Satchmo is still having problems!!

We have an appointment to see a specialist on Monday. He had a grand mal seizure Tuesday morning and went to the vet where he spent the night having tests done.  All tests were positive and no indication of what caused the seizure.  He came home on new medications and a prescribed diet, which he hates.

This morning, while eating at the disgusting "special" food, he had another brief seizure.  This one was only for a few seconds and he was fine pretty quickly.  But, back to the vet we went and now he will go see a neurologist.  I'm really worried about my baby boy, but I keep trying not to borrow trouble.  I'll just wait to hear what the neurologist has to say. 

Anyway, I was thinking about Satch's recent health issues when I came across this article that reminded me of the tenacity and resilience of animals.  This article, though very sad, gives me hope for my Satch.  If you read it and want to help this little one, please click over and leave a comment.  The dog in this article deserves to get the same kind of care my baby is getting, don't you think?

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Tornado dog crawls home on broken legs

Mason finds his way back home after Ala. twister

Updated: Wednesday, 18 May 2011, 12:24 PM MDT
Published : Wednesday, 18 May 2011, 10:42 AM MDT

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (CNN/WBRC) - A tornado picked him up and blew him away, but his will to live was so strong he crawled home on two broken legs and survived for two weeks before his family found him.

Meet Mason. It only takes one look to know he's been through a lot in the last couple of weeks. And while his happy but haunted eyes and halting crawl tell us something about his story, his owners helped the Birmingham Jefferson County Animal Control shelter fill in the rest.

On April 27, Mason was hiding in a garage in North Smithfield when a storm picked him up and blew him away. His owners couldn't find him and had about given up when they came back to their home and garage on Monday to sift through debris. They found Mason waiting for them on the porch.

"He's got two broken legs and they're distal radial unal fractures. They've not been able to be in alignment so neither one of them have healed so he had to crawl on two broken legs to get home," said Dr. Barbara Benhart with the shelter.

"This is probably the most dramatic we've seen as far as an injury in an animal that's survived this long. It's kind of tapering off, the amount of animals we're seeing because of the storm. For an animal just to show up on someone's porch after this time was pretty remarkable, especially with the condition he's in," added Phil Doster, also with the shelter.

Mason's owners asked the shelter to take him because they're not able to care for him while they try and piece their lives back together.

"For an animal to go through what he's gone through and not to be ugly, to be happy for any companionship is remarkable. We're honored to be part of his recovery," said Doster.
Now with a little luck and a lot of love, Mason may become a mascot for storm survivors, both on four legs and two legs.

According to WBRC , the hope is that after he recovers, Mason can return to his original family. If not, the shelter says they will find a home for him.

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Satchmo is sick again

My baby is currently at the vet getting an ultasound done.  He had a seizure the other night and scared me to death.  While I will post more when I know more, I thought I'd like to post something here to remind us all about the pets who need help in the flooded, tornadoe ridden, fire burning disasters across our nation.  This article is from the ASPCA and I hope you will read it and consider becoming a donor to enable them to continue doing such good deeds.  I gave up some extras to be able to donate monthly and I hope you will too.

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Image by U.S. Geological Survey via Flickr 
ASPCA Responders Rescue Animals in Flood, Tornado Areas

When tornadoes and floods hit states across the Midwest and South, the ASPCA Field Investigations and Response Team kicked into gear, dispatching teams to those areas to help rescue and shelter animals.

In Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky, ASPCA responders have been working to provide shelter for pets whose families were evacuated from their homes, as well as perform water rescue operations to save stranded or abandoned animals.


"We see entire communities flooded—animals are stranded on dog houses, in trees and other small patches of dry space," says Tim Rickey, ASPCA Senior Director of Field Investigations and Response. "For many of these victims, rescue is their only hope."

In addition, we were able to send crucial supplies to other flood- and tornado-ravaged locations. Through our partnership with PetSmart Charities, the ASPCA is coordinating efforts to provide supplies like food, crates and blankets to animal groups in Alabama and other hard-hit areas.

We’re also assisting affected communities through grants; last week we helped the Greater Birmingham Humane Society obtain a transport vehicle that will allow the group to rescue animals throughout the state.

And through our exciting new Animal Relocation Initiative, we’re transporting homeless animals from overcrowded shelters in the disaster areas to regions of the country that can accommodate these resilient pets. In turn, overburdened shelters will be able to house even more local animals.

Earlier this month, 46 dogs traveled from eastern Arkansas shelters to facilities in Kansas and Colorado. Then, 70 dogs from parts of Georgia and South Carolina devastated by tornadoes were transported to New York and New Jersey. Several transport companies stepped forward to help move the animals to their new shelters, where they’ll soon be available for adoption.

Says ASPCA Senior Director of Community Outreach Sandy Monterose: “A natural disaster like flooding creates immediate hardship in a community. By collaborating with other groups and using our resources strategically, we can respond to shelters and animals in need, creating a safety net. It’s part of the fabric of animal sheltering.”

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Grieving dog owner touched by strangers' kindness

This article from the Journal Sentinel Online captures the strength of attachment and love we pet owners share with our dogs.  This is a sad story, without a storybook ending, but it is important to show that people still are capable of caring about a lost dog.  This story restores my faith in humankind.  It's not easy to find such an uplifting story about man's goodness in today's world.  Please read this article and reflect on the goodness this dog owner found amidst great loss.

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Michael Sears

D.J. Rodrian and his dog Titus, run along the Menomonee River in Wauwatosa in 2010. Rodrian recently slept in a tent for days near the site of the dog’s last sighting.

April 28, 2011 |(22) Comments

For 26 days, D.J. Rodrian put normal life on hold while he led an exhaustive search for his lost dog, Titus.
Rodrian slept many of those nights in a tent in his former neighborhood in the hope his beloved pet would return to the familiar spot.
Hundreds of people responded to ubiquitous fliers and to Rodrian's website devoted to the search. Total strangers walked or drove the Menomonee Parkway, the Oak Leaf Trail, Currie Park, the Mount Mary College neighborhood and other areas, hoping to find the 8-year-old Rhodesian Ridgeback.
The happy outcome everyone hoped and prayed for was not to be. On Tuesday, Titus was found dead near the railroad tracks behind the Best Buy store on Mayfair Road.
The grieving is communal. Rodrian has received emails of condolence from all over the United States and beyond. He posted hundreds of them Thursday on the website, godsinsomniac.com.
This one is typical: "I do not know you or Titus, but your story broke my heart. I cried like a baby when I heard the news that Titus is no longer with us. Please know you did everything you could to find him."
Rodrian, a 43-year-old insurance agent, is trying to focus on the positive. "Here is the good that I see," he posted on the site. "The world is full of nice people who care about others, including a stranger and his lost dog. Our community is kind and helpful and generous. Milwaukee is a wonderful and beautiful place to live."
Titus was a puppy when Rodrian got him. They spent many hours running on the wooded trails along the parkway. The dog was an athletic breed known for its survival skills.
On April 1, while Rodrian was vacationing in Arizona, Titus broke through a window and escaped from a dog sitter's house near 51st and Hampton.
Before dawn the next morning, some people living in Rodrian's old neighborhood at 94th and Burleigh reported hearing the dog barking and howling outside. That's where Titus spent most of his life; Rodrian and Titus moved to the Town of Lisbon last year.
OK, Rodrian thought to himself. If this is where the dog is drawn, then he would camp out in the front yard of one of his former neighbors. In the beginning, he spent every night out there.
His neighbor ran an electric cord to the ice fishing tent so Rodrian could listen to the Brewers. The nights were cold and sometimes rainy.
"How excellent it would be for him to find me, his owner, sleeping there. Or even if I wasn't there, he would find my scent there and the sleeping bag and the pillows, and he would be attracted to that location. That was the whole purpose of Camp Titus," Rodrian told me.
He draped some of his clothing over patio chairs and tossed it on the lawn. This would be scent central, and his "secret weapon" would be dirty socks.
For weeks, Rodrian lived mostly on gas station hot dogs and $1 double cheeseburgers from McDonald's. He showered at the gym, and lived out of his car and the tent. He worked when he could, but would drop what he was doing when it was time to chase down a lead about Titus.
Some of the burgers went into two live traps that Rodrian rented from the Humane Society. "What we caught was three raccoons, a possum and a cat," he said.
Sightings poured in, some more solid than others, and Rodrian plotted them on a Google map on his website. Friends, family and strangers kept their eyes open for any sign of Titus.
Cathy Peck, who lives on the city's northwest side, is typical. She often takes her dog, Bacchus, to Currie Park. She never met Rodrian, but she was touched by his plight. She understands that a dog is like a family member.
"Everybody would take some time every day and look. It was really nice to see how the community came together," said Peck, who programmed Rodrian's cell number into her phone so she could immediately call in a sighting. People reported that they took dog treats and leashes along on the searches, too.
Titus would run from strangers, Rodrian said. He thinks the dog survived those 26 days on its own with little or no direct human contact.
On Tuesday, he got a voice mail from a man who discovered the lifeless dog. Rodrian hurried out there and found that indeed it was Titus. He wept and called family members who rushed to his side.
The dog still had its collar with Rodrian's contact information on it. He noticed that the animal did not have any obvious injuries and didn't look unusually thin, though he guessed that Titus could have eaten something toxic. It appeared the dog had been dead for a few days.
"I don't think he suffered. It looks like he just was tired and laid down and was done with his journey," he said.
Rodrian singled out a few people to thank. They include animal control officer Donn Jacobson, Milwaukee firefighter Shane Corcoran who spent some entire off-days helping on the search, and tireless helpers Jennifer Kraussel, Steve Frantz and Renee Conner.
"I will miss my buddy. He was the best dog ever. . . . All he ever wanted to do was be with me," he shared on the website.
Rodrian has lost a much-loved dog, but gained a new appreciation for the comfort of strangers.
Call Jim Stingl at (414) 224-2017 or email at jstingl@journalsentinel.com

Dramatic rescue of pitbull mix in river

Here's a video that shows the rescue of a dog from the flood swollen river in Michigan.  It is hard to watch, but the dog does get saved and sent to the vet.  She was hypothermic and about at the end of her rope when they pulled her out.

Antioch Police Dogs Receive Four Donated Bulletproof Vests

Here's an article I found on Facebook that talks about bullet-proof vests for dogs!  I love this idea.  Our dogs will go to great lengths to protect us or to have us tell them how good they are.  Frequently, you read about police dogs that jumped in front of their person to protect them and ended up dead. 

The organization that provided these life-saving vests are to be commended.  This article is from Life with Dogs.  Please check the site out for great articles about dogs and living life with them!
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The Antioch Police Department in California received four bulletproof vests that will be used to outfit their police dogs, including one for a dog that was shot in the shoulder last August.

According to cbs8.com, the vests were provided by the Police and Working K-9 Foundation, a group that also helps pay for emergency medical care for police dogs.

The new $1,200 custom-made body armor weighs about 5 pounds and is both bullet and knife resistant.

The Belgian Malinois that was shot survived his injuries and was back on the job in just two short weeks, but police officials told the Contra Costa Times that the injury might have been avoided if the dog had been wearing one of the vests.

Recently in the news, there have been several stories about police dogs that often put themselves in harm’s way to protect their handlers. According to the K-9 Foundation, “Since 2000, over 500 U.S. police dogs have lost their lives in the line of duty.”

The New York-based company has donated 56 vests so far to police stations across the U.S.

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Pet's need consideration during Easter Holiday--What to watch out for!

Here's a message from my veterinarian that I took from my email. Seems like a good time to review the necessary precautions associated with Easter and all of the holiday happenings.  When enjoying all the holiday hoopla, don't forget to monitor your pets.  Chocolate is deadly.

Happy Good Friday, to you .  I hope everyone has a blessed and special Easter Holiday this weekend.

Easter Tips

 

Easter is almost here and we all love chocolate bunnies or Easter eggs! Chocolate is as appealing to pets as it is to us but it is very toxic to dogs. Theobromine and theophylline are a xanthine compound that affects the nervous and cardiovascular systems. Symptoms of intoxication are vomiting, diarrhea, increased heart rate and urination, muscle tremors and restlessness.

The Easter Lily is a beautiful holiday flower but if you own a cat it is recommended that you don't keep it in your house. Just one leaf can cause kidney failure in your pet and it is potentially lethal.

One more item that could be harmful to your cat is Easter grass. Cats love to play with it, just like they love tinsel or string. Easter grass if ingested can easily tangle around your cat's intestines causing major problems that will require emergency surgery.

Help End the Torture and Slaughter of Korean Dogs

Here is a disturbing article I found today on Petside.com.  I was so upset after reading it that I just had to repost it here for you to see.  I have no words to describe my feelings and thoughts on this topic right now.  I, for once, am simply speechless.

Please read this excerpt below and click on over to the site to read the entire article.  Be aware, however that you will probably leave with a sick feeling in your heart and stomach!

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I was shocked this morning when I read an announcement made by In Defense of Animals, that in Korea, almost two million dogs are slated for slaughter after they are caged and tortured. They are then killed, butchered and sold as a delicacy meat for human consumption.

These miserable and unfortunate dogs are kept on display in crates in the marketplace, so customers are able to select one of their choice for purchase and butchering. What is even more horrific is that these dogs are "intentionally abused" according to In Defense of Animals, prior to slaughter and sale.

The Korean Government and Han Duk-soo, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea is being targeted by Defense of Animals to immediately begin enforcing the existing law under the Korean Animal Protection Act and to also strengthen the law by adding an amendment to prohibit dogs and cats from being slaughtered for meat for human consumption.

In fact, most Koreans abhor this practice and consider these acts of torture and killing to be extremely disturbing. Additionally it is actually an "urban legend" that...[read more]