Meet little Mocha!

My friend Terri just adopted a precious new puppy! Her name is Mocha, and she is a Boxer-Weimaraner mixed breed. Both Mocha, and her big sister Scout, are shelter pooches. Mocha came from an Iams Home 4 the Holidays shelter.

Like many puppies, Mocha has a fascination with dirty sox and smelly shoes!

Hello!

Here’s a little photo album of Mocha…

Scout (on the right), and her new little sister Mocha.

Snoozing puppy.

Little Mocha and big sister Scout.

If the shoe fits, sleep in it.

We're just hanging out.

Shoes make great pillows for a nice sleep!

Playing is hard work!

Scout needs to teach Mocha how to be more lady-like when she snoozes!

I love puppies!

The week 4 totals are in!

Week 4 adoption totals: 47,022

Putting the grand total at:

188,884 pets adopted!

Here is the week 4 breakdown:

• 26,288 Dogs
• 18,768 Cats
• 1,966 Other Types of Pets

SHELTERS/RESCUES: It’s not too late to join us! We’re going to get 1.5 million pets into furever homes by the New Year!

Hilary Swank (& pal), Iams Home 4 the Holidays Ambassador in NYC last week.

The week 3 totals are in! Visualize me dancing on my desk!

Week 3 adoption totals: 69,071

Putting the grand total at:

141,862 pets adopted!

Here is the week 3 breakdown:

• 32,795 Dogs
• 33,487 Cats
• 2,789 Other Types of Pets

SHELTERS/RESCUES: It’s not too late to join us! We’re going to get 1.5 million pets into furever homes by the New Year!

Our friend, Hilary Swank was in NYC this week doing the meet-and-greet for Iams Home 4 the Holidays–yeah, well, she has a movie opening there this week too!

I’m really pleased to be participating today in Petside.com’s second annual Pet’Net Safety Event!

In an effort to heighten awareness about critical issues related to pet safety, Petside.com has organized a consortium of some of the Web’s favorite pet-focused sites (including My Fire Hydrant!) to launch the Pet‘Net Safety Event on Wednesday, October 21. Each participating site and blog is highlighting content devoted to the important topic of pet safety. Petside is hosting a comprehensive one-page hub with links to all of the special coverage–which I recommend that you visit.

IS YOUR PET READY FOR EVACUATION?
A few years ago, a chemical plant not too far from my house had an explosion, and my neighborhood had to quickly evacuate the area. We went first to a friend’s house, but ended up in a motel overnight. It was inconvenient, but more important, it was a frightening eye-opener.

We live in a scary world. Between the weather (Katrina) and terrorism (9/11) it seems to be wise to prepare and plan for the day you may need to evacuate and seek shelter away from your home. In the past few years, one of the most important things we’ve learned is DON’T LEAVE YOUR PET BEHIND.

This may seem like common sense, but it may not be as easy as you think. In an evacuation situation, it will probably be too dangerous to simply camp out in your car. Will the shelter in your area allow pets? Or can you find a motel that will also let you bring in your Great Dane? What if you have very limited time to evacuate–will you remember to grab your dog’s arthritis meds so that she can be comfortable?

You need to prepare. You need a plan, a kit, and some lists.

MAKE A PLAN
Sit down with your family members and think this through. Imagine all the possible things that might happen–both man-made and natural. Be overly cautious, and think of the worse possible scenarios. Imagine that you must vacate your home for a couple of weeks. Here are some questions to get you thinking about how your pets fit into your plan:

• What kind of disasters might effect you? Tornadoes? Hurricanes? Flooding? Chemical spills or explosions?
• Where will you go if you have to leave home?
• Has your regional emergency preparedness authorities designated in their planning which shelters will accept pets?
• Does your local animal shelter/SPCA, or local animal control office have any information on how to plan for your pet’s evacuation in your area?
• What if you’re not home–is there a neighbor who can evacuate your pets? Where will you meet up with them and your other family members?
• What about boarding your pet at a pet hotel, your local shelter, or your veterinarians?
• What supplies does your pet need during an evacuation? What are the bare essentials you need?
• What steps can you take to keep your pet calm? What if your pet panics and runs away?
• Can you rehearse your evacuation so that your four-legged family members become familiar with the actions you will need to take?
• What if the type of disaster restricts you to hour home–where is the safest place in your house? Is there room for your four-legged family along side your two-legged family?
• Do you have other animals like horses, goats, or cows? What happens to them?

Write your plan down–either on a legal pad on on your laptop. Consult with your veterinarian and your local emergency preparedness team. Refine your plan to account for as many variables as possible. Make sure everybody in the family knows what to do.

Bailey's emergency paperwork lives in a green envelope decorated with Bichons and contains things like her rabies certificate, her dog license receipt, photos of her w/family members, and an overview of her health record. The green envelope stays in the pocket of her carrier.

MAKE A KIT
Think of the things your pet needs each day. This list is just the bare minimum to get you thinking.

• Pet food
• Bottled water
• Medications
• Paperwork:
  • Veterinary records, including significant medical history, rabies certificate and vaccination record.
  • Proof of ownership.
  • Current photos of your pets (include some with you in the photo too) for identification purposes
• Cat litter/pan
• Food dishes
• First aid kit
• Crate/carrier/cage labeled with your contact information
• Comfort items
  • Toys
  • Treats
  • Blankets
• Leashes, harnesses, collars, muzzles
• Up-to-date ID tags, rabies tags securely attached to pet’s collar
• Stakes and tie-outs
• Paper towel and garbage bags (to clean up after your pet)

This kit list is not complete and focuses on dogs and cats. Birds, reptiles, small rodents like guinea pigs, horses, goats, sheep and other domesticated animals will have different needs.

MAKE SOME LISTS
Again, this is just to get you thinking. It’s not complete.

• Motels/hotels within a 90-mile radius that will take pets–include directions, address, phone number.
• Emergency phone numbers, like your veterinarian, your local police department, local fire department, local animal control, your insurance agent.
• Other phone numbers: Local shelters/rescue groups; friends and family who would be unaffected by an emergency in your region.

THE UNTHINKABLE HAPPENS!
Don’t wait. If an evacuation order has been issued, get moving. If its the type of emergency that will restrict you to your home, bring your animals inside and move to your home’s safe area. Don’t delay. Even just a couple of minutes can make a difference in your pet’s survival.

RESOURCES
I’ve barely scratched the surface! In researching this article, two sites were incredible information sources.  

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has a very complete disaster preparedness site which includes information not just for consumers, but also for veterinarians. The site is easy-to-understand and there’s an FAQ about the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards (PETS) Act, a bill signed into law by President Bush in 2006 to require the inclusion of companion animals in disaster planning at state and local levels.

The second site you will want to get familiar with is FEMA’s (Federal Emergency Management Agency)–not just for your pets, but also for your family. The FEMA site also offers some free-of-charge web-enabled training, including Animals in Disaster, for which you can receive college credit.

Do it now. Make your plan, make your kit, make your lists before you need them.

We’ve just completed our first full 7-day week of adoptions, and the news is fabulous!

Cue the drum roll!! 

Week 2 adoption totals: 40,134

Which means so far, the grand total stands at:

72,791 pets adopted!  

For week 2, the break down is:

• 21,038 Dogs
• 17,934 Cats
• 1,162 Other Types of Pets

Shelters and Rescues–you can still join us as we march to our goal of 1.5 million pets adopted into forever homes before the New Year!

Hilary Swank, IH4tH Ambassador, says hello to a puppy!

Bailey pays a visit to her favorite Fire Hydrant.

I mentioned on Saturday that Bailey had a hot spot. As of yesterday her tail is flying high again and she seems to be nearly back to her rotten-spoiled self (big sigh of relief!). 

 A hot spot happens when something irritates the skin–it’s a bacterial infection. The irritation starts a cycle where the dog licks and chews at the irritation site which further irritates the skin which makes it itch even more which makes the dog lick/chew more…you get the idea.

In Bailey’s case, she was licking her back paw making it very wet, then rubbing it against the remainder of the wart she somehow managed to slice off. The moisture from her foot and the bloody wart trapped by her fur against the skin caused bacteria to grow and the cycle of itching/scratching/further skin irritation to begin. I feel a little bit less like a bad mom who wasn’t paying attention because I read on WebMD Healthy Pets that hot spots develop really fast–sometimes within a matter of hours.

Things that can cause hot spots (other than pulling off a wart):

• Fleas (most common) and other bug bites
• Allergies
• Skin parasites
• Ear or anal gland infections
• Skin diseases
• Poor grooming
• Burrs
• Anything that starts an itch/scratch cycle

Heavy coated breeds seem to be more prone to hot spots than lighter coated breeds.

Treatment usually includes:

• Clipping away the hair around the hot spot–it’s usually bigger then it appears.
• Cleaning the skin with solutions that are antibacterial and/or have drying powers.
• Allowing the area to dry out.
• Antibiotics.
• An e-collar.
• (MOST IMPORTANT!) Stopping the itch/lick/itch cycle.

If your dog is scratching like crazy, and has crusty, scabbed, angry-red skin that might be oozing and moist, VISIT THE VET! Hot spots are extremely painful (as Bailey will testify)!

Here are some tips that got me through the past few days:

• On Saturday and Sunday I kept Bailey on her leash all the time so that I could keep close watch on her to keep her from scratching at her wound. Because of the location of the hot spot, an e-collar was not an option for us.
• The leash also helped me control her when I had to put ointment on the wound area (which she fought like crazy).
  

  Bailey's new neck ruff softly protects her neck where the hot spot is healing.

• I took an old, long sleeved tee shirt of mine and cut off a part of one of the sleeves. This became Bailey’s new neck ruff, covering the wound area and protecting it from more irritation (like rubbing against the sofa or scratching by that busy back leg).
• I let go of our schedule and went with the flow. I stopped stressing if Bailey missed a meal. She seemed to be sleeping more–if she was sleeping, I waited until she woke up on her own before offering a meal.
• Bailey is on an antibiotic, and antibiotics are indiscriminate about killing the bad and the GOOD bacteria. Along with her antibiotic med, Bailey is getting Prostora Max to help keep a balance of good bacteria in her digestive tract.

I’ve been surfing around the web site of the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA) because this is National Veterinary Technician Week.

NAVTA has been around for 28 years. From their web site: “The mission of NAVTA is to represent and promote the profession of veterinary technology. NAVTA provides direction, education, support and coordination for its members, and works with other allied professional organizations for the competent care and humane treatment of animals.”

Jen, Kim, and Em at our recent PAWS rehab

Something I never considered is the wide variety of specialties that a Vet Tech can have expertise in. Things like:

• Dentistry
• Anesthetics
• Internal Medicine
• Emergency and Critical Care
• Behavior

I work with three really fabulous Veterinary Technicians on a regular basis. I want to give a big shout of thanks to Emily, Jen, and Kim for all the help they give me each day! 

I also want to give a big shout of thanks to the Veterinary Technicians at Bigger Road Veterinary Clinic, where I take Bailey. They’re competent, empathetic, and I’m always confident that Bailey is getting the very best care when she is in their hands.

VETERINARY TECHNICIANS ROCK!!

Around 3 AM Bailey woke up. And that was basically the end of sleep for both of us. She continues to fight me when I try to apply the Tritop®, and so far no salve has made it to Bailey’s neck (I’ve gotten it on the sofa cushions, my shirt, the ends of Bailey’s ears, my bed sheets, etc).  Today, the hot spot looks much better.

Asleep under my desk as I write this post.

But I’m wondering if some of the urge to scratch that Bailey continues to feel might be due to a little razor burn. When they examined and cleaned the hot spot yesterday, they cut/shaved away the fur around the edges of the wound. Today, I can see what is either the scratches from when she was able to itch before I stopped her OR the rash that indicates razor burn. I’m sure everyone says this about their dogs, but Bailey has very delicate skin. Nearly every time she’s shaved to treat a health issue she winds up with razor burn (there are a couple of exceptions associated with Dogtor B who truly understands how sensitive Bailey’s skin is).

Well, she’ll be able to spend today sleeping and getting well. I, unfortunately, have chores to do so I will have to put off making up for the sleep I missed last night. At least she seems to be more comfortable.

We had a vet appointment today, and it wasn’t exactly fun. The cancer remains MIA–no sign of it {HAPPY DANCE!}, but Bailey has a hot spot that’s nasty.

Warning: This post has an “ewwww!” factor of 9. Stop reading if you’re easily grossed out.

Close up of the wart that was on Bailey's neck.

For a long while now, Bailey has had old dog warts. Califlower-shaped nodules, they’re all over her body. However, there are two that have always been a little troublesome. One is located on her head, the other on her neck.

Bailey likes to rub her muzzle and face against the side of the sofa as she walks by–which often causes the two warts to break open a bleed a little. There’s almost always a little scab of blood on both of these warts. I’ve talked about this with the Dogtor–to remove them would mean putting Bailey under anesthesia, which we want to avoid. The Dogtor says it’s better to just leave them alone–even though they’re icky looking–and to clean the scabs off as needed.

On Tuesday we noticed that there was blood smeared on Bailey’s neck where we expected the wart to be. Somehow, she had managed to slice off about 3/4 of the nodule.

I cleaned it up and put some Tritop® ointment on it, and that seemed to be the end of the matter. Except Bailey kept scratching it with her back foot. I did all I could to discourage her from scratching. I even tied a scarf over the wound so that if she scratched when I wasn’t able to stop her it wouldn’t do damage. I thought the wart was getting better.

When I went to put the Tritop® on her yesterday, she wouldn’t let me get near that part of her neck. She did her best imatation of a board, and stiffened up on her hind legs with her back against the sofa cushion so that I couldn’t get to her neck. I knew we had a vet appointment scheduled for the next day, so I didn’t worry too much, and didn’t press the issue.

Bailey's hot spot after the fur was clipped away and Tritop® applied.

Today, when she would not allow me to put on her collar, I knew there was a real problem. When we got to the Dogtor, the technician was able to hold her in such a way that I could finally see that Bailey’s skin around where the wart used to be was seriously red and angry looking. When the tech brought her back from the treatment room, she had a 2-inch  patch of fur cut off and a very mean looking scab where the wart used to be.

The Dogtor put Bailey on antibiotics and gave her a shot of pain medicine. Bailey’s diabetes adds some complications to how the wound is treated and what meds we can use–no styroids. It’s already looking better, though it still makes me cringe. She’s stopped trying to scratch it, and she seems to be comfortable.

I feel stupid for not taking her to the vet sooner–but up until yesterday I thought it was healing. Poor little dog! I’m a horrible mom!