Anyone know of naturopathic or diet help for cats with diabetes?

A visitor to the site has just had a cat diagnosed with diabetes. Does anyone have experience with a natural treatment (non-drug) for that, or control through diet? Any comments would be very welcome.

Thanks for your help.

Be Kind to Animals week

May 1-7 is Be Kind to Animals week. This is a great time to adopt a pet! Check out your local shelter to find that one pet eagerly waiting to go home with you.

Many humane societies offer free or low-cost spay clinics during the week as well. To find one near you, type "humane society" and your nearest city into Google or any Web search engine.

Disaster plans for pets

Pennsylvania is ahead of many states in helping animals in disaster situations. Several PA counties have formed volunteer teams that will help wildlife and be sure pet and livestock owners know what to do for their animals in a state-wide emergency.

PA counties also are identifying resources that can help move animals to protected areas. Shelters for humans often don't accept pets, so volunteers urge animal owners to keep a list of hotels that will take pets and to keep emergency pet supplies and medicine on hand and in one place, ready to go in case of evacuation. They also urge pet owners to keep a list of nearby veterinarians, dog kennels and other resources.

Florida has developed evacuation shelters for pets. North Carolina has a State Animal Response Team. Georgia's humane society teaches communities how to shelter animals during disaster. Seems like our southern neighbors are on the ball.

I know I need to go home and get an emergency kit together for Mickey, Shadow and Boo. We tend to get earthquakes here, and the media keeps saying we're just waiting for a really large one that's bound to come sooner than later.

Source: States Prepare Disaster Plans for Animals By Jennifer C. Yates, Associated Press Writer

Dogs and dandelions

Our dog has begun eating dandelions on his walks with my husband, so much so that my husband has complained it has really added to the time it takes to get through their regular route.

We checked with our vet to be sure dandelions aren't toxic and she said no, they aren't, and can actually be beneficial. I did some research and found that dandelions can help with an assortment of ailments such as allergies, arthritis, constipation, diabetes, diuretic, kidney disease, liver disease, mild pain and urinary disorders. They contain vitamins A, B, C, and E, plus potassium, calcium, and iron to act as a tonic for the urinary system and liver.

Since Mickey is on PhenoBarbitol for seizures, a medication that can cause liver problems, I see this as a unique way of possibly staving off those problems. (One caution: if you allow your dog to eat dandelions be sure they are chemical free--no pesticides--and be aware they are a diuretic. Lots of potty breaks will be needed! Also, dandelions aren't recommended for dogs or cats with bile duct or gallbladder disorders.)

Maybe Mickey's really smart and a naturopath at heart. Or maybe he just likes dandelions. Either way, our yard will be weed-free this summer.

What is your state doing about animal care?

The HSUS has a great site where you can look up bills being debated in your state. It's a great way to see what is going on where you live, which bills the HSUS supports or opposes, and perhaps offers you a way to get involved in helping animals (writing or e-mailing your legislators DOES work).

Check it out!

Pets are victims of family violence, too

I have read in many places that pets are victims of domestic violence as much as other family members. Often an abuser will use a pet to control other family members, threatening to harm or kill the pet if the family doesn't do as the abuser dictates. It has also been proven that a large percentage of abusers have harmed or killed pets in their past. In other words, children who learn abuse from a parent or other adult practice it on animals first.

There are shelters being set up across the country so domestic violence victims don't need to leave pets behind when they leave the abuser. A great article on these shelters can be found here.

Acts of caring

Being a consumer in a world that uses animals for fashion, food and cosmetics is a tough spot to be in. I am a vegetarian and don't buy leather, but I know there's so much more I can do. I found a page called the Caring Consumer that offers a lot of suggestions.

Don't feel overwhelmed by this. It's easy to look at a site like this one and feel guilty at every turn. Making lifestyle changes is a big step and it's best to take one small step at a time. For intance, if you knit you could avoid buying merino wool. The Australian sheep are treated horribly and we need to make the sheep farmers act more responsibly. Boycotting is a way to force those changes.

Visit the page when you get a minute and just peruse it. You may see some simple ways to make a big difference with what would be a small change for you.

Mickey's meds

We took Mickey to the vet to get his blood levels checked to be sure he is within the correct ranges for the Potassium Bromide and PhenoBarbital. We can reduce the Potassium a little but we have to increase the Pheno. He has epilepsy and these meds have helped greatly in controlling the seizures (he hasn't had one since Thanksgiving week last year).

I don't like having him on the Pheno because it will eventually damage his liver, but he was experiencing cluster seizures and they were so hard on him. I guess it's a trade off.

Anti-cruelty bill passes

I received word from Pasado's Safe Haven that the animal anti-cruelty bill we've been pushing for so hard in Washington state has passed the Senate. It passed the House earlier, went through a rollercoaster of addendums, tag-ons, etc. that bills go through which can kill them, got straightened back out and now passed. It did have one addendum to it from another bill that would have died on its own, so it now must go back to the House. But Susan Michaels, the director of Pasado's, feels it will pass without problem.

This whole process was incredibly interesting. It opened my eyes to the work involved in passing a bill and the people and other issues that can sway whether it gets through or not. I guess I'm glad this process is in place but the politics are amazing.

Virtual hunting isn't virtual--it kills

I just read the most appalling story on Information Week. "Virtual hunting" has become the latest thing. Hunters sit at a computer and point and click to control real guns mounted on platforms aimed at live animals in hunting areas. Cameras are also mounted on the platforms. A hunt done this way just took place in Texas.

Thank God Representative Tom Davis (R-Va) is trying to put a stop to this with bill HR 1558 (Computer-Assisted Remote Hunting Act).

To read the story go to http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=160702464.

An emotional cost to save Toby

Many of you are probably aware of the Save Toby Web site that is demanding $50,000 from visitors to the site. The money is to save Toby, an adorable rabbit, from being eaten by its owner. The owner is the one maintaining the site.

As it does any animal lover, the site infuriates me. I have not made a donation because I don't believe in extortion--monetary or emotional. I even debated whether to post this entry to my blog because I hate to give such people any type of advertising. My husband wrote a nasty e-mail to the owner and contacted PETA to see if the site was illegal. It is not. The owner has posted some of the hate mails he has received (he seems very proud of them) and has also posted responses from animal rights groups such as PETA stating they can do nothing about what he is doing.

I am curious to hear from others about this. If you'd like to post a comment, please do so. Do you think this is harmless? Do you believe they will eat the rabbit if they don't get the money (it is my understanding there are two young men doing this)? Do you believe others will copy this emotional-blackmail type of site? Thanks for your thoughts on this issue.

Boo and Shadow, Too

I have been feeling bad because I usually talk about Mickey, our dog, on this blog, and we also have two kitties: Shadow (pictured here in his favorite position) and Boo (pictured below).

Shadow is a Persian and will be 13 this summer; Boo will be two. We rescued Boo from a life on the streets as her mom was a feral cat (or near-feral; she was actually too friendly to be considered feral). We found Boo in a tree stump near our house one day. We waited for the mom to return but when it started to get dark and no mom we took her in. She was only about 3 or 4 weeks old.

I slept with her in our guest room and got up every couple hours to feed her kitten formula that night. The next day my husband spied the mom kitty walking around near the house so he grabbed Boo and held her out to the mom. The mom kitty sniffed Boo, grabbed her and ran off. We thought we'd never see them again. A few weeks later we spied the mom with other kittens nearby and our neighbors said they were all living in their wood pile. We worked with our neighbors to get them all out (three of us got bit by the kittens). Then we took them to the vet to get de-wormed and to get their shots, and got the mom kitty fixed--no more kittens.

I kept Boo and we gave the other kittens to people my husband worked with who we knew would give them good homes. We tried to keep the momma kitty but she attacked our dog every time he came near her. And I mean really attacked. She would get on her hind legs and hold out her front claws and go after him. Poor Mickey likes kitties as he has lived with one since he was born. He was quite confused. We tried to get the mom adopted but no one would take her.

We kept the momma kitty outside and fed her even though I wish she could have lived indoors with us. She had other cats always hanging around with her. Then one day they all disappeared and never came back. I really hope she found a home. We looked for her in our neighborhood but she completely disappeared.

This is Boo

Boo and our dog, Mickey, are best friends.
Boo

These deer enjoy horticulture projects

I work at a college near a greenbelt. Yesterday a friend I work with called me and said to come outside with her. She had her camera.We saw five deer near our parking lot. Actually, they were near the greenhouses on campus eating the little plants in the pots put there by the horticulture students. I'm sure the students and instructor won't be happy when they see what happened, but the deer were having a good time.

Cloning can't bring a pet back

I listened to a brief story about pet cloning last night on NPR radio. Two kittens have already been cloned in the US and dogs are next.

Cloning will not bring back a pet that has been lost. Personality, the trait most often sought by a heart-broken pet owner, is a unique thing and cannot be duplicated, even by cloning. So many, many animals are in shelters waiting for a good home, so many are euthanized each year, that cloning will only make worse an already epidemic problem.

I see cloning as another step in a throw-away society. Don't like what you see? We'll change it next time around. Don't worry about death, that pet (or human, down the road) is replaceable.

The HSUS has released a statement on cloning. I imagine many more shelters will be doing the same.

Pope John Paul II Advocated for Animals

I read an article on the PETA site about how Pope John Paul II loved animals and encouraged care for them:

Pope John Paul II taught love for animals more than any other pope in recent memory.

In 1990, His Holiness proclaimed that “the animals possess a soul and men must love and feel solidarity with our smaller brethren.” He went on to say that all animals are “fruit of the creative action of the Holy Spirit and merit respect” and that they are “as near to God as men are.”

I hope the next Pope upholds these beliefs and urges care and concern for all animals.