Scratchings-and-Sniffings

Alice update and Goblin Preparations

Alice went in for an exploratory laparotomy and gastrotomy yesterday. Her Doctor and Martha decided to go straight to surgery and bypass the endoscopy procedure we discussed on Wednesday. This makes good sense to me, and Martha and I discussed the pros and cons before she gave her consent.

Turns out there was no foreign body present but lots of inflammation in the stomach and evidence of inflammation in the small intestine. The surgeon described thickened loops of small bowel. He took biopsies from several sites in both the stomach and upper small intestine.

Alice will spend the weekend in the hospital receiving IV fluids with electrolytes, vitamins and dextrose. She won't be getting anything by mouth to give the stomach and bowel several days to heal. In addition she'll be receiving corticosteroids to reduce the inflammation in her GI tract.

A change of luck for a lucky dog

Most long time readers will remember Alice; the luckiest dog in the world, from previous posts. She's the only child of my good friends Phil and Martha and I tend to think of her in the niece category. Phil and I have spent lots of time in the back country with Alice along as our hiking and bear first alert system.

I'm sad to report that Alice's luck has changed for the worse, at least for now. Almost a month ago Alice started vomiting fairly regularly. At first we thought, along with her vet, that it was an intestinal virus that had been going around town.

Her veterinarian prescribed the appropriate therapy and Martha, a second year nursing student, dutifully provided the medication at home. Not much changed and the vomiting continued.

When Yvonne gets a New Kitten (or puppy)

Yvonne and I were talking on the phone the other day and I could sense that she was already thinking about bringing a new pet in to the house. Not that she could ever replace Carmie, but with Yvonne it's more when, than if, she gets another puppy of kitten.

Of course she still has sixteen year old Wibby Wabby at home, but if you're used to multiple pets one just won't do.

So, given that Wabby now rules the roost, how should Yvonne go about bringing home a new pet, particularly a new cat? We did a post on introducing a new pet not too long ago, but let me recap the highlights for Yvonne's situation.

Even though Wabby has been around for 16 years it sounds like she was probably number two in the pecking order. Maybe even number three since I'm not sure where Tom fits into the picture.

Yvonne tells me that Wabby has only recently ascended to sleeping in the bedroom and that Carmie used to carry Wabby around the house in her mouth when she was a kitten. So the upshot is that Wabby is experiencing a new world view now that she is Queen of the jungle. Bringing a new kitten into a newly established pecking order could cause problems. Probably not though, especially if we follow a few established procedures.

First of all a transition room to house the new family member is key.

This should be a room where the new kitty can be left alone with food, litter box, toys and sleeping accommodations. There should be a door to this room that can be closed securely. This room serves two purposes. First, it provides a secure environment for the new pet who is making a stressful transition all her own. Secondly, it provides a gradual introduction to the existing family pet or pets via smells and under the door encounters.

Top Dog at our house: Wabby the Cat!

Wabby is top dog now. Even though she’s a cat. I wonder if we seemed distant or neglectful, back when Carmie was still around? If we were distant, it wasn’t intentional. I love my kitty. But, she’s not a lap cat (as my daughter, Maggie, noted this weekend when she came to visit and Wabby did not jump up on her lap).

Wabby has definitely become more warm and friendly, lately. She sleeps on the bed while I work (across from my desk) and she hangs out with me far more than she used to. I’m glad. I love her to pieces! Unfortunately, I’m also allergic, so I have to limit my time with her. (this is her best imitation of how annoyed she used to get whenever we invaded her territory; on this day we had a meeting in the living room and she was not happy about sharing the couch!)

It would be devastating if she ever scooted out the door and disappeared! Luckily, that won't happen. She's never been one to try and escape. However, if your kitty is, maybe you should consider microchips. I found this article on About.com/cats that mentions microchipping as a form of ID for your cat. This is a big help for cats that get lost (and found) or, heaven forbid, hurt while hunting or roaming the neighborhood. Apparently, in the UK, it's a law to have your pet microchipped.

And this great CBS news story from 2003, shows how well microchipping works. A cat named Ted was gone for 10 years!!! But, because he had a microchip (from the really early days of using this technology), the Humane Society that ended up with him, was able to locate his owner. It's a great story because the impression is that someone took care of Ted for 10 years, then... the escaping cat did it again and and lo! and behold! ended up at a shelter that was able to track down the family he belonged to.

According to them, Ted climbed up into his master's lap and started purring, as if he'd never been gone. Amazing!

Microchipping isn't that expensive. I'd check with my vet...rather, you should check with your vet. And consider this life-saving technology. For Wabby, she has the run of the house...and has never even tried to hide. Unlike our previous cat! Man, he could hide!

All the Dogs and Cats

On Wednesday night, Tom and I drove out to our local Humane Society at Lollypop Farm for a networking event. That's where we got both of our pets, Wabby (our cat who is 16 years old, and still with us, and Carmie, our dog, who left us at the age of 15, just a few weeks ago).

Wow, has Lollypop Farm changed! For the better. I noticed it the moment I walked through the door - a more modern and open setting. Very friendly and inviting. Look at this little cubie about Cat Eyes. It's one of many in the Learning Center.

I wish I'd known about this ahead of time. I would have reserved a table and talked about this blog.

Oh well. The visit was bitter-sweet. There were so many delightful dogs and cats there - all of them watching each of us as we walked by their kennel. There were a few pups and a few kittens, but mostly adult animals. I wanted to take all of them home with me!

Stem Cell Therapy in Dogs and Cats

Ha, so you thought you might get through this election cycle without hearing about stem cells didn't you? Well, sorry to dissapoint but I just read an interesting article about the use of stem cells to treat arthritis in dogs, that I just have to share.

First of all let's be clear on one issue. We are not talking about embryonic stem cells derived from embryos. We are talking about adult stem cells derived from the patient themselves. In the case of the dog study the cells were taken from subcutaneous fat or adipose tissue.

This is how it works.

Fishing for Endangered Species

OK, this might be a little off topic for a pet blog where we spend most of our time in dog and cat land, but I've got to tell you about my most excellent back packing trip last weekend.

My wife and I went up into Black Canyon in the Aldo Leopold Wilderness area of Southwest New Mexico. My main reason for going was to check in on the re-introduction of the native Gila Cutthroat trout into the waters of Black Canyon Creek.

The Gila Cutt is a beautiful fish and happens to be our native trout. The Gila Cuttthroat evolved in the ever so fragile riparian realm of the Southwest. They are survivors. They are able to handle persistent drought and warm water much better than non native species. Where they really have problems is with these same non natives; especially Brown and Rainbow Trout.

Dress up your Pet for Halloween

Halloween isn't far off. I know some of you are already preparing to dress up your pets for Halloween. Personally, I've never seen the fun in this - but, I actually do know some dogs and cats that LIKE being dressed up! Of course, I only have this on the good authority of the pet owners - the pets have never written to me or called me to say how delighted they are when made to prance around in buttons and bows, so to speak.

IF this is fun for you, and for your dog or cat, here are some places you might want to check out...

Fearnet has a Halloween Pet Costume Contest where all you have to do is upload your pet's picture...and you could win $100. You'd better hurry - there are already a good number of cuties up there. Matt says you have until November 3rd. (not sure why he doesn't know Halloween is on October 31st...)

And Now...A Word from Our Sponsor Nestle' Purina

As everyone knows, Nestle' Purina sponsors this blog. I feel privileged to have that sponsorship. Note that I understand many pet owners like to create their own dog food, and I cannot fault them...except, I know for fact (and from Dr. Larry) that Purina dog and cat food is very nutritious. I totally trust Purina pet food to keep my pets happy and healthy.

And, because of that, I like to mention what's going on over at Purina, now and then. Today is one of those times, because I just found out about their "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have [your dog] video incorporated into the bonus section of the 20th Century Fox comedy Marley & Me DVD."

I did not get this news from my contacts at Purina. They're very good about sharing with me, but they know I can't always write about the fab things they're doing, so...sometimes I am lucky and find content on my own and that's the case here. I discovered this exciting opportunity all on my own! Whoohoo for me!

Purina Cat Chow: Supporting Breast Cancer

This just came across my desk..."Cat Chow Goes Pink"...

The Cat Channel, a website for cat lovers, posted an article noting that Purina's Cat Chow brand cat food "has teamed up with Susan G. Komen for the Cure to help fight breast cancer." Very kewl, if you ask me. The story goes on to note that Purina "recently donated $175,000" to the nonprofit organization.

Hop over to the Purina Cat Chow website and see pink, pink, pink! It's really beautiful. Of course, even the cat food bags are pink! I'm not really that fond of pink but I love the way the designers created this site. It's not overwhelming...it's actually quite soothing.  (dare I admit that I took their "get the facts" quiz and got all but one question WRONG!!!)

At the same time I saw that article, I saw this neat article saying, "Cats can bring new energy to a home." The part I like is this, "There is also a lot to be said for adopting an adult cat. Most in the shelter are experienced with human families, are housebroken and already have some manners."