Redemption

In June of 2005, I was on the hunt for the perfect "couple" dog for my, then boyfriend, and I. My search lead me to the Lynchburg Humane Society in VA, where I spent about an hour going up and down the aisles, looking at all the different dogs and cats up for adoption. Unfortunately, none of them really caught my attention, so I decided to call it a day.

While I was walking out, I looked over at the last crate on the left, and there walked up this skinny, 2 year old beagle mix named "Marty." The minute our eyes met, his tail started wagging and I knew right then that this was my dog. After being told that he was a 3rd striker and was to be put down soon, I quickly wrote out a $40 check & walked out with the newly named beagle named Baxter.

We had a few rough weeks getting to know each other but things started sailing along until I was diagnosed with leukemia in Sept of '05. Unfortunately, I had to leave him behind with my, now ex, until I was able to bring him down to FL. Finally, a good friend drove him down around Christmas and I was reuniting with Baxter.

The minute he walked into the house, he jumped into my bed and never left my side. He was there through all my chemo treatments, the bad days and the very bad days. Through it all he has been my constant companion & my best friend. Now I am 5 years in remission & he is a healthy 9 years old. I may have rescued him, but I like to think he rescued me as well.

Liz
Palm Bay, FL

Dog Adoption: 7 Things to Know Before Adopting a Dog

The following is reprinted from an eNewsletter from Sharda Baker’s Do-it-yourself Training Series…
Easy D.I.Y Dog Training Secrets

From the desk of Sharda Baker.
Sunday, September 18, 2011

Seeing a cute dog at the local pet shelter or a lovely puppy at a pet store shop window doesn’t mean you have to take it home. Dog adoption is a serious decision and you need to think it through very well. There are numerous things to consider such as are you ready to have a dog, what dog breed you’d like to have, will you be able to take proper care of that particular breed, how will you handle dog training and so on.

In the following lines we discuss ten of the most important issues any aspiring dog owner must address way before they welcome their new pet home.

Are you ready to have a dog? Your dog will love you unconditionally and will be your true friend for life. But your dog will also rely on you for absolutely everything – shelter, food, care, grooming, training and so on.

If you feel you want to adopt a dog, you need to ask yourself “Am I ready to take care of him or her for the next 10 or 15 years of my life?”

Dog size. Once you are certain you want to adopt a dog, you must decide about his or her size. Puppies are small and cute but think about their size when they are full grown – will you be able to take care of a dog that is over 100 pounds or you prefer a toy dog breed?
Dog size is an important consideration if you have or plan to have children too as you need to think about their safety.

Do you want a pure breed dog? Once you decide if you want a small, medium or large dog, it’s time to think about particular dog breeds. First, you’ll have to figure out if you want a pure breed dog or breed doesn’t really matter.

Regardless of your decision, you need to know that there are many rescue dogs for adoption which are pure breed so if you are looking for a particular breed you may be able to find it.
Understanding the differences between breeds will help you to pick the right pet among many dogs to adopt.

The legal process. You must be familiar with federal and local dog adoption regulations. For instance, if you’re planning to take a dog from a dog shelter, you may be asked to fill in some paperwork such as adoption application, proof of current address, proof of ownership of your current living arrangements, marital status and so on. Once you’ve been approved, you will be asked to sign a dog adoption agreement. With it you state that you’ll take full care and responsibility for the dog.

The easiest way to figure out what are the legal requirements for pet adoption is to visit your local Animal Control office and ask for advice.

Are you ready to take it home? Once you’ve completed the required paperwork and paid the necessary fees and taxes for dog adoption, you’ll be allowed to take your new family member home. But are you ready to do so?

Welcoming a pet home is pretty much the same as welcoming a newborn. You need to have a crate or a dog bed and decide where you are going to put it. Make sure you have all the basic dog accessories too – collars, a leash, water and food bowls, grooming tools and supplies, dog toys and so on.

Furthermore, you need to make sure your home is actually dog proofed. In general, you must make sure that your dog will not be able to reach anything dangerous or ruin important household items. For instance, you may want to remove any rugs and carpets until your puppy is fully housebroken.

Training and exercise. Rescue dogs are rarely trained so you will have to take care of your dog’s education. It is vital to start your pet’s training the same day you take it home, and especially if he or she is not housebroken. Do not make the common mistake of waiting several days before commencing with daily training sessions as this will only confuse your new friend further.

If you have never had a pet before, prepare yourself by reading books and articles about pet training or seek a professional dog trainer.

Plan your dog’s exercise and fun activities too. Some dog breeds don’t really need special exercise but others must be exercised regularly. Check with your vet what is the best exercise routine for your dog.

Plan for proper healthcare. Taking care of your dog’s health is of immense importance. If you neglect his or her health problems you will end up with a sick dog and hefty medical bills.

Find a good veterinarian prior to the dog adoption and visit them right after you take your dog from the dog shelter. Most dogs for adoption are not vaccinated nor treated for internal or external parasites. You will need to take care of these prior to bringing the pet home. Also, your vet will need to make a thorough examination of the pet and see if there are any outstanding health issues you need to address.

I hope that you enjoyed and learned something again from today’s newsletter.

All the best and take care

Warmly,

What You Must Know Before Your Pet Goes "Under"

The following was reprinted from a post to mercola.com blog:
POSTED BY:  Dr. Becker on September 08 2011

Many pet owners are fearful of veterinary procedures that require their dog or cat to be anesthetized. And while this is a very legitimate concern, the risks of anesthesia can be minimized with proper planning before the procedure, careful monitoring while the dog or cat is 'under', and competent aftercare. Every pet is different and anesthesia protocols should be customized to meet the specific needs of the individual. For example, a senior pet or one with a health problem would probably require a different anesthesia protocol than a young, healthy dog or cat.

Dr. Becker's Comments:

The word anesthesia is of Greek origin and means absence of sensation. In the mid-1800's it took on its present day use as a term to describe induced insensibility (unconsciousness) to pain during surgical procedures.

There are two kinds of anesthesia: local and general. Local anesthetics are used to numb a specific area of the body.

General anesthesia is the kind that renders the patient unconscious and is of course the more worrisome and potentially dangerous of the two. However, human and veterinary medicine have seen significant improvements in recent years in anesthetic agents with highly predictable and reversible effects.

General anesthesia is used with pets to help relax the muscles of the body, remove the ability of the animal to fight against the procedure, and to insure your pet feels no pain during surgery or other veterinary procedures.

What Are the Risks of Anesthetizing My Pet?

It is thought about 1 in 100,000 animals have a reaction to anesthesia. To the owner of that 1 in 100,000 dog or cat, it's a completely unacceptable risk. But it's actually less risk than your pet faces riding in the car to and from the vet's office.

Reactions can be as minor as a bit of mild swelling at the injection site, to a life-threatening situation of anaphylactic shock.

If your pet has a medical condition (for example heart, liver or kidney disease, diabetes, anemia, dehydration, or an infection like heartworm disease), there is an elevated risk of complications from anesthesia.

Also if a pet isn't fasted properly prior to anesthesia, she can encounter problems like vomiting either during or shortly after being anesthetized. This can result in aspiration pneumonia, which is a very serious condition.

Other complications from anesthesia, though rare, include blood clotting disorders, problems with eyesight, seizures, and kidney, liver or heart failure.

Evaluating Your Pet's Condition Pre-Anesthesia

Things you should expect your vet to do before performing a procedure requiring anesthesia include the following (some of this will depend on how well the doctor knows your dog or cat already, and when your pet was last examined):

• Take a complete medical history including pre-existing conditions, prior surgeries, vaccine status, spay/neuter status, results of any previous testing, supplements and medications given, known drug reactions, and how your pet has reacted to anesthesia in the past.
• Perform a thorough physical to include gum assessment (which shows how well hydrated your pet is as well as his circulatory status), chest exam and palpation of the abdomen. 
• Pre-anesthesia blood tests and a chest x-ray, ECG or BNP blood test, if appropriate.

If your vet determines your dog or cat can safely undergo anesthesia, you'll typically need to fast him for 12 hours prior to the procedure. Vets have differing opinions on how long before surgery water or other liquids should be withheld, but the minimum time is usually two hours prior to pre-medication.

 In debilitated pets, the goal is to stabilize the animal before anesthesia is attempted.

 Pre-Medication and Anesthesia Options

Prior to anesthesia, an IV catheter and line should be placed in your pet so the doctor and vet staff can easily administer drugs, including anesthetics, as well as fluids.

IV fluids are beneficial for blood pressure maintenance, to replace fluids lost during surgery, to accelerate the recovery process, and to prevent post-anesthesia kidney dysfunction. The IV will also be used in the event emergency drugs are required during the procedure.

All older general anesthesia patients should receive IV catheterization and fluids, and many vets suggest or require a catheter for all patients.

Your pet should also be pre-medicated with a sedative, which will help the induction (start-up) of the anesthesia and can also improve its effectiveness during the procedure.

Your vet has many choices of pre-anesthetic sedation available, depending on your pet's health evaluation. At my clinic, I prefer Butorphanol for healthy pets because it also offers some pre-surgical pain management (which has been proven to reduce post-operative pain levels).

There are also a wide variety of anesthetics available for veterinary use. Most of them are listed here, with an explanation of how they work, side effects, situations in which they are used, and other information.

The anesthesia I prefer is Sevoflurane, which is an inhalation agent. Inhalation anesthesia provides some advantages, including a patent (clear and unobstructed) airway, fast control of the depth of the anesthesia, and a rapid, uneventful recovery.

Your pet will have an endotracheal or breathing tube inserted which will facilitate delivery of the anesthesia gas to the lungs, as well as oxygen as required.

Monitoring Your Pet During and Immediately After the Procedure

Your pet's condition should be continuously monitored while she's 'out' and then in recovery until she's no longer under the influence of the anesthesia. Typical vitals measured include:

• Body temp
• Respiration and pulse rates
• Blood pressure
• Blood oxygen and CO2 (carbon dioxide) levels
• ECG or EKG

I recommend asking your vet how they monitor these parameters, as well as control body temperature during anesthesia.

Your pet should appear normal to you by the time you pick her up after a procedure during which she received anesthesia.

You might notice she's a bit sleepy and less active for 12 to 24 hours after you get her home. But if she seems really sluggish, groggy, or out of it, call your vet or an emergency animal clinic right away.

Post-surgery Pain Management

If your pet has had surgery of any kind, he'll be in pain – perhaps just a little, perhaps quite a bit. And he can't tell anyone if or how much he hurts, so you'll need to speak up for him if necessary.

Your dog or cat should be treated before, during and after any pain-inducing procedure with appropriate pain relief.

Pain medication will not only keep your furry family member comfortable, it will also help speed up the healing process. I strongly believe all patients that have been cut with a scalpel deserve prescribed pain management, at least for the first 72 hours. If your vet does not offer pain management, please ask for it.

Post-anesthesia Chiropractic

I recommend everyone, on two legs or four, see a chiropractor or bodywork therapist after any procedure requiring anesthesia. This is particularly important for pets, since while many hospitals and surgery centers now put human patients on 'anesthesia boards' to transfer them from the gurney to the surgery table and back to the gurney, many pet patients aren't handled as carefully.

A limp body is difficult to lift and move. All that flopping around can throw your pet's body out of alignment during transfer from the surgery table to the recovery area.

Also, many animals jerk their bodies around as they awake from anesthesia, which can also damage their skeletal health.

In my professional opinion, allowing an animal chiropractor to realign your pet after any round of anesthesia is money well spent.

ASPCA Partner Community Spotlight: Shelby County

Shelby County, Alabama, is driven to drastically improve the lives of its animals. That’s one of the reasons it was selected for the ASPCA Partnership. We work with Shelby County and nine other communities to upgrade the state of animal welfare in their areas by providing the resources they need to sustain progress.

Shelby County has made great strides for its companion animals since joining the ASPCA Partnership in 2009. Since then, the community has reduced the number of animals entering its shelters, increased the number of spay/neuter surgeries, and saved more than 4,400 lives through interstate animal transfer!

It’s obvious that Shelby County is motivated to succeed, and the ASPCA is there to lend a hand every step of the way. But right now, this community could use a hand from you—and all you have to do is vote! The executive director of the Shelby Humane Society, Jennifer Miller, is a finalist in Beneful’s $500,000 competition for a dream dog park. If her great idea wins, Jennifer (and Honey Belle, her adorable, furry teammate) will get to build a truly remarkable dog park—which would include an agility course, lots of shade and a doggie pool! That’s bound to make lots of Alabama pooches mighty happy.

Forty percent of Beneful’s decision will be based on total votes earned, so visit the competition's website and vote for Jennifer and Honey Belle’s idea. (Hint: it’s the fourth entry on the second page of finalists.) Help this animal-loving community provide a wonderful space for its canine pals!

To learn more about Shelby County’s ASPCA partnership, visit its page on ASCPA.org.