IT'S TIME TO TAKE A BREAK AND PARTY!

And with that thought in mind, I decided to join the 2013 Ultimate Blog Party hosted for the seventh year in a row by 5 Minutes for Mom.com blog. A great idea for bloggers and readers-of-blogs to find other sites in the blogosphere to visit, I came across UBP 2013 while reading a post at DogTipper.com a blog I follow faithfully.

Let me introduce myself. I'm Barbara - Brooklyn Pet Mom. There are plenty of Moms in the world only some of us have kids with paws and tails. That's what my blog 8 Paws and 2 Tails is all about - my experiences as a pet mom and all the trials, tribulations and unconditional love that come with having pets for kids.

Let me tell you about my kids. When I started blogging it was with the intention to share my experiences caring for my Maine Coon Tabby mix, Buddy, a cat with a chronic disease (renal failure). Since that time the blog has expanded to include my dog Annie's recurring urinary tract infections and her recent cancer surgeries.

Along the way, I've added any news article or information I've found interesting, useful or just plain fun - all animal related of course.  With the loss of Buddy, the blog expanded again to include my experiences with managing Buddy's illness during his terminal stage, dealing with euthanasia, cremation and the stages of grief. 

Currently 8 Paws and 2 Tails chronicles my brother Artie's and my decision to join Neighborhood Cats, become TNR certified, our experiences managing a feral colony of 6 and our decision to rescue one of the colony by making him the newest member of our indoor family. Christened Orphée, this 15-pound Main Coon mix upstart has been diagnosed as FIV+ and we are slowly getting him house, people and Annie-acclimated.

So welcome to my site! If you like what you read, visit with us awhile or better yet follow us! Leave a comment - let me know what you like, what you don't like and what you'd like to read about. And check out the UBP for other great blogs.

Buddy & Annie, definitely not the partying type.

Orphée, happy to join the party!

TAIWAN STRAYS

My blog has been getting quite a large amount of hits from Taiwan which prompted me to do some surfing to check out the stray animal issue there.

Apparently strays are an issue no matter where in the world big cities are. In the past I've posted about the dogs of Pompeii Italy and strays in Singapore, now Taiwan.

From what I've found on the internet, black dogs and black dog mixes are prized as guard dogs. Their lives are spent tethered by short leases. Dogs that are no longer wanted by their families are let loose to become strays living terribly hard lives.

Cats and dogs are still used for food. There is an old abandoned mining town populated by stray cats that has become a destination for amateur photographers and tourists. The cats there are fed an taken care of to some extent by local people and volunteers.

There are other websites that depict the suffering of animals in ways too upsetting to contemplate. Whomever is reading my blog in Taiwan please do what you can to get others to change their attitudes about animals. We have a long way to go here in the United States but there are many dedicated people doing what they can to improve animal welfare. The Taiwanese people can do it too. All it takes is one person to start and your actions become like a pebble thrown in a quiet lake; the ripples will move into bigger and bigger circles.

Gandhi said the greatness of a country can be judged by the way it treats its animals. All nations need to become more humane in our treatment of animals. Start by alleviating the pain and suffering, make citizens accountable for what they do to animals, institute spay/neuter laws.

DOGGIE PRESCRIPTION

One of my friends told me about a pharmacy for pets in Manhattan. New Yorkers are really wrapped up in their pets and apparently one pharmacy on the Upper East Side took it as a call to action.

Best Pet Rx carries all kinds of personal needs and has the standard prescription drug counter but this traditional drug store took it one paw further by catering to pets. The personal needs items are most likely for dogs, cats or birds. The pharmacists fill prescriptions from veterinarians.

During Buddy's illness, I injured my ankle and couldn't go to Hope Veterinary Clinic to pick up refills of his IV supplies. Doctor Young gave me prescriptions and my local neighborhood pharmacy filled them.

It looks like Pet Pharmacies will be the wave of the future.

SHELTER PETS

In one of our free newspapers I came across a 3 panel cartoon by The Shelter Pet Project illustrating the plight of a cat turned over to a shelter by an owner who accepted a job overseas. I decided to look up their website theshelterpetproject.org just to see what they're all about.

I encourage anyone who is thinking about adopting a cat or a dog to visit The Shelter Pet Project website as part of their search. It's easy - just put in your zip code and you will see pictures of pets at shelters near you along with their vitals and bios.

A great way to start a search and find some furry love...

LOST PETS AND SUMMER

Summer is officially here and many families include their pets in their summer travels and activities and once school is out families relocate in an effort to settle into their new home and community before the start of the next school year.

Now is a good time to consider giving your furry family members the extra-added protection of a microchip. ID tags are fine and good but isn't identification under the skin better? Granted, nothing is 100% foolproof but using whatever options are available certainly makes sense in terms of optimizing coverage and giving you peace of mind. And remember travel to some foreign countries will require your pet be micro-chipped as a requirement for entry.

We're not just talking about dogs here but also about cats and any other pet such as birds, horses, etc. The microchips are about the size of a grain of rice and can be implanted by your veterinarian during a routine office visit.

If you are interested in reading about microchip implantation in general or have specific questions that need answers, the Wikipedia and American Veterinary Medical Association websites are excellent sources of information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microchip_implant_(animal)

http://www.avma.org/issues/microchipping/microchipping_faq.asp

UGGIE IMMORTALIZED

Everyone's favorite Jack Russell Terrier, Uggie, has joined the greats of acting with his very own paw print ceremony at Hollywood's famed Grauman's Chinese Theatre. Denied an Oscar because the rules of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences state nominees must be human and named ineligible for a BAFTA from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts for the same reason AND because his acting motivation is sausages, Uggie's celebrity status has prevailed.

The ceremony also marks Uggie's retirement from the movies. At 10 years of age, Uggie will keep his paws in by attending only charity events from now on. Winner of the 2011 Palm Dog Award at the Cannes Film Festival, adorable Uggie is a great spokes-dog for adoption. With an early life history reminiscent of another favorite canine actor Moose (Eddie on Frazier), Uggie was on his way to the pound because his human family found him too much to handle. Enter Omar Von Muller, Uggie's pet dad and trainer, who saved the day by adopting Uggie.

I don't believe Hollywood has seen such a big outpouring of fan attention for a canine since the heydays of Rin Tin Tin and Lassie. So, congratulations Uggie - you are a genuine star at our household. Enjoy your fame  enjoy your retirement and if you're ever in Brooklyn, let us know. Annie would love to meet you!

WE'RE HAVING A HEAT WAVE

Heat Wave was a very catchy song written by Irving Berlin for the 1933 musical As Thousands Cheer. Let me tell you there's been nothing catchy or fun about the heat wave we've been experiencing the last few days here in Brooklyn.

With sweltering temperatures and unbearable humidity, everyone in our house has been 'laying low'. Even Annie has curtailed her sunbathing activities as well has her regular outdoor turns looking for the cats, squirrels, birds and the possum.

This post is to remind everyone to look out for not only yourselves but for young children, the elderly and your pets. If you have elderly neighbors, check on them to see if they need any assistance. Remind the kids to take it easy. Keep the dogs (and cats) in. If your pet has access to a back yard have them use that as an alternative to walking which in this kind of weather is no good for anyone - pet and pet parent alike. Limit backyard activity to 5 to 10 minutes, that's what I do with Annie. Make sure there is always fresh water  and shade available for your furry family member. Light meals are a better choice and keep your pet in air conditioning with the rest of the family.

I always made it a habit to wipe Annie and Buddy down with a washcloth soaked in cool water. After wringing the cloth out, I start at the muzzle then work my way across the face, forehead and do the entire body. Both of them loved it. Your pet might not like having his or her face touched with a cloth and that's OK as long as you do the body and if your pet doesn't mind, the top of the head. It's a refreshing break for them.

When dealing with heat and your pet remember if you are uncomfortable they are too. After all you aren't the one with a built-in fur coat. Be vigilant, know the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Read up on both conditions in the following link which covers heat related information as it pertains to seniors, children and pets and brace yourselves - summer is upon us!

http://seniorliving.about.com/od/healthnutrition/ss/avoidheatstroke.htm

VICK'S VICTIM & FLOATING CRUELTY

The past few days brought two news articles concerning pit bulls.

Story #1 ELLEN:

Ellen, one of the pit bulls rescued from Michael Vick's dog fighting operation, had to be euthanized because of illness. This poor dog (and all the other dogs taken advantage of by this cruel sport) did not have the type of life they deserved. Ellen never made it to a forever home but through it all she surprised everyone who came in touch with her with her wonderful personality. By court order, Vick's victims were not allowed to interact directly with visitors to the shelter(s) where they lived, a tragedy for animals of this breed who are docile, gentle and trusting by nature before they are abused and turned into fighting machines by people.

Ellen:
http://www.examiner.com/article/a-michael-vick-vicktory-dog-has-died
http://news.bestfriends.org/index.cfm?page=news&mode=entry&entry=6C18FA70-D677-F48E-0F94B24026202FF1&utm_source=delivra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Vicktory%20dog%20Ellen%20leaves%20a%20legacy%20-%20general&mid=95

Story #2: CRUEL DISCOVERY:

The carcass of a dead pit bull was found inside a cooler floating in the waters off Long Island. The dog,  brown, 2 or 3 year old, 40 lb. female, did not have any tags or identifiers on her. Could this pit bull death be related to dog fighting or is it animal cruelty of another type.

Dead female pit bull:
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/06/22/spca-dead-dog-found-in-cooler-floating-in-long-island-sound/

Humanity should be ashamed of itself. We may be intelligent but we are certainly lacking in compassion.

PRINTS AT GRAUMAN'S CHINESE THEATRE

Yesterday's post was about Uggie and his forthcoming paw print ceremony at Grauman's Chinese Theatre. 

My brother tells me Rin Tin Tin had his paw prints immortalized at Grauman's. I have to say I checked my source (a list from Wikipedia) but I did not find Rinty listed. He does have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In the process, I found I left out western star and singing cowboy Gene Autry and his horse Champion from the list of celebrity horses and their riders honored by Grauman's Chinese Theatre.

The Hollywood Walk of Fame also honored Lassie with a star. There are many more fictional animals honored by the Walk of Fame. It's interesting to note there are stars for Mickey Mouse, Winnie-the-Pooh, Woody Woodpecker, Godzilla, Kermit the frog and Big Bird.

Go figure...

Entrance to Grauman's Chinese Theatre (courtesy Wikipedia)

UGGIE AND PAW PRINTS OF FAME

Uggie the Jack Russell Terrier is back in the news. He has been invited to add his paw prints to the forecourt of the famed Grauman's Chinese Theatre.

How wonderful! Uggie will become the first canine to have his prints placed in cement. There are already two horses that have had the honor of placing their hoof prints in cement alongside the hand and boot prints of their riders: Tony and Tom Mix and Trigger and Roy Rogers. It's great to see Uggie honored with the likes of Clark Gable, John Barrymore, the Marx Brothers and so many more of Hollywood's greats.

Congratulations, Uggie on your well-deserved honor!

http://movies.msn.com/movies/article.aspx?news=737659

MY CASE FOR HOMECOOKING

Can't say this enough, everyone so listen up! I'm making my case AGAIN for home cooking for your pet or at the very least finding a good quality dog or cat food to feed your furry family member. This also goes for treats.

Read the Delish article about dog food and salmonella this has now become a human problem as well. Put the control back into your hands. Practice due diligence - read read, read pet food labels. If you don't understand what some ingredient is - find out! Then make your choice. Knowledge is power. 

The care and safety of your pet and your human family is in your hands.

http://www.delish.com/food/recalls-reviews/dog-food-gives-humans-salmonella

ANOTHER WEEKEND CLOSER TO SUMMER

Summer starts officially this Wednesday, June 20th and I'm looking forward to it. I'm sure Annie is as well. It's been pretty quiet, not much traffic through the backyard. We've only seen the Norwegian Forest Cat and one or two of the usual strays. No possum either.

Our yard has turned into a jungle but we've been so busy there hasn't been time to clear it. We did make a couple of false starts but never followed through. Within the next few weeks I want to get all the weeds cleared, the tree branches cut and bundled and the debris of winter swept up from the cement.

Frankly, I'm looking forward to utilizing the yard for more than exercising Annie. Weeding and gardening (hopefully) here we come!

RAW FOOD - THE REAL THING CONT'D

As I said, I'm not comfortable with raw feeding but I'll try it. My issues? I worry about Salmonella although all the literature says the processing of raw food and proper handling make it safe. My biggest worry? BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy) or as it is commonly known, Mad Cow Disease. Since the outbreak in Europe during the late 80s, I have not eaten beef at all and have given it to Annie only recently and rarely to vary her diet.

This is my own personal preference since I don't trust what the 'experts' say about the safety of our food chain. For that matter, I abstain from all forms of meat as much as I possibly can to forgo the effects of antibiotics. I abstain from organic meat for the health of my wallet. Sorry to be so blunt but the reality is 'organic' anything isn't affordable for many of us. That's why I'm considering going back to gardening but that's another garden path to go down at another time.

Annie gets at least one meal a week that contains eggs and cheese then another meal which is vegetables, grains and lentils. For some reason, Annie likes lentils. It gives her a break from chicken, pork, beef and fish.  Pork is an occasional dish and so is fish. I will give Annie salmon - wild caught or canned; very rarely I will give her tuna.

So far, I've been feeding Annie Stella and Chewy's Freeze-dried Raw Chicken Patties along with a variety of vegetables, fruits, grains, healthy powder, apple cider vinegar, oil and Perio-Support. She'd anticipating her meals, eating well and thriving.

The next step is to introduce Primal bones to support dental health. And of course I need to follow-up with the doctor concerning a regular diet that's a mix of raw and cooked meats. For now I intend to maintain Annie on a mix of raw and cooked meat in her diet.  

LAZY DAY, LAZY DOG, LAZY CAT

Well, another busy week is over. As far as Annie is concerned, Saturday is a lazy day. Brooklyn weather is absolutely gorgeous! The temperature is mild, no humidity, there's plenty of sun and a beautiful breeze. And how is my weekend you ask? Not so lazy. So far, I've prepared breakfast for the both of us, run my dishwasher, hand-washing what didn't fit in and I've run a load of wash which I will hang out after I've finished this post.

As she does on any beautiful day, Annie has been outside sunning herself several times today. The routine starts with her standing quietly by the back door until I let her out. She stretches out on the back porch until she gets warm. At that point she will get up to sit in the shade. The routine ends 30 minutes after it starts with her crying or barking to come in. Once she's in, Annie will drink a bit of water then proceed to my room to stretch out on my bed and enjoy the breeze. In approximately 30 minutes, she's in the kitchen again starting her routine over. This goes on about 3 or 4 times until I either go outside with her or tell her 'no more'.

Oh! There was a bit of excitement - Annie was barking furiously when she first went out. As usual, I went to see what was going on. The Norwegian Forest Cat was lounging in the attached yard. Annie was so excited to see him but apparently he wasn't as happy to see her. He dashed across the yard and up the separating chain link fence to put an empty yard between him and us but in his haste he caught one of his back paws in the links. For a moment I thought he was good and stuck; I was fearful he'd break his paw or leg or, worse yet, not be able to extricate himself at all. Thankfully, he freed himself. Unharmed, he made his way through the adjoining yards to the street.

It appears he will be coming around on a regular basis - I know his fear of Annie won't keep him away in his quest for food and water. He kinda reminds me of Buddy and I feel sorry for him so I'm going to keep a lookout for him. When I see him, I'll put out food - maybe I can trap him, have him fixed and we can see from there what develops. At the very least, I'll feed and care for him as an outside cat. If all goes well, maybe Artie and I can find him a home.

Ahh! I love the sun - damn the freckles.

Hey, is THAT the new cat?!

RAW FOOD - THE REAL THING

During last week's doctor visit, we discussed starting Annie on raw foods. I'm uncomfortable with this idea but I'm willing to give it a try.

Thursday's list of errands included a stop at Hope Veterinary Clinic to find out if our Primal raw bones order came in yet - it didn't. Since we were there, Artie and I decided to purchase a 4lb. bag of Primal Raw Formula food to take home and refrigerate for future use. We also purchased a large bag of Stella and Chewy's Raw Freeze-dried Chicken Patties. Annie's had them before (they are the treat-of-choice-reward given by the doctors during exams) and I decided to add them as a supplement or substitute for regular meat to her daily meals.

As soon as we opened the front door, Annie's nose was in the shopping bag containing the Stella and Chewy's patties. After a day of running errands, I was too tired to cook for any of us so all dinners, human and canine, consisted of left-overs. Believe me, nobody complained. In fact, Annie was more than thrilled because the Stella and Chewy patties were substituted for her regular cooked meat. Mixed in with her Healthy Powder, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, vegetables and Quinoa she happily gobbled up supper then settled down on the couch with a contented sigh.

Maybe raw food alternating with cooked food or supplementing the cooked food will be a good way to go? Only further conversations with Doctor Young, time and Annie's reaction to the new diet will tell.

THE REALITY OF DOGS IN THE CITY

Reality TV is something we don't indulge in at our house. No American Idol, Dancing With The Stars, Survivor or any such programming for us. We will admit to watching a couple of episodes of Doggie Moms but the novelty of that show wore off after three viewings.

So was I surprised when Artie and I saw Dogs In The City advertised on CBS news as a show to watch? Of course not, CBS was advertising this show because it broadcasts on their network but hey, it looked interesting so we decided to check it out.

We caught the third episode where Queens born and bred Justin Silver helps Russell Simmons' Administrative Assistant adapt to her new life as pet parent to her newly adopted blind pooch who has issues with meeting other dogs. Jason also worked with a Brooklyn family with two out-of-control bloodhounds  who frazzle the nerves of their owners and neighbors alike and a woman who is pet parent to four dogs, in small living quarters. One dog was well adjusted but the other three, all pit bulls, had behavioral issues.

I found the show interesting and informative with Justin coming off as very spot-on in his assessment of each situation as well as sympathetic to both the owners and the dogs. Justin has a dog training, pet sitting and dog walking business. I will definitely watch this show again. Who knows, I may pick up a few new tricks to help us deal in the day-to-day with Annie. 

MEDICAL YELLOW BRICK ROAD

We finally made Annie's follow up trip to the doctor after her bout of gastritis last month. Sometimes I feel like I'm travelling down a medical yellow brick road with many twists and turns and unexpected surprises (both good and bad) it makes my head spin.

Annie has been fine these past few weeks but now it was time to revisit the discussion about her teeth, tab and the lick granuloma. It was the granuloma that really had me worried. Almost completely gone, Annie started licking it just two days ago. The fact that I'd misplaced my bottle of Grannick's Bitter Apple didn't help one bit. 

Our appointment was with Dr. Young and it was the first time we saw her since before Buddy's death. We talked about him for awhile and we donated Buddy's remaining supplies to their cat rescue efforts. Annie was thrilled to see Dr. Young and behaved quite well during her exam except when it came time to have her teeth checked; she just wouldn't let the doctor look in her mouth. After quite a bit of maneuvering, playing and coaxing the doctor did get to see her teeth.   

Her bottom teeth were fine with some tartar on the top teeth near the back. Dr. Young asked the dental specialist to come in for a consult. After more maneuvering, playing and coaxing the specialist completed his exam. Both doctors agreed we could avoid anesthesia and a dental scaling since Annie's teeth weren't that bad. Next, we discussed what to do to promote better oral hygiene and remove the built up tartar.

Annie never really chews bones but we will be trying her on Primal bones. I generally add Perio-Support to her food and Dr. Young suggested we add a bit to a cloth when I clean her teeth and massage her gums by hand. The doctor checked Annie's tab but didn't suggest removing it. The final discussion was about the lick granuloma and how distressed we were that it was back. We talked about diet and what Annie consumed over the past few days. Dr. Young felt the granuloma is tied in with an allergic reaction to some cheese Annie had this week.  I used some cheddar cheese along with egg in two meals. The doctor pointed out companies sometimes use food dyes, additives and preservatives in cheese which could have caused Annie to itch. Also, we gave her some unsalted crackers and the wheat probably contributed to the itchiness. We did notice Annie rubbing her muzzle recently.

The final outcome? Get stricter about what Annie eats and with cleaning her teeth. We are considering switching to a raw diet instead of continuing home cooking or a blend of raw and home cooking. I'm relieved Annie doesn't have to undergo general anesthesia.

When we were getting ready to leave we saw Juliet, the Practice Director. She asked how we were and we told her it's been rough since we lost Buddy and that we will be coming in for grief support group counseling. Juliet said it would be good to come in to talk about what we're going through.

Right now, I'm happy Annie doesn't need to have anything major done to her teeth. Artie and I will make sure we're even more diligent about her dental care now that she's getting older.

Annie sleeping after her trip to the doctor's office.