Fourth of July Safety Tips For many people, nothing beats lounging in the backyard on the Fourth of July with good friends and family—including the four-legged members of the household. While it may seem like a great idea to reward Rover with scraps from the grill and bring him along to watch fireworks, in reality some festive foods and products can be potentially hazardous to your pets. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center offers the following tips: * Never leave alcoholic drinks unattended where pets can reach them. Alcoholic beverages have the potential to poison pets. If ingested, the animal could become very intoxicated and weak, severely depressed or could go into a coma. Death from respiratory failure is also a possibility in severe cases. * Do not apply any sunscreen or insect repellent product to your pet that is not labeled specifically for use on animals. Ingestion of sunscreen products can result in drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive thirst and lethargy. The misuse of insect repellent that contains DEET can lead to neurological problems. * Always keep matches and lighter fluid out of your pets’ reach. Certain types of matches contain chlorates, which could potentially damage blood cells and result in difficulty breathing—or even kidney disease in severe cases. Lighter fluid can be irritating to skin, and if ingested can produce gastrointestinal irritation and central nervous system depression. If lighter fluid is inhaled, aspiration pneumonia and breathing problems could develop. * Keep your pets on their normal diet. Any change, even for one meal, can give your pets severe indigestion and diarrhea. This is particularly true for older animals who have more delicate digestive systems and nutritional requirements. And keep in mind that foods such as onions, chocolate, coffee, avocado, grapes & raisins, salt and yeast dough can all be potentially toxic to companion animals. * Do not put glow jewelry on your pets, or allow them to play with it. While the luminescent substance contained in these products is not highly toxic, excessive drooling and gastrointestinal irritation could still result from ingestions, and intestinal blockage could occur from swallowing large pieces of the plastic containers. * Keep citronella candles, insect coils and oil products out of reach. Ingestions can produce stomach irritation and possibly even central nervous system depression. If inhaled, the oils could cause aspiration pneumonia in pets. * Never use fireworks around pets! While exposure to lit fireworks can potentially result in severe burns and/or trauma to the face and paws of curious pets, even unused fireworks can pose a danger. Many types contain potentially toxic substances, including potassium nitrate, arsenic and other heavy metals. * Loud, crowded fireworks displays are no fun for pets, so please resist the urge to take them to Independence Day festivities. Instead, keep your little guys safe from the noise in a quiet, sheltered and escape-proof area at home.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Animal Summertime Tips
It's that time again. Time to remember our four footed friends as the temperature rises and summertime fun ensues. Here are some great summertime / 4th of July tips from the ASPCA:
Summertime
WOW!! It's hot out there today. In my little part of town, we have barely had any rain for nearly 7 weeks! It seems to always rain on the far side of town, but never crosses the bridge for some reason. My front yard actually crunches, when you walk on it. It's dead and brown. I haven't had my yard cut since the week before Memorial Day. My flowers are looking good, thanks to an astronomical water bill. The weather gurus are calling what is taking place in my area an extraordinary drought: extraordinary meaning a drought like we haven't had in 50 years or more. In other parts of the country, they are getting more rain than they can handle. Everyday, I keep thinking that TODAY is the day it will rain at my house. I've learned to deal with disappoinment. Surely the weather has got to give soon. It depresses me to see everything dying. I need some fresh green. Gotta run for now, I hope it's nice wherever you guys are right now.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Sadness
I have a heavy heart today. Geoff, one of my and Casey's very best friends in the world, lost his father yesterday. He passed peacefully, after a long fought battle with cancer. Also, Geoff's maternal grandmother is in the hospital not expected to live throughout the day. My heart goes out to Geoff and his family. Being the child of older parents, I know what the loss of a father and grandmother are like. I just hope that he can find a little bit of peace during this time. Casey and I are headed to the visitation later today. I would like to ask my readers to keep Geoff and his family in your thoughts and prayers.
Geoff, you are in our thoughts and prayers. We love you.
Doggie Mail
Purina Petcentric has a cool new Doggie Mail site. You can create doggie cards with graphics and text or with your own voice. It's too cool! So go on over and give a friend a woof today! Click HERE to create your own card.
Friday, June 22, 2007
Working Pooches
Today is National Take Your Dog To Work Day. So if you have a great boss who likes to have pooches around, load 'em up. I really wish we had an office dog. It would make the days SO much nicer.
I guess I missed the date, since I had to load Bear up and bring him in yesterday. Which by the way, all turned out quite nicely. It was all very minor. He got some creams, antibiotics, and a few other things. Dr. K had noticed Bear's Princess and the Pea syndrome and gave him a VERY mild pain medication. He also gave him some VERY mild Valium, when we told him that Bear shows his discomfort by running at full speed around the house and crashing into things. Dr. K had noticed how sleep deprived we were and said this would help not only Bear but us as well. By the time we got Bear checked out and home, it was mid afternoon. Casey and I were both ready to drop in our tracks. We pilled Bear up, ate a quick lunch, and went to take a nap. Casey had to wake me up at 5 p.m. He knew that I wouldn't sleep any last night, if I kept napping. Needless to say, I feel MUCH better today, and I think Bear does too.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Sleep Deprived
I think that my dogs are plotting against me. Yesterday when I got home, Casey mentioned that Bear was acting funny. I said, "Funny how?" He said, "When I took him outside, he just ran around everywhere. He was frantic and hyper." Well, I just wrote it off that he'd just been cooped up inside all day and was happy to get out. When I took him out last night he did the same thing, but I noticed that he was running and sitting down, running and sitting down. He had this same kind of sympton last December, when we had to rush him to the late night clinic with an abcessed anal gland. I checked him out, when we got back in the house and sure enough that was the problem. Luckily, it wasn't to the point of a visit to said and VERY expensive after hours clinic. He was only mildy bothered, but it did make him restless and a little whiney last night. Bear is NOT at all like Slate. Where Slate is bulletbroof (literally) and never complains at all, Bear is the exact opposite. It's usually bad, when I notice that something is not right with Slate. Bear, on the other hand, is like the Princess and the Pea. The minute he feels ANY discomfort, the ENTIRE world is made known of his woes. He was resting pretty good, when I went to bed last night at 10:00. By 11:30 he woke me up whining and running back and forth. The only thing that satified him was for me to pet his head. So, I've been up since 11:30 last night. Needless to say, I feel TERRIFIC this morning. Casey and I dropped Bear off at Dr. K's to have his "needs" attended to. This is their short day, so I'll leave work early today and pick him up. That's such a good thing, because I'll get to take a nap this afternoon!!
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Sleeping Habits
John, over at Lake Neuron, has posted a really cool meme and has invited his friends to participate. It's really interesting, so I'm going to give it a go.
“Six weird things I do while getting ready to sleep or while sleeping,”
1. Before I start to get myself ready for bed, I give Bear and Slate their nightly medications. Bear has to take 2 arthritis meds, and Slate has his 5 heart meds.
2. I take my meds and make sure that Casey takes his (he's horrible about remembering to take his own medicine).
3. Let all of the dogs out one last time for the night.
4. Put on my PJs and make my nest on the sofa. I've been having trouble falling asleep lately and the t.v. keeps Casey awake, so I start my night on the sofa relaxing and watching t.v. or reading surrounded (or guarded) by all of the dogs.
5. A lot of nights, I'll wake up with some horrible program blaring. I can't just doze back to sleep. I have to change channels to something I could stand to watch, if I were awake, and NO infomercials, please. (strange, I know). I've found that Animal Planet and A&E are good, because they have station programming 24/7.
6. When I do shuffle off to the bedroom, it's usually a couple hours after Casey has gone to bed. I make one last bathroom trip, grab my pillow and head to bed with all of the dogs following me. Bear is the only dog that wants to sleep on the bed so I pick him up, and he heads for his spot at the foot.
I'm not going to tag people, just play along if you want.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Like Herding Cats?!
One of my favorite websites is PetsTV. They have all kinds of cool pet stories, videos, and links there. It's where I found the video of this really cool cat. She's one smart kitty. Have a look.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Summertime
Do you know one of the things I love most about summertime? Dogs in cars. Yes, that's right. You read it right. I just love driving around on city streets and country highways and seeing all the different dogs in cars. Whether they're perched on the back seat or heads in the breeze with ears flapping, I just love 'em. I particularly loved one late yesterday afternoon. Casey and I were in late afternoon stop and go traffic on the way home. I happened to look at a truck moving ahead of us. The back seat window was cracked about 2 inches. Straining to push out of the crack was the cutest black snout. This dog managed to get his snout out a couple of inches. It was just one of the most hysterical things I've seen in a while. Needless to say, I enjoyed that dog and his or her snout for several miles. Ah, summertime and dogs in cars. Pure fun!
Friday, June 15, 2007
Animal Spammers
I'm sure that many of you have been the target of the famous "Nigeria" spam e-mails. Well, now it seems there is a spam mail going around that targets animal lovers as well. This is basically the content of the e-mail:
Hello, i was able to came across your advert today concerning the pet adoption you posted for sale and i am much interest in re_ homing your pet at a companion and also a member of my family, because i have passion and care for pet.i spent much of my time taking care of my lost pet and i lost her on my way taking her to vet clinic for neuture, since then live has been unbearable for my family expecially my son who care for pet more that anything he does. I'm a christain and i live in Santa anjelos CA and My house was wood fenced and 8.87fts high, I have enough garden in my premises where the pet can roam about. i will appreciate it if you can assure me 100% that you will sale yours in replacement of my lost one.i dont know how happy my son will be to see another pet in replacement. You dont have to long for how to ship the pet.i will handle that my self with care. so i want you to get back to me with the adoption fees, present health condition, price, and pictures if available for more satisfaction. P.S: After getting to a better compromise, I will be paying with a money order in us dollars and i'll instruct my TRUSTEE in the state to issue a MO on your behalf which will include the price of the pet. my shipingcompany is: timi_johnshipingcom pany@yahoo. com get back asap kingsPet/animal lovers BEWARE. If you are a rescue, BEWARE. This is a scam.
Mystery Solved
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Change of Plans
Yesterday morning, my Mom called me at work and told me she was feeling really sick. She suffers from reflux disease and COPD(a lung disease). She had a really bad bout with reflux and some aspirated into her lungs. This can cause serious lung infection, so I'm headed out early today to take her to the doctor. It's not a really big deal now, but it could be if we don't get it under control. So, I'll be out and about in the big city of Nashville this afternoon. I'll be back to normal tomorrow.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
OH SQUEEE!!!
Hometown Pride
Well, it seems that Shelbyville has had another 15 minutes of fame to add to the list. A couple years ago, a major motion picture called Our Very Own was shot in town. The story was written by a Shelbyville native. It was so bizarre seeing all of the small town landmarks that I grew up with plastered on the big screen. There have been several music videos shot in Shelbyville over the years. The latest is Miranda Lambert's Famous in A Small Town. It was shot at several different locations in Shelbyville: (one of my personal favorites) Pope's Cafe, the Capri Twin Theatre (where I just recently saw Spiderman 3), Lander's Tire, Shelbyville Central High School, the Bedford County Sheriff's Dept., and several others. The town square that she stands in IS NOT Shelbyville though. Most of the other stuff is in my small hometown. Now, I'm usually not a fan of a lot of country music, but she does a great job with the song. The lyrics really seem to sum up what it's like to live in such a small town your whole life. It seems that Shelbyville is putting itself on the map in more ways than one, after all these years. Even though it's becoming more common, it never ceases to excite me. Click HERE to see the video.
Saturday, June 09, 2007
Adopt A Cat Month
Goodbye Woody
One of our local dog stars passed away last Thursday. It was Woody, the canine spokesdog from Trickett Honda. It was recently discovered that Woody had liver cancer. The community has shown an outpouring of support for Woody and his human family. It has been requested that anyone who would like to honor Woody make a donation to their local humane association in his honor. Goodbye Woody. I'll miss seeing you every Saturday morning. May all your friends and family meet you at the bridge!
For more on the story, click HERE.
Friday, June 08, 2007
Fun Way To Meet New People
A Feel Good Story
Yesterday morning, I got a phone call from my co-worker, Kim. She asked me if I wanted to rescue another dog. Well after mulling it over in my head for a few minutes, I declined. With Slate's ill health and Bear's arthritis treatment, I have a rather full plate. It seems that a lost Airedale Terrier had placed himself outside where Kim's fiancee' works. I quickly put Kim in touch with a friend of mine that does large dog rescue in the area. When Kim got to work, I got the full story. She had spoken with my rescue friend who suggested that they take the lost dog to the county animal control first. Then, if the owners didn't claim him and he wasn't adopted, she would come and take him into her rescue. So, Kim decided that was the way to go and called her fiancee and gave him the scoop. The manager of the place got the dog ready to take him to animal control. On the way out the door, a patron said he'd seen a man trying to catch the dog over in the parking lot of the hotel across the highway. He said the man was calling him Jack. So, the manager then totes the dog, Jack, over to the hotel and starts asking questions. Still no luck. The manager finally decides to take Jack on over to animal control. In the meantime, my rescue friend, Mary, has already arrived at animal control to have a look at the dog. While she's there waiting, a couple comes in looking for a lost Airedale Terrier. Well, Mary figures this can be no coincidence and tells the couple she knows where their dog is. At that moment, the manager walks in with Jack. Jack IS indeed the couple's lost dog!! As it turns out, they had taken Jack to a local boarding kennel, a couple of miles away, and he'd gotten loose. After several attempts to catch him, they had lost him. They were very thankful to see Jack again, and the reunion was a VERY happy one. Isn't that a great happy ending? I just love it when everything works out that way. It was just meant to be.
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Pet Food Recall: This Time Salmonella
I received this in my inbox from the National Pet Foundation this morning:
Ol'Roy Complete Nutrition has Salmonella. The food is believed to have been sent out to Wal-Mart stores. The FDA has tested the food and found Salmonella. The official statement release is "This product has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. People handling this pet food can become exposed to Salmonella, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with this pet food or any surfaces exposed to this product. Consumers who have the dry dog food bearing the code "04 0735 1" with a "Best By Apr 13 08" should not feed it to their pets." New Recalls Coming It has also been reported that acetaminophen was found in pet food samples. Currently the FDA is investigating this and has not released the name of the food. Acetaminophen can kill both dogs and cats at high dosages. We will let you know the name of the pet food products containing acetaminophen as soon as it is announced. The FDA has not announced the Ol'Roy recall on their site yet. Dont wait for the FDA to make their announcements. Get notifications within the hour of new recalls and save your pet's life. Sign your family and friends up for the free pet alerts at: http://nationalpetfoundation.com/pet-food-recall.html The full list of already recalled food can be found at: http://nationalpetfoundation.com/list.html
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Recovering
I'm still tired from this past weekend's festivities. As soon as I got home from work yesterday, I fell out on the sofa. Casey had to wake me up for dinner. Then as soon as dinner was finished, I was out again. Too much running for me!
While we were gone, we boarded Slate at Dr. K's office. Since the congestive heart failure was so recent, I just wanted him in the best possible place, while we were away. Usually my mom dogsits for us, but this time we felt he needed to be at the vet's in case an emergency arose. We scheduled his one week recheck to coincide with his stay. Even though Slate's heart is still enlarged, his lungs DO look MUCH better. That's a GOOD thing. We're just taking it one day at a time right now. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed.
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
The MOST AWESOME Wedding EVER!!!
Sorry that I was away last week. I forgot to post about our friends', Jon and Rose's, wedding. Casey and I had a short work week and headed for Knoxville early Friday morning. The wedding took place in Knoxville at the Adventure Con Convention under the Sun Sphere. It was a costume preferred wedding, so not only were the bride and groom in costume, but the guests were also!!
Photo by Derek Deweese
Check this article out in the Knoxville News Sentinel. There is a REALLY cool video on the site that shows the wedding and the suprise guest.
Casey and I had "special, secret" costumes made for the event. Presenting:
The Bunny and Hef
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