HoundsGood: Chronicles of a Virtual Volunteer

Many items in our food pantry and garden can act as natural and dietary remedies for people and pets, and conventional medicines also have some carry over in differing doses. Parsley added to dog treats or salads can safely freshen breath for both species, and aspirin can soothe aches if not taken with certain other medications, nor where other counter-indications are present.

One of the latest questions is if the antioxidant juices people drink can be good for pets, even as a last resort. One question in particular is if Nopalea, which is made from the juice of the Nopal cactus, can be also used for canines and felines who are suffering from inflammation. Firstly, the Nopal cactus comes from the Opuntia family, more properly, Opuntia Ficus Indica. The Opuntia is a tree cactus. According to the ASPCA, Opuntia is nontoxic to dogs and cats. If a pet accidentally eats a small piece of the plant, the results might be prickly, but there will be no poisoning.

Although the plant itself does not pose a high toxicity risk, the juice itself is not formulated for pets. Cactus juice, which as a slight laxative effect, is not sold in its pure form. To be palatable, Nopalea juice includes other ingredients as well as supportive antioxidants. The other ingredients, and not the cactus juice, makes it potentially highly toxic to dogs. The following is the list of Nopalea ingredients. Outlined in bold are ingredients helpful to humans but toxic, or possibly toxic to dogs and cats.

Proprietary blend of Water (filtered), Opuntia concentrate (nopal concentrate), Agave Nectar, Grape Seed extract (vitis vinifera), Raspberry extract (rubus idaeus), Strawberry extract (fragaria chiloensis), Cranberry extract (vaccinium macrocarpon), Apple extract (malus domestica), Apricot extract (prunus armeniaca), Mango extract (mangifera indica) fruit, Orange concentrate (citrus aurantium) juice, Papaya concentrate (carica papaya fruit with papain), Tomato concentrate (lycopersicon esculentum) fruit, Kiwi concentrate (actinidia chinensis), Guava (psidium guajava powder), Lemon concentrate (citrus lionum juice), Opuntia concentrate (nopal concentrate) powder, Peach concentrate (prunus persica) juice, Pomegranate extract (punica granatum with ellagic acid and punocaligans), Green Tea extract (camellia sinensis), Beet (beta vulgaris) juice, Bilberry concentrate (vaccinium myrtillus), Acerola cherry extract (malphigia glabra), Amylase, Cellulase, Hemicellulase, Proteases [bromelain from pineapple (ananas comosus) and papain (carica papaya) from papaya, lipase, phytase], Stevia extract (stevia rebaudiana) leaf, Guar gum, Maltodextrin, Natural flavor, Cherry powder, Xanthum gum.

• Stevia can be upsetting to the stomach or even fatal to dogs.
• Grapes are known toxins, which can cause hypercalcima, anorexia, lethargy and kidney damage.
• Parts of the prunis family, such as the leaves, stems and pits are toxic. The prunis family includes apricots, peaches and cherries. The actual fruit is not toxic, but in the blending process, other pieces of the fruit could potentially intermix.
• Healthy dogs produce their own Vitamin C. The jury is out on whether C supplementation is harmful or helpful, or may only be helpful in severely ill animals.

Before giving your pet a “home remedy,” note that their systems are not completely like ours. Read the ingredients very carefully. Not all products that do you good will do your dog or cat good, even if they are “natural.” Enjoy a glass for you, but don’t be tempted to give Mittens or Duke a sip.

Many items in our food pantry and garden can act as natural and dietary remedies for people and pets, and conventional medicines also have some carry over in differing doses. Parsley added to dog treats or salads can safely freshen breath for both species, and aspirin can soothe aches if not taken with certain other medications, nor where other counter-indications are present.

One of the latest questions is if the antioxidant juices people drink can be good for pets, even as a last resort. One question in particular is if Nopalea, which is made from the juice of the Nopal cactus, can be also used for canines and felines who are suffering from inflammation. Firstly, the Nopal cactus comes from the Opuntia family, more properly, Opuntia Ficus Indica. The Opuntia is a tree cactus. According to the ASPCA, Opuntia is nontoxic to dogs and cats. If a pet accidentally eats a small piece of the plant, the results might be prickly, but there will be no poisoning.

Although the plant itself does not pose a high toxicity risk, the juice itself is not formulated for pets. Cactus juice, which as a slight laxative effect, is not sold in its pure form. To be palatable, Nopalea juice includes other ingredients as well as supportive antioxidants. The other ingredients, and not the cactus juice, makes it potentially highly toxic to dogs.  The following is the list of Nopalea ingredients. Outlined in bold are ingredients helpful to humans but toxic, or possibly toxic to dogs and cats.

Proprietary blend of Water (filtered), Opuntia concentrate (nopal concentrate), Agave Nectar, Grape Seed extract (vitis vinifera), Raspberry extract (rubus idaeus), Strawberry extract (fragaria chiloensis), Cranberry extract (vaccinium macrocarpon), Apple extract (malus domestica), Apricot extract (prunus armeniaca), Mango extract (mangifera indica) fruit, Orange concentrate (citrus aurantium) juice, Papaya concentrate (carica papaya fruit with papain), Tomato concentrate (lycopersicon esculentum) fruit, Kiwi concentrate (actinidia chinensis), Guava (psidium guajava powder), Lemon concentrate (citrus lionum juice), Opuntia concentrate (nopal concentrate) powder, Peach concentrate (prunus persica) juice, Pomegranate extract (punica granatum with ellagic acid and punocaligans), Green Tea extract (camellia sinensis), Beet (beta vulgaris) juice, Bilberry concentrate (vaccinium myrtillus), Acerola cherry extract (malphigia glabra), Amylase, Cellulase, Hemicellulase, Proteases [bromelain from pineapple (ananas comosus) and papain (carica papaya) from papaya, lipase, phytase], Stevia extract (stevia rebaudiana) leaf, Guar gum, Maltodextrin, Natural flavor, Cherry powder, Xanthum gum.

• Stevia can be upsetting to the stomach or even fatal to dogs.
• Grapes are known toxins, which can cause hypercalcima, anorexia, lethargy and kidney damage.
• Parts of the prunis family, such as the leaves, stems and pits are toxic. The prunis family includes apricots, peaches and cherries. The actual fruit is not toxic, but in the blending process, other pieces of the fruit could potentially intermix.
• Healthy dogs produce their own Vitamin C. The jury is out on whether C supplementation is harmful or helpful, or may only be helpful in severely ill animals.

Before giving your pet a “home remedy,” note that their systems are not completely like ours. Read the ingredients very carefully. Not all products that do you good will do your dog or cat good, even if they are “natural.” Enjoy a glass for you, but don’t be tempted to give Mittens or Duke a sip.

There’s a Gadget Blog I stumbled across today, and I seem to be addicted to hitting the “Older Posts” button. While Geek Alerts boasts mentions such money savers like Office Depot coupons and Vistaprint coupons, the actual items highlighted is off beat…tech items with a geekery spin and geeky goodness.

Where else can you get the head’s up about a scratching post that helps your kitty play King Kong or Godzilla (check out the June 27th post), Harry Potter’s Maurauder’s Map, a wooden Ipod case or a tablecloth that you can encourage your guests to doodle onv(don’t worry, it comes clean). Can you tell I’m hooked?

The geekery started in 2007, when Robert Birming and Martin Lindkvist, both of Stockholm, put their heads together. Now with contributing writers, the site is going strong.

What is your favorite geeky find for pets or people?

No, Gladys Knight is not involved in this venture, but Midnight is and Georgia is.  Midnight is a sweet little kitten with a severely broken leg.  While the sweetie doesn’t seem to be in much pain, the leg needs to be broken and reset or amputated, depending on if the vet can save it.  A rescue has agreed to take this kitten in, but a ride needs to be arranged.  The journey is far, but if everyone drives just a little bit, Midnight will be transported from the county pound to a rescue, where medical treatment can occur and a good family an be found.

The following are the legs of the journey needed.  Check back for updates:

The journey will occur on Saturday, July 24, 2010 from Franklin, GA to Hattiesburg, MS.  A volunteer form the Maine Coon Rescue will meet the last person on the transport. Are you on this route? Can you help drive just an hour or two? Contact details are below. Contact my friend Emily to help out.

THIS POST WAS UPDATED 7/21 at 4:58 PM

View Larger Map

SATURDAY July 24, 2010

15 minutes has been added to each leg for handoffs
All legs are flexible!

Leg 1 Filled – Thanks Heather!
Depart: Franklin GA 8:30 am EDT, 7:30 am CDT
Arrive: Oxford AL 9:45 am EDT, 8:45 am CDT
1 hour 15 min

Leg 2 Filled- Thanks Kris!
Depart: Oxford AL 9:00 am
Arrive: Birmingham AL 10:00 am
1 hour

Leg 3 Filled — Thanks Debbie!
Depart: Birmingham AL 10:15 am
Arrive: Tuscaloosa AL 11:15 am
1 hour

Leg 4 NEEDED
Depart: Tuscaloosa AL 11:30 am
Arrive: Meridian MS 12:30 pm
1 hour 30 min

Leg 5 NEEDED
Depart: Meridian MS 12:45 pm
Arrive: Hattiesburg MS 2:15 pm
1 hour 30 min

End of Transport – Foster will drive to rescue

TRANSPORT COORDINATOR:
Emily Cherry Goff (cherryharley)
cherryharleysavinganimals @ yahoo.com
(334) 744-5590

PLEASE PROVIDE:

Day and Leg(s) you are offering to take
Name
Address
City/State
Home #
Cell #
Can you receive text messages?
Email
Do you have email access after 5 pm and on weekends?
Emergency Contact phone #
Vehicle Desc
License Plate #

THIS POST WAS UPDATED 7/21 at 4:58 PM

Bingo, the sweet orange tabby cat does a little dance. He “sits up” like a dog and slaps the air. This kitty almost didn’t have much to dance about. He and his mom and siblings were at a county pound. Thankfully they were rescued, but many other cats at the shelter don’t get as lucky.

On YouTube, there are video commentators that say that this particular shelter, Heard County Animal Control in Franklin, GA, is not such a bad place. It is true that the tiny two person staff, Kaylene and Angela, DOES care, but the situation is always very dire for cats. Just like any other county pound, when the shelter is bursting at the seems with cats with no takers and the cats have passed the time of their stray hold, euthanization occurs. Please don’t take any shelter that you “think” doesn’t have the same problem for granted. Spay your pets to avoid unwanted litters. Adopt dogs, pups, cats and kittens from a shelter or rescue group instead of purchasing one. Some of the best and some with the most personality are waiting for a chance. Of course, do not do so if you don’t have time for or the means to take care of a pet.

This medium-haired beautiful cat is in need of immediate rescue and medical attention. She has a sweet personality, despite her pain. She has a broken back leg. It is unclear what exactly happened to her, but she was picked up by animal control and has not been claimed. If you are a decision maker at a cat or multi-species rescue or have been looking to adopt a friendly cat, she is located at Heard County Animal Control in Franklin, Georgia. Slightly out of the area adopters are welcome.

When you call the shelter, refer to pet number 33210. This is NOT a no kill shelter and pets have a limited amount of time to find a home.  This is a very small county pound with no on-site medical facility or staff veterinarian. Therefore, to receive comprehensive medical attention, she needs to be removed from the shelter by a rescuer or adopter.  Time is ticking. Please express your interest or assistance with this sweet feline.

Heard County Animal Control Center
11818 Ga Hwy 100
Franklin, GA 30217
Phone: 706-675-3570

If you have ever been near a television or radio, you probably have heard of 1-800-PetMeds.  I was surprised to find that they also have a Pet Meds.  I thought that it was just going to be hawking their product.  I was pleasantly surprised that it is just chalk full of helpful information.  There is good information on relevant supplements, etcetera, but what I found the most pertinent is the explanations it gives of allergies or different conditions in plain English. Of course, it does not replace a vet visit, but sometime your dog or cat will wake up on the wrong side of the bed or get a sniffle just like you are I, and it does not warrant a trip to the emergency vet.

One suggestion is for a congested cat, in the article “Why Is My Cat Constantly Sneezing”:

“Placing the cat in a humidified environment such as a bathroom with a hot steamy shower running, or in a crate with a humidifier blowing into it, are ways to help loosen thick mucous and nasal secretions. I have also found that saline nose drops following a 10-15 minute stay in a humidified environment can encourage sneezing/coughing and needed expectoration of mucous and discharge so that our felines can breathe more easily.”

If that doesn’t work, then it could be something more.  Of course, it is better to be safe than sorry, but many folks have found that $500 later they find that they just have a cat with a slight cold, versus The Plague.  Also, if your cat was already diagnosed by a vet with a cold, it can also help them recover easier.  I never knew this and am going to try it next time my dog gets a winter sniffle or drip.

There is also an article about the importance of heartworm preventative.   People take this for granted, thinking they live in a cooler climate and don’t have it.  Because of this belief, heartworm is cropping up again in different places.  One may say it has to do with a dog that has been relocated, but if the existing dogs were protected, it wouldn’t spread.

The one thing I am not sure I agree with is the spay and neuter philosophy.   The vet, Dr. Michael Dym, VMD, does highlight the importance of spaying and neutering in regards to pet overpopulation.   However, he does state that perhaps the best case scenario, in his opinion, is waiting until a dog is sexually mature, perhaps waiting until the dog is a year old in favor of the effect on the endocrine system.  Dr. Dym state:

“My own feeling after looking at both sides of the issue, is that if an individual animal guardian can be a responsible pet owner, in not letting an intact pet off leash or the chance to roam, is that if a guardian decides to neuter or spay their dog that it be done at one year of age, rather than the prior earlier recommendations and what is done in shelter medicine and animals there. As with many things in life, there is no one correct answer to this important health care decision.”

I do not believe that this is a good practice to promote en masse to everyone.  When a male dog smells a female in heat, he may not obey you like usual, will pull the leash and even drag you down or slip out of the collar to get to her.   In a female dog, if she is spayed before her first heat, her risk of uterine and breast cancer becomes nil, ditto pyometria.  Also, if she is allowed to go into heat, she attracts other dogs to your property.  Dogs that come to your property attracted to her pheromones who are normally “nice” dogs may exhibit aggressive behavior towards you if blocked from her.  In fact, when you look at the statistics for dog attacks, the more fatal or serious instances had an unneutered male dog involved.

There is a slightly higher risk of bone cancer in neutered dogs, the article states, but bone cancer is rare.  The risk of unwanted litters, uterine cancer, prostate cancer, and roaming and being hit by a car while trying to get to a female is much greater.   It is almost a guarantee rather than a needle in a haystack occurrence. I have seen so much heartache and dogs dying way too young from these issues and have only heard of ONE dog that had bone cancer, in my experience as a rescuer, networker, and dog owner, who has met thousands of people. Therefore, I do not believe that the argument holds water. Also, there are many people who think because they can afford the dog food that it makes them responsible, yet their dog is running around the neighborhood, rather than being on top of their dog.

He does recommend Omega 3 Fatty acids for endocrine system balance.   My guys get fish oil capsules and they absolutely love them.  The gels are chewable and they think they are getting a real special treat.

Have you read the PetMed blog?  If so, what do you think?  All in all, I think that there is a lot of valuable info.  I do hope, for the sake of further balance, that the blog someday takes a firm spay/neuter stance.  I realize that they don’t want the blog to ruffle feathers, and be educated, but slightly neutral.  However, I would hope that sometime they would educate people that female dogs can get pregnant as early as 6-8 months.  old (one of my dogs was rescued in a very pregnant state at that age).  That may give a bigger wake up call to pet owners who think that their dog can’t possible get accidentally pregnant.

This article first appeared on HoundsGood in March of 2008.  I frequently get mail asking about the topic, so thought I would reprint it for your education and pleasure.

Cat declawing is a bit of a controversial subject. At one time, the thinking was that a cat who is declawed won’t shred your furniture, thus making it happier or easier to take care of. Nowadays, declawing is viewed as cruel. Indeed, declawing doesn’t just involve “removing the nails,” but part of the bone as well. Across the board, most people in animal rescue do not recommend the procedure for several reasons. One reason is losing the claw as a tool. The the cat cannot defend his/herself, or easily recover from falling into a tight spot by getting a better grip. Also, however, aberrant littering habits were observed in declawed cats who are not able to perform some natural behaviors.

The second question which is a little more of a gray area for some people is: Would you declaw a cat to save the cat’s life? If the cat had gangrene or some type of cancer where physically removing a claw or claws would save a life. Then, in my opinion, absolutely. However, the kind of life saving that is an issue is removing the claws so the cat can find a home. With many cats dying everyday at shelters, or a family wishing to bring a fondling in, is it ethical? Or even not a question of ethics – does it help or harm the cat?

I am not implying that a cat is better off dead than declawed. However, when it comes to thinking about dogs, we recognize that a dog is not one size fits all. A couch potato would be counseled away from adopting a high energy herding dog that needs “a job.” There is little need to fit a square peg into a round hole. But with cats, unless it is a particular unusual cat, the view tends to be that “one size fits all.” People strive to force an unsocial cat to sit in a lap, or otherwise try to change a cat rather than having the mindset that not all cats are a fit for all people or vice versa. They have different personalities and characteristics like dogs do, though they don’t have nearly as much physical diversity.

That brings me to declawing. Not adopting an already declawed cat, but setting out to get a cat declawed. A natural characteristic of a cat is to stretch one’s claws and not being able to do so is frustrating. Could it be that people that are deadset on getting a cat and declawing it, just not the “right fit” for a particular cat? If the tables were turned, what would we think about someone taking a shelter dog and docking its tail and ears? We would not look at it favorably. To take it one further, I have heard many stories of folks adopting neighborhood strays and the only way perhaps that they could justify it is declawing the cat. With dogs, we can easily identify if a rescue dog’s temperment and breed doesn’t fit into the family and we find a good home for them when we help those dogs out. So why do we think a cat is a cat and don’t recognize the same?

There is some information that I think you should read if you are thinking about declawing. It may make you see things in a different light.

Maybe I have no room to talk, necessitating my focus for hands on matters on other species because of severe allergies, but I don’t think that because there are so many, many cats that need rescue does it excuse us to change them in that way to save them. It just may take more education to convince people to the contrary, but it is definitely worth the effort.

There is a site that has been brought to my attention that is All About Cats at Raisingwhiskers.com. It has various articles helpful to those who are potential cat owners and individuals that are already owned by cats.  Occasionally, sites with such a broad subject do not go to great depths to be complete about every little aspect about cats, but give you an overview  to entice you to continue your research.  I do encourage people to fully weigh all the pros and cons before looking for a pet.

I was surprised that there was a lot of interesting facts that I never knew, and I am going to file away in my brain.  Being that my brain is usually a receptacle for useless or trivial knowledge, I am sure I will be able to use it when there is a lull at a party.

Do you know that your cat’s hearing is more sensitive and powerful than dogs and humans? Humans can hear sounds within 20khz while cats can hear up to 65 khz. She can hear you coming from 100 feet away!

I always thought dogs had other domestic animals beat when it came to their hearing.  Very interesting!  Irregardless, dogs have cats beat in the nose department.

There are two things I would have liked to see on the site. There is a list of cat breeds, some I have never heard of before. I would have liked to see photos on that page.  However, it is enough information about the more exotic breeds to inspire me to research further so not necessarily a deficiency.  I have never heard of, for example, a Somali cat.  More importantly, the page on Cat Pregnancy had a statement that I found a little troubling.

Cat pregnancy is good news for cat owners. Now, you’ll have cute kittens walking around the house! However, pregnancy is a stressful time for cats and you need to take extra care for your beloved pet, so that everything goes well.

Cat pregnancy is something that is not particularly good for new cat owners, as they may be the least experienced with animal care.  Cats tend to be good at taking care of kitten birth, but complications can always happen endangering the life of a pet.  Moreover, the lure of cute kittens is one of the least legitimate reasons to breed an animal, as their small size is temporary.  Shelters across the country are filled with accidental kittens, and there are many ready for immediate adoption.  In fact, a local shelter euthanizes cats that have a sniffle or are not completely healthy as soon as they are relinquished. There is just not enough demand for cat and kitten adoptions to house them, and breeding cats deliberately adds to the number in shelters, or takes homes away from cats who would normally be rescued.  Cats that are fearful or too shy sometimes do not make it to be adopted either.   Some cats that are lucky enough to end up at a nokill shelter sometimes grow up and grow old waiting to be adopted as there are just so many.

On another page, the benefits of adopting kittens as pairs is touted. I was pleased to see this.

First of all, there are millions of cats, young and old, brought to animal shelters every year, and sadly millions of those poor souls are brought to their death because there are simply not enough people out there giving them homes. Saving the life of an animal is invaluable; saving two is doubly rewarding.

Perhaps the site is written by more than one individual.  Even so, I hope someday that they take a more cautionary approach site wide to the idea of cat breeding, to not only match up with the rest of the site, but to encourage cat owners to think twice for both the health of their individual cat, and other cats in the community who are fighting for a chance.

The race is on for whose blog will be voted the very best pet blog.  You can vote once every 24 hours.  Somehow, the website “knows” that you already voted so no cheating.  Although, I guess you can call a significant other who is at work and tell them to vote too.

There are two blogs that are in the race that I recognize, and I am recommended you to VOTE.  I would like to see these two blogs win in a tie – as they are both winners!

Daisy the Curly Cat – This blog is the personal diary of the eponymous curly coated cat and her good pal, Harley.  Join Daisy for pictures, stories, videos and anecdotes about daily life.  Most every Sunday, Sunday funnies are posted starring Daisy, and often her friends Snail, Mr. Shrill, and Harley.   Great fun.  There is a lot to do and see, and after awhile, you won’t feel weird about talking back and forth with a kitty!   Daisy sometimes shows us kitties who need a home, too.

Holy Cuteness – An adorable picture or a video of a rediculously cute animal every day (I mean it…your head will explode into a million pieces of candy).  If you like pictures of baby monkeys making friends with birds, dogs and cats sleeping together, and baby Cheetahs who count a Puppy as their best friend, then this is where you need to be.   The Holy Cuteness blog posted a picture of a kitty in need for us once and the kitten plus a few others found homes that way!

Okay, I bid you to vote for your favorite and then call someone now to vote for the other one.  And then tell all your friends to vote for their favorite too!

CLICK HERE TO VOTE!!