Friday, June 29, 2007 , the wee hours

Lake Tahoe Humane Society needs help after fire

The Lake Tahoe Humane Society has had their resources stretched to the limits by fires in the area, and they’ve put out a plea for donations.  They especially needs supplies for birds, such as cages and stands, but I’m sure a cash donation will help them purchase those items, too.  Unfortunately, they have no online donation capability—I find that so frustrating!  It just takes 10 minutes to add a PayPal button to your website, and I’m sure it would help attract spontaneous donors (like me), who are apt to pull out their credit cards in the middle of the night.  If you’d like to make a donation you can do it by phone:

Dawn Armstrong, Ex. Director
Phone: 530-542-2857
If Dawn is not available please ask for Liz.

Good luck to everyone there.  The fires in the area have destroyed over 200 homes, but the fire is now about 70% contained and hopefully the worst of it is over.

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 06/29 at 12:56 AM
The Litterbox • (2) Comments • Permalink

Thursday, June 28, 2007 , late at night

Animal shelter closes their storefront adoption centers

It was just last June that I wrote about the Las Vegas animal shelter’s new storefront adoption centers.  These satellite centers, located in strip malls around the city, brought a selection of dogs and cats to different parts of the community.  The centers were brightly-lit, clean, and kept convenient hours, making them ideal for people who wanted a new pet and who might otherwise be tempted to shop in a pet store.  I really wanted to work in one of the stores as I thought they were a great idea, but by the time my Green card arrived, I’d already found other work.

It’s good I wasn’t counting on that job as something I could be really dedicated to, because yesterday the last of the satellite centers was closed down, reportedly because Lied Animal Shelter is having financial problems.  These storefront adoption facilities were about the best thing Lied has done for the animals in years, and it’s unforgivable that they’ve been closed, given that financial problems at Lied are the result of well-documented mismanagement.  Don’t forget that Lied is also the facility which was shut down by the HSUS in February, and that resulted in over 1000 animals being euthanized because of disease and overcrowding.  A full report on that incident has just been released by the Humane Society, and it reveals a policy of allowing animals to die rather than euthanizing them in an attempt to maintain an image of being “no-kill”.  Disease was allowed to spread unchecked because it helped reduce the number of animals while allowing the shelter to pronounce that they never euthanized a healthy or adoptable animal.  I haven’t seen the entire report, which I understand is quite lengthy, but I hope to get my hands on a copy of it so I’ll understand more of the details.

The Lied Animal Shelter now has new management, they only hold animals for 72 hours before they can elect to euthanize them, and they have a full-time vet on staff.  It’s hard to know how much has changed, though, because the “professional animal shelter management” world seems fairly politically-incestuous, with a lot of the same people revolving through the doors of different shelters.  I’ve seen criticism that in the upper echelons of management, the same people still have their hands in the funding cookie jar, so it may be that the shelter remains a disaster waiting to happen again.  The good thing is that a lot more people are paying attention now, so maybe problems can be fixed before they reach the level of “crisis”.

I don’t know if I’ll ever get over the fact that despite its penchant for ostentatious excess, Las Vegas doesn’t have a world-class animal shelter facility.  We should be able to build the most amazing facility in the entire world with the spare change which is dropped on the Strip each day, but it’s never been done.  I’ve never even seen it suggested.  Steven Wynn could built it for the price of one of the paintings he likes to put his elbows through.

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 06/28 at 11:32 PM
The Litterbox • (0) Comments • Permalink

Monday, June 25, 2007 , late evening

At least she feeds her dog well

In the great tradition of working hard to achieve the American dream, someone has taken Paris Hilton’s trash from her curb and is selling the contents on eBay.  I bet that trash will be having private pickup service from now on, especially with things like empty prescription bottles being put up for auction.  To me, the most interesting listing is this one, for an empty can of dog food.  The food sounds of quite good quality, with organic chicken and rice, which is a pleasant surprise.  I honestly wouldn’t have been shocked if Paris’ trash was full of cans of Mighty Dog.  The food brand seems almost like a joke though: it’s called “Party Animal”.  I can’t find any references online to Party Animal brand dog food… is Paris having this stuff custom-made?  Maybe the dogs also eat “That’s So Hot” organic lamb and rice.

On the heels of thinking Paris actually takes good care of her pets, I found this story about how her animals are always running loose, and how her cat got run over last year.  That sounds more like what I expected.

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 06/25 at 10:42 PM
The Litterbox • (3) Comments • Permalink

A bit of clouded leopard cuteness to bump my previous entry into the ether

I’ll admit, I stole this from My Animal Family, but I just couldn’t resist it.  Check out this video of clouded leopards which are being bred in captivity to one day hopefully replenish the species in the wild.  This is the most magnificent, spectacular-looking wild cat I’ve ever seen!  Clouded Leopard Breeding Video (from National Geographic).

Ah, that reminds me of something sort of amusing.  I was posting on the message boards for my vet tech class, where a surprising number of people were arguing against feral cat TNR because they claim feral cats decimate wild bird populations.  I quoted a study done by National Geographic which showed that humans are far and away the largest cause of the loss of bird species, as well as another one where feral colonies in Florida were observed for a long period of time, and only two bird deaths were reported.  Someone replied and very haughtily told me that I can’t just go believing stuff said by any old group like National Geographic, and that I needed to quote “accurate” figures issued by government agencies.  That’s one thing which really frustrates me about the vet tech program—there are a lot of closed minds on inexperienced people.  The majority of students who responded in the thread felt that feral cats should be trapped and euthanized, because they believe the cats spread disease (not true in managed colonies), that it’s “cruel” to let the cats live that way (more cruel than death?), and that killing the cats will solve the feral cat problem (it won’t).  The students felt that TNR prolongs the problem.  This is the level of knowledge students are taking into vet clinics with them, and they’re passing it around as gospel.  Perhaps it’s time for me to write to Alley Cat Allies and suggest they send some free materials to students, or do some sort of presentation.  I don’t think you should attempt to speak with authority on a subject until you’ve at least done some reseach into both sides of the argument.  Colour me an over-achiever.

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 06/25 at 05:26 AM
The Litterbox • (1) Comments • Permalink

Sunday, June 24, 2007 , terribly early in the morning

Pool girl

I notice I haven’t posted lately, and that’s because all I do is cook for various pets.  Don’t let that be a deterrent to you if you’re considering homemade pet food, because you probably have a reasonable number of animals, and you’ll be able to cook for an entire month in just one day.  The best I can do (given the size constraints of my cooking pots and refrigerator) is about one week for dogs, and four days for cats.  The animals are definitely appreciative, though, so I know the effort isn’t wasted.  I’m learning some shortcuts, too, so eventually I’ll be able to finish up in fifteen minutes.  Twenty, max.  Carlo is still here, still not using the litterbox, but is only pooping about three times a day.  That’s a huge improvement from the 20+ times I had been dealing with, and I think he just needs to grow a bit and get stronger so he can have more control.

I called this entry “pool girl”, because I finally figured out how to really clean the pool this week.  We had the pool built about five years ago, and the company that installed it gave us one “orientation” lesson where we were shown all the parts we needed to clean and maintain.  We were given no written instructions whatsoever, and everything we needed to know was thrown at us in a twenty minute lesson.  I remembered how to monitor the chemicals and how to empty the filter and cleaning system baskets, but that was about it.  We ended up calling a pool service every time we needed the filter cleaned until one really nice man from NPS took the time to write out complete instructions for me.  I thought that was so kind of him, because the instructions were sort of tedious, and they meant that I’d no longer need to call NPS for service.  After that I was able to clean the filter myself, even though I hated it (I just kept reminding myself I was saving $75).  I was sure there were a couple of other steps I was missing, though, so when the pool’s self-cleaning system became useless this year, I figured it was time to pull out the manuals.  We’d been given all the installation manuals for all the pool components, and by digging through those, I was able to figure out two components that I was supposed to clean weekly, but had never cleaned since the pool was built.  Lo and behold, I took a rubber mallet and popped the cap off one piece and it was just full of crap—plastic bags, leaves, dead bugs, you name it.  Flippy and I spent a couple of hours outside (I took things apart and she cleaned them up), and when we were done, the self-cleaning system worked again.  We were probably really lucky that we didn’t burn out a motor or something by not doing proper maintenance.

Our pool is really, really easy to care for, all things considered.  We don’t have to drain it in the fall, we don’t have to scoop leaves out of it, we don’t have to use one of those cleaning devices which crawls through the pool—we probably have the closest thing to a maintenance-free pool that you can have, but it still needs some TLC occasionally.  I think that after five years, we finally understand what needs to be emptied periodically, and how, so I hope we’ll be able to have smooth pool-sailing from this point forward.  One thing I’ve definitely noticed is that the pool has become harder to care for since the neighbourhood around us became built-up; people bring trash, and trash invariably ends up stuck in the pool drain.

It would be very nice if we could actually get into the pool, but so far that hasn’t happened.  It’s definitely been warm enough for a while (if I’m not careful with the solar heater, the water will heat up to 96 degrees), but work keeps interfering with our leisure time.  We’ve had “feet dangling time”, but that’s about it.  I need to get in it soon because in no time it will be October, and I’ll be sadly putting the cover on for winter and wishing I’d used it more often.  I need to remind myself I’m in the pool for health reasons—a swim and a nap every day to keep the doctor away.  It’s more fun than an apple.

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 06/24 at 04:02 AM
The Litterbox • (3) Comments • Permalink

Friday, June 22, 2007 , evening

Take Your Dog to Work Day

For those of you with jobs in the real world, today is Take Your Dog to Work Day!  This event, held annually, is sponsored by Pet Sitters International.

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 06/22 at 08:04 PM
Calendar • (1) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink

Wednesday, June 20, 2007 , evening

TJ pushes for détente

Flippy has a great post up today about how our cat TJ finally broke through the barrier which was preventing him from being best friends with the big dogs.  TJ has loved the big dogs ever since he first set eyes on them, but to the dogs, TJ is small and jumpy and irritating, like a mosquito.  TJ has persisted in his affections, however, and you’ll have to go see Flippy’s blog for the photographic proof of the great things that can happen if you’re a little kitty cat with a big dream.

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 06/20 at 08:19 AM
The Litterbox • (1) Comments • Permalink

Tuesday, June 19, 2007 , terribly early in the morning

Veterinary Naturopathic convention

The Natural Animal World Convention is going to be held in September, and it will be a virtual gathering of vets and support staff who want to learn more about natural animal health.  I say “virtual”, because the entire event will be orchestrated online, so you can listen to lectures while sitting in your pajamas and drinking pina coladas if you so desire.  The convention is being held with the assistance of the American Veterinary Naturopathic Association, and speakers include veterinarians, authors, and media personalities. I think the event sounds fascinating, and as I try to keep an open mind about all types of treatment, I’m sure I’d learn a lot if I signed up to participate.  I definitely look forward to hearing about the experiences of those lucky folks who do get to listen in, and I hope the event is a huge success.  Online conventions are a great idea for people who’d like to enhance their education and knowledge, but who just aren’t able to travel for one reason or another.

If you’d like to know more about the event, just click the link in the above paragraph to go to the main NAWC website. 

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 06/19 at 06:09 AM
The Litterbox • (0) Comments • Permalink

Monday, June 18, 2007 , the wee hours

Pet supplies at Amazon grocery

I don’t know if many people are aware that Amazon.com sells groceries.  I’m also not sure if many people know that they sell a small but decent selection of pet treats and supplements in the grocery, and the prices are quite good as well.  The problem with Amazon grocery is that they tend to sell things in large lots, so if you want a box of Blue Dog Bakery dog biscuits (our dogs love those), you can’t buy just one box, you have to buy a case of six.  It works out quite well if you have a lot of dogs or can share the boxes with friends, but it’s not always practical for just one family.

I thought I’d mention Amazon grocery because they offer free shipping with a $25 order, and your order can be a combination of books, music, or catnip… it doesn’t matter.  If there’s a particular type of “people food” you use a lot of (we like Luna protein bars, for example), the per case prices plus free shipping are pretty hard to beat.  Ordering canned cat food from them would be fantastic if only they sold a brand other than Iams—they sell it by the case, and shipping is free, which is unheard of when it comes to ordering pet food.  They don’t seem to carry any dog food, though.  I think the grocery is still a work-in-progress, and I hope they’ll eventually expand to carry a better variety of items, and more unique items.  It’s tough to get too excited by cases of Pupperoni (unless you’re a dog, I guess).

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 06/18 at 12:14 AM
Consumer Evangelism • (0) Comments • Permalink

Sunday, June 17, 2007 , the wee hours

We be grindin’

Today, I used my Waring meat grinder for the first time.  I’d purchased it months ago, with hopes of making homemade pet food, but I got distracted by other things (which happens pretty often).  I used it to grind a batch of boneless chicken thighs for cat food (I cooked the meat and added it to a bag of Wild Kitty), and then I also ground about six pounds of semi-frozen, bone-in chicken thighs.  The grinder did a great job!  The only thing I don’t like about it is that the removable parts aren’t supposed to be washed in the dishwasher, so I had to wash them by hand while worrying they were clean enough and free of any raw chicken contamination.  I put the raw bone-in thighs in the fridge for the big dogs, and for a week they’ll eat that as an addition to their kibble, instead of their usual cooked chicken.  They were less than enamoured by the ground raw chicken I gave them today, so it may be they just enjoy their cooked chicken and broth a bit more.  A week of experimentation won’t hurt.

Carlo and Bunny went to the vet today.  Bunny had her first series of vaccines (FVRCP and rabies)—I passed on the FIV/FeLV because I’ve been frightened by it ever since Bing and Tie developed vaccine-site lumps.  The lumps eventually went away, but I worry they’re at risk for injection-site sarcoma in the future.  As long as the cats stay indoors, I don’t think they’re at much risk for developing either virus, and I can always choose for them to have it sometime in the future.  Carlo didn’t have any vaccinations because I told the vet that he’d been steadily gaining weight, and the vet didn’t want to mess with the status quo in case the shots caused a setback.  Carlo will have his vax in two weeks if all goes according to plan, and today he had blood tests done instead.  The tests came back normal, so it’s really starting to look like Carlo had a virus or congenital issue which caused intestinal problems, and that he does not have any liver problems.  Today’s vet suggested calicivirus, and a previous vet suggested panleukopaenia, but neither of them could say why Carlo was infected when Bunny wasn’t, so I guess it will remain a mystery.

I hate to sound like a paid shill or a broken record, but that new Wild Kitty cat food is working wonders for Carlo.  I took him off his Eukanuba Low-Residue food yesterday, and put him on Wild Kitty exclusively, and his stools have reduced in quantity by about 75%, and his gassy/cramping problem has also dramatically improved.  I worried I would really cause a problem by putting him on such a high protein food, but it definitely seems to agree with him.  He’s gaining weight and visibly growing, too, so it makes sense that his digestion issues have been related to lack of absorption, which in turn has caused him to be small in stature.  I’ll be very interested to see if he’s able to make up for lost time and catch up to Bunny, or if he’ll always be on the tiny side.

I feel really good about cooking for the pets, but it’s pretty time-consuming.  I’ve always cooked for the parrots (I cook their meal every day), but now that I’m cooking for four dogs and eleven cats, I feel like I’m perpetually in the kitchen cooking chicken or making rice.  I told Flippy that I need to figure out a way to make one month’s worth of food at a time for everyone, because I doubt it would take much longer than the time I spend now making food every few days.  The only problem would be that I’d need a lot more storage containers, and I’d probably need another refrigerator.  In the long run, I’m sure home cooking will be a wise financial move, but right now it just seems to keep costing money.  Every few days I’m running to the grocery store to buy more chicken, so I’ve got to get hooked up with a supplier who’ll sell me 50 lbs. or so at one time.

The last big experiment I have to try is giving the cats raw food.  I’m going to try and buy more of the boneless chicken thighs before the sale ends on Tuesday, and I’ll be able to use those to make a raw batch of Wild Kitty (it already contains the bone meal, which is why I have to use boneless meat).  I don’t know how they’ll feel about it, but I’m anxious to see.

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 06/17 at 01:00 AM
The Litterbox • (3) Comments • Permalink
Page 1 of 3 pages  1 2 3 >

Adopt a Big Dog!