Moody Monday

Well, after working all weekend on night shift, I have to say that today is not one of my better days.  I came home and, of course, had to walk the dogs.  I was so tired and all they wanted to do was sniff and bark and run around me to wrap me up.  After about 15 minutes that seemed like an hour, we made it back inside, safe and sound.  I thought about eating, but decided I was too tired. But, of course the boys were not too tired to get their breakfast. 

I finally got to bed and to sleep after about an hour.  However, Satchmo felt like I needed to get up at 12:30.  He came up and started licking my face and scratching at me until I woke up.  Of course, he wanted to go "outside" so I put on my robe and took him.  Needless to say, I have not been worth anything at all today and I really hate losing a whole day just because I worked those night shifts.

So, today my mood is frustrated and tired.  How's yours?

Here's an article I wrote that deals with dog aggression

Dog Bites -- The Ultimate in Dog Aggression 

by S. Williams

Dog aggression is a serious problem. Every year thousands of people are injured or killed in a dog attack. Millions of dollars are spent annually on treatment for dog bites from aggressive dogs. This article will give you information on how to avoid being bitten and what to do if you are bitten.

According to the Insurance Information Institute, $317.2 million was issued in claims for dog bites and dog attacks in the year 2005. That is a lot of money, but more importantly, that is a lot of trauma and pain.

Dog attacks and bites that are reported occur about 4.5 million times a year per reports of the CDC. That is a staggering figure, but there are approximately 75 million dogs in the US as pets so the number becomes more believable.

Here are some ways to prevent being a statistic and what to do if you become one.

Who are the most likely victims of a dog attack or other form of dog aggression? Children are the primary victims in dog attacks. Unfortunately, small children don't understand that all dogs are not friendly. They also don't understand that quick, unpredictable movements can cause a dog bite.

Adults also can be the victims of attacks when they forget those two facts also. However, we adults believe that we "can handle" dogs so we show less fear and can forget that dogs are animals and will act like an animal when frightened, hurt, afraid, or hungry.  Women make up a large percentage of the number of dog bites in adults. Women are smaller, more hesitant, and can be seen as vulnerable to an aggressive dog.

What to do if confronted by an aggressive dog:

1. First and foremost, in preventing an attack you must avoid contact with strange or unfamiliar animals. As I said before, not every dog is friendly and not every dog wants to be touched.

2. If a confrontation appears imminent, do not move or make any noise at all. Movement of any type can be perceived as threatening to a fearful dog and will cause an attack.

3. Avoid making eye contact with the aggressive dog. In the animal world, a direct stare is interpreted as a challenge and can provoke an attack.

4. If all of the above fails and the aggressive dog lunges at you, roll yourself into as tight a ball as possible making sure to cover your head, neck and face with your hands and arms. Tuck your chin into your chest to give more protection to the soft tissue at your throat.

5. Lie perfectly still, even if the dog is biting you. Stay tucked as tight as possible and remain as calm as you can. If you are in a public place, it is possible that help will arrive shortly. If you are in an isolated place, you want the dog to lose interest in you by being very still. Once it appears that the dog is satisfied that you are no longer a threat, it may move away on its own. Only when that occurs do you want to unfold and go for help.

What to do if you are bitten by an aggressive dog:

Always, in any skin break incident, get the wound as clean as possible. This doesn't mean you have to scrub the area, but you do need to have running water applied to the area for a lengthy period. The movement of the water will draw bacteria and particles out of the wound and leave it clean. If water is not available, wipe the area clear of debris and dirt, use whatever you have available to try to cleanse the wound.
Try to stop the bleeding quickly by applying a tourniquet if necessary.

Apply any first aid that is available--topical antibiotic ointment, bandages, etc.

Seek medical attention as soon as possible. Dog bites are serious and can be fatal.

Additional complications from dog bites:

There are several potential threats besides the actual wound itself. Once the skin is broken, the body's protective covering is infiltrated by all different types of organisims. These are all around us daily and cannot be avoided, however they are going to take advantage of a "way into" your body once the skin is torn.

A dog bite puts you at risk of both a Staph and a Strep infection. Both will require medical attention and intervention. Both organisms are dangerous and can cause permanent and serious problems.

Another issue to consider is the potential for tetanus to enter the bloodstream. We all forget about getting our shots on time as adults, and this is one shot you will want to get soon if you cannot remember when you last had one.

The final additional complication is the advent of rabies in an aggressive dog or animal. If the dog is not captured or identified, you will want to be treated for the possibility of acquiring rabies. Fortunately, the treatment has improved over the years and is not quite as traumatic as it once was.

Dog bites are not trivial incidents. Of the 4.5 million bites a year, 800,000 will require medical attention and approximately 31,000 will require reconstructive surgery. There are at least 12-20 dog bite deaths per year. So, don't take dog aggression lightly. Learn how to protect yourself and your loved ones.

D.C. Dog Shooting and the Need for a Canine Force Continuum

I seem to have fallen off the wagon when it comes to posting here on my blog.  I went on vacation and apparently never returned.  Anyway, I have recommitted myself to keeping Satchmo's blog updated regularly and in that vein I am posting an article about a dog shooting in D.C.. 


As a pet owner, I am offended by the unnecessary use of guns by police when dealing with stray or loose dogs.  Most dogs are pets.  Most dogs have a family that loves them.  Most dogs respond to verbal commands.  In those incidents where verbal commands don't work, either due to excitement or fear, then I believe that officers need to really have to be critical in determining threat.  I believe that a dog should not be shot unless that is the absolute last resort--like the dog in lunging in the air at the officer.  Shooting first and figuring out the situation last is totally unacceptable.  In most of these incidents, there are people around and the very real possibility of secondary damage to them is present.  Just because you have a gun doesn't mean you can use it whenever you want to.

Here is the article from Change.org:


by Ledy VanKavage  
September 16, 2010  
06:28 AM
 

Last weekend, at the Adams Morgan festival in Washington, D.C., a dog named Parrot got into an altercation with a poodle. The caretakers had broken up the fight when police arrived on the scene. According to witnesses and photographs, the officer pinned Parrot to the ground with his knee, then hurled him down a concrete stairwell, and finally pulled out his weapon and shot him. Given that photographs showed he had the dog contained, isn't this a likely case of excessive force?
And it's far from being the only one. Thousands of dogs are gunned down each year by police officers. Canine shootings have to stop. We have a force continuum that sets guidelines for how much force may be used in situations involving humans, so why not one for canines?
It's not always just the dogs who are in danger. In early September, for example, a Michigan animal anti-cruelty officer was shot by a Detroit police officer while responding to a complaint of dogs running loose. The officer shot and killed a pit-bull-type dog whose only offense had been running at large; the anti-cruelty officer was wounded in the process.  [...read more here...]

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Today we took Wicked to the vet for shots--What fun!

We got up early and put the wicked cat in the carrier where she howled and screamed for all the time it took me to get ready to go.  Once at the vet, she was calm and quiet and I was able to hold her and pet her.  She was remarkably good when she got her shots (three to be exact) and she was cooperative during the exam by the vet.  We have another appointment next month for her last shot and to have her spay.  Then she is off to her new home.  I cannot wait.  Although she is warming up considerably--I can pick her up and hold her on my lap quite often--I will be glad for her to get to her forever home and settle in. 


Here's what she looks like tonight after all the excitement!

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This is a really cute video!

I wonder how long it took to teach that dog to do that?

I've been on vacation!

I went away for a short time and left my Satchmo at home with my sister.  He was so glad to see me when I got back home.  He was mad at me for about 3 hours, then he was up in my lap just like normal.  He was really happy to sleep with me in our bed and I had to keep moving him away from me so I could sleep.



Just wanted you to know why this blog has been silent for a short while.  Now I hope to get back to posting dog centered articles and more about my little man.

I am up to my eyeballs in dogs and cat problems!!!

Here's Ditto -- the cat I cannot catch!

Here's Austen--feeling much better now

For the last month or two, I have been in the middle of some type of animal crisis.  First, Austen got really sick.  Ran a temp and had diarrhea for 4 days.  I just get the floors all cleaned up from that when, in one of the traps I had been setting to catch the "feral" cats on my porch, I caught a strange grey tomcat not once but three times!

KT after his trip to the Vet still has an appetite

Then, I get a call from my sister while I am at work telling me that we caught one of the cats we were trying to catch.  I'm thinking to myself, "How?  I didn't set any of the traps again."  But, truly, I did catch KT in a non-baited trap.  So off to the vet to get shots and neutered.  He was NOT amused, but he got through it all with grace and aplomb.  He stayed in the house for about 48 hours but then had to get outside or die!  So, then I tried again to catch his sister, Ditto, to no avail.  I am giving up for a short while to let them both forget about the traps.  I did, however, discover that there is a gigantic, enormous raccoon that comes and eats the cat food on my porch--so now I feed them differently.  There no longer is any food left on the porch at night.

Wicked--being wicked!

The kitten, Wicked, went in to the vet for shots and worming.  She is very slowly getting socialized, but she still hisses and spits when you catch her.  She likes playing with her toys and she loves being fed; she's just not too sure about being touched by humans.  When I took her back for the second set of kitten shots, I had to take my Satchmo who now was sick with diarrhea (my poor floors).  He had tests run and we discovered he has giardia (a protozoan) so he is being treated for seven days. 

My poor baby, Satchmo!

He also had blood work done and the vet called me and said, "There are so many things wrong with this lab that I'm not sure what to suggest we do first."   Not something you want to hear from the vet about your baby.  So he had to go back for another blood test on his thyroid.  She is worried about his kidneys because he is throwing too much protein.  She is worried about his adrenals because he has too much steriod hormones in his system.  She is worried about his gallbladder because his stool is so foul and dark.  She is mostly worried about his liver because his liver function test came back and it was off the scale high!  So, I now get to take him for an ultasound of his liver,gall bladder, kidney, and adrenals.  Then he goes for a cystogram--where they insert a needle into his bladder and extract a specimen first thing in the morning.  This does not sound good.

So, I am worried.  I am very worried.