Pet talk

Years ago I was asked to put an American Staffordshire terrier puppy to sleep because he wasn’t perfect.  At 8 weeks of age, this puppy had knee problems and I advised his owner to wait and see how he developed before making such a rash decision.  But his owner was a breeder and only had the pup as payment for a stud fee and he did not want to put any more time and money into him.  So he told me to put him to his death.  I looked at that cute puppy (who fit in the palm of my hand), right in the eye, and he growled at me! Right then I knew I couldn’t put him to sleep and asked if I could keep him for myself. 

The reason I tell this story is to explain why I had a “pit bull” for 12 years.  I would not have gone out and bought one for myself because of the liability, but I now can say that that dog was the best dog I have ever owned.  Period.

He was funny, loyal, smart, athletic, and perhaps the most stoic dog I have ever met.  One summer day I took him to a tennis court to hit tennis balls for him to chase.  He loved to play fetch and balls were more like friends than toys to him.  He carried a ball in his mouth almost all the time; he loved them so much. 

It was a warm day–probably mid 80’s F and the sun had shone all day.  He was thrilled to chase the ball back and forth under the net and so happy to be able to play with us.  For about 15 minutes or so, he was a happy dog having fun.  All of a sudden he collapsed and went into a seizure!

I placed my hand on him and found out how hot he was–he was suffering from hyperthermia and luckily we had water nearby to quickly cool him off.  But while he was laying down recovering, I saw that all four of his paws were bloody as well.  I reached down and put my hand on the pavement and it was scorching hot!  The poor dog, who hadn’t limped a step, had second degree burns on his foot pads as well.

Not once did my dog wince or whimper as he stepped on the hot pavement.  Nor did he slow down when he was getting overheated.  He played until he dropped.  And that is what dogs do.  That is why we need to think for them.  I see too many people riding a bike (or rollerblading) and making the dog trot along side of them.  Most of these dogs are old, fat or panting heavily.  Unless you condition your dog and work up to a fast pace, don’t do this to your pet.

If you are out walking and you need water, your pet needs a drink as well.  If it is too hot to sit in a car with the windows rolled up–then it is too hot for your pet.  In Michigan it is illegal to ride in the back of a pick up truck because people easily fall out.  That happens with pets just as easily.  How many dogs have been killed by jumping out on to a road from the back of a pick up? 

Dogs can not think about the consequences of their actions.  We need to use common sense and think for them.  I learned my lesson early on and was lucky to have my dog for 12 wonderful years.    

One of the reasons I love animal necropsies is that you never know what you will find.  Doing one is like opening a box of cereal and finding not only the prize, but sometimes you find 2 prizes–the expected stuff AND something unusual that doesn’t get reported very often.  Mummified twins, both sex organs, or foreign objects like coins and toys are pretty common.  They are fun to find because they are rare and sometimes pretty strange. 

This week there seems to be a boon on strange and rare animal happenings, and I am happy to report on three of them:

The first one is a cat from Zianyag City, in the Shaanxi province of China who grew what appear to be wings.  The owner said it happened after a traumatic event with some cats in heat, but the local veterinarians seem to think it is some kind of genetic mutation that allowed the appendages to form.  OK, I did not believe it either until I Googled it.  So go ahead and see for yourself……The picture I saw was pretty neat.

The next story caught my eye because it involved chickens.  A hen in Calcutta India, who was laying eggs six months ago, spontaneously underwent a sex change and turned into a rooster.  The picture that came with this story wasn’t all that spectacular, but I looked it up and this kind of thing happens more often than you would think. It would be interesting if the rooster goes on to father babies.  And only time will tell if that will happen.

The last strange story concerns a shark born at the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, Nebraska.  It seems its mother was able to fertilize her own eggs and have the baby, sans a male being in the tank.  Scientists at first doubted their DNA test results, so they conducted the testing several times before determining that there was no male DNA present whatsoever.  Although this happens commonly in insects, and happens occasionally in reptiles and fish, it has never been reported  in mammals–but with all the strange things happening this week, I am going to watch the news for it!. 

Well there you have it.  Cats with wings, chickens deciding it is better to be a rooster, and an impatient shark who wanted a baby when no males were available.  Animals are simply amazing! 

(Please keep sending good thoughts to the mother whale and her baby caught in the river in California.  Both are injured and may not live much longer if they don’t reach the ocean soon.)  

The Monroe News had a front page story about a woman whose dachshund had been stolen by a woman in a blue van.  It is a horrible fact that dogs are stolen every day here and around the nation.  If your dog is lucky, it is being stolen because it is cute, and somebody wanted a cute dog free of charge.  But if your pet is unlucky, it was stolen for other, nefarious reasons.
When I was conducting animal welfare inspections, we inspectors learned several reasons why people would steal a typical pet out of a yard.  Years ago, the primary reason was to resell the pet to laboratories for animal research.  People would either answer classified ads for “free dogs” (or cats), or steal them right out of fenced yards.  They would then collect up a few and turn around and sell them to places like hospitals and vet schools for research.  These people were called “bunchers” and were making nice profits until the laws changed to require traceability for these so called random sourced dogs and cats.  

But the practice still exists today, although it is much less common.  The good research labs are extremely careful about buying random sourced animals and screen each animal carefully before starting any research testing.  But occasionally they are sold a stolen dog by a licensed USDA B class dealer.  When that happens there are protocols to follow.  Most importantly remember this: they do not want your pets and they will gladly return your pet if it has ended up in their lab.  Many researchers are pet owners themselves and are repulsed by the thought of using a beloved pet in any research project.  Plus, what would be more tarnishing to an institution than the fact that they are using stolen animals?
As I said, stealing animals for research is not a common practice today.  Much more commonplace is stealing animals for pit bull training.  Training a pit bull to fight and kill other dogs is a long process.  Most pit bulls will not instinctively kill anything, so they have to be trained.  Typically trainers start with kittens. 

 Teaching the pit bulls to kill starts with a kitten, and progresses into killing something that fights back– which is usually adult cats.  After building up the dog’s confidence, the trainers switch over to puppies because a dog will rarely kill a puppy on its own.  Again, after the dog successfully starts killing puppies it needs to build confidence and that means larger and larger old dogs.  Old dogs put up a fight, but are easily defeated.  Eventually, the pit bulls are paired with other pit bulls and their fighting careers are begun.  As you see there are kittens, cats, puppies, and all sizes and ages of dogs needed to train a fighting dog, thus creating a market for stolen animals. 
Because Michigan is full of pit bull fighting rings, (as well as cock fighting rings), many pets are stolen every month.  Your best defense against theft is common sense.  Do not let your pets roam freely.  House your pets indoors, and watch them when they are outside.  Keep collars and tags on them when they are outside and report any odd behavior by neighbors and strangers when you see it.  Lastly, contact your representatives and tell them to crack down on animal fighting. It is against the law but seldom does it get law enforcement’s attention.  With effort, the activity can be abolished and there will not be a market for stolen dogs used for training.     
 

Today, pet professionals are meeting in Lansing to talk about animal care in times of extreme emergency.  Animal agencies like the Michigan Department of Agriculture, animal shelters, veterinarians, and humane groups are talking about the animals affected by tragedies like Katrina.  It seems like more and more, mother nature is playing havoc on states across the nation.  And having a state wide plan to address the issue is a step in the right direction.  Large fires, floods, tornados and nuclear accidents are situations in which massive evacuations will take place.  Have you thought about your own pets in a situation like this?

It is always good to prepare BEFORE an emergency and remembering your pets is something that takes a lot of preparation.  If you have livestock and a fire is approaching, what would you do?  What would you do differently if there was a leak at the Fermi plant?  Are your pets vaccination records all in one, easy to reach place, in case you need to grab them as you head out the door?  What about leashes, collars with licenses, and ID tags?  Small bags of food, and those collapsable dishes that hikers use are great for keeping on hand in case of emergency.  

Along with provisions for ourselves, we keep all these items, plus potable water, in duffel bags in a closet next to the door.  When an emergency strikes and you need to leave quickly, being prepared will get you and your pets out safely.  Think about it, devise a plan, and get your supplies together soon!

Today the news is reporting an unusual dog attack in Canton Township.  Instead of some loose pit bull mauling some poor school kid, a Golden Retriever was attacked by a pack of coyotes.  Even on a leash, the dog wasn’t safe from the attacking canines. 

The owner was walking the elderly dog on a leash in a popular park—unfortunately after dark, when the animals attacked.  The owner did what any owner would do in that situation and risked her own safety to help scare the animals away.  The dog had several puncture wounds, but looked like it would be OK.

The moral of the story is this:  the more we populate the earth, the more we push the wildlife into smaller and smaller habitats.  This forces them either to adapt to the new environment, or perish.  Creatures like coyotes, raccoons, opossums and skunks, are quick to adapt.  Normally, coyotes eat small mammals like mice, rats, and rabbits.  But as their habitat changes, they have had to change their diet.  And what is the most plentiful mammal in suburbia?  Loose cats, and small dogs—although if hungry enough, an elderly large dog, (or small unattended child), is just as easy to kill.

To prevent this from happening again, a few easy steps can keep your pets safe.  First, keep your cats in the house, and do not let small children, or your other pets out of your sight.  Invest in real fencing for your yard.  The electronic fences will keep your pets at home, but won’t protect them from predators.  Thirdly, keep the brush in your yard under control to keep the prey types of animals, (mice, rats, rabbits),  from living around your home.  Also, by  removing the brush you have removed the cover material the predator animals need for stalking their victims.  That, and keeping your garbage in sealed, leak proof containers will prevent your house from becoming a smorgasbord for the neighborhood wildlife—and believe me, they will disappear.  An area that does not provide food for the animals will soon be devoid of them.