It’s the time of year that snow starts flying, the temperature plummets and holiday chaos ensues. Check out this video for some helpful tips on what to watch for and how to protect your pets from the elements and holiday dangers.
This handsome boy is Cutter. He is a one and a half year old Boxer that is available for adoption through the Cuyahoga County Animal Shelter in Valley View, Ohio. He’s a sweet boy that shares something in common with my Daisy. He is deaf.
He’s managed to survive at the shelter for about a month now. I’m not sure how he’s managed to make it this long, as they are experiencing a very high volume of incoming dogs right now. I fear his days are numbered, and hope it’s not already too late for him by the time you are reading this post.
There was a family that visited with him several times, but ultimately decided not to adopt because of their concerns over his deafness. I can remember when I was considering adopting Daisy. I remember having concerns myself, but I just couldn’t resist her big eyes and spunky personality. I adopted her and she’s one of the best dogs I’ve ever owned. She “listens” to me more consistently than Duke and Daisy.
I put her through training classes at PetSmart, and it was during this time that I learned how to “talk” to her with hand signals and body language. When I need to get her attention I either use a laser light to get her eyes to look in my direction, or I stomp on the floor (assuming the floor will send vibrations). When we’re out and about she’s always on a leash. That’s for her own safety, because I wouldn’t be able to call her away from danger if she wandered off. Laser lights don’t work in broad daylight, and stomping on the grass or pavement won’t send out vibrations.
She’s very alert and attentive, and is usually by my side when we’re at home. Cutter is showing that he’s very alert and attentive as well. He is also food motivated which will make training a bit easier. He already knows sit and paw, and is learning down. I think his video best shows what he is capable of. If you are in the Cleveland area and are looking to adopt a dog, please consider Cutter. Please contact the Cuyahoga County Animal Shelter for more information. He is currently in kennel number 54. Please share and cross post.
Image courtesy of http://www.heartwormsociety.org
Heartworm Disease is transmitted to dogs and cats by mosquitoes. It’s a very treatable medical condition. That is…as long as the drug used to treat it is available in the marketplace. It seems Immiticide, the only FDA approved drug used to treat the disease, is in short supply.
Merial, the only manufacturer of Immiticide in the US, is temporarily not making it because of technical difficulties in manufacturing. Merial informed vets nationwide in early August about the shortage. No word as to when it will be back in production.
The FDA recently announced that they will allow Merial to import limited quantities of Immiticide from their European supplier, which is the approved source of the product for international markets. The approval is temporary while Merial works out technical issues in the plant.
The European supplier has a limited amount of Immiticide available for importation – a quantity that will only satisfy a small percentage of U.S. demand. As a result, veterinarians are being asked to conserve this limited supply by using it only for dogs in most urgent need of treatment.
In the meantime, the American Heartworm Society has posted an alternate treatment method for heartworm positive dogs. This method is not a fast one as it could take up to 16 months to kill off the adult heartworms in this fashion. One can only hope that Immiticide will be back in the marketplace long before that.
It also requires owners to comply with a rigorous schedule of administering different drugs: heartworm preventative once a month, along with Doxycycline daily for 1 month and then 2 months off and then start that cycle all over again. There are even other drugs the dog will need if the dog also has immature heartworms in their system called microfilaria.
Oh and one more thing, your dog has to be kept inactive during the entire treatment process. That means no playing or running around. You take the dog outside on a leash for potty breaks, and while inside the dog should remain in a relaxed and calm state. If your dog likes to dart through the house, then you should be prepared to crate him even when you’re home.
Countless dogs show up in the shelter system with this disease. Dogs in shelters don’t have the luxury of being treated for 16 months. If a shelter is hurting for space and there aren’t any available foster homes, or people willing to adopt a heartworm positive dog, then these dogs will be first up on the euthanasia list. Oh, and while cats seem to be somewhat immune to the disease, they can get it, and there is no approved treatment option for them.
This is so sad on many levels. The worst part of it all is that this disease is very preventable. All you have to do is give your pet a monthly preventative tablet like Interceptor. Most pets view it as a treat and chew them up readily. So dear readers, if you don’t already have your pet on preventative, call up your vet and get them started on it today! It’s much cheaper to prevent the disease than it is to treat it.
There is a video news story on this topic, but for some reason I can’t get it to embed into this post. If you would like to view it, please click here: Euthanizations Due to Heartworm Medicine Shortage.
If you’ve purchased a Natura product – Innova, EVO, California Natural, HealthWise, Mother Nature and Karma dog and cat foods – between March 20, 2005 and July 8, 2011, you could be eligible to receive up to $200 each as part of a proposed settlement of a class action lawsuit.
About the lawsuit
The suit claims that Natura violated California’s Business and Professional code when advertising their dog and cat food products. It also claims that Natura made false and misleading statements about the human-grade quality of its food in advertisements, promotional materials and labeling.
The Defendants, Natura Pet Products, Inc., Natura Pet Food, Inc., Natura Manufacturing and Peter Atkins, deny that they did anything wrong, but in July agreed to the proposed settlement in order to avoid the inconvenience and costs of further litigation. The proposed settlement amount is $2,150,000.
How to submit a claim
According to the settlement, “All persons residing in the United States who purchased any Natura Product for personal, family, or household purposes during the time period from March 20, 2005 to July 8, 2011,” may submit a claim. Claims can be submitted online at www.petproductssettlement.com, or you can mail in a claim form. The claim forms are available for download in the Frequently Asked Questions section of the website. All claims must be submitted by January 8, 2012.
When to expect a check
The Court will hold a hearing on February 17, 2012, to decide whether to approve the settlement. If the Judge approves the settlement, there may be appeals. If your Claim is approved, you could receive your payment as soon as May 1, 2012. Payments could be delayed until a later date. Payments will only be made if the Court grants approval to the settlement and any appeals are resolved.
I feed my dogs California Natural, and have already submitted my claim. I’m not holding my breath that I’ll see a $200 check though. After deducting attorneys’ fees, costs and expenses, the costs associated with administering the settlement and paying the Class Representative, the balance of the settlement fund will be distributed to Class Members. If a lot of claims are filed, and I’m assuming there will be, there won’t be much money leftover to send out.
Today is a day that the world takes pause to remember the events of September, 11 2001. While this day will always be remembered by the world, it’s the events on this day one year later that I now take pause to remember. This time though, it is to remember one of the happiest days of my life. It’s the day that Duke became a member of my family.
I wanted a Collie all of my life. Lassie is my hero, and Collies are the most beautiful dogs I’ve ever seen. It was never meant to be as I was growing up, as we just didn’t have the space a big dog like that needed. So, after getting my own home, the first thing on the agenda was to add a Collie to the household.
I scoured the internet and found a Collie rescue group (Tri-State Collie Rescue) a few hours away from me. I fell in love with several dogs on their website. I filled out their application, was approved to adopt, and was on my way to visit with a few of those dogs.
When I got there, the first dog I spotted was one that was sleeping in a crate near the entrance. When he realized I was there, he stood up and gave me a goofy looking grin and had a sparkle in his eyes. They called him Connor and he wasn’t on their website yet. He had just been neutered and was recovering from the surgery. At first glance he looked like a smooth coated Collie as his hair was really short. The short hair only added to his goofiness. We left the building to go outside and visit with the dogs I was there to see… Connor wasn’t one of them.
I visited with at least three dogs, and they were all great dogs. I could have been perfectly happy with any of them, but I just couldn’t shake that goofy looking dog out of my head. I asked about Connor’s story. They told me that he was around 2 years old, and was dumped off of a truck along the side of the road. A concerned citizen was able to get him into their car and took him to a local shelter.
Tri-State in turn rescued him from the shelter to give him a chance at a new life. He had short hair for a reason, and it wasn’t because he was a smooth coated Collie. It turns out that he had been severely matted. They had to shave all of that beautiful fur off in order to make him comfortable. I asked if I could visit with him.
They brought him out into the yard, and it turns out his goofy grin matched his goofy personality. He loved being in the yard, and acted like such a clown. We had a blast. There was an instant connection. I knew he was the one that was going home with me. So it is on this day, nine years ago, that Duke, formerly Connor, entered my life.
He’s now eleven years old, and he’s slowing down. He has a heart murmur, an enlarged liver and his back legs aren’t working so well anymore. I had to take him to an emergency room about a week ago, as he had fallen and I couldn’t get him to stand back up. He’s doing better now, but is still pretty wobbly on his feet. I’ve got him rigged with harnesses that help me get him up and moving around.
He has been a blessing in my life and I’ve cherished every moment so far. I hope there are many more cherished moments to come, but I fear he may not make it to his next birthday. So today, September 11, 2011, I celebrate his life, and I count my blessings. Not just for him, but for all of the family, friends and fur critters in my life. Happy Birthday Dukie, my big goofer man!
