforcement. If you would like to read this article, click here.
There was also a show on Animal Planet that exposed Petland puppies. Since the airing of that show they have had so many people coming forward telling them stories about the health issues, and medical challenges, their puppies have had. In addition, the cost to care for these animals.
So many stories were sent in describing what it has been like for the owners of these puppies since they purchased their new family member. The stories include Bailey, a Cairn terrier (pictured here), who became deathly ill and had to be hospitalized after she was purchased in Texas, and Little Red, who reportedly had the worst hip dysplasia her veterinarian had ever seen.
On the positive side, hopefully this show will get people to do more research on the stores and breeders of puppies. Even people in your community might have a small mill going and you don’t even know it.
If you would like to read more about this, or know of a puppy that you want to report because they have medical issues, click here.
Over the past few weeks I have had so many conversations regarding our world and where we are headed. I have always said, “Humans are blessed with an exceptional brain. We have made wonderful advances in technology, medicine, etc. At the same time, we also seem to use it to destroy the world and harm innocent animals. Right now we are harming and destroying at the same time (oil drilling, polluting the waters and killing all kinds of fish and wildlife).
I came up with the name of my show, “Animal Connection” because I know animals and humans are connected. I never realized the timing of my show would be so perfect with the events going on in our society, in such an extreme way. One major issue, once we destroy this earth that’s it. No matter how much money anyone has, we can’t replace it!
The animals were here long before we were. We should respect them and not use them for profit. Someone said to me, “We should go back to the times of Little House on the Prairie”. I’m starting to believe that’s not such a bad idea, although it was a very hard life!
I don’t know what the answer is. We don’t seem to be able to get along and respect other humans (look at the wars). How do we expect people to respect animals?
Exercising with Your Pet is Good for You and Them!
May 8th, 2010
May is the beginning of summer. For many it is also a challenging time because of the winter coat they have put on.
For those of us who have the pleasure of owning a pet, the benefits are fairly obvious. Pets offer unconditional love, listen to us without offering needless advice, and make fantastic snuggling companions. There is nothing like coming home to someone who is genuinely excited to see you and who wants nothing more than a chew toy for Christmas. But for all of the love we give them, we also seem to give them a lot to eat. Approximately 50 percent of the pets in this country are overweight—and with roughly 30 percent of the U.S. population also being overweight, we could all use a little more exercise! One possibility overlooked by pet owners is to recruit your pet as a workout buddy, which is odd, since pets will always show up and won’t complain about how hungover they are. Let’s look at some ways you can involve your furry friend in sweat-inducing activities that will leave you both reaching for the water bowl.
1. Get outside.
Most of us are aware of the vast benefits of spending time outside on a daily basis. If you have a dog yet lack a large yard, being outside becomes a requirement. So if you have to walk your dog several times a day, why not use the time to your benefit as well? Try to speed up your pace along your normal route. Try alternating your quick pace with some speed walking or a light jog. Find a route that includes some hills or other challenging terrain. Add some high knee lifts, butt kicks, or lateral skipping if you are not embarrassed by public displays of exercise. Or simply try adding 5 minutes onto your quick-paced walk every week, until you are up to an hour. The added calorie burn will be worth it.
If you are a bit more daring, try hiking or running with your dog. There is the obvious increase in caloric expenditure for both of you, but also an increase in cardiovascular and muscular output that will definitely pay off. Look for soft surfaces—like a trail or dirt track—to help protect your joints, and remember that HOT PAVEMENT IS REALLY PAINFUL FOR DOGS’ PAWS. Also, there are special harness-type leashes out there that keep your hands free and make running with more than one dog much more bearable.
2. It’s all Fun and Games
Playing with your pet can be great exercise and fun for both of you. If you have a yard, or live near a local dog park, all of this is much easier. Of course, it can be done in your living room, but it might be a bit dangerous for the furniture. Try playing fetch, but race your dog for the ball. Just throw and start running. Or play tag by chasing your dog around the designated area. If your dog is on the strong side, grab a rope and try some tug-of-war. If you’re considerably stronger than your pooch, try tugging while standing on one leg, and using only one arm. Create an obstacle course, and run it with your dog. Find a ball and a wall, and play a version of handball mixed with “keep away”—from your dog. Practice your tennis swing and let your pup retrieve the ball.
Just doing something playful can make a normal workout feel like you are back on the playground with your four-legged best friend. How can it get better than that?
3. Train the Dog or Train the Owner?
This is not a section on teaching a dog to sit or training your spouse to get you a drink from the fridge. This is about using functional resistance training to manipulate your mutt’s musculature, along with your own. Try the following exercises with some help from Fido.
Balance Challenge
Stand on both feet, hips-width apart, with your dog’s favorite toy in hand, but hidden from view. Shift your weight onto one foot, keeping the other foot’s toes just off the ground. Now show your pet a favorite toy. Try bending your standing leg and lowering the toy to touch the ground in front of you. Once you lose your balance, or your pup gets the toy, switch to the opposite leg.
Squat and Toy Press
For this exercise, use your dog’s favorite toy or a small weighted medicine ball. Start with your feet hips-width apart, and in a parallel position. Bring the toy or ball to your chest. Squat down deeply with your butt going parallel to the floor, and your knees staying behind your toes. As you extend your knees to stand back up, throw the toy or ball into the air, and try to catch it before your mutt jumps up and grabs it! Repeat until one of you gives out.
Sumo Squats for the Critter
This workout is similar to the Squat and Toy Press. Only this time, you start with your toes pointed slightly outward, making sure that your knees line up with your toes. Hold the toy or ball in both hands, with arms extended straight down toward the floor. As you bend both knees, bringing your seat parallel to the floor and keeping your arms straight, lift the toy directly over your head. As you straighten your knees, jump off the ground a few inches and return the toy to the down position. Hopefully, your mongrel will continue to jump for the toy until your quads have hit exhaustion.
Fetching Push-Ups
The idea is to set yourself up in a push-up position, with whatever modifications you require to do many repetitions (on your knees, against a wall, etc.). Lift one hand and throw a ball. Do as many push-up repetitions as possible until your pet returns. Repeat the toss with the opposite arm.
Laser Creature Crunch
Domesticated animals seem to be fascinated by laser pointers. Get into a comfortable crunch position on the ground, and hold the laser pointer in both hands. Begin doing 10 crunches with the laser on your chest, and of course, pointed away from you. Watch your pet go nuts trying to chase it in the process. Every 10 reps, alternate arm positions behind your head, above your head, and even to your knees. Your dog will go insane, and you will have abs of steel!
Dog Curl/Dip/Press
These options depend completely on the level of stillness your pet can provide. For my two dogs, playing dumbbell just ain’t gonna happen. But I have many friends with extremely trusting animals that love to be bench-pressed. Should you try to press, curl, dip, or lunge your best friends, do it relatively close to the ground, just in case they change their minds.
There’s a study that shows people with terminal illnesses are three times LESS likely to suffer depression if they own a pet. Pets are amazing stress reducers and loneliness decreases, and have actually been proven to lower blood pressure. They also make us more social creatures, as we meet new people on walks, at parks, etc. If you add a pet to your household, your life will be dramatically enriched. If you are unable to make a lifelong commitment, borrow a friend’s dog for a day, or look into a short-term fostering program. And there are hundreds of organizations out there that could use volunteers to walk the dogs they are sheltering. That way, you get some exercise, and make a difference at the same time. Whatever you do, integrate some canine or feline time into your exercise regimen, and watch the change occur. Now that is doggone good! Information provided by Stephanie Saunders
Click here for more health and fitness ideas.
Pay-It-Forward Friday 5/7/2010
May 7th, 2010
I want Friday’s to bring awareness to other organizations that are doing wonderful things for animals. I also want to empower people. Please pass this link on to bring awareness to these wonderful organizations, thanks!
1. A French Journalist contacted me. She wanted to know if I could send her true stories depicting peculiar relationships between a child and one or several wild animal(s).
Some examples:
* They’re going to tell the story of a little girl in South Africa looking after elephants with her parents in a sanctuary.
* Two little boys in India who protect snakes with their father and who are not scared to handle them. They’re “working” with their father at freeing the snakes they find in the cities to protect them.
They’re looking for a young girl or boy (aged under 15), fond of scuba diving, swimming with dolphins, whales…. In the end a child passionate in marine life. Any histories are welcomed!!
One important thing: Their aim is not to promote proximity between wild animals and humans. They DO NOT want promote people taming wild animals! They’re just looking for extraordinary stories relating a peculiar relationship between a child and an animal at a specific moment.
If you’ve heard about such stories you are welcome to contact Mélodie TISSOT directly.
+33 1 58 05 16 60
2. Emergency Situation at Wild Animal Orphanage, San Antonio, Texas
The Board of Directors of The Wild Animal Orphanage in San Antonio, Texas, announces the existence of a financial, personnel, and management crisis at their sanctuary where more than 400 wild, exotic, and domestic animals reside. The sanctuary has been in operation for 24 years and the decline in contributions along with the recent discovery of severe personnel and management issues have created this crisis. Steps have been taken by the Board of Directors to resolve some of the problems including replacement of the CEO with an acting director, Mr. Jamie Cryer, a Texas businessman, who has willingly agreed to work without compensation to assure the feeding and care of the resident animals.
Funds are needed immediately to continue providing food and care for the lions, tiger, bears, wolves, cougars, primates, and other species that reside at the 2 sites of the WAO. Compassionate animal care-givers are still reporting to work to feed, clean, and care for the animals, however, there are no funds available for payroll and their pay is already several weeks behind. Six of the animal care-givers are temporarily working without compensation. The Board of Directors is reaching out to all caring individuals and humane organizations to please step up to the plate and help us take care of these 400 animals that have no one to depend on except generous people. To learn more and find ways you can help click here.
“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be measured by the way its animals are treated.” — Mahatma Gandhi
3. Tragically, 50% of domestic violence victim’s delay seeking help for fear that an abuser will harm a pet… Animals are the silent victims of domestic violence. Most people treat pets as members of the family. Unfortunately, when it comes to domestic violence, pets are also deemed part of the family unit and forced to suffer in silence at the hands of abusers. Some studies estimate that: *50% of domestic violence victims delay seeking help out of concern that their pet may be harmed by the abuser. *88% of companion animals living in households where domestic violence occurs are routinely threatened, harmed or even killed. The ASPCA witnesses firsthand the connection between animal abuse and domestic violence. Just last month, police in Little Falls, NY, arrested Mark Beacraft, Jr., for assaulting a four-year-old child. The suspect has a history of violence—including a guilty plea in 2007 for murdering a neighborhood cat. He was sentenced to one year in a county jail but was later released under house arrest. This is unacceptable—and they need your help to keep criminals like Beacraft off the streets. The ASPCA works tirelessly to educate law enforcement and the public about the link between animal cruelty and domestic abuse and to lobby for stricter punishments for pet abusers. To help click here
4. May is National Arthritis Month
Just like humans, many dogs suffer from arthritis pain and inflammation as they age. Joints and bones naturally degenerate over time. Fortunately, arthritis can often be managed with the help of acupuncture, Traditional Chinese Medicine, supplements and nutrition. Natural and alternative therapies are generally safe, effective and can be used in conjunction with western medicine.
Ancient Solutions for Canine Arthritis is a site for dogs suffering from arthritis.
If you are an acupuncturist interested in learning more about treating arthritis in dogs with TCM, and getting continuing education credits, click here.
5. Best known for the “I’m Tired of” bracelets, ITo introduced the No More Homeless Pets bracelet and now supports nine different animal causes. ITo will give half of every sale to Best Friends Animal Society to help support their efforts to dramatically reduce the number of homeless pets.
Best Friends Animal Society is guided by a simple philosophy: kindness to animals builds a better world for all of us. In the late 1980s when Best Friends was in its early days, roughly 17 million dogs and cats were being killed in shelters every year. Despite the commitment of shelter workers to the animals in their care, the conventional belief was that little could be done to lower that terrible number. Read more about this on their site by clicking here.
6. If you live in California, or will be visiting, you might want to attend the “Power and Action for the Animals” May 9th Newport Beach, CA.
It’s a gathering of animal advocates, lovers, caretakers, guardians & protectors. Click here for more details.
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7. MOSCOW DOGS
I thought you might enjoy this story. Dogs are allowed on public transport in all of Europe, but generally with their master. This is even more interesting.
Here is a Canine commuter…. A wild dog waits on the platform!!
STRAY dogs are commuting to and from a city centre on underground trains in search of food scraps. The clever canines board the Tube each morning. After a hard day scavenging and begging on the streets, they hop back on the train and return to the suburbs where they spend the night.
Experts studying the dogs say they even work together to make sure they get off at the right stop after learning to judge the length of time they need to spend on the train…
The dogs choose the quietest carriages at the front and back of the train. They have also developed tactics to hustle humans into giving them more food on the streets of Moscow.
Scientists believe the phenomenon began after the Soviet Union collapsed in the 1990s, and Russia’s new capitalists moved industrial complexes from the city centre to the suburbs. Dr. Andrei Poiarkov, of the Moscow Ecology and Evolution Institute, said: “These complexes were used by homeless dogs as shelters, so the dogs had to move together with their houses”.
Because the best scavenging for food is in the city centre, the dogs had to learn how to travel on the subway to get to the centre in the morning, and then back home in the evening, just like people.
Here is an experienced dog enjoying a nap on the underground. Dr. Poiarkov told how the dogs like to play during their daily commute. He said: “They jump on the train seconds before the doors shut, risking their tails getting jammed”. They do it for fun. Sometimes they fall asleep and get off at the wrong stop.
This dog is tired … A mutt naps on tube seat in Moscow.
The dogs have learned to use traffic lights to cross the road safely, said Dr. Poiarkov. They use cunning tactics to obtain tasty morsels of shawarma, a kebab-like snack popular in Moscow. They sneak up behind people eating shawarmas then bark loudly to shock them into dropping their food.
With children, the dogs play cute by putting their heads on youngsters’ knees and staring pleadingly into their eyes to win sympathy and scraps. Dr. Poiarkov added: “Dogs are surprisingly good psychologists”.
The Moscow mutts are not the first animals to use public transport. In 2006 a Jack Russell in Dunnington, North Yorks , began taking the bus to his local pub in search of sausages. Two years ago, passengers in Wolverhampton were stunned when a cat called Macavity started catching the 331 bus to a fish and chip shop.
Animals and Science, Do They Mix?
March 31st, 2010
I recently had a veterinarian in India contact me. He brought up the subject of using animals for the benefit of science. He wanted to get feedback from people around the world. This is a very controversial topic. On one side people are all for it. They have a family member that is very sick, or they are sick themselves. They would like to find a cure before they die. On the other hand there are people who say, why should lots of animals die trying to find a cure for humans? Aren’t animals living, caring, feeling creatures too? There is still another side, why not do the trials on humans? There are people who would not have a problem doing this as long as they were financially cared for and all related expenses were taken care of for them. The challenge, it’s illegal in the US. I’m not sure about other parts of the world.
So what is the answer? Here are a number of responses I have received from around the world. You can read more of these comments, and join a group that I started by clicking here. The group is for people who want to share their thoughts, ideas and stories about animal organizations, charities or issues. We also want to get ideas and feedback on things people can do to help. We are already inundated with the negative things going on in the world. Let’s come up with some solutions that people can implement in their own lives.
This new group is also for people in the film, TV, media industry. I want to find ways to spread the word on some of the wonderful solutions people come up with. The show, Animal Connection, will be a series bringing a lot of these things to the forefront to be shared around the world.
Here are some recent comments:
1. Kim: I am not a Dr. therefore my viewpoint is tilted and objectivity is lost. More and more research is showing us that animals are sentient beings and do feel pain and suffering.
That being said, if one of my children were suffering and there was a cure that required animal testing to determine it’s effect, then obviously my point of view would be altered…therein lies the dilemma.
2. Dr. Mishar: Definitely there are developments on certain area where animal models can be replaced by tissue culture. I think, it’s used wherever it can be. However, we are far from developing a model to replicate human biosystem which is a human being only.
Now the issue is with Animal drug development. We did a historical analysis to get a result that nearly 60% of animal drugs are translated from human pharmaceuticals. Faster the human drug development, faster the translation into veterinary products for animal’s ailments. Drugs like Vancomycin are also available for animals after successful launch for human beings. Animal pharma market is not as attractive as human pharma to invite heavy investment for new drug development. Mostly animal pharma gets benefited from human focused pharma innovations. Recently one drug named Carprofen with minimum side effect in human beings got translated for animal’s use also. This drug can actually reduce the side effect of earlier drugs and can reduce animal pain with minimal side effect.I being a vet and running a clinical research organization for animal’s well being, vouch for faster human drug development which can in turn help animal world.
Now the debate remains and I agree with you Kim and Vanessa, wherever substitute available, it has to be explored first before even thinking about animal trial. Just in case of unavailability of alternatives, don’t we think that a faster development of human drugs actually helps animals also? Please feel free to give your views and all type of perspectives.
3. Vanessa: You give a very interesting perspective on the matter. I don’t think that the fact that medication for animals can be developed sooner by animal testing should be a justifiable reason to do so.
I will admit that I do not know a lot about this and there are probably a lot of facts unknown to me however here are my thoughts. I am a mother of 7 children and blessed that all are in perfect health. However, if one of my children had a life threatening illness, I would want anything that could be done to save them to be looked at.
Please don’t get me wrong, I am very careful over the name brands I purchase –I make sure they are environmentally friendly and non-animal tested. I have also been a vegetarian for the past 13 years because I would never want another animal to die for me when I can easily substitute the meat. I also have 10 animals at home that I completely love and cherish.
So hypothetically speaking, if there was a lift threatening illness where the only way scientist knew how to create a cure is through animal testing, I can understand the reasoning. However, if you are talking about creating a medication for something more superficial such as medicine to make you look younger or to help someone’s seasonal allergies, then I can not see that as reason enough for it.
4. Rose: I also do not have a medical background, but my line of work does put me in touch with animals in the environment of energy healing and animal communication.
I respect the perspectives of everyone here, but have a slightly different one. Animals are sentient beings who feel many of the same emotions we do and feel physical pain. They understand and accept being part of the food chain as natural, however experimentation on animals is not natural, it is something that mankind has developed for personal benefit. I feel that animals have the right to decide if they wish to volunteer for experimentation just as humans do. This is a question of ethics, science has determined that animals think and feel, why should we subject them to terrible quality of life for our benefit? It my belief that we should put more money into finding ways to prevent many of the illnesses that are caused by how we treat our bodies, the earth, and our food sources rather than into drug research.
I do not have children, but I do have sisters, and a father who died of cancer. I still feel that experimentation on animals is wrong for any reason. Just because you can do something does not mean you should.
5. Carolyn: I understand and respect everyone’s reasoning, this is probably going to be a really interesting conversation!
Personally on both an intellectual and an emotional level I am strongly against the use of animals for testing, especially in the development of cosmetics. This is not only from an animal welfare point of view. I started in on this when I was very, very young. I was pretty rabidly anti-vivisection and testing purely for welfare reasons, and then went on to research more about the viability and “sense” of animal testing.
So far our conversation has focused on drug development/testing. It is my understanding that using animal tests to model drug effects can give dangerously misleading results. i.e. thalidomide.
There are many other ways in which animals are being used for medical research and development.
As far as I remember, nobody has yet talked about other uses of animals in medical/scientific research. As an example- the mouse who had an ear grown on his back.
Where are the boundaries for everyone else here?
If we remove the outright tortures of draize testing, toxicity testing, deliberately poisoning animals or creating tumours etc in animals, what views do all of you have on this issue?
Will an appropriately human based medium for testing and research etc ever be developed when world leaders are religiously and and/ or anthrocentrically obsessed to the point of banning stem cell research etc?
P.S Dr Mishrah I somehow had the idea that university students in the UK do sometimes “volunteer” (and sometimes get paid) to participate in drug/chemical trials. Is this correct?
Have Fun With Your Pet Anywhere in the World
March 28th, 2010
Have you ever thought about going on vacation but you’re concerned about what to do with your pet? How about taking your pet with you?
It is estimated around 85% of pet owners travel with their pets by car. If you’re planning to take your pet with you on trips in the car, start early when the pet is young so they get used to the routine. Short jaunts across town and back, or easy day trips, will get your pet used to the ride. A carsick pet can make the trip miserable for everyone.
A seat upholstery protector, such as a pet hammock or waterproof seat cover will make clean-ups easier in case your pet does get sick or has an accident.
Be sure to bring along cleaning supplies to avoid having to search out a place to purchase them at the last minute.
If you are going to be riding on buses or trains you need to check the state and local restrictions. Some prohibit pets from riding on buses or trains unless they are assisting visually impaired or physically challenged persons. Always check in advance with these transportation providers to find out what regulations they may impose.
Before you travel with your pet, check with your veterinarian to make sure your pet is physically able to make the trip. Some senior or physically impaired dogs and cats do not travel well. You may want to consider a local, reputable kennel for your pet, or if your pet is would be more comfortable at home, you may want to contact a pet sitting organization to locate a pet sitter in your area who can take care of your pet in its own, familiar surroundings.
If you decide that your pet is able to take the trip there are still a number of things to consider.
Traveling with pets internationally can be much more challenging than domestic travel with pets because of long waiting periods, quarantine requirements and other importation regulations. If you are considering traveling internationally with your pet, it’s important to begin planning way ahead of your intended time of travel. Proper planning will help better prepare you and your pet for the trip, lessen the stress on both of you and provide realistic expectations of international pet travel.
Here are a few things you should think about:
- What types of airline restrictions do you have for international pet travel?
- Do you limit the number of pets allowed in cargo and in the cabin?
- Are certain breeds of pets not permitted or not advised to travel internationally?
- What are the container requirements?
- Will my pet have to change planes?
- Will my pet be able to relieve himself somewhere if it is a long flight?
- When and where should I drop off my pet?
- What documents will I need to transport my pet?
- Where will my pet clear customs?
What do you do if your pet needs emergency care, at home or while you are away? What if your pet gets lost or even worst, what if there is a disaster in your area? You will need to find resources for all of these issues.
We can help you find answers to these and other issues. If you have suggestions you have used for your animals, please post them so that other pet owners can learn from your experience.
Pay-It-Forward Friday
March 9th, 2010
I want Friday’s to bring awareness to other organizations that are doing wonderful things for animals. If you have information you want to share, send me a paragraph on the topic with a link to the website, by 11am on Thursday. I will do this each Friday. Please pass this link on to bring awareness to these wonderful organizations, thanks!
1. Have you ever thought about the food you eat? How does it affect your body and health?
There is a new movie called Food, Inc. It educates people about the food they eat. Oprah dedicated one of her shows to this topic. Alicia Silverstone wrote a book called “The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet”. She also discusses this topic.
When we used to cook quality food at home our health care costs, and medical needs, were much lower. Our world has changed. People buy fast food an average of 4 times a week. With that increase there has been an increase in health issues and health care costs. Animals are force fed and given all kinds of hormones. This impacts the animals, as well as the humans that consume them. A few of the topics discussed in the movie:
- Where our food comes from
- How it affects our health
- How to purchase quality food at the best price
- Restaurants that serve high quality food that has been raised caged free
What are your thoughts about this? You can comment below.
2. They say bears hibernate in the winter, right? Watch the video below to see what they really do in the comfort of their own caves! This is live video inside a bear’s den!
A team of biologists go to a black bear den to study a female bear and her two newborn cubs. The group recorded each cub’s weight and gender and examined the mother bear. Please listen to what they have to say about the bears and humans interacting. Sound familiar about other animals in the wild?
THESE ARE WILD ANIMALS, PLEASE DO NOT TRY THIS ON YOUR OWN!!
3. Kirsten Starcher plays bass in a Vancouver-based rock band and while performing in Toronto, Canada in 2006, took a poignant photograph of a homeless man with his dog nestled in his arms. Her photo has touched many hearts around the world. Her consent to “Pets of the Homeless” to use her photo set a wave in motion.
“Years later, it still amazes me how this one tiny action, which almost didn’t happen, has had a ripple effect I never would have predicted,” wrote Kirsten for an article in the March 2010, Pets of the Homeless Newsletter.
People started writing to tell Kirsten about how the photo affected them. More charities asked to use it in their writings; artists asked to paint their own versions of it; a musician wrote a song about it. She received email from a woman in South Africa who found it on a flyer on the beach and was deeply moved. One of the artists planned to give a percentage of his gallery’s earnings – for a month – to a local homelessness charity, by way of appreciation.
This stunning photograph can be seen on the Pets of the Homeless website.
How Animals Fit Into An Ever Changing World
March 4th, 2010
Our world is ever changing. Remember when there were only three networks on TV? Now there are so many choices that people are overwhelmed. You add reality TV networks to the mix and it’s impossible to keep up. A lot of people record, or “Tivo” shows so they can see them “when they have time”. When does that happen? We have become so overwhelmed with keeping up with work and family life that most people don’t have time for TV. When they do watch it I wonder, how many people really take in what they are watching? Are their minds still on something else?
Now, add the internet to the mix. Most people are on their computers for work and play. It’s no wonder TV shows try to direct you to their website. That’s where most people spend their time. It is the place to find love, food, cars, investments, TV shows you missed, coupons and specials, old friends, as well as anything you need regarding animals. That is why I am placing my show on the internet, so I know you will see it!
I wanted to share with you some sites I think you might want to put into your database. You never know when you might need them. You’re already on the computer reading this 
I have posted them below.
There is also a term a lot of people have heard but really don’t understand. It is called “Fostering”. I recently did a report on Greyhounds. The dogs are rescued, sent to prison and trained by the prisoners. After they are trained they are sent to foster homes, or rescues, until they are adopted.
I always thought that fostering meant you HAD to keep the animal until a new home was found. That is not the case. Most of the time animals are only with you for a short time, maybe a week or two. If you have to leave for a trip, the organization will take the animal. If you only want a “friend” for a few weeks or a month, that is fine. There is a HUGE NEED for foster homes everywhere. There are all kinds of animals that need a foster home. It can be fun to learn about a new animal without the long term commitment. The animals come with food. Any medical care is also taken care of for you. All the animal needs is a safe and loving place to stay, temporarily. In addition, think of the love you will get in return.
The other nice thing about fostering is that you just opened up a spot for another animal. If it had not been for you, that animal might have been put down because there was no place for it to go.
If you would like to find out more regarding fostering, I suggest you contact your local shelter, rescue or other animal organization. Ask, “what does takes to be a foster parent”?
If you are looking for animals to adopt:
1.www.petango.com – These are all PetPoint Shelters. They also have a web based store and will make a donation to a selected shelter as a result of the person’s purchase.
2. www.adoptapet.com – People can do a “search saver” which will send them an email when a specific breed they are looking for becomes available.
5. www.akc.org – breed specific rescue groups
If you lost an animal:
4. http://haveyouseenthispet.com
Organizations that will help owners that cannot afford vet care.
Most of them handle serious medical conditions and injury. Some focus on low income, elderly and handicapped owners. A couple of them are for rescue organizations and homeless pets.
3.www.fveap.org/sys-tmple/door
I am sure there are many more organizations that can be added to this list. If you would like to post about one you know of, please submit it under our “Resources/ Organizations” page. Thanks for all you do for animals around the world!
Pay-It-Forward Friday
February 25th, 2010
I want Friday’s to bring awareness to other organizations that are doing wonderful things for animals. If you have information you want to share, send me a paragraph on the topic with a link to the website, by 11am on Thursday. I will do this each Friday. Please pass this link on to bring awareness to these wonderful organizations, thanks!
Enjoy the 6 posts below:
1. A Love Story: A) Here, his wife is injured and the condition is fatal. She was hit by a car as she swooped low across the road.
B) Here he brought her food and attended to her with love and compassion.
C) He brought her food again but was shocked to find her dead. He tried to move her….a rarely-seen effort for swallows!
D) Aware that his sweetheart is dead and will never come back to him again,he cries with adoring love.
E) He stands beside her, saddened by her death.
F) Finally aware that she would never return to him, he stays beside her body with sadness and sorrow.
Millions of people cried after seeing this picture story in America and Europe and even in India . It is said that the photographer sold these pictures for a nominal fee to the most famous newspaper in France . All copies of that newspaper were sold out on the day these pictures were published. And many people think birds and animals don’t have a brain or feelings!!
- 2. On December 15th, 2009 the SPCA of Texas took custody of 26,000 exotic animals from US Global Exotics in the largest animal seizure in US history. USGE was a major distributor of exotic animals from wallabies to hamsters; warehousing them in horrific conditions until they could be brokered to stores, breeders and retailers. Thousands of reptiles, amphibians, small mammals, arachnids, and many other animals were cruelly confined in filthy conditions, literally crammed into cattle-feeding troughs, boxes, bags, and even pop bottles. They did not have food, water, or veterinary care. According to reports 500 animals a day were dying at USGE, ending up tossed in their dumpster.
Thanks to an undercover PETA investigation the animals were permanently awarded to the SPCA of Texas on Feb 1, 2010. Love or hate PETA you have to give them credit for this one. Critter Camp Exotic Pet Sanctuary was proud and honored to be selected as one of 30 rescues in the nation to receive some of the rescued animals from the US Global Exotics animal cruelty and neglect
case. Located in Northern Illinois Critter Camp board member Shary Stelter made the trip to Nashville, TN to meet up with the SPCA of TX transport on Superbowl Sunday where she was interviewed by Nashville Television station WSMV. See the 75 critters from USGE now calling Critter Camp Exotic Pet Sanctuary their home, including adorable Texas Spotted Ground Squirrels, short-tailed opossum , Roborovski hamsters and little white mice; and find links to more information on our Global Exotics Rescue Page:
Click Here For More Information.
Critter Camp is the only exotic pet sanctuary of its kind in the U.S. giving a safe, healthy happy home to the elderly, sick, disabled and aggressive un-adoptable exotic pets that have nowhere else to go, currently caring for over 300 animals of 36 different species! Click Here to go to Their Website
3. Pepsi is funding grants in various categories until 2/28. Many Houston dogs are euthanized due to heartworms in a good economy, it is at a horrendous pace currently.
The drug to treat this is very expensive and each bottle only treats 22 lbs. This group is desperate to move up into the funded top ten. More information and pictures of saved dogs are on the site. This could help dogs at many rescue groups and shelter. People can vote every day, until the 28th. PLEASE, CLICK HERE to go to this site to vote today, and everyday until the 28th.
4. TAKE ACTION TODAY!!! 36,000 elephants were killed last year for their ivory. In 16 DAYS 111 tonnes of ivory will be traded at the CITIES* conference if certain countries have their way.
This will pretty much kick-start the ivory trade in a massive way meaning the end for tens or even hundreds of thousands of elephants.
If this bothers you too, please try and stop this happening by signing this petition, CLICK HERE (you’ll need to confirm your signature).
5. A documentary was just completed. It’s about No Kill Pet Rescues and Shelters as well as the challenges they face. In November of 2008 a family adopted a new family member from the Animal Welfare Society and learned about the lack of awareness of the No Kill shelters. They took it upon themselves to finance and create a program about these shelters. They have pledged 60% of all profits to go to the AWS and if they can get great distribution, will split some for other local shelters in the Detroit area.
6. Dachshund Rescue of Bucks County & NJ have on-line workshops. They are hosted by dachshund experts and are designed to help you have a long and happy relationship with your doxie of any size. There is a small donation fee charged for attendance with all proceeds donated to DRBC for the high medical fees incurred in the rescue and rehabilitation of our beloved breed.
This Month’s First Topic: Dental Disease and Your Dog
Those amazing toofers. How to keep them clean, bright and where they belong. Are doxies more prone to dental disease? How often should I clean my dogs teeth. How often should my vet clean my dogs teeth? Dental and cardiac disease,yes, they are related. Did you know there is anew vaccine to eliminate 4 out of 5 of the causes of tartar? You can find out all about it at this session.
Undercover Investigation Expands To Your Community
February 23rd, 2010
An update on my post last week….. The West Hollywood City Council passed an ordinance on February 16, 2010 banning the sale of cats and dogs in pet stores unless from rescues and shelters. I was overwhelmed by the number of people wanting to know, how can they do the same thing in their own town?
I contacted Carole Davis with the Companion Animal Protection Society (CAPS) to get the information. They did the work to get this passed. The Animal Legal Defense Fund and Humane Society of United States helped as well. CAPS now helps other cities with the drafting of legislation against puppy mill sales in other communities. Here are excerpts from The American Dog Magazine, with links to each article and videos.
If your state has the puppy lemon law then move forward by going to your pet stores and asking for information about the breeder they buy from. If not, ask your legislators to get the Lemon Law. This law allows you to get the information about the breeder from the pet store. Once you have that information, go to CAPS website and fill out a puppy complaint. Please read all of the information below if you have interest, or know someone who does. It was very time consuming and costly for CAPS to do this, but it has been worth it.
1. Pets, Lies & Legislation
Puppy mills are a hot political issue. Public outrage is growing over the legal multi-billion dollar puppy-producing business that forces millions of breeding dogs to endure inhumane treatment in factory-like conditions until death. They’re kept 24/7 in wire cages caked with their own feces, with no veterinary care or socialization. Average dog lovers want puppy mills to become illegal.
Consequently, a war about dogs is escalating in America - a battle as complex as any fought in the history of social movements and waged with a proportionate scale of strategists, lobbyists, and commanders vying for control, power, and money.
To puppy mill investigators, the idea that commercial breeders are treating their dogs well or socializing them is laughable. A miller’s idea of playtime is to throw a bunch of females in heat with a male in one cage. As for being responsibly placed, mass volume breeders use brokers to ship barely weaned (and often sick) pups indiscriminately to pet retailers around the country. The dogs are crated in trucks for thousands of miles at an age when they need food and water every two hours. They are also sent in crates to buyers across the country on long flights with layovers. Transporting eight-week old dogs that way isn’t safe, and according to Lewis Turner, owner of the Petcare Company in California, four out of ten dogs that were trucked in to him by brokers Lambriar and Hunte were sick, “with green liquid coming from their eyes or nose.” Hardly “responsible placement” by any standard.
To Read More about This Subject Click Here.
2. Spay and Neuter Laws ……..Humans Debate While Dogs Die
It’s Tuesday, 9 AM at a Los Angeles shelter and a worried little terrier has just been “red-listed.” Unless someone adopts her, she’ll be killed. Another dog will take her place and that dog, too, if he isn’t adopted, will be killed. Could spay and neuter laws make a difference in this dog’s life?
In California, in 2008, municipal shelters reporting to the California Department of Public Health took in 833,304 dogs and cats. Of those, 429,987, or 51%, were killed. That would be a sad enough number for the whole country but it’s just for the state of California. In the U.S., the number of pets killed in shelters is astounding. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) reports that every year, between six and eight million dogs and cats enter U.S. shelters and three to four million of those animals are killed because there aren’t enough homes for them. In 2009, uncontrolled breeding compounded by record job losses and home foreclosures are causing the number of animals flooding our shelters to rise sharply. When the figures are finally reported, they’ll be tragic.
Until we get a handle on this crisis, we need to refrain from buying animals and adopt from shelters instead. We ought to promote adoption to our friends. And we must fix the dogs we have. To Read More About This Click Here.
3. Undercover Investigations Prove Pet Shop Puppies Were Coming From Puppy Mills
Though there has been lots of press coverage on the subject, there are still people who don’t know that pet stores are supplied by large brokers and inhumane breeding operations. There is no other way for pet shops to have a constant supply of puppies of different breeds. It was time to take a stand and convince puppy buyers to stop shopping and start adopting. Los Angeles, the second largest market for pets after New York, was the perfect place to tell the public about the ugly truth behind the pretty store fronts.
In California, they have a Puppy Lemon Law, which requires pet store owners to post the name and address of the breeder of the dogs on their display enclosures. Putting that law to use, people were recruited who were willing to do some reconnaissance trips to pet stores. They wired themselves up with undercover cameras and disguised themselves.They fanned out across the city, hitting all the pet stores to find out exactly where the puppies were coming from.
They called on some professional investigators from LCA (Last Chance for Animals) to go and film the addresses they provided. When the photos and video came in, the proof was irrefutable. Bingo. Just like they expected, the puppies at Posh Puppy were coming from a puppy mill.
What they found out through their in-store investigations is that pet stores are openly defrauding the public – not just Posh Puppy in Beverly Hills, but all the pet stores they visited. They discovered that pet store owners, managers and employees routinely lie to people. To Read More About This Subject Click Here.
4. A March for Free Speech for Those Who Have No Speech – PUPPY MILL DOGS
On December 19, 2009, the Saturday before Christmas, eighty animal welfare activists marched in a silent vigil for dogs suffering in puppy mills. The grass roots group was also marching for the five million companion animals who are killed every year in the shelter system because there are not enough homes for them. Local activists had been planning the event for months following an investigation by the Companion Animal Protection Society (CAPS), which claims that Barkworks, a pet store chain in California, sells animals from puppy mills. The CAPS investigation included evidence from the United States Department of Agriculture inspection reports that the Midwest commercial breeders supplying the stores had multiple violations.
The puppy mill awareness drive that took place on the busiest puppy-buying day of the year, was intended to raise the awareness of consumers and to steer them to the overcrowded Los Angeles shelters to adopt or rescue a pet for Christmas. Read More Here.
5. Victory for Dogs as Pet Stores Go Humane
Sadly, millions of dogs are suffering in shelters and puppy mills. This year, a record number of dogs are being dumped and euthanized at shelters because of the current economic crisis. Commercial breeders and pet stores are also feeling the pinch. “People just aren’’t buying puppies right now,” says pet store manager Justin Vanert.
Growing numbers of commercial dog breeders in the Midwest are selling their homes for a pittance – advertising them as “turnkey investments,” which often include kennels with hundreds of breeding dogs “free with the property.” As bleak as it all sounds, this recession just might have a silver lining for the dogs who are wasting away in puppy mills and shelters. Perhaps this economic downturn might be a dog’s chance to get out alive.
The dog trade is showing signs of weakness. Successful business is all about supply and demand and right now the demand side is shrinking as buyers of puppy mill dogs snap their wallets shut. But the reasons aren’t just the economy – it’s a combination of decreased spending, public awareness of inhumane breeding practices, legislation that limits and criminalizes dog factory cruelty and effective campaigns led by animal rights activists.
This spring, a group of Los Angeles activists celebrated yet another victory. After five weeks of protests, the owner of Elaine’s Pet Depot signed an agreement to hand over all of her puppy mill dogs to Good Dog Animal Rescue for adoption. The agreement with the lynchpin store of a national chain of pet stores included a statement that reflected the store’s commitment to working with rescue organizations. The store agreed to hold adoptions and end its sale of puppy mill dogs. Reliable sources from within the franchise claimed that the entire Pet Depot chain was considering conversion to a humane business model within a few months. If the large chain stops buying from brokers and mass volume breeders, the strategy to cripple the puppy mill industry by hitting them where it hurts, in the wallet, is working.
The “go humane or go out of business” campaign has been able to gain momentum by combining its ability to exploit the current economic downtown and its skilled use of visual evidence from undercover investigations. The stores that were protested saw as much as 70 percent of their weekend business deterred by activists brandishing signs depicting graphic photos of dogs suffering in mills. An increasing number of stores in the heart of Los Angeles have been closed down or converted – more than a dozen so far in a little over a year. Learn How You Can Do This, Click Here.
6. Now the Internet is overflowing with puppy mill sales
As the animal protection movement wages its battle against the maltreatment of dogs in puppy mills, it faces a powerful new enemy - the Internet Pet Store. The Internet, as helpful as it has been for rescuing animals with sites like AdoptAPet.com, has become a perfect stealth shield for abusers of animals looking to make a buck. A Google search for information on dog breeds will lead any gullible browser to tens of thousands of online breeders. For the buyer in a hurry, there are Web portals to make shopping easy, like NextDayPets.com, which unite hundreds of dog dealers on one site. With a click, you can pay to have a pup mailed to you in a crate. Though it’s a convenient way to buy a dog, you might be inadvertently contributing to animal abuse.
Deborah Howard, president of the Companion Animal Protection puppy dealers. “One should never, ever buy a dog on the Internet because you’re not seeing the conditions under which the puppy is being raised,” she said. “There are no good ones because reputable reeders don’t sell puppies this way.” “The HSUS receives hundreds of complaints about sick and dying puppies sold over the Internet,” says Kathleen Summers, Deputy Director of the puppy mill campaign of The Humane Society of the United States. “In fact, several of the puppy mills that the HSUS has helped close down recently were Internet sellers, including a mill in Tennessee with almost 700 dogs and a millin West Virginia with almost 900 dogs. Both of these facilities posed online as small family breeders.”
A lot of them arrive sick with Parvo, worms, Giardia, coccidia, kennel cough or pneumonia. It’s even more dangerous than buying in a pet shop because legal recourses are more challenging. You have to file a complaint with the Attorney General’s office in the state of the breeder and if you want to sue the seller, you have to go to small claims court in their state, not yours. These Internet sellers know this.
Many of the sites linked to substandard breeding operations will say anything to deceive buyers into believing the business is ethical or humane. They often describe themselves as “Christian” and “familyrun.” A common lie is that their dogs are “raised in the home.”