Sock It To Me

I can remember my friend, Adrian, walking over to me when we were in veterinary school.  I knew he was up to something.  He put his arm slowly around my shoulder, and with a smirk on his face, he asked, "Lisa, do you own any article of clothing that does not have an animal on it?" 

During my years at vet school, my sister would send me clothing and jewelry with animals on them.  I had earrings, pins, ear muffs, hats, mittens, shirts, bracelets, rings, all of them featuring dogs, cats, cows, pigs, or some other critter.

I had a favorite shirt.  It was a denim button down with the front end of a cow on the front of the shirt, and the back end of a cow on the back of the shirt.

I had myself convinced that this shirt made it appear as though I had been comically pierced with a Holstein.  The shirt is now so stained, faded, and worn that it is unfit to wear, yet I will not part with it.  Perhaps I will make a little pillow out of it.

I also collected small animal doctors. I am literally referring to animals that are doctors. I have cat doctors, mouse doctors, cow doctors, pig doctors. If the nik-nak is a human doctor, then the patient being cared for is an animal of some sort.

My animal item collecting has become much less aggressive, I no longer seek out dog earrings, cat bracelets, or small animal doctor nik-naks.  It is rare that I find a cute dog or cat shirt.  They often remind me of the 80's so I just walk away from them.  But my sock drawer is a completely different story!

My sock drawer is like a tiny quiet Noah's Ark.  Each sock, and its mate, are nestled safely inside my drawer.  They sit, two by two, and no two pair are alike.  My husband is convinced that these socks are reproducing as it seems to get more difficult to close the drawer.  When I see socks with animals on it in a store, I stop.  It is as though I can not rest until every animal sock is nestled comfortably in my sock drawer! 

When I was fortunate enough to go to Paris, I did not bring back a miniature La Tour Eiffel, but I will encourage you to take a guess as to what I did bring back from the City of Love.

You guessed it!  French socks with kitties on them!

Not everyone sees my socks when I wear them, but I know they are there.  It is a subtle way of expressing my personality and my desire to resist growing up.

Socks are a fun collectible.  They allow you to show your personality, and yet they are completely functional.  You do not need to dedicate wall space to display them.  You do not need to install shelving.  You do not need to hang them just right, or put them in the right order for aesthetic purposes.  You need only have two feet, and you choose to whom you will show them.

Each year I retire a few pairs after they lose their elasticity, or I find they have holes.  Sock retirement is somewhat bittersweet.  No two pair in my drawer are alike, so each pair that is retired is gone for good .

Then again, with each pair that enters into retirement, I can keep my eyes open for new ones.




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At Least You Won't Owe Me...

I wear several hats each work day: veterinarian, business owner, office manager, rescuer, animal control.  They all have their own weights that come with them, some heavier than others.  One of the most frustrating occurrences is one that seems to be routine.

Animals come to us as animal control in several ways.  Sometimes, it's a phone call alerting us to a dog on the run.  Sometimes, a concerned citizen picks up an animal and brings it to us.  Sometimes it is a phone call from the police.

We take the dogs in because that is what we do.  We hope to safely reunite the animal with its owner.  We hope that it will be a happy reunion, but often it is not.  Usually the dog is a stray and no one claims it, resulting in no happy reunion.  Occasionally, it is an owned dog, that an owner picks up at my office and more often than not, they are not happy.

I have had dog owners accuse me of ripping them off with impound fees.  I have been accused of stealing dogs to collect impound fees.  I have had people refuse to take their dog home due to repeated impounds, and the dogs were abandoned at my clinic.  I have had "friends" angered by the fact that I would dare to charge a "friend" for impounding their dog.

It is time for me to state my peace!

Dear Sir or Madame,

Your dog was running where it did not belong today.  There was enough concern about where your dog was, that it caused people to act out on your dog's behalf. 

Your behavior when you picked up your pet, whining about fees, yelling at my staff, angry with your dog, needs to be addressed.

If you prefer, we will leave your dog where he or she is next time, but let's consider the possible consequences...

When your dog returns home with a hit by car injury or fight wounds requiring hundreds of dollars in veterinary care, at least you won't owe me $25.

When it comes time to scrape your dog's carcass off the highway, at least you won't owe me $25. 

When a car swerves to avoid hitting your dog, and gets damaged going into the ditch, at least you won't owe me $25. 

When a car hits another car head on after your dog darts across the road, and a young family of 4 is rushed to the hospital, at least you won't owe me $25.

If I required your business services, expected or unexpected, I would not expect you to do it for free. 

Your dog ended up in my clinic because other people seem to care more about its welfare than you do. 

That is unfortunate for you, but even more unfortunate for your dog.




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Saving One Life While Providing a Lifelong Home For the Other

I went to a continuing education meeting.  I admit, at times they can be less than exciting, but lately, the topics have been useful to even the smallest practice with minimal equipment.  As a result, I learn and I enjoy the meetings more.  A few years back, it seemed as though they loved to tap into all the new technology being offered to veterinarians, and that left small practices that could not afford this high tech equipment in the dark.

I took all sorts of notes on new ideas, things to remember, things to consider at the most recent meeting.  Then, during a lecture on kidney disease, the speaker very briefly touched on Kidney Transplants in cats as a possible treatment for kidney failure in a patient.  I have known this was a possibility in animals but never have I had an opportunity to speak with someone who has performed the procedures!

It is absolutely fascinating that some veterinarians are fortunate enough to participate in such medically advanced procedures!  The entire idea fascinated me!    You cannot help but admire the skills of these doctors.  But it brought up a lot of questions, some of them medical, and some of them ethical.

Do they have to seek a "match" as in human medicine?  How long will a kidney transplant cat survive if it is successful?   How much does the procedure cost?  How long does the recipient live?  How is the recovery for the recipient of the kidney?   How tiny is the suture that attaches one ureter to the next, as the ureter itself is a small anatomical feature?  Is the life of the donor cat shortened as a result of losing a kidney?  From where do the donors come?  What happens to the donor after the surgery?

I was able to gain answers for most of my questions. I was thrilled to find out that the life expectancy of the donor cat is not significantly affected since the remaining kidney hypertrophies or grows larger to compensate for the missing one.  I was thrilled to find out that participation in a kidney transplant procedure regardless of where it is performed, means the family of the recipient MUST adopt the donor.  I discovered that 85% of the procedures are successful, and the recipient can live a few years, averaging 2-3 years. Some of her clients have taken out second mortgages on their house for the procedure.  The question I hesitated to ask was the last one...from where do the donor cats come.

The question was answered first by a colleague sitting next to me at the table. He informed me that there are cat colonies bred and raised for such purposes that are called SPF cats.  SPF is an acronym for Specific Pathogen Free.  The cats are purposely bred and raised in an environment that prevents them from being exposed to certain contaminants such as bacteria and viruses.  The purpose of breeding SPF cats is mainly for their use in research.

I looked up several cat kidney transplant services throughout the US on the Internet.  Most referred to donors coming from "sources" or "colonies".  These terms are likely referring to SPF cats.  Some of these websites do mention that the owner can "provide the donor" as long as the cat fits the donor requirements.  With the owner choosing, I assume the source would be a cat already in the household or possibly a shelter cat.
 
I only found one cat kidney transplant service website that specifically mentions it's use of shelter cats.  Pet Care Veterinary Hospital in Santa Rosa, California is the only one of the websites that I searched from the list found on  Feline CRF Information Center Website that directly states, "Transplant donors are young, healthy shelter cats that are adopted by the recipient family, thus saving one life while providing a lifelong home for the other."  While the other Renal Transplant Centers might consider a shelter cat at the owner's request, they do not state that they specifically use shelter cats.

At first glance, the thought of taking a homeless cat and removing it's kidney to save another cat's life may seem unethical, the thought of purposely breeding SPF cats for this purpose when so many young healthy candidates are being euthanized in shelters across America strikes me as being more unethical. 

For certain research studies, the SPF cats are probably a necessity.  Research is not my subject of expertise, so I cannot and will not assume that SPF cats are never necessary in research.  When it is proven that a young healthy shelter cat will serve the same purpose, and have a guaranteed home after the procedure rather than ending up euthanized, I applaud the clinic that chooses that option. 

For the owners who love their cats enough to choose these options, I applaud the dedication you have for your cat, and I do respect your desire to keep him or her around at all costs.  But I wonder about the lives that a small shelter or rescue could save with a donation of $15,000-$20,000. 

Then again, you cannot put a price on love.

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Help Your Local Animal Shelter While on a Budget!

So, you already have two dogs and two cats, or 1 dog and 3 cats, or 3 dogs and no cats. There is no more room at the Inn. You know that bringing home another animal could be expensive, mostly because you know how much divorce lawyers cost.  You look into the eyes of that dog or cat that needs a home at your local shelter, but you just cannot take another one home.  Writing the shelter a big check may be out of your comfort zone in this economy as well, but wait!  You may have more to offer that animal than you realize.


Just because you cannot take another animal home does not mean that you should just walk away.  If you do turn a blind eye, you become part of the problem, when in reality you NEED to be part of the solution!


Do you drive a car?
Volunteer to transport shelter animals to new homes, new rescues, or to veterinary appointments.  You might be surprised to discover how often this need arises.  Consult with your tax consultant, the miles you travel in support of a non-profit shelter may be tax deductible! 

Transport coordinators are in extreme demand! If your weekends are quiet and you have a computer, this may be the job for you!  A future blog will discuss this job in more detail.

Do you sew?
Ask if your shelter needs blankets or beds sewn. Perhaps you can sew little signs for the adoptable pets to wear in parades or at adoption events that say "adopt me" for the dogs to wear. Perhaps your blankets could be sold as a fundraiser for the shelter.  Old fleece pullovers from goodwill can easily be sewn into cushy beds for pets, and it is a way of recycling!  Just cut off the sleeves, stuff the body of the pullover, and sew the neck, sleeve, and waist openings and you have created an easily washable and comfortable pet bed. 
If you don't sew, fleece and fleece remnants from sewing stores, make GREAT bedding  for homeless pets!

Old blankets or fleece remnants can make it cozy!

Do you bake?
Hold a bake sale to benefit the shelter.  Ask your friends and family to participate.  Shelter volunteers LOVE the leftovers too!

Do you shop?
Ask the shelter for a list of items of which they are in greatest need.   Many of the items are inexpensive, but they go through them very quickly, so each small donation helps in a big way.   Bleach, ping pong balls for cat toys, fleece remnants, paper towels, cat litter, copy paper, etc.  Just $5.50 can buy over 40 lbs of clay cat litter at Walmart!  Hit second hand stores for old towels, fleece, and other bedding materials.  They will often have inexpensive used pet carriers and cages as well.

Can you spare a few hours during the week?
Volunteer to walk dogs or clean kennels or man a booth at an adoption event.  You do not have to be there every day.  Just think, if seven people did commit to once a week, it would be an amazing show of support to your shelter.

Are you afraid to be doing hands on work with the animals because you don't want to risk falling in love, only to see that animal go home with someone other than you?  Then assist by washing dishes and litter boxes, doing laundry, cleaning floors, pooper scooping their play yard.  These tasks will win you a volunteer appreciation award for sure!  So many people want to come play with the animals, not realizing that their assistance is desperately needed throughout the shelter.  No one said volunteering would be easy, but the friends you make just might make it fun.

Do you like to hold social events?
Hold a party at your house as a fundraiser! Many "home party" sales groups do fundraisers, such as Scentsy Flameless Candles. 

Not comfortable asking friends over to buy "stuff"?   Invite friends or family over for snacks and a movie, a cookout, or for the big game.  Ask them to bring a "donatable" item for the animals in your shelter as an admission ticket to the party.  Provide them with a list of what the shelter needs?  Then enjoy your evening. 

Some restaurants, such as Pizza Ranch, have fundraising opportunities in which you and some friends bus tables for a few hours, and all tips go to the group of your choice!  This is great for earning funds, and for making people aware of the needs of your local shelter.

Do you have too much stuff in your house?
Donate anything that the shelter can use to the shelter.  Your shelter should be able to provide you with a wish list.  These items might include old towels, sheets, blankets, fleece, old dog collars, leashes, pet bowls, baby pack-n-plays/ play pens, pet carriers or crates, ping pong balls, tennis balls.  Then hold a yard sale with some friends and donate the proceeds.  Your house is now clean, you have recycled,  AND you have helped your shelter!

Do you work in a large corporation?
Have your workplace encourage donations to the shelter by starting a collection!  The business can actually do this monthly for different causes, IE animal shelter one month, womens shelter the next, etc.  If each employee brings in a can of cat food, or a roll of paper towels, while it is not a lot for a single person to spend, the collection will grow and the shelter and it's animals will be very grateful.

Do you like to craft?
Create some cute craft items for the shelter to sell in their entry way or at events.

Golfers don't like old balls, but we do!

A feather boa is easy to make and great for photo ops, and for fundraising!

Bandannas are a simple way to dress up adoptables or sell for fundraisers!

Catnip cat toys!  Easy to Make!  Good for shelter pets and fundraising!

Do you like to scrapbook?
Create a scrapbook of adopted animals for the shelter to show at events. This may also help them get through difficult times by showing them how much they have succeeded in doing for so many animals.  Working or volunteering can take an emotional toll.  This type of gift can be very rewarding!

Do you work with kids?
If you work with kids, have the kids volunteer or fund raise. A t-shirt sale or a scavenger hunt for items the shelter uses IE cat litter, pet food, paper towels, etc. is a fun way to involve kids of all ages.  Kids can make posters to hang around town with photos of adoptable pets.  Kids can make "adopt me" outfits for dogs using felt cloth and glue, or hand sewn depending on their ages.  This not only helps the shelter but teaches the children about responsibility.

Do you enjoy taking photographs?
You do not need an expensive camera to do this!  You can take and share photos of their adoptable pets.  Perhaps your photos will be so good, they will use them on their website!  Let your photos show off the pet's personality!  A good photo is key to getting a homeless animal noticed.  A photo of the animal in it's kennel at the shelter, behind bars, does not show off the adoptable nature of that animal.  Let your lens be the eye of the potential adopter!  Show the animals off in a new light!

Do you know your way around computers?
Helping a small shelter with their website updates, or helping them design a website is a great way to offer your assistance.  I can spay a cat, but don't ask me to design a website! 

So you cannot adopt, but...
Perhaps you are good at housebreaking or teaching dogs about manners IE sit, stay, come, fetch?  Perhaps you can temporarily add another cat to the house, but you are not comfortable adding another pet on a permanent basis?  FOSTER!  When you foster a pet, you are not just helping that pet.  You are opening a cage up for another pet in need of help!

Do you Facebook, Myspace, or Twitter?
SHARE your shelter's pets on your page!  If your shelter works with Petfinder.com, Petfinder has links on the side of each adoptable pet's photograph to share on these social networking sites!  Click those links!  Wouldn't it feel GREAT to be the one who shared a photo that united a homeless pet and it's new family?

Consignment anyone?
If you have a local consignment shop, ask the shelter's permission for setting up an account for the under the shelter's name at the consignment shop.  Make people aware that they can donate their items to benefit the shelter at this consignment shop.  Spread the word with fliers, social networking, emails, etc., all inexpensive ways to share the news.  Place a sign in the store letting shoppers and consigners know about the shop's support of the shelter.   The shop should appreciate the free publicity they get from participating, and again, your shelter gains support!


The point is, you don't need a lot of time or money or a special degree to be instrumental in helping to save an animal's life.  You just need to decide to help.  You can make a change, so become active and encourage your friends to do so.  No more turning your back, covering your eyes, or feeling helpless.  You have nothing to lose, and homeless pets have so much to gain from you, so GET GOING! 

(If you have more suggestions for ways people can help their shelter while on a budget, submit them to me and I will add them!




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Lights, Camera, Action!

I can no longer watch animal movies, not even the animated ones. 

I can remember as a child getting very upset when Bambi's mother was killed.  I can remember being upset by the teasing that Rudolph endured just for being different.  I don't think I need to bring up my feelings about Cruella Deville!

The effects of these movies were evident in my youth.  In grade school, on rainy days, during recess I would pick up worms that were squirming in the puddles on the play yard and move them over to the moist but safe grassed area. 

I can remember trying to raise a few orphaned fledgling robins and baby squirrels. 

I remember bringing home a friend's hamster that he could no longer keep, without the permission of my mother.  The little stinker escaped the cage on the first day!  I looked and looked but could not find him.  I finally decided I had to fess up to my mother.  After all, scraping my mother off the ceiling after she sees a hamster in her bed would NOT end well.  I told her the truth, and boy did she yell!  "Find that thing!"  I sulked back to my room, and shut the door.  As I turn around, there is Remington the hamster sitting in front of his cage, wiggling and washing his whiskers as if asking, "Hey, where have you been?  This room is great!" 

I have already discussed my "Zoo Unlike Any Other" , a fabulous tale about my unique pets.

Walking by a neighbor's house in high school, I blurted out to my friend, Valerie, "I can't believe they have not neutered their dog!"  Her response, "What is your obsession with dog's testicles!"  Apparently it was not the first time I had made such a remark.

Now that I have my own children, I watch those "cute animal" movies with them, and I cry.  I don't cry because of the story line.  Okay, I do cry because of the story line, but not JUST because of the story line.

I cry because the bad guy in the fictional movie is so damn real to me.  In the movie, the bad guy is often the evil animal catcher, or the guy who wants the reward money, or the rich guy whose son wants that particular animal regardless of the costs.  In the movie, we laugh at his stupidity, and he usually gets his just desserts in the end. 

But in my world, this movie never ends.  Charges are rarely pressed, perhaps due to flawed investigative techniques, lack of evidence, ill defined laws with weak punishments, or apathetic prosecutors.  If an animal is removed from a person's care due to abuse or neglect, they easily go and find another animal to treat the same way... tied to a tree, left out in the snow, locked in a cage, left behind in an empty house... 

But sometimes it's the good guy who, for me, is the bad guy. 

Tonight, we watched a movie about a family that was moving.  The father was starting an exciting new job.  In order to move, the family had to get rid of their dog.  Apparently Hollywood believes that dogs cannot cross state lines, and this theory has spread rampantly to pet owners throughout the US.  Their young son was devastated by leaving the dog behind.  In an attempt to make it up to the boy, the father bought him season tickets to a major league baseball team.

This story line is appalling!  Couldn't the father have found a place to live where the animal was welcome?  He was not unemployed.  He had enough money to purchase these tickets.  Perhaps a little extra time, or perhaps the money he invested in those tickets would have been enough to keep the boy and his dog together.  Those tickets do not give unconditional love, nor do they teach a child about responsibility.  But no, the father teaches the kid, and the world, that the dog is disposable, and easily replaced by America's favorite pastime.

I don't mean to imply that movies like this should be taken so seriously.  But when you are the one who suddenly has this hypothetical family's dog in your care, while he waits for a new family to find him and make him theirs, you get a tad resentful of the people who make this type of decision so lightly.  To see it portrayed in an acceptable way in a movie can be quite infuriating!

Movies like this have conditioned us to believe that this behavior is acceptable.  I acknowledge that there are situations in life that may not facilitate people keeping their animals, especially in today's economy.  People are being forced to relinquish their houses, their pets, marriages are ending, and it is for these people and their pets that I do what I do.  My services should be a last ditch effort for a family and their pet, not a convenience.  But it is now so customary to dispose of a pet when moving that even those with the means to keep their pet are leaving them behind. 
I would like to see a film that will express the dire state in which this country resides with respect to animal welfare.   I believe the majority of us want to be a more responsible, humane nation, but it is only a minority of us who choose to actively pursue it. 

Discontinuing the on screen disposable nature of our pets would be a start.  Let's get back to Rin Tin Tin, Lassie, and Benji.  Let's show how animals help us, and present ways that we can help them. 

Me with Benji from "Benji of the Leash" 

In many ways, Animal Planet is doing just that.  I appreciate them presenting the horrible cruelty and neglect cases to the general public.  I like them showing that pets in shelters are deserving of good homes and loving families.  I appreciate them teaching people the proper way to train their dogs.  A well trained dog is less likely to become a homeless dog.  I am not a fan of every show they air, but for the most part, I believe many of their shows are educational to the general public and beneficial to the animal welfare world.

I wish Animal Planet would show that most communities are not blessed with the lavish, well staffed animal shelters and financially armed animal task forces seen on these shows.   I wish they could show small shelters who do so much for their communities, but get turned down for food programs and large grants, because they serve too small of a community.

The movie's happy ending usually involves the abusers getting their just desserts. The dog is reunited with the family. The puppies all find loving homes with wonderful new families.

But I know too well that these happy endings are all too rare in the real world.  While I cannot believe in these Hollywood fairy tales, I can believe in the tails of my homeless huggables. 

Their movies are rolling, their stories are just beginning.  Perhaps tomorrow will be the day that my homeless pets may find their new home.  Now, there is a happy ending.  If tomorrow is not that day, then it may be the next.  And if it is tomorrow, that empty cage will be filled with another unfortunate soul with an unknown past, whose future just took a turn for the better. 

How would that be for a happy ending...

Now, where is my video camera...







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Still Perdy as a Picture!

For those of you who missed Perdy's story, you can read it here... http://vetrescue.blogspot.com/2011/02/perdy-as-picture.html

Perdy had lesions on her ears that would not heal.  We biopsied  both of her ears, fearing that she had a form of skin cancer that is quite common in white cats.  The biopsy for Perdy's ears is back.

Post Op Perdy!

She is feeling good, despite the angry puss on her face!

We have good news!  There was no evidence of cancer!  (Happy cat dance!)  Her biopsy revealed that all lesions were granulation tissue, a skin response to chronic inflammation due to her previous frostbite injuries.  By eliminating the frostbitten edges, we have provided her ears with healthy edges that will not chronically bleed or be as easily traumatized.

Perdy's incisions are healing quite well.  When her fur grows back in, her ear flaps or pinnae will be almost hidden making her look like a tiny baby white seal.   She has gained 1.2 lbs, which is like 10 lbs to us!   She is going to a foster home tomorrow, but she still does not have a forever family.

Thank you to D.E. and C. M. for helping pay for Perdy's medical care.  Your contributions helped a lot and are very much appreciated!

If you are interested in adopting Perdy, fill out our adoption application at http://www.jewellvetonline.com/.  She is a happy, friendly, affectionate, well behaved cat, and she would love to be home.



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Dear Mr. President...

Dear Mr. President,

On the day you accepted Bo, a dog sold for profit by a breeder, http://www.petfinder.com/ had over 300,000 adoptable pets available from over 13,000 rescue groups and shelters.

On the day you made your phone call to Philadelphia Eagles to thank them for giving Michael Vick a second chance, approximately 21,918 pets were killed in US animal shelters without a second chance.


Please, it's time for a change.



Sincerely,
The Animals...










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