A Dog Blog Post

Global Warming, Industrialization, and Deadly Spiders: No Big Deal

I'm going to tackle my two weeks of blog silence with a short blog post relating to this article. It's about the brown recluse, a very dangerous and sometimes deadly spider, migrating across the U.S. due to climate change. Now, to be honest, I hate spiders. I am allergic to spider bites and have been since I was a child, so I have an irrational fear of the spiders themselves. I am not excited for their impending migration, but I don't think that's the important part.

What this article doesn't cover is what climate change in conjunction with the destruction of natural habitats is doing to our planet. While seemingly inconsequential, in the last week, I've seen two woodpeckers, an owl, several rabbits, and three raccoons. No big deal, right? Except that I live right in the middle of Chicago, and while these animals are close neighbors and very plentiful in the suburbs, it is not common for them to make camp in the middle of large cities.

I enjoy technology. I have an iPod; my television allows me to watch HD; and I am currently writing this blog on my MacBook from the comfort of my couch. However, it's becoming increasingly obvious what human consumption and the evolution of knowledge, technology, and capitalism are doing to this planet. I recently watched several documentaries about the planet, and it's hard to hear that the clean water supply is dwindling, that the poles are melting at alarming speeds, and that agriculture growth is down. These fears, along with the brown recluse migrating to Wisconsin from the southeast, are merely symptoms of a larger problem.
 
I'm not sure what else to say, other than we need to change our way of living.

Cat Corner

What it Means to Declaw Your Cat

By Gianina Scalise

Throughout most of Europe, declawing a cat is considered unnecessary and cruel. It is an illegal procedure to perform, and those who do are charged with animal cruelty. However, in America, the surgery is very common and is performed regularly at veterinarian offices without fear. What is the discrepancy?

Many cat owners that consider declawing their cat(s) are unaware of what the surgery actually entails. They know that their cat is plucking at the fabric of their very expensive couch or ruining their leather, and to cohabitate more peacefully, declawing is laid out as an option. Those who go ahead with the surgery do not want to harm their cat, either; they love their pet and merely want to make things a bit easier. However innocent this mindset may seem, it is also a very selfish one.

To understand why, the surgery itself as well as the possible complications need to be laid out.

First and foremost, many owners think of a cat's claws in the same way they think of their toe nails. However, this is not the case. A cat's claw is not adhered to the skin, like our nails, but instead is adhered directly to the bone of the toe. To remove the claw, the last joint of each toe is sawed off.

It is, very bluntly, an amputation.

The surgery itself is painful, and the recovery period is difficult. Most cats cannot remain sedentary. They are active animals, and it is in their nature to run, jump, claw, and climb. Unlike a human who undergoes surgery on their feet, a cat is not given the luxury of a wheelchair or bed-rest. They must still stand to eat; they must dig in their litter box; and they must jump up to their favorite perch.

And like most animals, cats can be deceptive. While they may be in pain, they will try not to show it because in the wild, showing pain is akin to showing weakness. Cats may be domesticated, but their instincts are still intact. Veterinarian Christianne Schelling points this out on her website dedicated to educating the public about declawing: "No cat lover would doubt that cats--whose senses are much keener than ours--suffer pain. They may, however, hide it better. Not only are they proud, they instinctively know that they are at risk when in a weakened position, and by nature will attempt to hide it. But make no mistake. This is not a surgery to be taken lightly."

Dr. Schelling also notes that a cat's physiology is sacrificed: "Your cat's body is perfectly designed to give it the grace, agility and beauty that is unique to felines. Its claws are an important part of this design. Amputating the important part of their anatomy that contains the claws drastically alters the conformation of their feet." A cat's grace and agility are not the only characteristics that are compromised by declawing, though. By taking away their means of defense, cats are left unable to defend themselves from predators if the need ever arises. For this reason, you should never consider declawing if your cat is an indoor-outdoor cat.

What can you do instead of declawing? There are a few options, and though they take a little more time and upkeep, they are much humane and safer for your cat:

• Offer several scratching posts to keep their attention 
• Trim your cat's nails weekly
• Use nail caps! Nail caps are made of vinyl and adhere to the nails with feline-safe glue. They last for about a month and come in different colors
• If your cat begins to kneed or scratch at the furniture, a stern "no" along with a mist of water from a squirt bottle should dissuade him or her

If you are still considering declawing after doing your research, be sure to discuss the procedure in depth with your veterinarian. It is an expensive, radical surgery, and the decision should not be made on a whim without proper consideration. However, keep in mind that there are other, more humane options and that your cat deserves the best.

A Dog Blog Post

The Fight Against Puppy Mills

Before I began working in a Chicago dog shelter, I was pretty clueless regarding puppy mills. I liked to go into pet stores and snuggle fluffy pups. And then I began working at the Chicago Canine Rescue (CCR). CCR is a dog rescue that specifically focuses on the neediest dogs-- those in need of medical treatment and socialization because they have been neglected or abused. Because of CCR's mission, I saw more sadness and devastation than I ever wanted to. Part of it involved puppy mill dogs, and it opened my eyes to the issue of breeding for profit.

If you don't know much about puppy mills, let me lay out some brief descriptions. Keep in mind, puppy mill operators can be considered breeders, but not all breeders are puppy mill operators. Some breeders treat their dogs wonderfully, and they cannot be lumped into the same category as puppy mills regardless of their business. With that said, puppy mills function as commercial breeding facilities. They are usually overcrowded, and dogs are kept in small cages without clean water or enough food. A lot of the time, they sit in their own feces. The breeder dogs are allowed out only to breed and then are returned to their kennels. These dogs are not socialized, and their health is compromised by disgustingly sub-par conditions.

When these dogs are rescued and adopted out, they suffer emotional trauma, and it's not often that they ever fully recover from their fear and painful past.

The Huffington Post recently posted this article about the Missouri anti-puppy mill law. To sum it up, the law is being overturned. Breeders are complaining about the strict rules they were forced to abide by due to Prop B, but more importantly, the upkeep they must maintain according to these laws is becoming too costly.
Animal welfare, specifically the fight against puppy mills, is facing an ugly fight, and it begins in Missouri.

Puppy mills are not something to be taken lightly. They are ugly, painful, profiteering organizations that should not be allowed to run. When you think of a dog, do you think that they'd be afraid of grass? Of course not. And yet, many puppy mill dogs are fearful of grass because haven't been exposed to nature. Vet care is withheld and they are shut into horrible conditions, so many of them suffer from heartworm disease, disease and illness related to over-breeding, malnutrition, and debilitating emotional trauma.  When they are no longer able to produce viable offspring, they are usually euthanized-- and not in a humane fashion, either.

With Prop B being overturned, the horrible treatment we see in these facilities is being allowed to run rampant without anything to hold it back. It's a huge blow to a cause that is not taken seriously enough in the first place.

Do some research on puppy mills, and then visit ASPCA.org and see what you can do to help. For more information, you can also visit WAGSShelter.org. WAGS Shelter was founded by some wonderful friends of mine, and their mission was inspired by their rescue dog, a little, sassy Shih Tzu named Tally, who was a breeder at a puppy mill for eleven years before she was rescued. After suffering from horrible periodontal disease, heartworm disease, breast cancer, and pulmonary hypertension-- all related to her life as a breeder dog-- she is still staying strong, and I hope her story can help push you into action.

Adoption

Are You Ready to Adopt a Dog?
By Gianina Scalise

Deciding to adopt a dog should not be an easy decision. Your entire life will change, even if you don't think it will. Dogs are needy, with their biggest need being you. When considering adding a canine companion to your life, you should evaluate your lifestyle and decide if you're ready for the extra commitment. Here are a few questions to ask yourself before you take the next step.

1.  Why do you want a dog? While this may seem like an easy question, consider it for a while. Are your children asking for a puppy? Are you single and want some companionship? Do your friends all own dogs? Owning a dog can be an incredibly fun and rewarding experience, but it also requires a lot of time, patience, and responsibility.

2. Are you able to afford another family member? Take a peek at your finances because owning a dog is not cheap. Food alone can cost anywhere from $75 to $300 a year depending on the size of the dog. Some dogs require professional grooming; others will chew through toys in a matter of hours, requiring many trips a month to the pet store. You'll need a leash, a collar, a crate, food bowls, and some treats to get you started, as well. On average, veterinary care can cost upwards of $120 for a regular visit, with emergencies costing much more. So, total, you could be spending anywhere from $800 to $1,500 a year. Can you afford it?

3. Are pets allowed? If you rent an apartment or own a condo, be sure you're able to have a dog and that you understand any pet policies or restrictions that apply to your lease or condo association rules. Do you have to pay a deposit or monthly fee? Are certain breeds allowed? Are there weight limits in place? If you adopt without checking this first, you may be putting yourself and your new pet in a difficult situation.

4. Do you have the time for a dog? Dogs are social by nature and they require attention, training, and socialization. You would only be doing a dog harm by leaving him or her alone for a 10 hour work day. Keep in mind that your social life may suffer, as well. You'll have a feeding schedule to abide by as well as a walking schedule so your dog isn't holding it too long. They'll need exercise as much as they'll need some time to just sit back and cuddle. Dogs take up a lot of your time, and you need to be ready to give it to them, though sometimes it may be given grudgingly.

5. Do you have children, other pets, or circumstances that may affect bringing home a new dog? Don't rush into adopting a certain dog because you like their look or energy. For example, if you have young children, a very small dog may not be the best fit even if you've always wanted a Yorkie. If you have a cat, a dog with a high prey drive is only going to make your home life more stressful as well as put your cat in danger.

6. Do you care if your rug gets peed on? Will you lose your mind if you come home from work and your coffee table is chewed? What about your shoes? These are situations to consider. Your dog may enjoy the taste of leather, and if so, you need to be ready to work with them. Being returned to a shelter is hard for a dog, and the act of returning a dog is hard on the owner, so be sure you're ready to dig into your patience reserve.

7. Have you done your research? If you can't answer that with certainty, then go back to the drawing board and begin Googling dog and pet care.

If you're looking to add a puppy to your household, assume the work and time commitment will be doubled. Generally, puppies require more training and a lot more supervision. You should only consider a puppy under the age of 8 months if they won't be alone for more than a few hours at a time and if you're ready for the responsibility.

In a nutshell, these are the top questions you should be considering if you're thinking about adopting. If you're unsure about any of these points, don't rush into it! There will always be dogs needing homes, but you need to make sure you can provide the best home.

A Dog Blog Post

Animal Cruelty and the Human Condition

I just read this article on the Huffington Post. To sum it up: a woman drowned, sliced open, and then mutilated a relative's cat so she could don herself in cat blood for a Lady Gaga concert. She is being charged with animal cruelty, and is was revealed that she has suffered from depression in the past, but never from violent outbursts.

While she committed a horrible act, I do feel for the woman. Mental illness is nothing to take lightly. However, something like this makes me wonder exactly what we're doing. Animal abuse and neglect occur all the time, and many people charged with these heinous crimes are let off without proper discipline. For example, Michael Vick was the financial backer of a dog fighting ring and also a participant. Inside that ring, abuse, neglect, torture and execution occurred. And yet, despite participating in and allowing these horrendous acts to occur, he only received 23 months of jail time.

How on earth did such a crime not warrant more than 23 months?

I met some of the Michael Vick dogs last July when visiting Best Friends Animal Society. While some were adoptable and have joined wonderful homes after months and months or rehabilitation and treatment, other dogs were sentenced to a lifetime at Best Friends. Now, don't get me wrong... Best Friends Animal Society is an absolutely breathtaking sanctuary and their dogs are well cared for. They have indoor kennels, outdoor kennels, toys, food, water, medical treatment, and a lot of room to run. The caretakers there are dedicated and love the animals they care for.

However, these dogs have been punished for being victims. I understand that they may not be rehabilitateable. Believe me, I have seen my fair share of abuse cases, and I have cared for several dogs who were used as bait in dog fighting. It's ugly, and not all dogs can come back from such a brutal past. But it's still a very depressing thought-- that these dogs will never see the inside of a home because some group of men violated them and allowed them to be torn apart, beaten, and starved. 

I think what truly affects me is that we domesticated them. No animal should be treated so horribly, but regarding dogs and cats specifically, we turned them into pets. We allowed them to overpopulate, and we allow abuse to continue by not rectifying the darker side of our society. We've demonized breeds of dogs that we bred aggression into and they suffer for it every single day.

I think, as people, we need to look around because we do the same to our fellow man. There is a recent 'controversy' brewing because of a picture of the president of J. Crew painting her young son's toe nails pink. It's being called part of the "transgendered liberal agenda." It's being blown out of proportion, and people are declaring this boy will need psychotherapy later in life to combat the effects of his mother's actions. And yet, there are children starving, being abused and neglected, and wandering the streets in search of hope because we live in a system that cannot and will not support them due to budget cuts and wars overseas that we have no business involved in.

We are forgetting what's important in life, and it's a very sad realization.

And yet, there are always bright spots. People of Japan, who are facing natural disaster after disaster as well as a possible nuclear disaster, are risking their own health for stray and abandoned dogs. This Huffington Post article tells a story of a group of animal enthusiasts who braved an evacuated area to save a group of wandering Collies.

I can only hope that more people begin to think as selflessly as these people.

Cat Corner

What You Need to Know About Your Cat's Diet

By Gianina Scalise

Dry food is cheaper. There is no question about that. It's easier, as well. A scoop once or twice a day into a food bowl and you're all set. However, because of the market for dry food, the truth about your cat's dietary needs gets swept under the rug. And while dogs can thrive on a kibble-based diet, it is difficult for cats to do the same without suffering related health risks.

Unlike humans or dogs, cats need much more protein in their diet to survive. An easier way to bring that concept to life is to think about what a cat would eat in the wild. That's right: a nice, juicy mouse. It's not the most appetizing thought, but there's a reason the game of cat and mouse has pervaded society's perception of their sassy feline companion. Cats are carnivores, and while some wheat or dairy won't hurt them, in the wild, they would not be chewing on grains or plants for their protein. It's hard to put protein into a dry form, and many kibble products have an unnecessary amount of grain and plant protein that is not necessary.

Another issue that arises with dry kibble is carbohydrates. While carbs are a source of energy, cats can survive without them. A mouse is made up of mostly protein and water with a small mount of fat and an equally small amount of carbohydrates. As Dr. Lisa Pierson states on her website CatInfo.org, "You would never see a wild cat chasing down a herd of biscuits running across the plains of Africa or dehydrating her mouse and topping it off with corn meal gluten souffle." It's just not in their nature.

The other negative about a feline diet too high in carbohydrates is that carbs can wreck havoc on a cat's insulin and sugar levels and can cause rapid weight gain if the amount of kibble provided is not monitored. Keeping that in mind, it's not surprising that one of the leading feline diseases is diabetes.

The other downside of kibble is moisture. Cats are descendents of desert animals. This means that they do not drink their water in the wild, but must hydrate as they eat their meals. Mice are, give or take, about 70% percent water. There is no possible way for kibble to imitate a substantial water source, so many house cats are living their lives dehydrated. Dehydration can lead to skin and coat problems, as well as one of the leading causes of feline death: kidney disease. Without enough moisture, blood flow is limited, and without enough blood flow to flush out the kidneys, toxins build up. 

Lack of moisture is also the cause of urinary tract issues in cats because they are not consuming enough water to flush out their bladder. Urinary tract infections and blockages are incredibly painful, but can be easily prevented with the proper diet. 

So, what can you do? The solution is easy. Feed your cats a canned food diet. Canned food is generally higher in protein, lower in carbs, and much higher in moisture. By making such a small change in your cat's life, you can significantly alter their disposition to painful and sometimes fatal diseases. 

For an extensive look into what a proper feline diet can do for your cat, please visit CatInfo.org.

Paws Abroad

 Chicago-based Organization Helps Dogs Abroad

 By Gianina Scalise
Original article can be found here.

In August of 2010, Chicagoans Imelda and Marisela Corona took a trip to Costa Rica. However, they did not travel for pleasure—they traveled with a very specific task in mind: to help the homeless dogs that were struggling to survive on the streets.

“The amount of street dogs is overwhelming,” Imelda commented when asked about the trip, and explained that the local shelter, San Rafael de Heredia, is doing as much as they can with what little they have. The shelter's main goal is to spay and neuter as many dogs possible to limit the growing population.

In Costa Rica, Imelda and Marisela spent a week traveling the country and offering food to any dog they came across. Imelda recalls many of the dogs running along the beaches and it was one of the few things that offered some relief: “I met so many beach dogs that seemed so free and happy, and that made it better, knowing they had no limits and a whole country to explore."

A pair of strays, who they nicknamed Lady and Tramp, followed them loyally and even slept on the porch of their hostel. It was Lady who inspired them to create the non-profit organization Paws Abroad, which benefits the stray, homeless dogs of poorer countries.

This week, Imelda and Marisela will continue to help dogs abroad in Puerto Rico. From today, April 11th, until the 19th, they will donate their time, food, toys, and medication to Save a Sato Foundation as well as place flea collars on and feed the homeless dogs they meet.

Paws Abroad also donates clothing and toys to orphanages. “Its amazing to see the kids’ faces,” Imelda commented. “Its like Christmas for them.” Though their main goal is aiding the dogs, Paws Abroad wishes to help every needy person and animal they can. Their motto is, “"If giving a dog a bowl of food will allow them to live an extra week, we’ll give them a bag.”

If you would like to learn more about Paws Abroad and how to help, please visit their website here.

The Dog Days of Summer

Why Your Pet Should be on Heartworm Preventative 

By Gianina Scalise

Original article can be found here. 

Though many dog owners provide their canine companion with a heartworm preventative every month, many have no idea why it is necessary. Unfortunately, even more owners do not give their dog monthly heartworm preventative because the risks of skipping that small, chewable pill are unknown.

The Midwest was previously less likely to see an abundance of dogs infected with heartworm disease, but many southern dogs are being transported to Chicago and other northerly cities. This was especially true after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans and the surrounding areas, and many of the homeless, injured animals were transported north in an attempt to save them. Unfortunately, many of these dogs were heartworm positive, and the disease began to spread while people remained unaware.

To better understand the need for heartworm preventative, it is important to understand the disease. Heartworm disease is mosquito-borne, meaning a single, seemingly harmless bite can infect your dog. The transmitted worms live in the skin and then the chest muscles as they go through various stages of growth. Then, they move into the bloodstream and make their way to the heart and lungs. The worms can cause unequivocal damage to the arteries of the lungs and the right side of the heart if left untreated.

A dog infected with heartworm disease can be asymptomatic until the disease progresses, and treatment for heartworm disease is equally as painful as the later stages of infection. It involves a series of arsenic-based injections, and the dog must be kept incredibly sedentary for upwards of two or three months to assure no complications arise.

And keep in mind, depending on the dog’s size, heartworm treatment can be very expensive. Though heartworm preventative and annual heartworm tests may be more costly, in the long run, it is very worth it, both for you and your canine companion.

Chicago is seeing its first truly warm day, with the temperature rising to almost eighty-five degrees. Unfortunately, these beautiful summer-esque days are the beginning of heartworm season. Do well by your pets—get heartworm preventative and assure they receive their yearly heartworm test.

In Which I Introduce my Purpose

I have found after working in animal welfare for many years that man is, a lot of the time, completely thoughtless when it comes to the animals. Especially animals who have been domesticated. That isn't to say that man is abusive or horrible. I have met people who would rather starve than allow their pets to eat less than the highest quality of food. But on the flip side, I have met people who have beaten, fought, and neglected their pets for various reasons.

I hope, with this blog, to discuss a range of things-- from puppy care, to heartworm disease, to the proper feline diet, to local Chicago shelters who are putting everything they have into rescuing the animals that need them most.

I write for Examnier.com's Chicago Dog Rescue section, and I intend to share my articles there as well as my thoughts, relevant websites, and events that pertain to dogs and animal rescue in general.