Archive for Fun & Interesting Pet Stuff
Assistance Dogs
We’ve seen them working; the dogs with the funny harness or jacket, always attached to a person. Ever wonder how the dog got to that point? What it takes to actually be a service dog? Who does the training? How much do they cost? Is there a difference between a service dog and a therapy dog?
Assistance dogs, no matter what type of help they provide, assist the disabled with their physical limitations. They can pull wheelchairs, turn lights on and off or pick up dropped items, to name just a few. Guide dogs are trained to maneuver the visually impaired around obstacles, Hearing dogs are trained to alert to sounds. In addition to whatever they are trained to do, they also provide emotional support. They can also help ease some of their human’s feelings of social isolation that can come from being different.
First things first. Where do the dogs come from? Guide dogs are bred specifically for that job. GDA has a breeding/whelping facility called “The Puppy Nursery”. Their females are bred once per year. Between all the females, about 200 pups are born per year. Labrador Retrievers are used 70% of the time, Golden Retrievers 15% and German shepherds 15%. Labs make up the majority as they have proven to be the most successful breed for training to be a guide. Some of the other service dogs are adopted from shelters. They are chosen for their temperament and can be any breed and size. Dogs need to be 18-24 months. Younger dogs will not show their adult temperament and some health problems will not appear before they reach adulthood..
When the GDA puppies are returned to the training facility, they are put through several tests including eye and orthopedic exams. A stress test is also performed. These tests are done with the other service dogs prior to adoption from the shelter. Dogs that GDA decide are not able to continue, for whatever reason, are moved to the “Adoption Program” to become a family pet. The puppy raiser has the first option of adoption. After that, there is a 6-8 year waiting list. GDA is no longer taking names for the waiting list.
At the end of training, GDA holds a graduation ceremony. All participants of the breeding, raising and training are invited, including the family and friends of the recipient. This is a true celebration of teamwork. It really does take a village to raise a puppy.
A service dog’s working life is 6-8 years. When the time comes for retirement, the guide dog user has the choice of keeping her as a pet or putting him in the adoption program. They also could choose to give her to a family member. It is often difficult to keep them as they can become depressed or jealous of the new guide doing her work.
Guide Dogs of America does not charge their recipients for the guides. They fly them to the training facility, spend 3 weeks training the human part of the team and take care of the veterinary needs for his working life. They receive no government monies. All there funds come through private donations. Other service dogs can cost up to $20,000.00. The Assistance Dog United Campaign is there to help the disabled get service animals. Assistance Dogs International is a wonderful resource as well.
Therapy dogs are completely different from service dogs, except of course they are dogs. They can also be any type of cuddly, likes-to-be-handled and gentle-spirited animal. A therapy dog is trained to provide affection and comfort to people in hospitals, retirement homes, nursing home, and mental institutions. Disaster areas also benefit from therapy dogs. Making that human/animal bond does immeasurable good for healing.
Therapy animals are usually the personal pet of the handler, and typically works with it’s handler in attendance during sessions. Dogs must pass an obedience test and be evaluated before becoming certified. For more information contact the Pet Partners (formerly the Delta Society), or Love on a Leash.
Kim, CVT
Bringing Home a Baby
Sara,who wrote this article, passed on her early-age affinity for animals to her son.
When I was asked to do a blog article about bringing a baby into a home with pets I balked at the idea. I have pets, 2 dogs and 4 cats and I had good intentions of following recommendations. I talked to the veterinarians, printed out various handouts, tried to read them and start enforcing them before Malcolm arrived. I meant well.
One of the concerns I read about was that the cats might try to sleep on the baby’s head. I had panicked about many things, not one of which was the cats trying to sleep on the baby’s face. Last minute, when my friend asked me what to get for us, I told her a cat tent! It is basically a mesh tent that fits in the crib so cats cannot jump on the baby. This is a fantastic idea, until you are dealing with a tiny person who wakes up as soon as you zip the tent closed and a cat whose sole mission in life is to get into said cat tent. I think that the cat has gotten zipped into the tent more then the baby. This also doesn’t work if your kid sleeps with you. Right now our cat tented crib is used for storage.
Daily life is/was a bit harder to navigate then I thought. After Malcolm was born the nurse gave me his tiny hat and told me to take it home so the animals could smell it. We were in the hospital for 2 days! When would that happen exactly? Tiny hat did come home with us and I think the pets sniffed it at some point. Probably right after Margarita, the chihuahua mix, licked Malcolm’s face.
See, Mom, no worries!
When I first got pregnant, I was really upset with the majority of the public outside of my veterinary world telling me, “You’ll see, once the baby comes your pets won’t be as important anymore.” I want to tell you right now that is not true, but the hierarchy in my house has definitely changed. It used to go pets, then people. That has shifted into baby, me, husband, pets. My patience with the animals particularly the dogs is far less then it was before. My dogs are naughty. Elsa and Margarita are both sweet loving dogs who happen to have a very love/hate relationship with each other. Upon bringing another life into our home the problem just magnified. They steal food, poop in the basement occasionally, herd, and especially Elsa the schipperke, bark at anything. They are my little drama queens.
Malcolm is now 11 months and walking. The current constant comment to both Malcolm and the animals is “gentle”. Malcolm is in love with the dogs. He wants to grab them and hug them, grab Margarita’s tail and feet. He is also very interested in cat tails, either grabbing or biting. The animals are quickly learning to get up high or run fast. I am quickly seeing that having a crate trained dog would be nice. The dog would have a nice spot to escape too, perhaps ‘out of sight, out of mind’ for Malcolm. Things are slowly getting better now that Malcolm can feed the dogs whatever he is eating.
When I first brought the baby home the dogs were concerned but fine, now however, the game is on!
April is a Popular Month…
There are a lot of observances happening this month. Stay tuned for more articles and information as we recognize that:
April is…
…Heartworm Prevention Month (Mosquito Season opens in much of the country)
…Pet First Aid Awareness Month (American Red Cross)
…ASPCA’s Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month
Please share how you plan to participate in any of the above observances. Your ideas and plans might spark someone else’s creativity.
March is Poison Prevention Month – Part 2
So what do you do if you think your pet may have ingested or come into contact with a potentially harmful substance?
1. Stay calm!
2. If your pet is not showing any signs or symptoms of illness it is still a good idea to contact your veterinarian and discuss whether or not your pet should receive medical attention.
3. If your pet is showing any signs or symptoms of illness, you should take them to a veterinarian immediately.
One thing to remember is to please try to provide as much of the following information as possible when you contact the veterinary hospital or bring your pet in to the veterinary hospital:
1. What the ingested substance is ( including all active ingredients ).
2. Keep and bring any remaining packaging material that the agent was in.
3. Approximate amount that the pet ingested or was exposed to the agent.
4. Time ( or best approximation ) of ingestion/ exposure.
All of this information will serve to better help your veterinarian provide the best medical care and treatment course for your pet.
Of course, the best way to prevent accidental poisoning of your pets is to prevent your pet from having access to the agents and knowing which items can pose a threat to them. Some helpful tips include keeping harmful agents in cabinets that are secure and/ or above a height that your pet can not reach, use trash cans with locking lids and keeping compost piles enclosed or protected from access by you pets. Always read and follow the directions on the labels regarding lawn and garden products as well as flea and tick products. Do not give your pet any medications unless approved or recommended by your veterinarian. Keep toxic plants out of your home and yard or at least out of reach from your pets.
There are two Animal Poison Control helplines, one through the ASPCA, 1-888-426-4435, and one via the PetPoison Helpline, 1-800-213-6680. Charges may apply for either service, so have a credit card handy.
Heather B., CVT
March is Poison Prevention Month – Part One
1. Foods - alcoholic beverages, chocolate ( especially dark or bakers chocolate ), coffee, onions, grapes or raisins, avocado, macadamia nuts and gums containing xylitol.
For a household pet safety checklist please visit the ASPCA Poison Control website. For a more comprehensive list of potential toxins, please check out the Pet Poison Hotline website.
Bold Black Ink
It was windy and cold that day. A small brown box was blowing around in the clinic’s parking lot. Closer inspection showed excessive tape and some writing on the box in bold black ink.
There were random pencil sized holes…
…but for what?
…maybe air holes…
What was in the box?
A Good Samaritan carried the box into the clinic and said, “Don’t know what this is, but it sounds like a small animal is in there. It was blowing around the lot and I scooped it up from behind someone’s rear wheel just before they backed up!”
What ever was in there was lucky to be alive. The bold ink on the box said, “my name is Tye.” Other parts of the box said things like “I need help” and “Please don’t kill me!!!” The small brown box was almost entirely covered in these few phrases over and over again on all six sides.
The reception desk phoned back to the treatment area and said a small package was brought in from outside. Someone brought the box back we all stared at it for a minute or two and read the bold inscriptions on it. I volunteered to open it expecting a small rodent inside. Peeling the tape took what seemed like forever and I tried to peek inside. It was too dark to see without opening the box. Eventually one box flap opened and crouching inside was a small bird in less than a 10th of a second she had burst into flight heading towards our large windows.
It must have been reflex to grab her out of the air and the thought that she would certainly get hurt if she flew into the solid glass windows. She was in my hand now the way one would hold a pigeon. At that point I had limited experience with birds and most of the avian work had been with my uncle and his racing pigeons. She was breathing hard and looked scared but she never tried to bite.
She was not in good shape; one of her wings was very raw and irritated underneath. This was a job for Dr. Weinstein. After an exam and several tests it was determined she had some sort of follicle problem that made her itchy and that is why she was in bad shape. The staff here decided she was a good fit for the hospital and decided she should stay. With her medical condition she would be difficult to re-home and she seemed very happy here. Dr. Weinstein agreed to treat her condition and other medical needs as they arise and she has lived here ever since. The main solution to her problem…a special made tiny e-collar and some ointment for her wing.
The e-collar has been a work in progress for several years. The first one was hard plastic with two metal snaps. It weighted her down and made her clumsy. The next one was a scrunchy type thing that was lighter but she figured out how to pick at herself so we had to do something different. Next was an e-collar made out of x-ray film which was lighter but somewhat pokey and with all the padding still somewhat heavy (6 grams is heavy for a bird to wear around their neck). I was determined to make a lighter one and modified the x-ray film collar until it was only 5 grams. The one she wears now is made from IV fluid bag plastic, and cast padding it only weighs 4 grams. What will we come up with next? Maybe it’s time to have a contest to see who can build an effective bird e-collar that weighs 3 grams or less.
Tye is lucky to say the least. She survived the parking lot, and found a home with us at the hospital. Though she has a medical condition that prevents her from being without her e-collar she can do many of the same things a normal bird can do. She has everything she needs here: people who love her, place to stay, and the medical care she needs to thrive. I will never forget the day I opened that box.
-by Leslie Dempsey CVT
Interesting Medical Case — Squirrel
Squirrel's stone was a bit camera shy, but this one looks strikingly similar!
GPS Pet Tag — On Groupon Now!
Groupon deals are something we talk about “behind the scenes.” You know, the “what did you do this weekend?” chatter that co-workers share at the water cooler, coffee pot, or while drawing up vaccines. This Groupon deal I thought would probab
ly interest some of our readers, so I’m linking to it here.
One of the most common questions asked when talking about microchips is, “Isn’t that like GPS tracking or something? What’s next ‘chipping people?” And the answer to that is “Nope. A microchip is a permanent identification tag.”
Well now there is a company that is making tracking devices for your pets to wear (note, this is not something that can be inserted, like a microchip). In fact, it looks just like any other pet tag.
And our friends at Groupon have brought the price down substantially. Woohoo!
Please let us know if you have ordered one, already have one, and what you think about this pet recovery method.
Oh, and the Groupon deal is only good through January 25th.
IQ testing for cats
There is an 8th grade student, at the Beaverton School District’s gifted middle school program, who is collecting data on cat intelligence for a science project. The goal is to create an IQ scale for cats.
Intelligence Quotient, or IQ, scoring has similar flaws across species, particularly when it comes to examiner bias and interpretation of results. But it is still a fun thing to think about!
If you have the time, and a feline subject who is able to complete the test, you should check this out and participate.
Tree Cat-astrophe Sidestepped
A friend recently asked me how to keep her new kitten out of the Christmas tree. I jokingly told her to hang the tree upside down from the ceiling. Not the most useful of replies, but I don’t have the most experience in that department.
I haven’t had a traditional Christmas tree in years. I had a living tree in a pot (a ficus) that got strung with miniature lights and paper decorations for years. Part of that was because I was a poor college student already with said ficus, and another part was because I didn’t trust my cats not to make a mess/hurt themselves/otherwise get into mischief.
My cats like to climb in the fireplace and roll around in the soot. They go crazy when they hear the bag of wrapping paper come out, because they know that kitty crack (aka curling ribbon) comes with wrapping paper. They like to bat at candle flames.
So, yes, I do let my feline friends dictate what the holiday looks like in my house. And that leaves me ill equip to give advise on Christmas trees and kittens. It turns out that my flippant response wasn’t all that far off the mark.
Here is what is recommended to “pet proof” your Christmas tree:
- Anchor the bottom securely
- Anchor top of tree to ceiling (use fishing line)
- Use a lidded base for the tree, so you can add water and not have pets fishing in it. (Still water can breed bacteria)
- Beware of “icicles” or other stringy tinsel
- Cover cords with barriers (such as “critter cord”) to avoid chewing
- Hang any glass or breakable ornaments high out of reach of paws and wagging tails.
- Keep edible gifts hidden away until they are to be opened.
- Watch for dried pine needles, they can cause stomach upset.
The tree is the most obvious “danger zone,” but also to be taken into account are holiday plants (holly, mistletoe, lilies, and the lesser but often thought of poinsettia), increased foot traffic, potpourri – both liquid and sachets, unattended food and drinks, and snow globes.
For more tips on holiday pet safety visit the ASPCA website.
Photos of Kiss courtesy of lillyblossom.com. Photo of Pretty © s.c.spencer.
