Let's Play Oddball

Tom cats in China are apparently growing "wings", as reported by The Telegraph. At first you might think these are just big tufts of extra fur, but they actually have bone underneath. Huh. As I am fond of saying: cats is da craziest people!

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There is no new Parvo. There is no new Parvo. There is no new Parvo. Whatever the reason, mass e-mails continue to circulate warning dog owners about the horrors of the "new" strain of Parvo (that has actually been around for years). Read the August 27, 2008 press release on the subject which clearly states the "new" Parvo is not new and it does not "jump the vaccines" and there has been no increase (in MI, where Vets from West Michigan Academy of Small Animal Practitioners gathered to talk about it) in Parvo infections among vaccinated dogs.
Also see Pet Connection's latest post on this recurring subject.

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The London Free Press has a story on a woman who tried to steal hamster food from a pet shop. When confronted, the suspect allegedly knocked another woman down and bit the store owner twice in an attempt to escape. The cops arrested her. I don't know what that pet store charges for hamster food but I can only assume this was like, primo stuff. The kind of food hamsters only eat when they're packin' and another hamster got their back.

We are So Screwed

An article at Mother Jones titled "The Chinavore's Dilemma" gives us an overview on how the FDA allowed - and keeps allowing - tainted imports from China to enter the US. Pet food, toys, toothpaste, heparin, seafood... and the hits just keep on comin'.

"Indeed, FDA documents scrutinized by Mother Jones show that officials have
long known dangerous products were entering the country. They knew it because
some portion of the tainted, counterfeit, or mislabeled shipments were being
intercepted and tallied in monthly lists that get passed around the agency.
While the same products appear on the lists month after month, agency officials
seldom warn the public until after Americans are hurt or killed."

O snap. Read the full article. With your lights on.

"Pedigree Dogs Exposed"

Last week, BBC aired an hour long documentary called "Pedigree Dogs Exposed". It's available in six segments on YouTube but I am on Bellsouth dialup and the 3 legged asthmatic hamster they've got powering their internet service just isn't turning the wheel as reliably as one might hope. Sooo, I haven't seen it. But I have been interested in the various discussions the program has prompted. Here are some worth checking out:

Vet in Harness
Cold Wet Nose
Terrierman
Pet Connection
Lassie, Get Help
Caveat

SC Hog-Dogging Case Closed

In 2004, several dirtbags were rounded up in Chester County, SC - including the county's animal control director - in a hog-dog fighting bust. "Hog-dog rodeos" are some twisted idiots' idea of "sport" where dogs are turned loose in an enclosure with wild hogs whose tusks have been removed. Sickos stand outside the ring with their kiddies and throw down money on how long it will take the dog to pin down/maim the hog. So when law enforcement seized over 100 dogs and injured hogs from these bozos - that was a good thing. Unfortunately, no one realized that hog-dog fighting wasn't actually against the law. Oops. South Carolina's Animal Fighting and Baiting Act was amended in 2006 to specifically make this a felony but it was too late for the Chester County scumbags who described what they were doing as "training". Two of the accused were acquitted at trial in 2005 and finally this month the charges against everyone involved were officially dropped. One of the defendants also dodged similar hog-dogging charges in Florida. As for the fired animal control director, she has been required to remain in the state while charges were pending and says now she'll be leaving. Don't let the door hit you on your way out.

Personal Pet Post: Just Because I Love Her

I don't post about my pets very often but just wanted to share this photo of my too-adorable-to-be-as-disobedient-as-she-is Beagle. Graham turns 9 years old next month and I can honestly say - despite all the trash she's "redistributed" for me on the floor, and how many times she's unmade the bed, and all the lizards and turtles she's tormented (and I won't even get into the coming-when-called thing) - it's been 9 years of pure joy. I love her!

*wag, wag*

Straight Talk on How You Can Keep Your Dog During the Economic Crisis

If you are one of the many people facing hard times financially these days and considering giving up your dog due to the cost of maintaining a pet, this is for you. Here are some ways to save money in the short term until you get back on your feet financially - cos I do believe a change is gonna come.

1. Food - Many places already have pet food pantries which will supply food for your pet at no cost and more are springing up as we speak. Check with your local animal shelters to see if they have or know of a pantry in your area. Alternately, your dog can eat leftovers from your plate, provided you eat a relatively healthful diet. Cooked meats (trimmed of fat and bones), canned meats/fish, organ meats, rice, vegetables, oatmeal, eggs, yogurt, etc - make use of your healthy leftovers and table scraps to feed your dog. Yes, it's perfectly safe. Really. I've been doing it for years and so was every other dog owner prior to the introduction of widely available pet food to the market. For treats, raw carrots are great for chewing exercise - they will harmlessly pass through undigested as dogs can't digest whole, raw veggies. You can also use any leftover bits from the cupboard as treats: crackers that have gone stale, that bit of cereal left in the bottom of the bag, the crust of bread no one is going to eat...

2. Heartworm Meds - Heartworm preventive labeled for cattle is available at feed stores and online without a prescription. It has long been used "off label" as a canine heartworm preventive and the cost is dramatically cheaper than buying canine heartworm meds. Check with your Veterinarian to see if this is a recommended alternative for your dog if you are unable to afford the expensive meds right now.

3. Annual vaccines - Good news: they aren't needed for most dogs! Find out what your state's requirement is for Rabies revaccination and check with your Vet to see what, if any, other vaccines are recommended. Times have changed and it is now known that the immunity provided by many dog vaccines lasts longer than one year. So if your dog was previously vaccinated, he may not be due for revaccination this year and if you're in the midst of a financial crisis, certainly a "wellness exam" can be postponed until it's something that can be worked into the budget.

4. Spay-Neuter - Check with your area shelters to see if they operate or know of a low cost spay-neuter clinic. There are different kinds of clinics - some you have to demonstrate that you fall within certain income guidelines in order to qualify for the reduced fee services, others are open to anyone and everyone. Some require proof of recent vaccination for your pet, others do not so you'll need to ask these questions before making an appointment.

5. Dog Shampoo - If your dog is one that needs regular bathing, you are probably shocked at the price of dog shampoos - and rightfully so. What I use is the same as what I've used for years - even when I showed Champion titled dogs in dog shows - blue dishwashing liquid, original formula. I dilute it with at least 5 parts water to one part dishsoap and it works great. As with any shampoo, be sure to rinse every last bit out. If a conditioner is needed, anything that's on sale in the human shampoo aisle works fine. The cheaper, the better.

Investment Management Company Increases its Share of the Pet Food Market

Berwind Corporation, owner of Elmer's glue and other companies, acquired Eagle Pack Pet Foods in 2007 and is now the buyer of Wellness/Old Mother Hubbard pet foods in a $400 million deal.

I wonder what changes, if any, the investment conglomerate will make to its pet food companies. And if changes are made, will customers be informed?

Recalls: Beef and Pedigree Dog Food

Seems like it's been hard to keep up with all the recalled foods lately...

Nebraska Beef has expanded its recall due to E. coli illnesses in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Illlinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Although the feds said last month the company had cleaned up its act after its ground beef recall, apparently they still can't keep the BEEF separated from the POO.

Mars, maker of Nutro and other pet foods, has issued a limited recall of some of its Pedigree products due to possible Salmonella contamination (from some ingredient they decline to make public). I can't help but think of the last time Mars put Salmonella contaminated pet food on shelves, sickening people in 19 states, and then issued only a limited recall, never revealing what brands and how much food was potentially contaminated.

A Little Help for Southern Pets in Need

In South Carolina, The Aiken County Council earmarked $30,000 to fund a subsidized spay-neuter voucher program for county residents. Pet owners must meet US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) income guidelines and fill out an application at the Aiken County Animal Shelter. If approved, the owner will be given a voucher which he can take to any Veterinarian willing to accept it. No word on the shelter's webpage on how low income residents are supposed to get to the shelter to fill out their application, how they should demonstrate they fall within HUD's income parameters, how many Vets accept the vouchers, and if those Vets require vaccines and/or other fees in addition to the spay-neuter. A step in the right direction, perhaps but certainly not a giant leap.

Also in Aiken County, CSRA Life Saver in North Augusta, SC offers low cost spay-neuter services to anyone. No vouchers or income status documentation is required. Fees range from $35 for a male cat neuter to $75 for a large dog spay or neuter. I contacted the group and they do accept feral cats for spay/neuter surgery. Visit their website for detailed information.

The Young-Williams Animal Center in Knoxville, TN euthanized approximately 70% of the pets it took in last year. This year, they are teaming up with what is so far a small scale effort at transporting rescues called Pilots-N-Paws. This is a volunteer group of pilots willing to fly rescue pets from a shelter where they would have to be euthanized for space to a location where they could be adopted. The main pilot in the organization is often asked why he would volunteer to fly shelter pets on his personal plane just to get them into adoptive homes. "The answer is because I can." I love that.

And I love the spirit behind the whole idea. Shelter killing is a reality, but it doesn't have to be. It will take coordinated community efforts and innovative thinking by those involved but no kill is achievable. Not only that, it's essential to my mind. Because we can.

Deep South Shelter by the Numbers

The Humane Society of South Mississippi (HSSM) took in 1,734 pets in June, euthanizing 70% of them at their facility designed to hold about 300 animals. In 2007, they took in 16,044 pets (average of 1337 per month) and were able to adopt (or transport out for adoption) 38%
of them. The shelter reports that only 3% of adult cats are adopted and that few strays (16%) are ever claimed by owners. They currently offer low cost spay-neuter ($35 per their website)
and low cost/free microchipping ($20 regularly with free chip clinics held on designated dates) but the services are apparently underutilized. HSSM would like to change that by engaging local partners in an effort to become a no kill community and to establish a transport program to get pets to and from the spay-neuter clinic.

I would love to see a committed no kill community established in the South. I hope HSSM can achieve their goals.

Marion County Receives Offer to Take Over Shelter

SC State Senator Kent Williams' local shelter (where he dumped his German Shepherd in March after allowing her to become pregnant while repeatedly roaming loose) has been advertising for someone to take over the shelter. A group called Paws to the Rescue who pulls dogs from the Marion County Animal Shelter regularly has submitted a proposal. The County Administrator apparently has some quibbles over the county's financial responsibilities as outlined in the proposal. The one and only offer to take over the shelter has been sent to a committee for further review. yawn. I only hope some action is taken sooner than in the Kent Williams case - which was never, actually.

Arkansas Mayor: Nanner-Nanner-Boo-Boo

UPDATE, July 19: The Arkansas Democrat Gazette is reporting that Mayor Misdemeanor has temporarily lost his license to practice law after the Supreme Court Committee on Professional Conduct reviewed his actions regarding a 1999 case unrelated to the animal cruelty charges he now faces. Apparently in the 1999 case, the Mayor took a $300 retainer from a client and basically did nothing to further the client's case. The client was unable to reach the Mayor and so filed a complaint with the Committee in 2007. After the Committee advised the Mayor of the complaint, he sent the client a check for his $300 but postdated it by a full year. In his defense, the Mayor said something along the lines of "Oops."

I can't help but wonder if the Mayor will attempt to represent himself in court on the animal cruelty charges - you know, assuming his license is reinstated. And if so, will there be clowns, elephants and a ringmaster?

ORIGINAL POST:

Mayor Set-Them-Free of Arkansas has a warrant out for his arrest after the local humane society director, whom the Mayor has belittled at every opportunity, signed an affadavit alleging animal cruelty charges. Now, in a playground move apparently designed to push the
HS director off the swing and make her cry, Mayor Shenanigans has signed an affadavit calling for her arrest. The Mayor has not yet been arraigned on his charges.


The Mayor gots his own blog and again, I'm hard pressed to pick just one quote but - regarding the dogs under his city's care which he kept at the dump, he says, "Strangely the conditions at the pound have been questioned." Yeah, totally bizarro. Cos like, what pet wouldn't want to live at your charming city dump? Especially given all the opportunities for adoption as families stroll around the landfill looking for a companion.

"We dance for laughter, we dance for tears..."

Having put joyous smiles on countless faces in his 15 years, Rookie the freestylin' Golden Retriever, has danced his way across the Rainbow Bridge. Our heartfelt condolences to owner Carolyn Scott and to Rookie's many friends and fans.

Thanks for sharing your joie de vivre Rookie. Add me to your dance card.

Juliette de Bairacli Levy's Natural Rearing Diet for Dogs

I have for several years now bemoaned my inability to find a summary of Juliette de Bairacli Levy's Natural Rearing diet for dogs on the web. Born in 1912, Juliette is an herbalist and breeder of Afghan hounds. Her wonderful book, The Complete Herbal Handbook for the Dog and Cat (originally published in 1955), does not include recipes per se, but rather discusses various aspects of feeding and does include suggested amounts here and there. The main points of her Natural Rearing diet are: feeding raw meats and bones, fasting, feeding raw milk and flaked cereals, resting the kidneys by feeding meat only 4 or 5 days per week.

This is my interpretation of Juliette's feeding recommendations. I hope it will be a useful reference and for those unfamiliar with Juliette's work, perhaps it will spark interest in reading her pioneering book for yourself.

Per Average Size Adult Dog, 5 days per week:

Midday Meal: Flaked whole-grain wheat, rye, barley or oats - softened with raw milk, buttermilk or vegetable juice
Alternate Days: raw egg one day, small amount of corn (or sunflower) oil or tahina the next
Can add: whole wheat, rye or corn bread, whole wheat, rye or corn biscuits, uncooked wholemaize flour, mashed black olives, mashed cooked sweet potatoes, mashed cooked carrots
3 or 4 days per week: 2 tsp coconut, 2 tsp peanut or almond flour (Note: peanuts must be raw when ground, not roasted)

Night Meal: Raw, chunked meat and bones with a small amount of fat
1 tsp wheat germ flakes
1 tsp cod liver oil (Winter)
seaweed powder
1 Tablespoon minced green herb
Few Tablespoons bran or flaked oats (as a substitute for the roughage provided by skin and fur, normally consumed)
Can add: grated raw carrot

One day per week: meatless meals using raw milk, eggs, white cheese, cottage cheese, whole-grain flaked cereals, rice, cooked beans and/or lentils.

Day after meatless meals day: Fluids only
"Meals" of honey in water or very watery diluted raw milk

***

As a breeder of Afghan hounds, Juliette describes how she feeds her own dogs as follows:

Per Afghan:

Midday Meal: flaked cereal w/extra herbal bran and some raisins
2 tsp. dried coconut
1 tsp. tahina
raw milk

Night Meal: Raw meat and bones
minced salad greens
also possibly: minced sprouted grains, raw egg

You will note that she mentions feeding raisins to her dogs daily. Raisins now appear on many "foods toxic to dogs" lists although Juliette probably scoffs at this. I am not recommending feeding raisins to your dog but felt it was important to include them in my summary since Juliette specifically notes the information.

There is so much more to Juliette's book than my summary interpretation posted here. It is very interesting reading and I highly recommend it for anyone interested in natural dog and cat care.

Shelters and Disease: Death Behind Closed Doors

The Marion County shelter in Florida closed today so they could kill 84 dogs with contagious diseases such as Parvo, Kennel Cough and Canine Flu. No word on why some or all of the 84 couldn't be medically treated and restored to health, especially since some of the dogs being killed are symptom free.


On the opposite coast, volunteers at a shelter in San Luis Obispo County, California told a local newspaper (on condition of anonymity since their bosses don't want them talking to the media) that dozens of cats have died from or been euthanized for Distemper in recent weeks.

"Both volunteers said they believe the shelter was slow to implement an effective quarantine, and both volunteers said members of the public and inmates from the honor farm, who assist at the shelter, were still recently observed entering the supposedly quarantined area, without precautions in place to prevent the spread of the disease.

A volunteer also expressed concern that people were still being allowed to drop off cats and kittens, and that others adopting pets were not being warned of the outbreak."

The shelter director's response? He said they are not required to make such outbreaks of disease known to anyone. And I guess that's good enough for him. It will be interesting to read the Humane Society's report on this shelter, expected this month. Full article here.

Treats on the Internets

Good finds on other pet blogs:

Lassie, Get Help gives us her take on identifying "good" and "bad" family dogs by breed. Good reading and here's a teensy spoiler: the words "Holy Crap" are featured prominently at the beginning of the post, hehe.

Recipes: I LOVE baking for the dogs. If I didn't have to work for the money to buy ingredients, I'd prolly bake all day, every day. So I'm always on the lookout for new recipes to try. Petville has one for Peanut Butter Biscotti that sounds fun. And Petdoc posted one of my recipes for a kibble type dinner.

PetConnection has some SuperExcellentFantastic ideas on what could be done with Leona Helmsley's $8 billion estate gift to canine welfare. I hope something good is done with the money, as opposed to having it sit in a bank account for decades while lawyers argue about it.

Holy Stupidity BatMom! Worms and Germs has a couple good bits on bats and Rabies including a Mom who got into trouble when one of the family's pet bats bit her son.

Salmonella Salad and Pet Food Safety Comes Up Short

From an article at HealthNewsTrack.com regarding the FDA's progress on food safety issues:

In 2007, FDA began working in collaboration with the State Health and Agriculture departments in Virginia and Florida, several universities, and the produce industry on a multi-year Tomato Safety Initiative. As part of the initiative, FDA has led assessments of grower practices focusing on the factors believed to be associated with contamination of tomatoes with Salmonella. FDA has conducted assessments in Virginia and began assessments in Florida in April.

Sooooo - how's that going?

In other FDA news, the transcript from the blink-and-you-missed-it "all day public meeting" regarding pet food standards is available for download in pdf format. It doesn't take too long to read because you can skim over all the good ol' boy chatter and cut straight to the only voice we consumers had at the meeting: Mike Floyd from Defend Our Pets. (Take their survey on pet food safety here.) His comments are straight talk on what consumers want and need from the pet food industry. Thank goodness he was there because after he spoke, the FDA shut down this supposed all day public meeting citing lack of attendance. Well FDA, some of us actually have to work for a living and can't necessarily get an entire weekday off. So to my mind it's certainly plausible that some people were planning to attend your all day public meeting - you know, when they could get there, which may have been more than 90 minutes after the meeting started - which is when you closed the thing down. So while the FDA touts this as a community outreach activity, I would describe it as a business-as-usual-activity.

Newsflash: We're going to have to do a lot better to fix the problems in our food safety system. For humans and pets. Because the status quo ain't workin'.

Arkansas Mayor to Face Charges

“As far as this crime thing, there was no crime committed,” said Mayor Set-Them-Free of Arkansas to the City Council as they debated a resolution to support the Mayor, who now has a warrant out for his arrest on charges of animal cruelty.

Right. Well sure it's not a "crime" in the sense of say, detaining hundreds of prisoners indefinitely without trial. (Which is a crime, btw. In case anyone is paying attention.) But it is a "crime" in the sense that it's a violation of the laws of the state of Arkansas ("cruelty to animals" and "obstructing the prevention of cruelty to animals") and the federal laws of the United States (abandoning animals on public land). No one, not even Mayor I-Am-Not-A-Criminal, has the right to dump shelter dogs in his city's care at a National Forest.

The resolution failed to pass because only 4 of 9 members were on board. Kudos to the 5 council members who effectively said "Whaaaaaa?" when asked to vote their support for the resolution.

The Mayor will get his day in court (tentatively set for July 11 in Helena-West Helena District Court) to face the two misdemeanor animal cruelty charges. No word yet on any federal charges. Meanwhile, 4 of the abandoned dogs have been rescued by a recovery team.

Local Interest: Shelter Dog in Columbia, SC in Need of Foster Care

In my inbox this afternoon:

Meet Jasmine. Jasmine or “Jazzy” as she is lovingly referred to at the shelter is such a sweet girl. She is a graduate of the Dog Trainers Workshop in the Upstate and is also a graduate of Project Pet basic training. We’re not sure why she hasn’t found her forever home except that perhaps her size is intimidating. She is a very tall hound mix and is quite strong. Unfortunately because she has been in the shelter so long she is starting to become depressed and is losing weight.

If you can help, please contact Blair at bsalmon@projectpet.com or call Project Pet at (803) 407-0991.

***

Note from me: Jazzy is approximately the height of a Weimaraner and has been in the shelter for 8 months. She needs a break. They would like to see her adopted but would be happy just to get her into a foster home for right now. She looks like a sweetie.

Can You Offer a Home to a Pair of Crocodiles?

Yeah, me neither. But if you know someone who can, Cypress Gardens in South Carolina is having to rehome a couple dozen crocs due to budget cuts. The Crocodile Isle (I just love saying that) Vet would like to keep breeding pairs together.

Note: Photo is just a sample. Your actual crocs may vary.