For the past seven years Animal Aid in conjunction with Spay Day USA offers a month of spay and neuter specials. From Valentine's Day to St. Patrick's Day participating clinics offer to spay female cats for $15 and neuter male cats for $10. We decided to participate this year - our first opportunity.  

Melissa, Daniela and Katie arranged the whole project - I was just a volunteer. We decided we would offer a day of neuters for the project and pledged to neuter 20 cats. We thought a Monday would be best since we would be closed and we all came in to make it happen. I have to tell you how proud I am of our entire staff for organizing every detail of this project and making it a success all on a volunteer basis. We even had extra volunteers come in to help out including Dr. Krissy Bussmann who will soon be coming on board as our second doctor!

We ended up neutering  18 males and spaying one female. We were working so hard we forgot to take pictures - sorry about that! It was a fun day seeing all of these kitties come through and we really shined in the appreciation of the families bringing in their beloved pets. We were so happy to be able to help! The proceeds from the day are going to Cat Adoption Team and the Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon to continue to help in the spaying and neutering of more cats in need. 

On Monday I headed down to Salem to testify in favor of House Bill 2470 - a piece of proposed legisltation to shut down Puppy Mills in Oregon and give some guidelines for consumers who purchase puppies that are ill.

Me and my puppy mill rescue DeeDee

I arrived early for the hearing and after finding parking and paying my meter in the pouring rain I headed to the Capitol Building. Immediately inside I met Glen Kolb, the executive director of the OVMA also there to testify. The OVMA originally was taking an opposed stance on the bill due to language but was willing to come in Neutral with the chance to work on the bill. 

The crowd waits to get into the hearing room

I saw the crowd waiting outside of the hearing room. Groups of people gathered on both sides of the issue and there was tension in the air as people were passionately discussing their sides of the argument with friends. When they finally opened the door to the hearing room only 1/2 of the people were let in. The rest of us filtered in next door to watch on the big screen. Again people were clustered in groups and in such close quarters. Everyone was pretty respectful but without being in the Committee Hearing Room, I felt a little like we were in an 8th grade classroom with no teacher present. With each passionate testimonial the growd gently edged to get out of hand - but it never did. I sat with Glenn and another veterinarian there to testify - Larry Peet. 

Scott Beckman testifies in support of HB 2470

Chair Holvey opened up the hearing by explained that he drafted this legislation and has a great interest in the bill. He also generously added that he wanted to hear all sides to make this bill a good one and looked forward to the testimony. The first to speak was Scott Beckman with the Humane Society of the United States who did an excellent job outlining why the bill was needed and put to rest some of the rumors out there that the HSUS was ultimately trying to eliminate pet ownership. The HSUS is an organization that is made up of very reasonable, proactive people working hard on animal welfare issues (that's why I am a member of the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association.) After Scott, Sharon Harmon spoke for the Oregon Humane Society and gave an empassioned speak about the horrors of puppy mills and echoed my feeling that the bill doesn't go far enough. She repeated over and over that the minimum standards set out in the bill was that the cage has to be big enough for the dog to lie down, stand up and turn around.

Sharon Harmon with OHS makes an empassioned speech

There were many other testimonies from both sides of the aisle. Most of the breeders and the National Animal Interest Alliance were concerned with the wording of the bill, the fear that good breeders would be affected by this bill, that Oregon Welfare laws already apply and that it is an unfunded mandate. Other breeders supported the bill and believed that everyone should be against the horror of puppy mills. 

Finally it was my turn. Right before I went up we were asked to keep the testimony to 1 minute instead of the 3 we originally were granted. I read the most important parts of my testimony including the difficulties I have seen when puppies from questionable sources are purchased and become deathly ill. I was so honored to be on the panel with the other 3 veterinarians including Dr. Ingrid, Dr. Larry Peet, and another doctor from Tillamook who all did such an excellent job - speaking to the Committee with their heartfelt testimony. 

The plan for the bill now is for it to enter a Working Group to revise the bill and get it to the floor for a vote. Please take the time to read the bill. Once you have read it I encourage you to contact your state senator and representative and encourage them to vote yes on HB 2470.  You can also find a form for the anti puppy mill legislation on the HSUS website along with information about the bill and issues with Puppy Mills.

 

    

Hey All - it's Michael.

Two cool opportunites came up at the same time, so I thought I'd post them together. Check it out!

1. Best Friends Animal Society

The singer-songwriter Neko Case, who has an incredibly beautiful and haunting voice, is asking blogs to post her new song "People Got A Lotta Nerve" and for every blog that does, she'll donate $5 to Best Friends Animal Society. So here it is!

You can play it right here:

or you can download the MP3 to keep in your normal collection.

If you have a blog of your own, please post the song as well - not only does it promote a great independent artist, but it provides money and media coverage for animal welfare.

2. The Humane Society of the United States

To promote Spay Day 2009, the HSUS has launched an online photo contest, where you can vote with dollars (contributed to HSUS). The HSUS is anincredible force for change, and if you doubt that your dollars are going to good use, check out the impressive list of accomplishments for 2008 - and those are just the state-level legal victories!

So, you can either enter your own super cute pet, or we can skip the formalities and you can simply go and vote for the most awesomest pup around, the master of face-chewing disaster, the howlin' hurricane of the west, weighing in at 45 pounds (although technically she should be 50), the Undisputed Champion of Cuteness, MOJO!, who I've already taken the trouble of entering.  I suppose if you'd like, you could also browse through the other contestants, but honestly that would just be a waste of everyone's time, wouldn't it?

I recently wrote the story of Mojo (our 3-legged puppy) for the Animal Rescue and Care Fund Newsletter. I seemed to keep mentioning how much everybody loves Mojo. People stop on the street to pet her. They smile at her while she licks their toes. There is something so resilient and amazing in her demeanor but it turns out she isn't the only one with an amazing story of triumph! A few weeks ago I met Dottie when she came into the clinic with her kitty brother, Pullo for wellness care. She is such a sweet dog - a pit bull no less - and so very happy. She, like Mojo, brings out the best in people as they find this great desire to help her. It's no wonder she wags her tail so much - check out this story written by her mom, Amie:

Dottie

According to the 'Must Love Dogs NW', the rescue group Dottie came from, she had a pretty rough start in life. Apparently she was on her way to the Vancouver H.S. after her family became homeless. For some reason, the family stopped at a used tire yard, where the owner offered to take Dottie to avoid going to the H.S. ( A much worse fate!). For the next 2 and a half years, the owner of the tire lot chained her to a tire with no shelter and very little food. The only shelter Dottie had was to crawl amongst (and in) the tires. In the summer time, she would burn the pads of her paws due to the heat and in the winter time, she would make a bed out of rat carcasses. (I assume she was hunting them)

Dottie in the Tire Yard - what a fierce watch dog!

Eventually, an elderly gentleman took a liking to her and made it his mission to be her caretaker. (It is unclear exactly how he came to know her).  Everyday, the man would take Dottie off of her chain and walk her around the neighborhood and to the local elementary school. Before long he had the entire community rallying around her. People chipped in to buy her a harness, the pizza parlor nearby would give her pizza scraps and the elderly man would scrap together enough money to buy her dog food. (I've been told that she was eating 'Ol Roy'. Yuck!)  Eventually the elderly man, who apparently had beginning alzheimers or dementia, was forced to go into assisted living and could no longer care for Dottie. That is when 'Must Love Dogs NW' became involved and talked the tire lot owner into letting them take Dottie.

Before we got Dottie she spent 3 months in a fabulous foster home with 4 other dogs. The first time we met her at an outreach event, we knelt down and she was so sweet, she just melted right into us. Even though we had another dog to see that day, we pretty much knew that Dottie was our girl right then.

Dottie relaxing with her dad

 

 

Dottie now lives in a loving home with Amie and Mark (who are getting married next week!) and her kitty brother, Pullo. She loves to snuggle under the covers when it's cold and eagerly awaits her regular run with her mom. She loves cats, kids and most dogs. Dottie's favorite things include running long distances or curling up and watching t.v., as long as it includes hanging out with her people.

  

Mojo had her 4th physical therapy appointment at Back on Track yesterday. She has definitely gotten used to the idea of going there and looks for new friends to meet (both human and dog) and loves Dr. Shaw. Dr. Shaw works with Mojo, giving her treats and teaching her new "tricks" (they are really new exercises). She also works on limb and spine manipulation which Mojo believes is her massage time. Sometimes Mojo gets fussy with the range of motion palpation that Dr. Shaw does, but with some petting distraction from one of the techs she settles right down. This time Alicia helped out and did a great job keeping Mojo focused.

We learned some new exercises that Mojo, of course, is picking up quickly. We are now working on strengthening and providing flexibility to her hocks (ankles). She has to do a complicated sit pretty to stand (balanced - no cheating) and then down to a sit. The Cheez Whiz works great at home! She is also learning to back up, stepping one leg at a time. This often times turns into a couple of sits but she is getting it. She's got her ramp exercises down and even the uphill sit is good with minimal spotting from us. Michael does the best with her with her obstacle course. We are using the frame from our bed (did I tell you we took it out so she could get up on her own?) and it's the perfect height for her. I usually just have her walk through, which she does quite well, but Michael has her turning and going over one foot at a time. She's a star and will be ready for agility any day now!

The last part of physical therapy is the underwater treadmill. The first time she did it she really didn't get it (or like it) and by the last time she was having fun playing in the water. She'll walk on the treadmill (without cheating) as long as there are treats in front of her. The funniest thing is that she'll walk, take the treat and ride the treadmill while she chews and then walk forward again (double time) to get the next treat. During breaktime it was attack the water playtime again and she was having a blast. Michael was there to document the event and Mojo was glad to show off. We even got pictures of her playing with a squeaky fish which was pretty funny. She did get some exercise and found some time to workout a little. If only we could have so much fun at the gym!

Next appointment August 18th.

   

Mojo had her 3rd physical therapy appointment with Dr. Shaw last week at Back on Track. She really is improving well and we've given up the funny orange band for her legs and are now focusing on her core strength. She had her third round in the underwater treadmill which is always an adventure. This time she was not terrified. In fact, in her I-love-life kind of way, she decided it was actually really fun (but she was not really into the walking part). You see, we discovered on our trip to Northern California that Mojo loves tiny movements. In fact they make her crazy! On the beach she would watch the little rocks (sand) move when she jumped forward and she would try to "get" it. And then she'd jump again and more sand would move and again and again until she was running like a crazy dog! The water wasn't much different. One splash and water droplets and bubbles would appear and she would try to "get" them. Then she would splash more and there would be more to get until soon she is living it up in the water completely ignoring the fact that she is supposed to be walking. Well, at least she wasn't bored and trying to ride the treadmill backwards instead.

sitting pretty, to develop her back legs

sitting downhill on her ramp

Her new exercises are more of a challenge for her. We have an obstacle course and she plays "bull in the china shop" and knocks stuff over but she tries. If things are spaced out far enough she does better. She also has to do inclined sit-stands which she is more than happy to do facing downhill but uphill she has trouble. All of the sit commands in the world just can't convince her that she's supposed to really sit! She does better with some spotting and I think we are getting somewhere on that front.

Walking to work has been a bit of a challenge as well. It's a little embarrassing to be seen "dragging" my poor 3-legged puppy down the street. (Yeah, these people didn't see her running crazy on the beach!) We live on a busy street and starting off is tough for her. I think she may be really worried about the cars judging by her injuries and her being found running down 82nd Avenue. So it goes like this. We get down the driveway and she sees the first car. She sits and watches it go by. She gets praise and asked to walk again which she does and then the next car comes (after a few steps) which she has to stop and watch. Sigh...it can take awhile to walk a block. Once we get into the neighborhood things are good and she moves more freely as long as there are no people. Even if she sees people on the opposite side of the street she is convinced that they want to come see her so we must wait and watch them until they pass!

She is a lot of fun and even DeeDee is starting to like playing with her sometimes. DeeDee certainly does enjoy it when Mojo has to do exercises because she also participates in the cookie handouts. Mojo is also an Olympic snuggler. Her favorite thing to do is sleep and she is even starting to respect personal space just a little bit and keep her nose out of my eye but lounging across my body is still fair game. Her latest schedule is: Wake up. Go outside to potty. Do exercises. Eat breakfast. Go potty and then it's back to bed for a snuggle with Michael until he gets up. She does have it rough.

Mojo prepares for the treadmill

Michael and I took Mojo to Back on Track this morning for her recheck with Dr. Shaw. Turns out things are going pretty well. She stands more normally on her rear legs and her exercises that we are doing appear to be working. Dr. Shaw's evaluation showed that she has more movement in her hips and more flexion in her toes than she had 2 weeks ago.  She even did a couple of really nice sits in the office - squared off instead of sitting on her left hip and sticking out her right leg (like she still does sometimes!). We learned some new exercises to help build up her gluteal muscles and her core strength - there are these cute "sit pretty" exercises that she started doing on her own anyway so those should be pretty easy to do and I think she's going to like them. We also have some new hind leg stretches that involve picking her up and putting her tippy toes on the ground for her to stretch and then square off her legs properly. She's 23 lbs now so I think Michael will be in charge of those! We'll continue with her various other exercises but Dr. Shaw says we can stop the one she really hates which are the right leg rotations - she's thrilled and so are we!

Getting into the treadmill

We also reviewed her x rays and her left hip is seated well and her right appears to be as well. This means that the JPS pelvic surgery we were considering in the next 2 weeks won't need to be done - whew! The poor thing has already had 2 surgeries in her short 4 month lifespan (her amputation and her spay surgery) that thinking about one more so soon was a little stressful. The bad news on her x rays is that her right hip is smaller than her left and it appears that the right growth plate in the proximal femur (ball joint) is damaged. We aren't sure exactly what that will mean for her but we'll continue to monitor her progress and recheck x rays in another 6 weeks. If we have to she'll have orthopedic surgery to remove the femoral head on her right side but in the mean time we are working on  building up her thigh muscles to prepare her if she's needs the surgery.

Waiting for the water

She also had another exciting underwater treadmill experience. She doesn't seem to enjoy it much and she cheats at every chance she can. For awhile she would put her front leg off the treadmill and saunter with her back legs or she'd turn around and ride the treadmill backwards - so much easier that way! She crashed out pretty good for the ride home from all of her exercise.

So the plan is to continue her exercises, slow her growth, keep her lean and recheck in 3 weeks. We will keep you posted!

P.S. Mojo and DeeDee appear to be getting along better and DeeDee is actually PLAYING with Mojo sometimes! And will even lie down next to her!

Water in, ready to start the treadmill

P.P.S. Mojo had many real play dates last week. On Monday she went and played with Champ Conrad at his house and had a ball. He is such a good boy and really got her to come out and play chase. Then, of course, they did some rough housing and he knocked her down at every turn - it was on the grass and she didn't mind. They also had a nice rest on the grass in the sun. On Saturday she had a fun time in the yard at the clinic playing with Raisin, a 5 month old Boston that is tough as nails from living with her big brother Takai the Pit Bull. The two of them were so cute together and Raisin kept rolling Mojo and standing on top of her. They are sure to be best friends and we'll look forward to more play dates in the future! (Michael will have to get some pictures!)

   

We are in a flurry of excitement over our Grand Opening Celebration on Saturday and you would think in the midst of starting our new practice and preparing for this fun party that adding one more huge, life changing task to the list would be a bad idea. Well, it was the best idea ever! And so... Michael and I adopted a "special needs" puppy this week. DeeDee has a new little sister.

She likes to crawl under this table, then lay there and look cute.

On Monday I went with Ronnie, the Dog Foster Coordinator from Animal Rescue and Care Fund, for a physical therapy evaluation of our special needs puppy. I had originally met the puppy when Ronnie brought the sweet girl to a Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon clinic that I was volunteering at. She had just had her right front leg amputated and had an abnormal gait on her hind legs. That left her with 1 good leg! She had her front leg amputated after she was found running down 82nd Ave with a horrible injury to her leg and missing toes. I examined her and invited Ronnie to bring her in for x rays for Friends and Family Day. Michael met the puppy that day, fell in love and promptly noted that this was a really bad time to get a puppy. So the little girl went home with Ronnie, her foster mom. We kept in touch, receiving regular updates and the last one we got was about her physical therapy appointment coming up and Ronnie's heartfelt worries that everyone was in love with this puppy but no one was willing to take her on and it was looking like it would be very difficult to find this sweet girl a home. I was at the clinic with Michael late on a Sunday night and forwarded him the email. I was working away on my computer when I got an instant message from somewhere inside the clinic asking about going to play pool at the Backstage - our normal Sunday night ritual. The next message offered if I won 3/3 games we could keep the puppy. Game on!

Now I have to tell you that in all of the games of pool we've played since the building of this practice... I usually lose. My wins are 50/50 on legitimate wins vs. Michael scratching on the 8 ball! I do have some very wonderful wins under my belt and I am always close on Michael's heels but fact is he's better than me.  So we played our first game and I won. Yay! The second game was so close, luckily Michael took his last shot on the 8 ball and scratched. Yippee another win - I'd take it anyway I could. Wow 2 in a row - a record. Then came the 3rd game and Michael won fair and square. I think he was a little disappointed to have won. After a second beer he proposed that we find out what she's going to need and evaluate whether we could keep her. 

That brings me back to Monday's visit. Boy, she's a mess. She has bilateral bowed femurs that we need to try to align properly for her continued growth and proper knee alignment (correcting this may reveal hip dysplasia which will require further action). She has bilateral femoral nerve weakness, an arched back from walking so funny on her hind legs and abdominal muscle weakness - again from walking so funny. The visit with Dr. Shaw at Back on Track was really great. Dr. Shaw is incredibly skilled and put the puppy through a series of exercises and the little girl was so resilient. At first she would hesitate a little - especially when the assistive device was placed on her hind legs or when she was in the underwater treadmill - but then she'd look like, "ok, what do you want me to do now?". It was a little heartbreaking to watch what this puppy is going to have to do but her lively personality and sweet nature makes her the perfect candidate. I knew Ronnie would be overwhelmed with these exercises at home and her 5 other dogs to attend to as well so we made plans, if Michael gave the go ahead, we'd get her on Tuesday.

 

Mojo all drugged up for her x-rays	She swears the paper towel was already ripped up on the floor like this when she got there. I'm pretty sure she's lying, but I don't have any proof yet.

I met Michael out at Belmont Station for a beer and went over the plans. He was really concerned but being her best prospect said yes and she's been with us since Tuesday. We're working through the normal puppy things - potty training and learning what's ok to chew on but she's smart and picking it up fast. We brainstormed names on Tuesday and on Wednesday her name was Mojo. (She has had a slew of names - Marsha from the shelter, Blanche from North Porltand Animal Hospital, and Lacey from Animal Care and Rescue Fund). DeeDee does not like being the new play toy but Mojo is pretty respectful and DeeDee is even starting to play ever so slightly. She also finds refuge on the couch where Mojo can't reach her. 

Are we crazy to take on this special case? Probably but when she snuggles up at night and rests her head on your pillow it's like nothing else matters and everything is just perfect.

Come meet Mojo at the Open House - I bet she'll capture your heart too! 

I'm sure all of you are wondering what happened to Foxx - the cute little kitten that turned my home into a care facility over Thanksgiving. Well, he's doing great! In fact he was doing so well that he was acting like a kitten and getting into all sorts of trouble. You should have seen him with the laser toy! He was even stalking DeeDee. She, of course, totally deserved this for all of the hassling she did while he was sick.

Foxx moving fast to get a toy!

After the holiday he went back to Murrayhill Veterinary Hospital where he continued to get his medication and lots of food. He gained a whole pound in 4 days!! Boy, he sure does like to eat. As he was getting more and more strength back and he was getting into more and more trouble I started to realize that life in a clinic was not the best thing for a kitten. And so, after the holidays and when I was sure Foxx was going to continue to get better I called his owner with an update and asked if he would like to bring Foxx back home. You see, Foxx had been adopted with another kitten and I was convinced they needed to be back together.

 I wasn't at the clinic the day Foxx went back home but I know everyone was so happy. I got an email from his owner yesterday saying that he's doing well and he's getting into frequent wrestling matches with the other kitten (for awhile there, she was much bigger than him - but I think he caught up!). Sometimes it's amazing what we can do and what a little kitten body is capable of recovering from. I will miss Foxx but I know he's in a great place with people that love him and a little sister to wrestle with - what could be better?

 

This evening I brought Foxx home for another day of homecare over the holiday. Before I left Murrayhill this evening I was showered with shouts of “he’s eating!!!” Foxx was chowing down on the food we had put in with him this morning.

Monday, when I took Foxx back to work, he looked awful. I really thought he wasn’t going to make it. Everyone was sad and I set to work on everything I could think of to do for him. I started some major treatments: 3 different antibiotics, liver protectants, lysine, fish oil, Metacam, fluids, force feeding and nebulizing. The staff was so great and everyone worked so hard faithfully giving him his treatments and tons of TLC. Tuesday was a little better but he still looked pretty sick. His nasal discharge and congestion was getting worse and there was no change in his liver size. He was starting to resent his force feedings a little bit and seemed to be looking for a way off the table. Then this morning I came in and he looked better…really better. He was up and about, greeting people as they came in to see him (he’s going to be great at his job!). Everyone was happy.

Then tonight he really did it – after 9 days he finally ate on his own. I mean really pigged out! And then I took him home and he motored all over the place and settled down at DeeDee’s water dish. After 4 or 5 attempts he finally got a big drink of water. Then there was more food. And I caught him playing with one of our plants!!

At around the time we were experiencing these great tiny steps for Foxx, Michael got an email that our variance for permitting was approved!! The low part of our space in the back where we are putting radiology was not tall enough and we were worried we’d have to raise the roof or dig out all of the concrete and put in a lower floor to reach the few extra inches we needed. Crisis averted! (And we even take back most of the bad things we said about the planning department).

I am truly grateful and hope you all have a happy Thanksgiving.