Alvin socializin

Alvin has to be one of the most socialized puppies we've ever had. Thanks to some relatives with babies, he's been exposed to toddler luvin and temper tantrums. He's been on I can't count how many car rides. He went to a small family reunion. He has gone into Lowe's and other stores to get landscaping supplies. He has helped take down trees and chainsaws didn't phase him one bit! He has helped mow lawns. And recently he decided that he could go up and down concrete stairs, but the wooden ones... well, we'll wait on those a little longer.

When he's still and quiet, he looks like the picture above. But when he's in full motion, he is starting into his gangly teenage stage like the picture below. As fat as they were as puppies being fed by two moms, we weren't sure if they were going to be large as adults. Logic says no, the genetics determine that, but then looking at them... they were SOOOO BIG - lol. It's nice to see that he'll turn out to be a very nice sized adult pug after all!

Here he was out front helping remove the dandelions before the Memorial Day Parade :)





After the parade, Miss Tanner taught Alvin how to fetch. Over on a hill in the grass with a creek running behind. There were oh so many smells and it was fun to be one of the chosen ones who got to go and run around in the field while the ground was being prepped for a tractor pull coming up next weekend. Chasing twigs was just part of the fun for that afternoon! Wish I had my camera with me then!!

Mugsey needs a ride to Iowa or Quincy, IL

http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=10790612

Mugsy is a pug mix in Kentucky who needs a ride to her rescue in either Iowa or Quincy, IL. If you know of anyone going these directions, maybe contact the posting organization!

If there is anyone in the local area who travels frequently, please contact the local humane society and ask if they need volunteer transports. Our humane society works very hard at placing as many animals into rescue groups as they can, knowing that this is one of the best ways to minimize the number of animals they are forced to put down. So drop by or call and let them know the trips you'll be taking and see if there is any need for a transport to a rescue group. An easy way to save a life and provide much needed help and support in this day of high gas prices!

Avoid soy in kibble

This entry will be added to over time, but until the whole article is put together, know that soy in our animals' kibble is having a negative effect on their bodies, and specifically on the thyroid. Here is just one article:

http://www.tippypaws.com/2005/10/23/thyroid-disease-in-cats-dogs/#more-101

Alvin & his football bed

And just to make sure you can see all his cuteness!


Free digital graphics downloaded from:
http://petitmoineaux.blogspot.com/

Winter the Cat Ready for New Home

Winter the cat, who was found as a stray 2 days before Christmas (her family was obviously full of the Christmas spirit when they dumped her) has been spayed and is almost ready to go to her new home. If you know of anyone interested, we'd like to personally place Winter. She's loving, affectionate, intelligent, litter-box trained, and a joy to have around. We just cannot keep her at this time. We've done what we could to help secure a better future for her. Please help us in finding her a new and loving home.

One of Ellie's puppies enjoying sheer bliss

Made with the girly girl kit from freedigitalscrapbooking.com plus a few elements from other kits from other sources (the tag, the pearls at the bottom and the brad holding the tag).

Storytime - Alvin

I had Alvin up on the bed Saturday night playing with the pack. We have hardwood floors, so the gang values their play/wrestle time on a nice, comfy bed. After the pups were weaned, Ellie took great care in teaching them the pro wrestling moves, but they still haven't been able to pin mom down unless she fakes it.

At any rate, I fell asleep long before they did. (If I lay just right, when they run over me, it's like a massage!) And here's how I woke up at 4am Sunday. I was laying on my side, head on my pillow. Alvin was laying on his side, upper body on my pillow, facing me. His little head was right by my head. Ok, honestly, his little mouth was right by my lips. I was wakened by his dreaming. He was making all sorts of noises and when the air would come out, his lips would billow with the wind, all up against my lips. If that won't shock you out of a deep sleep, don't know what will! I picked him up (totally dead weight, head lolling back, lips smacking in protest of being woken) and put him back in the ex-pen, thinking he would need to go potty soon.

But then I found out he already had! He was very polite, didn't wake me, and went to the far bottom corner of the bed and quietly had gone potty at some time during the night. I love waterproof mattress pads so I can enjoy my puppy time :)

Gator scrapbooked digitally

Digital package from the Shabby Princess dot com.

Waiora Animal Conference Call

Tonight was the first time I've tuned into a conference call with Waiora, the distributors of Natural Cell Defense (liquid zeolites) in addition to other products.

Those of you I've talked to recently either in person or on messag boards are aware that NCD is my new favorite thing. It is an incredible detoxifier and has such a magnificent impact on health and critical situations.

In the interview, they spoke with a veterinarian who practices in Sacramento and uses a combination of traditional and alternative applications. The practice has, I believe, 4 veterinarians, and they have used the NCD product specifically for 2 years. Information about the doctor and a recording of the call will be posted in the next several days at www.zeoliteforums.com.

They began using the product on elderly cats, specifically those who were experiencing renal failure. Not only did they experience great results and clinical results indicating lowering (good) indicators, the cats often increased their appetite and their fur became more shiny. Having success and measurable results with this issue, they also began using it effectively for the following issues: chronic ear infections, cancers (prostate, mammary, carcinomas, and other cancers to remove free-floating cancer cells to prevent metastisis), chronic skin disorders and allergies, bacterial issues alongside traditional anti-biotics, and liver disease. They are impressed with the way it removes toxins from the system.

In this house, we have used it to clear an abscess, to help recover from illnesses and surgeries. One of our dog has a moderate level of aggression due to vaccinosis. When treating her for an upper respiratory infection, the NCD wasn't working on her cough, but amazingly enough, it reduced her aggression level significantly. This further validated my belief she was suffering from vaccinosis, one common side effect being aggression believed to be caused by the mercury in the brain. We have also used it for another dog who had a mysterious, unexplained itch above her tail.

All together, I'm very pleased to have this product at my disposal and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to man or beast, well or ill, young or old.

http://my.waiora.com/home.php?897589

Pug in Violets

Millie is digitally scrapbooked using tutorial and elements from freedigitalscrapbooking.com
http://freedigitalscrapbooking.com/digital_scrapbooking_papers_assorted.html

Pug pups at the Nursing Home

I had an appointment in Columbus with a holistic vet who also does chiropractic adjustments. Ellie's boys and Millie went with me to get their puppy checkups and chiropractic adjustments as yet another step in helping them get the best possible start in life.

The boys didn't make it easy on me, though. They pooped in the crate on the way there, pooped on the floor of the car, and one of them vomitted on my freshly cleaned pants 3 times. By the time we arrived at the vet, we were dirty, stinky, and very unimpressive. And by the time we cleaned up the prior messes and a couple of new ones on the office floor, the room had be fumigated behind us. So embarassing! But the boys were very cute, despite all that. And Millie tried to pierce the vet's fingers with her extra-sharp teeth while he innocently tried to listen to her heart and lungs.

I was very impressed by the vet tech. She actually got all the boys' names straight and knew the difference between Alvin and Theodore right away! The whole staff was very pleasant to deal with, even though they might not want us back right away - lol!

On the way home, we took a detour and stopped by a nursing home where one of my relatives is living. She's going to be 98 this year! I was going to take in one or two of the boys, but they stank themselves right out of that job and Millie got to be the star. She entertained a lounge full of women and nurses aids with her antics. She loves to bring a smile to their faces!

Maybe next time, boys!

Sudden Onset Aggression - Rare Side Effect of Lyme Disease

Permission to Cross-Post - Please share...
============ = PASTED ============ ========= =

A RARE SIDE EFFECT OF LYME DISEASE


We recently had a very strange event which I think we should share around the rescue-community:

Young (~2 years) M Lab-mix, came into our program with a 'questionable' background; may have been aggressive toward some children; then again, maybe not.


We kept him for a long while - months of fostering in our premier foster-home, no problems; placed him carefully, with a single middle-aged man who adored him. We also, as we do all our dogs, tested him for Lyme. He had it; we treated it; case closed -- we thought.

Everything went very well after adoption - the star of his obedience-class, frequent alum-visits to clinics - for over a year. And truly adored by his adopter.

Then, over 12-mos post-adopt, Mojo became suddenly, erratically, and seriously aggressive: literally attacked visitors to his home, people in the vet's waiting room, etc. Terrifying. Very-sudden. Totally inexplicable.

He was returned to us with genuine heartbreak from a very loving adopter.

Mojo then went to our regular vet and was a totally different dog: bared-teeth and growls at anyone who approached his kennel, lunged at other dogs when being walked, etc. We figured that whatever was happening with him, he had become un-placeable and started a TDC (Tough Decisions Committee - something we 'convene' that is open to anyone with an interest in the dog when we think that euthanasia might be an option).

However, someone at the vet's office said that perhaps we should test him for Lyme. Huh????????

They had had a regular client of theirs come in recently with similar, out-of-the blue-aggro, and it turned out that Lyme was the problem - puzzled them, but seemed to be the case. Okay -- hey, we'll try anything -- so we had him tested. He was high positive!

Fine, we started treatment while we continued to figure out what to do with him via the TDC. Almost immediately, however, once the antibiotics began, the Mojo we knew came back!!

He was himself again - bouncy, happy, a bit neurotic, but not at *all* aggressive!

The staff at the vets was amazed, but all confirmed this change. We didn't believe it; vets didn't believe it... BUT a thorough search of the Internet turned up a number of studies (plus) anecdotal-observati ons indicating that in some dogs (and some humans!!) the primary-symptom of their Lyme Disease can be sudden, irrational and serious aggression.

We've known for a while to check thyroid-levels of dogs that show aggro that just 'doesn't fit'. Now we've added testing for Lyme as well. And we have - results not-yet in - another dog, placed 12-mos-plus, returned because of out-of-the-blue aggro... he also tested high-positive for Lyme!

We've started treatment; we'll be monitoring his response. So - plug this in to your protocols; worth checking-out.

I spent the day today with Mojo... he truly is just the same dog we placed over a year ago. (We've let his original adopter know - because he vowed that it had to be *something* causing this behavior. But he cannot take Mojo back because his roommate, one of the people attacked, won't even consider it.

For the record, there were no skin-breaking contacts in any of these attacks, but plenty of fear and we consider them as serious as if they were full-fledged bites.)

We actually have additional insight into this because one of our volunteers (human) has had Lyme Disease. Took many months for her to be diagnosed; once she was, she learned it's a VERY-nasty bug that remains permanently, waiting for a chance to 'crop-up' again.

When we place Mojo again (TDC unanimously agrees we should), we're going to explain the background, these amazing events, and require the adopters test every 6-mos, whether or not he's symptomatic. We have no idea whether that will work or be sufficient - we're rather flying blind in this - but it seems rational.

But based on what we know now, its a real possibility: Lyme *can*, in a few rare-cases, cause aggression, aggression that can be reversed.

Permission was granted to cross post this.

- Mary Hinchman; Leader, Troop #146

http://wmdstroop.tripod.com
http://mnojo.tripod.com/amberglowkennel

Dog announces $35000 matching donation to studies rabies vaccine

San Diego, CA (PRWEB) May 1, 2008 -- Chiclet T. Dog, canine co-author of the award-winning book 'Scared Poopless: The Straight Scoop on Dog Care', announces a $35,000 matching gift to the Rabies Challenge Fund. The Fund is conducting studies to prove that vaccine immunity persists for at least five years, and maybe as long as seven. Phase Two of the study will investigate vaccine additives called adjuvants and set up a reporting system for adverse reactions.


A feisty four-pound Maltese dog named Chiclet, her guardian Jan Rasmusen and two anonymous donors announce a joint $35,000 matching gift to the Rabies Challenge Fund Charitable Trust. Rasmusen and Chiclet, co-authors of the national award-winning book Scared Poopless: The Straight Scoop on Dog Care (http://www.Dogs4Dogs.com/), hope to raise public awareness about problems with present rabies vaccination protocols and encourage other dog lovers to help fund this important study.




The Fund's study does NOT challenge the need for this important vaccine. Rather, it employs USDA vaccine-licensing standards to determine if immunity provided by a rabies shot persists for at least 5 years, and hopefully seven. Phase 2 will investigate the safety of veterinary vaccine adjuvants and set up a badly-needed reporting system for adverse reactions to this and other vaccines.


Rasmusen began studying vaccination dangers when her dog Jiggy developed autoimmune liver disease after a rabies shot. She says, "We have the chance to better the lives of, not just hundreds of dogs, or even thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of dogs. We can potentially help improve the health of every dog in America. How exciting is that!"


Throughout the summer, the donors will add $1 for every $2 donated (for donations of $100 or more). Thus, public donations totaling $70,000 will bring the Fund $105,000. Chiclet will throw in a paw-tographed copy of Scared Poopless for donations topping $500.


Although the rabies vaccine is well-documented to give immunity for three years, blood studies (serum antibody titers) have shown protective immunity to persist seven years after vaccination. Regrettably, some states and localities in the U.S. still mandate vaccination annually or biannually. Because the vaccine is linked to numerous behavior and health problems, over-vaccination can be dangerous. Documented immediate, and delayed-onset, reactions include:

• Injection site cancer

• Seizures and epilepsy

• Autoimmune diseases

• Blood diseases

• Allergies

• Skin diseases

• Chronic digestive disorders

• Muscle weakness

• Behavior Problems: aggression, OCD, separation anxiety

• Loss of consciousness

• Death

Unfortunately, official reporting of adverse reactions s is voluntary and rare. Rasmusen says, "Few of us are warned about the rabies vaccine's possible adverse effects. Worse yet, delayed or unexpected reactions often go unlinked to the shot."


Nationally-renowned pet vaccination experts Dr's. Jean Dodds and Ronald Schultz, and their staffs, are donating their services for this study. The University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine, site of the study, has waived its normal 48% overhead charge. For all involved, this is a labor of love.


Rasmusen has prepared an entertaining and informative video slideshow starring Chiclet called Dog Rabid About Rabies Vaccine Dangers (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pQHQw-5XCw). Rasmusen hopes the humorous video, packed with cute photos and easy-to-digest information, will alert dog "parents" to vaccine dangers and prompt them to take action.


Chiclet's friend, the canine superstar Benji, has a cameo role in the video and also lends support: 'This important study is long overdue. I give the Rabies Challenge study four BIG paws up!'


Surprising Facts:

• In 2007, the Center for Disease Control declared CANINE rabies nonexistent in the U.S. Dogs will not contract rabies from other dogs, but only from wild animals such as bats, coyotes, skunks, raccoons and foxes.

• A Chihuahua and a Great Dane get the same size dose of vaccine.

• The USDA will not accept blood antibody tests showing seven-year immunity, or a 1992 French challenge study proving five-year immunity. As a result, dog lovers wanting to stop needless over-vaccination must fund research themselves.


Dog lovers, many of whose dogs have experienced severe vaccine reactions, have funded approximately eighteen months of the study. Donations to complete the study may be made at The Rabies Challenge Fund Charitable Trust (http://www.rabieschallengefund.org/about%20the%20RCF.html), a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Extensive information and vaccination safety tips are available at Truth4Dogs.org (http://www.truth4dogs.org). Rasmusen urges dog lovers to post their experiences with the rabies vaccine in this Guestbook (http://www.Squidoo.com/rabiesvaccine).


About Rasmusen and Chiclet:

Scared Poopless won the Ben Franklin Award for Best Health Book and the USABookNews Award for Best Pet Health Book. A frequent guest on numerous television and radio broadcasts, Rasmusen publishes a popular free e-newsletter on natural health care for dogs (http://www.Dogs4Dogs.com/).


Contact Jan for interviews and hi res photography at 858-449-8898 (PDT). Short-notice interviews are welcomed.


Charitable Inquiries:

Rasmusen currently makes donations only to the rabies vaccine study. Low-cost copies of Scared Poopless, and her natural nutrition recordings, are offered to nonprofits for fundraising.


Jan Rasmusen

858-449-8898 PDT

San Diego, CA

Recipe for natural flea and tick repellant

I've seen many recipes touted for fleas, but the woman who shared this with me actually had a tick infestation that year and found this to be very effective against them!

Use 2 to 3 drops of each oil in 16 0z. water, OR 1/2 teaspoon of each oil in
a gallon of water.

tea tree oil, rosemary, sage (there are a few different types - it doesn't
matter which you choose), cedarwood, peppermint, sweet orange, eucalyptus,
citronella and pine needle.

It can be pricey to get the oils, but once you have them, they last a good
long time.

Blessings!
Ev

Recipe modified by Madalyn (two oils intentionally left out because they don't mix well with what is already there, although they are effective repellants in their own right:

peppermint - 3 drops
sweet orange - 1 drop
sage - 1 drop
citronella - 4 drops
lavender - 1 drop
eucalyptus - 1 drop

-----------------------------
According the the "Dirt Doctor" in Dallas (organic gardening guru) here is a natural mosquito repellent that works pretty well. I have used it and had few bites - but you have to PUT IT ON for it to work ;-). And it SMELLS GREAT!

Vanilla home remedy for personal use:
8 oz water
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp. orange oil
Spray on liberally.

Betty


----------------------------



More info:
With so many people (and dogs) getting lyme disease, I got curious if there are any safe ways of repelling ticks. I don't know how well these work, but here are some ideas I found after a few minutes of quality time with Google.

I can't personally vouch for any of these approaches, but I had previously never heard of any methods of coping with ticks whatsoever, other than "cut down all the vegetation for miles around," "spray the hell out of everything" and "stay indoors or in wide open expanses of pavement at all times, and if you venture off the pavement for five seconds cover yourself from head to toe in thick clothing taped shut at every seam." So, at least this is a start of some other ways of thinking.

Some of these come from people trying to sell a product, and again I don't endorse any of these ideas as necessarily effective or environmentally sound. But I wanted to see what if anything was out there and this is a sample of what I discovered, as a jumping off point for anyone else who might be interested in doing some further experimenting or research.
------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -
From : http://www.care2.com/greenliving/tick-repellant.html

a.. A... good repellent that also worked on our dogs, is to eat garlic pills (but don't give garlic to cats). A number of people have written me to say that they have had good luck with their dogs and themselves, by keeping to the garlic pill eating regimen every day.
a.. The Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides (NCAP) reported in their winter of 1996 Journal of Pesticide Reform that nymphal ticks are reduced from 72.7 to 100 percent when dead leaves are removed from the forest areas surrounding residential areas.
------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -
From: http://www.gardensalive.com/article.asp?ai=462&bhcd2=1194649877

....ticks could be in the house-especially if the previous owners had dogs. Most cats "catch" ticks before they can latch on while they're grooming themselves (the cats, not the ticks). But dogs don't give themselves a tongue bath every hour. And when an engorged female tick drops off undetected, she can give birth to a huge number of 'babies' who can live a long time-sometimes years-in between meals.

Easiest way to check would be to set carbon dioxide traps. Get a big load of dry ice (handle it carefully, with big thick gloves) and put some in the center of each room, surrounded by big circles of sticky tape. Nearby ticks will head towards the CO2 and get caught on the tape. If the tapes are free of ticks the next day, the house is likely clean.

That leaves the great outdoors. Most ticks climb to the top of tall blades of grass or brush-generally a foot or more off the ground-wait for a red-blooded creature to pass by and then hop on. (So keep your brush cut; it keeps the suckers further away.)

Garlic based sprays, like Victor's "Mosquito Barrier" DO keep skeeters away from the sprayed area for two weeks, and might work on ticks. The only way to find out would be to spray a known tick-infested spot, wait a few days and then set some dry ice traps or use a tick drag to see if they've left the area. ('Tick drags' aren't parties where arachnids dress up like Barbara Streisand; they're big sheets of flannel that are dragged through the brush by researchers, who then count the number of ticks on the cloth.) Oh, and the sprays do have a strong garlic scent when you first use them, but the smell dissipates-at least to our noses-within a few hours.

...having a flock of fowl like guinea hens-the most excellent consumers of ticks-running loose on your property....

journal The IPM Practitioner, our old buddy Dr. Bill Quarles reported on the hot new trend of using naturally-occurring fungi to control insects AND those nasty members of the arachnid family, ticks. Bill explained that a strain (designated 'F52') of a green-colored fungus named Metarhizium anisopliae ("Meta-rise- e-um Ana-sof-a-Lee" )-discovered way back in 1879 in a cereal beetle that the fungus had sent to its eternal reward-has been shown to be toxic to ticks as well as many other pests. Both it and a closely related species are already being used to control locusts in Africa, termites in the US (under the brand name "Bioblast"), and greenhouse pests worldwide. And it's already EPA registered for use on ticks.

Earth Bio Sciences, a company based in New Haven, is developing both a spray and granular form for commercial use. I spoke with company president Tom Corell last week, and he confirmed that some field tests on the product, called "Tick-Ex", have already been completed, more are underway, and he hopes that the fungus might be available on a limited basis in some areas as early as next Spring!

The EPA's official "environmental risk assessment" found the fungus safe for humans to touch, ingest and inhale; and to have no detrimental effect on birds, mammals, fish, plants, or earthworms-not even bees and beneficial insects! And like I said, its already in use against other pests; we're pretty much just waiting for a few more studies to be finished and a distribution system to be put in place.

------------ -------
http://www.deliciousorganics.com/Products/mosquitobarrier.htm

Garlic treatment for yards, alleged to kill mosquito and tick larvae
------------ --------- -

A few posters at various forum type places said that oil (of any kind, including soy or olive) smothers ticks. The speculation was that it could be tried as a spray to kill larvae, applied a few times a season to yards or other frequently traveled areas. Also suggested as an idea for people and pets who may have been exposed and want to kill any on their body, though one person wondered if a tick that had already bitten you would just stay latched on forever, further infecting you, if it got smothered while already on your skin. I also worry that a broadbased oil smothering campaign could kill beneficials in the yard, but I haven't looked into the details.

------------ --------- ----
Diotomaceous Earth was suggested in numerous places, as effective against both fleas and ticks. You can get food grade and sprinkle it around the house or the yard. Some people even feed it to their pets (or eat it themselves) to kill internal parasites.
------------ --------- --------- -
http://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIPS/DogTip_InsectPrevention.php

Beneficial nematodes spread in the yard to control flea larvae? No one says it would work for ticks but many of the articles I found in my tick search also talked about fleas.
----------
Steve Tvedten has numerous free publications on line in which he describes less toxic pest control methods (including for termites and lice) but I got tired by the tie I got this far, and so I don't know if he has a response to ticks. It would be very interesting to find out if he does.

www.getipm.com
www.thebestcontrol.com