pulled from AOL news and written by Michael Crumb

Swine Flu Confirmed in Pet Cat

DES MOINES, Iowa (Nov. 4) — A 13-year-old Iowa cat has been infected with swine flu, veterinary and federal officials said Wednesday in what is believed to be the first case of the H1N1 virus in a feline in the United States.

The domestic shorthaired cat was treated last week at Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine in Ames and has recovered, officials said. The virus also has been confirmed in two ferrets — one in Oregon and the other in Nebraska — but they died.

“We’ve known certainly it’s possible this could happen,” said Centers for Disease Control spokesman Tom Skinner. “This may be the first instance where we have documentation that transmission occurred involving cats or dogs.”

I pulled this news article from Statesmanjournal.com. With today’s economy I am noticing that people are having to get rid of their beloved animals and are facing hard really times. The impact HAS to be showing with the healthcare of animals at the vet’s office as well. I have three horses and two dogs…and I treat all injuries/sicknesses that I can myself, but I do still take my animals to the vet when it is needed…however, there have been many times I cringe when I get the bill! Are fewer checkups the answer to spending less? Or does it create more problems in the long run?

Financial hardships can extend to animal care
Veterinarians schedule fewer annual checkups as clients spend less.

As U.S. Census data released Monday confirm, the economic downturn is altering Americans’ lives and behaviors in many ways, from homeownership trends to commuting habits.The pinch even extends to the realm of veterinary care, and some Mid-Valley vets are reporting a change in demand.

Dr. Kim Erbes of Salem Veterinary Emergency Clinic said traffic is down about 10 percent to 15 percent in the past year. More clients also are capping their expenditures; when they do come in with a sick or injured pet, they also come with a clear idea of how much they’re willing to spend, Erbes said.

The clinic treats 200 to 300 animals per month and has the equivalent of three full-time doctors and about a half-dozen other staffers.

Erbes said she has noted a trend of pet owners waiting longer to seek treatment for their animals. “They’re thinking and hoping their animal is going to get better,” Erbes said. When they finally come to the clinic, the animal’s illness or injury often is worse than if the owner had sought treatment earlier, Erbes said. “People think they’re saving money by nursing the animal at home, but they’re not,” Erbes said.

Still, she emphasized that pet care remains a priority for many people. “It’s something people have (some) budget for,” Erbes said. “People will always care for their pets.”

Dr. Julie DeMarco of Whole Pet Veterinary Care in central Salem said what people are willing to spend on their pets in a tough economy depends on whether they see animal spending as discretionary or not. “For some people, their pets are like children,” DeMarco said. But overall, her clients are spending less, she said.

VCA Salem Animal Hospital reports that during a period of about four months earlier this year, fewer clients were coming in for annual wellness care for their pets.
The clinic reports more stable traffic now, however.

Dr. Richard Hillmer of Oak Hills Veterinary Clinic said this is the first year in his career — which spans more than 20 years — that he has noticed a downturn. “People used to say veterinary medicine was recession-proof,” he said. “It’s a little different this year.” Oak Hills cares for about 120 dogs, cats and birds each month. He said his clinic hasn’t seen growth this year, and clients are looking for cheaper options and holding off on treatment such as diagnostics.

Alternative savings

New office Whole Pet Veterinary Care puts the focus on alternative treatments, but DeMarco cautions against the thought that naturopathic treatments are always less expensive. She said in the long run, alternative treatments can reduce medical bills because animals are healthier.

Whole Pet integrates modern technology with acupuncture, herbal therapies and other Eastern remedies. “People want options; they don’t always want a pill,” she said.

Dr. Don Howard of Twin Oaks Veterinary Hospital in southeast Salem said some clients looking to save money seek animal acupuncture as an alternative to surgery. The cost for a series of three to five treatments is $500 to $700, Howard said, which he said can be a savings of thousands of dollars over surgery options.

A man runs into the vet’s office carrying his dog, screaming for help. The vet rushes him back to an examination room and has him put his dog down on the examination table. The vet examines the still, limp body and after a few moments tells the man that his dog, regrettably, is dead.

The man, clearly agitated and not willing to accept this, demands a second opinion.
The vet goes into the back room and comes out with a cat and puts the cat down next to the dog’s body. The cat sniffs the body, walks from head to tail poking and sniffing the dog’s body and finally looks at the vet and meows.

The vet looks at the man and says, “I’m sorry, but the cat thinks that your dog is dead too.” The man is still unwilling to accept that his dog is dead.

The vet brings in a black labrador. The lab sniffs the body, walks from head to tail, and finally looks at the vet and barks.

The vet looks at the man and says, “I’m sorry, but the lab thinks your dog is dead too.”
The man, finally resigned to the diagnosis, thanks the vet and asks how much he owes.
The vet answers, “$650.”

“$650 to tell me my dog is dead?” exclaimed the man.

“Well,” the vet replies, “I would only have charged you $50 for my initial diagnosis. The additional $600 was for the cat scan and lab tests.”

Being a dog person myself, it is hard for me to believe that cats can ‘control’ humans! However, on Yahoo news this morning, there is an article that says studies have actually shown this fact!

Check it out and let me know what you think. Do you have a cat that has control over you???

Click here to read the article

I work at a Veterinary Hospital where there are, I think, 19 doctors and over 100 employees. It’s a lot of fun to work there for the reason that I get to see so many different things and animals. I see the different types of surgeries from simple spay and neuters to c-sections which I get to help out with sometimes. I also get to see all types of animals from the typical dog and cat to great horned owls, fawns, snakes, ducks, squirrels, and even the occasional goat or two.

There are also those pets that come in for boarding or who are the “regulars”. One particular boarder who came in often was Rizza. She was a black lab mix who was in a car accident and nearly broke her back. Her owner was paralyzed and has a hard time taking care of Rizza so the hospital let him board her there whenever he needed to.

Rizza is a sweet girl and, like I do with all the animals, I fell in love with her. I came into work one day and noticed a sign on the board asking if anyone would be able to foster Rizza for a short time. I didn’t even hesitate. I went up to her doctor and told him that I would be more than happy to help. I wanted Rizza to be able to run around and stretch her legs and not stay in a cage.

The next day I took her home. She was so happy to be out of the hospital. I took her everywhere with me. I lived in an apartment that only had a small back yard so when I would go to the barn she would come with me. The barn has a large area for her to run around in and she loved it. She loved the horses and Charlie. I took her into work every day to keep an eye on her and everyone was so pleased to see how happy she was doing. She always had a smile on her face. Her owner would stop by every week to see how she was doing and it was amazing to see her reaction when she saw him. She would jump up on his lap and give him a million and one kisses.

I eventually moved to the place where my horses were. Rizza was so happy to have that big yard to run and play in. She was so wonderful. I made her a bed and she knew that it was hers. We had a great routine in the morning and at night when it was time to feed the horses. It was fantastic having her around and knowing that she was much happier being with me than staying at the hospital.

After a couple of months it was time for her to go back to her owner. He was so happy getting her back; they were a match made in heaven. It was hard to let her go but I knew I would be seeing her again.

Crazy ‘Cat Lady’ Travel Mug

To all of the ‘crazy’ cat lover’s out there…check out one of our more popular items!! This 10 oz. travel mug is perfect to take your coffee or tea on the go! It is both microwave and dishwasher safe, and has a sip-through lid for added convenience.

The Barn Cat Gretchen

When I moved into the house that I am living in now, the landlord had a cat that lived in the barn. She had gotten the cat from a friend who was ill and could no longer take care of her. I told my landlord that it was ok for her to leave the cat there in the barn and I will look after her. She had left some dry food for me to provide to her.

She wasn’t a very friendly cat at first. She used to sleep on the hay and I would just talk to her and tell her she was a good kitty. I couldn’t remember what my landlord had named her so I changed it to Gretchen, perfect for her country living style. She is a fat cat with tan stripes and a white face, a cutie. If I tried to go to her she would look at me with wide eyes and run off. After a while of talking to her and trying to win her trust, she started coming down off the hay. I did nothing; I just kept on talking to her to let her know that I wasn’t going to hurt her.

After about 3 months went by of me talking to her and giving her the space she wanted, I went over to her. I talked in a soft whisper voice to keep her calm and went slow. I was able to pat her and after a couple of minutes she let me pick her up. I felt so good! I did this every day and she has now turned into a nice little girl.

When ever I go down to the barn she is there to greet me. She cries and cries, for food of course. She hops onto the table that has her bowl and yells at me. Every time I walk by her, if I haven’t fed her yet, she smacks me! It hurts! She puts her nails out and literally smacks me as I walk by. I don’t get it; she catches birds and mice but leaves them there without eating them. She’s a barn cat! She should know these things! I still end up having to give her dry food or she will continue smacking me.

My Chihuahua, Charlie, doesn’t like Gretchen very much. He will chase after her from the house all the way down to the barn; barking, growling, and hair up. Gretchen just jumps up onto her table where her food bowl is and does nothing. She knows that he is too small and can’t reach her but he still tries. She looks at him and I know she must be laughing thinking “you can’t get me….muhahaha!” Charlie barks and barks, jumping around, trying to get to her. After a while he gives up and moves onto something else. Meanwhile, I’m stuck getting smacked. But it’s nice to have her around to pat and talk to. It feels good knowing that she trusts me now and that I can be her friend.

Riley Roo

I was married for 18 years. Throughout my marriage, my husband, children and I had several pets. We were divorced 2 years ago and at the time we had Riley and Jasmine (aka Miss Kitty). I don’t think anyone can ever fully understand the fallout from divorce, but during the decision making and throughout the process, you try to consider every aspect of your feelings, those of your children and your soon-to-be ex-spouse, and there is a great deal of  logistical planning. Although we had an amicable divorce and spent a great deal of time in easing the transition for our children,  it turned out that we hadn’t given the feelings of 2 members of the family enough consideration. Our dog and our cat. I know it may sound absurd to some of you, but we ended up in a real pickle when it came to those 2. As most of your readers know by now- Riley and Jasmine (aka Miss Kitty) are very attached to one another.

This is how it went

Plan A – I would keep the cat, he would take the dog, we would cover one another with pet-sitting if either of us was traveling. It seemed like a good plan at the time.

 Within weeks of separating the two it was clear that neither of our pets was happy. Our normally energetic dog was “depressed”. My ex-husband called me frequently to tell me that Riley was not acting like himself. Miss Kitty was none too happy either. She seemed lost without her partner in crime.

Plan B –  I would still keep the cat and we would share the dog. For months Riley went back and forth every time the children did. Initially, Riley seemed a bit better. He would perk up the first day he came back to my house and saw his cat. By the second or 3rd day he seemed miserable again. Although happy to be with his cat, he was having a hard time being away from his master. Miss Kitty was more herself as Riley was at least home some of the time, but she was definately cranky on days when Riley wasn’t here.

Plan C – Both Riley and Miss Kitty would go live with my ex-husband and I would spend time visiting with them when picking up or dropping off the children. Although Riley was not quite 100%, and neither was Miss Kitty, thier dispositions improved dramatically. We Had a Winner – or so we thought.

As time went on my Ex decided to purchase a new house. The house is lovely, white carpet and all, however,the neighborhood is not ideal for a dog. There is a main thoroughfare bordering the back of the house and no fence. Between the choas of the new move and the restricted playtime outdoors, Riley was worse then he was when we first divorced. He began continually whining and crying, and suffered severe stomach distress – repeatedly- all over the white carpets. He was just miserable.

Plan D – I took both pets back to my house. Riley settled back in to the routine at home with me, I think becasue he was relieved to be somewhere familiar. Miss Kitty was happy to have both her dog and her lakeside house. Eventually Riley learned to deal with his master’s absence, but it took a while.

Riley still goes to visit his “Dad” once in a while, and that seems to make him happy, but it took a long time to find the right balance.

Remember that pets are emotional beings. They suffer losses and changes, basically grief, just like humans do, but unfortunately we cannot communicate with them the way we can relate to people. When an animal loses a “sibling pet” or a person that’s close to them, it may take a great deal of time to recover. 

Remember to hug your pet today. It will make you both feel better.

Happy New Year

The holidays are over. All the presents were unwrapped, some exchanged, some put to good use, and let’s be honest, some put away for regifting next year. Many of us managed to finish every last left over and are now regretting eating them all. It is 9 days into everyone’s New Year’s resolutions. 

I struggled for a while to come up with a resolution for myself, reviewing all the standards that I, and most of the population, have made in years past, lose a few pounds, go back to the gym for regular workouts, get on a budget. I was really giving it some thought, should I resolve any of those things or all of them at once?  The answer was yes to all of the above, and then I looked across the room to my cat. She was sleeping peacefully, stretched along the back of the couch. She must have sensed me looking at her because she opened her eyes and yawned. After looking at me for a moment, she closed her eyes and went back to enjoying her snooze in the sunny spot.

As I watched her a funny thought occured to me. If Miss Kitty were to make a New Year’s resolution, what would it be? Would she vow to sleep less than 16 hours a day? Would she worry about dropping the winter weight she seems to gain every year? Probably not. As soon as the weather gets warm and she can chase moles around the yard, she slims right back down. Would she promise not to claw at the back of my leather chair anymore since she knows it annoys me? I don’t think so.

From here my thoughts turmed to the dog. What resolution would Riley Roo make? Would he promise not to shake all his fur around the bathroom after getting a bath?  Would he swear off the buscuits he enjoys after every long walk? Would he stop sleeping on the couch? Would he vow to let me brush him more often so he shed less hair all over the house? Pretty unlikely.

I realized that my pets just enjoy life for what it is. Of course they don’t have to pay the bills or worry about raising a family, but still, I think that there is something to be learned from them.

Can you imagine a day when you don’t feel the need to dream up all the ways you should improve yourself? How liberating it would be to simply stop fretting over so many things and just enjoy every day. 

My New Year’s resolution. Learn the lessons my pets have taught me.

I resolve to worry a little less. I resolve to enjoy my days a little more. I resolve to appreciate the warmth of the sun on my face.

For those of you with pets, particularly cats, you know what a challange having a decorated Christmas tree in the same house as your furry bundle of joy can be. The 2 pets I currently have, Riley and Jasmine, are seasoned veterans so we are generally now mishap-free during the holidays.

Here is the tale  of one small child, one kitten and a Christmas tree or, as I think of it now, a recipe for disaster. 

Our daughter was 3 and her kitten was 4 months old. Both Cass and Chester (a female cat named Chester, but that is a story for another day) were energetic in the way that only youngsters, or over-caffeinated, stressed out adults can be.

For some reason, my husband and I did not consider the potential for mishap or the mayhem the would ensue when we brought an 8′ tall tree into the house, set it up in our living room and then hung shiny, pretty ornaments from its branches. I look back now and think “Duh!”. At the time we were a young couple with visions of a Currier & Ives meets Norman Rockwell holiday in our heads. Everything was perfect. A happy couple, a beautiful child, a lovely home and a new kitten. It sounds heavenly.

Hah! 

Our daughter was so very thirlled with having a real live tree in her living room. She was in awe of the boxes filled with glittering glass ornaments that had been passed down from my husband’s grandparents. Well, apparently so was the cat. Chester stayed in the background, peeking out from behind the furniture occasionally while we set up the tree, strung the lights, added the ornaments and topped it off with shimmering tinsel. When we had finished decking the halls and the tree, we turned off all the house lights, turned on the tree and sat back in wonder at the vision before us.

After tucking our daughter in her new big girl bed, my husband and I snuggled on the couch for a while looking at our tree while we counted our blessings before turning in for the night. 

A few hours later our peaceful house sounded like Armageddon was raining down in the living room. It registered in my sleepy head like this – first a thunderous crash as the tree hit the floor waking us up, then the smashing sounds of heirloom ornaments as they met an untimely death on the hardwood floor, then the high-pitched shriek of one very startled kitten and then the tiny voice of a very small child saying “uh oh.”

By the time my husband and I made it down the hall to the living room the damage had been done. Standing in the middle of the devestation was our little angel in her Santa pjs, her brown eyes wide as they registered the mess around her. As I scooped her into my arms and away from the broken glass, I asked her what happened and she said “I was showing Chester the pretty tree and the ormaments” (not a typo –  that’s what she called them.) I asked “Cass, how did the tree fall down?” and my pretty baby said in all seriousness, thankfully she was not prone to hysteria, “Momma, I don’t know. It fell down when the kitty was on it.” I said “On it? How was the kitty on the tree?” and Cass said “Kitty wanted to see the angel so I put her in the tree. She went up.” Ugh.

Luckily the only casualties were some ornaments and a few bent tree branches. Chester, the cat, and my baby girl were just fine. We managed to stand the tree back up, secureit to the wall with wire and nail, redecorate it with the remaining ornaments and in general restore order. I would like to say that it was the only mis-adventure that holiday season, but there were others, just not as dramatic.

Over the years I have seen just about every way a family pet can damage, destory and defile holiday decorations including but not limited to a puppy lifting it’s leg to the Christmas tree, chewed ornaments, cat scratches on the wrapping paper and missing ornaments that reappear months later under the couch.

I wish you all a pet filled and peaceful holiday full of wonder and joy, with no broken ornaments and a Christmas tree that remains vertical.