Pity poor puppy mill pets & the people who love them

Decades ago, eager to bring home our first family dog, we went straight to the pet store at a nearby mall and soon walked out with a buff cocker spaniel puppy.  He was darling and we were thrilled . . . until one ailment after another afflicted him.

It soon grew to frequent vet visits, multiple medications and regular baths with special shampoo. The (inevitable) end was horribly sad.

There were puppy mills then, as there are now, often supplying pet stores with poorly-bred animals from overworked and undertreated females, often violating whatever guidelines and ground rules may have been in place.

Finally, people and the media are waking up to the perils of puppy mill pups.  Today's Times of Trenton included coverage of legislators’ determination to do better – for the animals themselves and unwitting buyers.

Last Sunday’s Times had showcased a special report, “Sick puppies, healthy profits” (linked below), about both animal and human pain and financial loss connected with puppy mills.  Forewarned is . . . happier families with happier pets.   https://tinyurl.com/m6db63ff

Vetting the cats – yes!

Soon after “Linda” and I met, the subject of cats came up, and she told me about her own cat’s recent vet visit – the first with Linda in 6 years– a new experience for both of them.  

Aware of how often my 2 cats are vetted, I was astonished.  When Linda reported that her cat was deemed ‘fine” by the vet, more astonishment, prompting me to check on “official” recommendations for how often pet cats should be seen by a vet.  (I looked for online info from the American Veterinary Medical Assn. and the American Assn of Feline Practitioners, besides recalling what I’d “always” been told.)

Once a year was the most common advice, with twice yearly or more suggested for older cats, and still more often for a cat with health issues.

A cat parent simply can’t tell just by looking whether a feline is OK; furthermore, cats are known for hiding signs of ill health.  And too, teeth can tell a tale, as can results of blood and urine tests.

Bottom line: pets and vets belong together!

Some horseshoe crabs spared harvesting

It wasn’t enough that they’re primordial creatures who have lived through one animal extinction after another; nor enough that substitutes exist for their use as bait by fishermen and their blue blood in biomedical testing. 

It took threatened shorebirds – red knots, specifically -- who need horseshoe crab eggs to fuel their long migration journeys.  And so female horseshoe crabs of the Delaware Bay won’t be harvested for a season.  Once again, Reed’s Beach on the bay will host the egg-laying and bird-feasting.   

Welcome back, everyone!

Diagnosis by Dodo

Since Jersey joined Billy and me, I’ve mentioned his frequent  (screeching? screaming? caterwauling? sound effects? – take your pick) and searched for reasons and cures.  Theories abounded.  So did suggestions for what to do about it.  None worked.

Major oral surgery to clean up his toothlessness didn’t change it, nor did more and more time in a loving home after life as an outdoor cat, or vet’s or Jackson Galaxy’s or friends’ ideas.

Then roaming around YouTube recently, I came upon a Dodo story about “Donut,” a cat who screams at his parents -- and why.  I didn’t yell it, but I sure thought it: “Eureka!” 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9GUSe0o328

I’ve known for a while that Jersey's at least partially deaf.  That’s where Donut’s story surprised me: he too is deaf – and he “talks” so loud all the time because he can’t hear himself at a normal sound level!

Simple, right? 

But . . . that suggests a treatment question: should I shout to Jersey so he’s sure to hear me?  Now, to avoid startling him if his back is turned, I walk more heavily and speak extra distinctly while approaching, before I touch him.

We’ll see (hear?) how it goes.

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