Baby It's Hot Outside

Here in the Midwest, the mild weather we have been experiencing this summer is over.  Highs have been in the 90’s for a week and are forecast to be even higher this week.  Over 100º today.  Common sense states that you need to keep your pets indoors.  If you can’t keep them indoors, you need to keep them cool.  I did some research on products available to help keep your pets cool in this extra hot weather.  My research focused on dogs.

 

 

 

Cesar Millan gives some great tips to keep your dogs cool in the summer.  One even I didn’t know.  Dogs cool from the bottom up, so when you hose your dog down to cool them off, start at their feet and underbelly.  Instead of draping a wet towel over your dog’s back to cool them down, lay it on the floor and let your pup lay on it.  Or you could get a cooling mat for your pup.  Some are filled with water and put in a cool place for your put to lay on.  Some have inserts you can put in the in a fridge or freezer before putting in the mat. 

 

 

 

I’ve warned my readers about signs of heat stroke in your pets back in July.  What I have recently learned is that hot sidewalks and pavement are also dangerous for your pets.  I know when you think of doggie boots you think of winter, but these are also great for summer to protect your pets’ feet from burning on the hot pavement.  They even have Sandals.  J Think about when you walk outside on a sidewalk when the sun has been shinning on it all day on a 90+º day…in bare feet.  You do the Hot Feet Dance…right? 

 

 

 

I found Kong Easy Freeze Kits for frozen treats any pet would love.  Whenever I drop an ice cube at home it is fun to watch the puppies take turns chewing on it.  Sometimes they play Puppy Hockey skipping the ice cube all over the kitchen.  

 

 

 

 

I also found this Kumfy Koatz cooling harness from Kumfy Tailz.  Covers the dog’s core to help keep them cool.  Used with a coat it will also keep them warm in winter.

 

 

 

Then there is always the good old fashioned kiddie pool.  Put out a kiddie pool of water for your dogs to play in.  Remember to dump the pool when your pets are done playing to avoid getting any diseases.  This is also a great time for doggie baths…although my dogs may not agree with me.  They feel cooler when their coats are cleaned and well maintained.

 

 

 

So…tell me how you keep your dog cool in the hot summer weather?  Do you have a pet that is not a dog?  How do you keep them cool?

Be Well & Be Happy,

Pet~Pourri

Fun With Pets

I was reading this article today about funny dog behaviors.  The question about why dogs howl made me remember a funny thing I did a while back.  I was outside with the dogs.  I think we had about 15 back then.  I heard the coyotes yipping and howling.  One of my dogs started a little howl.  I thought it was too cute so I decided to have some fun.  I started howling.  Well pretty soon all of my dogs were howling.  I was laughing so hard.  We had a concert going between my dogs and the coyotes. I think my neighbors are still trying to figure out what was going on.  Fortunately, we live in the country and the nearest neighbor is about a quarter mile away.

 

Have you ever done anything funny with your pets?  I did a google search for funny pet stories and came across this link on Oprah’s web page.  Some very cute stories here.  All of the stories are very cute and funny.  The last two made me laugh out loud.  I can so see some of my dogs doing some of these.

 

My cat Merlin used to play with my husband.  Our living room and kitchen were separated by a hallway.  Merlin would wait around the corner in the living room for my husband to walk by.  He would leap out and wrap his front legs around my husband’s ankle.  My husband would then drag him through the living room. 

 

Do you have any funny pet stories??  Why not share them with us?  I would love to read them.

Be Well & Be Happy,

Pet~Pourri

Sad News and a Health Warning

Panama Red at the Rainbow Bridge

On Sunday (August 18^th) we lost a very special pup.  Our very dear friend and fellow rescuer Kathie (my readers may know her as Aunt Kat), adopted Panama Red from us in 2005.  She had come over to donate some items from a pup she had lost a few months before.  When she sat down on the bench, Panama came running and leaped into her lap.  It was love at first leap.  J  Because of this Kathie became a close and very dear friend and our best volunteer.  Eventually she was named to our Board of Directors.

 

Panama Red Knomb Transportation

Kathie notified us on Wednesday that Panama was very ill and was at the emergency vet.  I stopped in to visit with him and Kathie on Thursday and I was in shock.  He looked like he had aged 10 years since I last saw him.  Kathie told me they thought he had Leptospirosis (Lepto), a bacterial infection with a host of different names: mud fever, swamp fever, haemorrhagic jaundice, swineherd's disease, sewerman's flu. All are known as Leptospirosis.  I had never heard of this disease.  The emergency vet had taken some blood and sent it up to the ISU Vet School to confirm their diagnosis. 

 

Panama Red Rescue Ambasador

On Friday I stopped in again to visit and they had confirmed the diagnosis, but his kidney’s had stopped functioning.  They were giving him Lasix and antibiotics and said it could take 2-3 days to see improvement.  I worked all day Saturday so I didn’t have a chance to visit.  Early Sunday morning we received a frantic call from Kathie.  It wasn’t good.  My husband and I immediately rushed to the vet.  Panama’s kidneys had shut down and his liver was failing.  There was blood in his urine and fluid on his lungs.  Kathie made a very difficult decision to end Panama’s suffering.  We were there with Kathie as he left for the Rainbow Bridge.

 

Panama Red Visiting Hours

The purpose of this blog is to inform my readers about this insidious disease.  Leptospirosis (also known as Weil’s Disease) is a bacterial infection that can attack the liver and kidneys.  Your pets can get it from dirty water that has been contaminated with urine from infected animals (i.e. squirrels, raccoons, mice, etc.).  They can also get it from sniffing the urine of an infected animal. 

 

Panama Red Sick Puppy

There is a vaccination pets can be given for this, although there are risks with this as well and it only covers a few strains.  Lepto was prevalent many years ago and the vaccine was given regularly.  Then cases died off so it was not part of regular vaccinations.  Over the last several years there has been a comeback of this disease.  Humans can get this disease from their pets and wild animals.  As a matter of fact, Olympic athlete, Andy Holmes, died from this disease in October of 2010.

 

Panama Red and Hubby

If you leave a water bowl outside for your pets, make sure you clean it daily…or more often if it becomes dirty.  Vomiting, fever, failure to eat, reduced urine output, unusually dark or brown urine, and lethargy are indications of the disease.  For humans, the disease begins with flu like symptoms (headache, high fever, vomiting, muscle aches, etc…).  The incubation period is 4-14 days for humans and 2-20 days for animals. 

Life Cycle of Leptospirosis

A diagnosis of Lepto can be confirmed with a blood test.  Treatment includes quarantine, antibiotics, and dialysis.  If you or your pet are experiencing any of these, go to the doctor.  This is not something you can blow off till later or you feel better.

 

 

Be Well, Be Happy, & Be Safe,

Pet~Pourri

What Is In A Name??

Have a new pet?  Having trouble coming up with a name for your new pet?  I came across this article with some great ideas based on musical icons.  When I first moved out on my own, the first thing I did was get two kittens.  I was on a King Arthur kick back then.  I named them Merlin and Lancelot.  I later had to change Lancelot’s name to Morgana when I found out he was a she.  J

 

Some friends have named their pets after famous authors, characters in books, movies, etc.  When trying to name a pet one question you should ask your self is what inspires you?  Science, religion, space, etc…  That is a great place to start.  But remember you need a name that is easy to call.  People who show their dogs usually give them long names like my friend whose dog’s official name is Desert Rose King of Hearts, but his call name is Desi.  Isn’t he a handsome boy?

 

 

I’ve noticed that with many of our dogs here in the rescue, we have nick names for them.  Sophia is called Sophie, Sofa, Sofa Bean, etc…  Princess Noel is just Princess.  One dog we had I think we tried 3 or 4 different names until we found one that was just right.  It’s ok to try a few.  You might have always had your heart set on a name like I did with Lancelot, and then wind up having to change it.  Sometimes the personality of the pet just doesn’t fit the name.

 

 

Personally we like unique names for our pets.  Some of them come already named and we usually keep those names for them, but sometimes we change it.  Either because it just doesn’t fit or because we already have a dog with that name.  I can’t tell you how many eskies we have had named Snow, Winter, Blizzard, Casper, etc…  Just because they are white.  If you do want to go for a common name like this, think about that word in a foreign language.  For example Winter in Croatian, Polish, and Slovenian is Zima.

 

Statistics say that over the course of your pet’s life, you will use their name over 35,000 times.  Take this into consideration when picking a name.  Also remember you will be using this name in public, so naming your dog Help is not a good idea.  Yes…this really happened.

So…I really want to know.  If you have a unique name for your pet, tell us what it is and how you came to name your pet.

Be Well & Be Happy,

Pet~Pourri

Horses for Slaughter

Photo from www.paulickreport.com

 

So…I live in Iowa.  A story that has been on the local news lately is in regards to a company that wants to open a slaughterhouse for horses.  What on earth could they want to open one of these for?  When I think of horse slaughterhouses I think of thinning herds of wild horses, sick animals, dog food, and glue.  However, I have done a little research and found out more about this.

Horses are slaughtered, not because they are wild, old, ill, or for dog food, but to produce meat for consumption…by humans.  They don’t want sick animals.  They want healthy ones.  I was aghast at this.  But then my boss asked me a question that got me thinking.  Why is slaughtering horses so bad?  What is the difference between this and slaughtering cattle or pigs?  Why is the thought of slaughtering horses’ taboo?    He was playing devil’s advocate, but you know…he has a point.

Photo from www.democraticunderground.com

Human beings have consumed horse meat since caveman times.  Some cultures still hunt horses on a daily basis.  According to Wikipedia, “Most horses bound for slaughter are brought to the slaughterhouses by contract buyers, also known as kill buyers, who drive around the country buying horses at auction.”  The sale of horse meat for consumption is illegal in the United States because of medications used on horses not approved for livestock, however this meat can be exported.  According to Wikipedia, 10% of the meat from slaughtered horses are sold to zoos while 90% of the American horsemeat is exported overseas.  The majority of the American population is against the slaughter of horses, including me.

There are approximately 10 million horses in the US.  One percent of those end up going to slaughterhouses every year.  The average age of horses sent to slaughter are 4-6 years old, over 90% of those are perfectly healthy animals.  Only 4% of the horses slaughtered are over 9 years old…which is still young for a horse.   

Photo from www.paulickreport.com

According to the Huffington Post, the slaughter of horses was effectively banned in 2006 when Congress said the USDA could not spend any money to inspect the plants.  This ban was extended every year until 2011 when this statement was not included in the funding bills.  Since that time a plant in New Mexico is the only one that has passed the USDA inspection to slaughter horses.  Now Sigourney, IA has been approved and a Missouri company is waiting for approval.  According to the Sigourney company, “We believe it is our responsibility to restore the value of the horse industry”, because there are 90,000 to 100,000 unwanted horses annually.

UPDATE:  I just heard on the news this morning that the Sigourney company has decided not to slaughter horses and will retool their plant for beef.  They state it is due to the concerns of animal rights groups.  See...You can make a difference.  :)

I think horses are some of the most beautiful majestic animals on earth.  We do use them to assist us in our daily lives and for pleasure.  But does that mean we should eat them?  The fact that there are 90-100 thousand horses unwanted in the US annually is also disturbing.  Aren’t there more humane solutions?  The economy also plays a big part in the number of horses sold to slaughter houses.  There is no doubt about it, horses are expensive to maintain.  A lot of them are given up, sold, or abandoned because people can’t afford to maintain them.  I’ve also learned that hundreds of horses are stolen every year and sold in auction to slaughter houses.  When California banned horse slaughter in 1998 horse thefts dropped by 34%. 

 

Photo from online.wsj.com

In doing my research for this blog I came across an article in The Hill’s Congress Blog by Former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott.  In this article he speaks about his ‘personal evolution’ when it comes to horse slaughter houses.  His son Chet opened his eyes to alternatives for rescuing horses.  He states “His experience showed me that live, active horses support an important infrastructure of jobs and economies in the United States. A live horse needs to be fed, groomed and trained, as well as receive vet care, among other things. This in turn creates and maintains a viable and enduring way of life in rural America.”

 

Photo from www.freerepublic.com

If you had the opportunity to eat horse meat, would you?  Do you think slaughterhouses for horses should be allowed in the US?  Does the thought of slaughtering horses disturb you as much as it does me?

Be Well & Be Happy,

Pet~Pourri

P.S.  I decided against showing photos of horse slaughtering operations, because quit honestly…they made me ill, but here is a link if you do want to see the disturbing photos.

Which Group Would You Choose?

I came across this article today which lists the top 5 animal welfare organizations in the world.  Do you agree with this list?  If you were looking for a way to help animals in need, what is the first organization that pops into your head?

Being a breed specific rescue we don’t get anywhere near the level of donations as other groups like ARL – Animal Rescue League of Iowa.  They rescue all domestic animals and we rescue a specific breed…so this is completely understandable.  However, they are known for primarily pets.  Dogs, cats, horses, birds, etc…  Most of the groups on this list offer assistance for all animals…including wildlife. 

The five are:

• ASPCA (the oldest founded in 1866)
• WWF (founded 1961)
• One World Wildlife (founding date unknown)
• Wildlife Conservation Fund (founded 1895)
• Canadian Animal Assistance Team (CAAT) (the youngest founded after Hurricane Katrina)

This got me to thinking.  J  I know…look out.  J  If you could donate money to any animal welfare organization you wanted to, what would it be? 

Be Well & Be Happy,

Pet~Pourri