Dogged Blog

Leavin' on a jet plane -- if nothing else goes wrong, that is...

In around three hours I'm going to Washington to visit my friend Terri and her Scottish Deerhounds and Silken Windhounds! I'm also going to meet, for the first time, my friend Nancy Campbell LVT, who runs the wonderful Vet Techs blog, and who lives in the same town as my friend Terri. They even have the same last name.

Then I'm going into Seattle to meet my editor from AfterElton.com, Michael Jensen, and his partner, author Brent Hartinger. And seeing other friends as well, all from online, some of whom I've met before, some of whom I haven't.

I'm ready for some fun, believe me. Words cannot describe the unbelievable chain of crap that has hit me in the last three days. In addition to the normal work binge I have to go on before any vacation, I had to reinstall my browser, which caused me some headaches that are too boring to go into here, my mom broke her toe, my toilet broke, Rebel got yet another bladder infection (related to his genetic kidney defect -- it's an ongoing problem), I lost my keys yesterday, and ummm... I don't know, ten million other things I'm currently supressing all awareness of.

I will be gone for six days. I'm bringing only three pairs of shoes. Obviously something is very, very wrong with me.

Before I leave, please go over to SFGate.com and read my holiday safety tips for pets. Every pet writer has to write one of these every year, it's part of our Code. Go tell my editors that mine is the best, most amusing, most compelling holiday pet safety article you have ever read in all your life since the dawn of time:

Ah, the holiday season! We mark its arrival by giving young children massive quantities of candy and putting little fireman outfits on our Dalmatians.

Then on to a celebration of thanks that can send us into a postprandial coma and our dogs to the ER with pancreatitis. We then move into Hanukkah, Christmas or another winter holiday of choice that brings joy to the hearts of the young and young-at-heart everywhere, at least until the cats jump up and knock candles over, potentially setting the house on fire, or get tangled in discarded gift ribbons.

It all finishes up with New Year's Eve, which admittedly is the one holiday that probably does more damage to us than to our pets.

I don't have any suggestions for what you can do about your waistline, your budget, or how to fit all the holiday shopping and parties in, but I can give you some ideas on how to keep your dogs and cats safe (and keep your house from burning down) through the whole holiday season, starting with Halloween.

If nothing else, check out the great photos, including a deerhound in a kilt! It's all here.

Happy Halloween!

Veterinary Medicine: How much do you want to know?

A friend sent me a link to an article in Slate about how horrible veterinarians are for using expensive, high-tech, and aggressive testing and treatment methods on dogs and cats, with emphasis on the "expensive." The article leads off with the story of a vet clinic whose staff dropped everything they were doing to try and resuscitate a dog brought in by his owner, with the strong implication that they should have refused to even try. Given that the owner picked up his dead dog and brought him to the vet, it seems fairly obvious to me that this is exactly what the owner wanted. The bill over which so much horror is expressed was only $250; a pretty fair price for a shot at a miracle, and the tiniest fraction of the charge of what it would cost in human medicine for the exact same procedure:

Two trends are making a visit to your veterinarian an opportunity for endless guilt. One is the increasing acceptance of the notion that pets are family members (thus the movement to change the word owner to guardian). The other is the convergence of veterinary and human medicine—pets can get chemotherapy, dialysis, organ transplants, hip replacement, and braces for their teeth. In 2004, Americans spent $18 billion to treat the country's 164 million dogs and cats. Sure, you may have a health-care directive that begs your loved one to pull the plug. Grandpa's hospital bed may have a flashing "Do Not Resuscitate" order. But how can anyone be heartless enough to refuse to treat their dead dog?

She compares the human and veterinary systems of medicine, and finds vet med lacking:

In Sicko, Michael Moore indicts America's human health care, painting a portrait of a system so callous that the loss of life and limb is a matter of simple economic calculation. But in my experience, it's almost impossible to find a callous vet when you need one. Take what happened with my cat Sabra. At age 21—the equivalent of a 100-year-old human—Sabra was fading. She had stopped grooming and was barely eating. She spent her days curled in a chair, hissing occasionally like a deflating whoopee cushion. Instead of letting her go gently, of course I took her to the vet. The vet shook her head at Sabra's condition. She likely had cancer, kidney disease, multiple organ failure. All this would have to be sorted out through several days of rigorous testing. Instead of saying, "I'm going to take her home and let her deflate in peace," I handed her over.



As I left, I thought of my dear, departed grandmother. When she was 90, still lucid but in the hospital and facing the end, the doctors thought perhaps she had an undetected cancer. To confirm, the biopsy would have required anesthesia and a painful recovery. Everyone agreed to let it go. Sabra had no such luck. Two days and $800 worth of tests later, the vet couldn't find out what was wrong (besides the fact that she was 21) and said she was arranging a transport to a facility where Sabra could get an MRI. When I said I was coming to pick her up, the vet became hostile. "She might have a cancer we haven't found! She's not in good health!" said the vet. I returned Sabra to her chair, and she died a few months later.



I was left feeling the whole exercise was a way of shaming me into covering the overhead.

My issue here is not the owner's decisions, neither the one to have the testing done nor to take her cat home. I might have put a 21 year old cat through two days of testing and hospitalization if she was amazingly healthy up until then, but it's unlikely. No, my issue is the attitude that a veterinarian giving you medical advice and letting a pet owner know what options are available is an opportunist preying on our love of our animals.



My veterinarian is not in charge of my morals, my love for my pet, or my budget. I don't pay her for her opinion on how I spend my money nor on my value system. I pay her for medical information, period. And to any suggestion that vets should withhold information from us because we might experience it as a guilt trip, I say: Get a spine.



And I'll also tell you, while I have now and then seen vets forget the pet and his or her quality of life in the name of playing with some new toy or getting THE ANSWER to what's wrong with the animal even if it won't make a difference in treatment or outcome, most of the time I see the exact opposite: An almost total lack of interest in tracking down a diagnosis, and the routine administration of antibiotics and some kind of anti-inflammatory (either steroids or, more recently, NSAIDs like Rimadyl). It's the veterinary version of "take two aspirin and call me in the morning."



It's certainly true that some of us can't afford to get every high tech test and therapy for our companion animals, but that's genuinely a separate issue from whether or not a veterinarian should make us aware of the options that are available.



It's also true some of us won't spend the money even if we can afford it, but that, too, is a separate issue from whether or not our pets' veterinarians should inform us of what can be done.



I wrote about this a few months ago for my SFGate.com column, beginning with the story of my fight for the life of my dog, Bran, who was only four years old when I lost him:

I'd made the last 10 days of his life miserable with tests, tubes and hospitalization. I'd spent over $10,000, more than half of it borrowed. I'd let my professional and personal lives go completely to hell, while I sat next to my dog on the hospital floor, stroking his head and hoping for a miracle. If I'd known how it would end, I'd have put him to sleep the first day.



The problem is we never do know how it will end. From necessity, we do a kind of emotional and financial triage without the single most important piece of information: Will it be worth it?



For people with little or no money in the budget for veterinary care, that triage might be painful but simple. There's no point in debating the merits of a diagnostic procedure or treatment that you can't afford. But even if finances aren't tight, the incredible array of technologies available in veterinary practice today can burn through the most generous pet care budget in days, and can be bewildering to pet owners.



Surgeries that were once unheard-of in veterinary medicine -- such as organ transplants -- are now being done on pets. Chemotherapy, arthroscopic and laser surgeries, hip replacements, MRIs and nearly every form of sophisticated medical treatment or diagnostic procedure known to human medicine is available in animal practice, too.

I interviewed leading veterinary cardiologist Dr. Paul Pion, president and co-founder of the Veterinary Information Network, for the article, and who believes that veterinary medicine today offers choices that can overwhelm pet owners, particularly in the area of diagnostic testing:

"We can do a much better job of diagnosing things than we ever could," he said. "Today's veterinarian is a different vet from James Herriot, whose diagnostic methods were things like the laying on of hands, and smelling."



But Pion doesn't see technology as being the main source of veterinary medical miracles. "Things are being diagnosed earlier. Owners are watching them more. They're bringing them in when something can be done. And veterinarians are detecting more. It's not just the technology, it's having the relationship with the vet."



[....]



When faced with uncertainty, Pion recommends that pet owners "look the vet in the eye and ask, 'Do you believe this will make a difference? If this were your dog, what would you do?'"

My personal belief is that only we can make the decision of how far we are willing and able to go for answers about our pets' health, or to treat their illnesses and injuries. As I wrote in SFGate.com:

Some people go too far, putting their pets through needless stress to chase a cure that is, at best, unlikely. Others give up too soon, or resist digging a little deeper for money to pay for even routine care. Most people, though, just try to walk the difficult line between the extremes and make rational, caring decisions based on their animal's needs as well as their own.



Experienced professionals can help you evaluate the odds. Only you can decide how much you're going to bet, or how long you're going to play.

So my question to all of you is not, how far would you go? My question is this: How much information do you want about what can be done? Do you want your vet to make that decision for you, and be the gatekeeper of the information you're given? Do you feel guilt-tripped by your vets?

Do country dogs feel pain less than city dogs?

I lived in the country for 16 years, and in all that time, I never noticed that pain hurts any less when one has cows or horses for neighbors instead of an accountant and her engineer husband. I'm just saying.



So I was fascinated by an article in the October issue of DVM magazine about a Minnesota veterinarian currently fighting the suspension of his license due to questions about his care of a dog with a fractured leg.



As so often happens when legal and regulatory proceedings get run through the media mill, I don't think we can really know the facts of the case itself. The dog's owners, the veterinarian, and the state board will have to hash that out. But the article raises an issue of concern to all pet owners, and it's one that's long been of huge importance to me: Treating and preventing pain in veterinary medicine. From the article:

For 59 years, Dr. Carl Seemann practiced as northern Minnesota's surgical "spine man," a solo generalist who, at age 84, saw three clients a day until Christmas last year.



Yet the sudden end of Seemann's long career was no retirement gift. It arrived via mail on Minnesota Board of Veterinary Medicine (MBVM) letterhead. On the stationary were the words "license suspension."



[....]



The board's complaint, while initially centered on allegations of an orthopedic procedure gone bad, has narrowed to one aspect of veterinary care: the postoperative management of pain.

The veterinarian understandably is protesting the suspension, and "has gone to trial, hired expert witnesses and spent $85,000 defending his reputation and his standards of practice." That all makes sense. But his specific defense has me scratching my head:

"City people," Seemann argues, live in a different world than rural America, where pain-management drug costs often are considered impractical. While he acknowledges the public's increasing tendency to anthropomorphize animals and demand a higher grade of services, he still doesn't use analgesics following spays.



"I am absolutely shocked this case has gone this far," Seemann says. "I just was trusting that this crazy thing couldn't be happening to me. I've always been a very dedicated veterinarian."

I don't quite see the provision of surgical pain control falling into the category of anthromorphism, nor did his attorney's explanation do much for me:

"An allegation has been made that the failure to provide prophylactic pain management just because an animal has undergone a procedure is somehow below the standard of care," he says. "This case is almost antithetical to the concept of pets being considered personal property. If you have an automobile and say 'I want the basics,' the repair shop will give you the basics. Under the law, veterinarians should still be allowed to do that."

So, if I don't treat my dog like an inanimate object, I'm treating him as if he were a human being? Did we just skip over the option of treating him like a dog, a mammal who feels pain, and who recovers from injury, illness, and surgery faster and with fewer complications if that pain is controlled?



DVM quotes Dr. Robin Downing, president of the International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management and one of the authors of the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) and the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) pain-management guidelines, as saying:

"I will tell you that we in veterinary medicine now have enough data published that it is inexcusable for any veterinarian not to have a clear understanding that it's necessary to help a patient be comfortable following surgery... If there are five practices in a community and three embrace the guidelines, they have effectively raised the standard of care in that community. Those two other practices will be judged in that context."



Considering that analogy, "it appears Dr. Seemann was asleep at the wheel," (Minnesota Board of Veterinary Medicine exectutive director Dr. John) King contends. "Our bottom line is to protect the public. People shouldn't believe that if they live in Podunk the practice of medicine is anything less than in the city," he says.

King also said, "(T)his is not about failing to give pain medication for a hangnail. This is about orthopedic surgery."



The article is here. What do you think? What do you want for your dogs and cats by way of pain management? Do you think you usually get it?

Wherein I love Jon Stewart for money

When the Daily Show (blessed be its name) launched its new website and video clip archive last week, I was all over it like, well... you know, white Borzoi hair on black wool slacks.

And I convinced my darling editor Michael Jensen at AfterElton.com to let me write an article about the best of the gay (or maybe it's the gayest of the best) clips. And he said oh, well, if you must, I guess you must.

So I turned it in yesterday and it's up today and you know, that must mean he really liked it because that never happens.

And even though it's hideously immodest of me, I have to say it's pretty funny, and not just the embedded clips. So hey, you know... read it.

There’s a whole lotta gay going on in the brand-spanking-new archive of The Daily Show video clips launched last week by Comedy Central. Ever since 1999, when a relatively unknown political humorist named Jon Stewart took over as anchor and made “fake news” a household word, the anti-gay elements of society have been one of the main targets of his increasingly impassioned, brilliantly funny fake newscasts. So let’s check out the best of the best by looking at the highlights of the last eight years, stopping along the way to note a time or two The Daily Show really blew it (and not in a good way).

It does bear mentioning that there are plenty of queer comics doing pro-gay political humor. And Stewart isn’t even the only straight comic who supports gay rights. Kathy Griffin, Roseanne Barr, and many others have championed our issues and earned large queer followings. Stewart isn’t even the only straight male political comic with his own TV show who supports LBGT equality; so does, for example, Bill Maher.

What sets Stewart apart, aside from his tremendous mainstream popularity, is that his humor conveys a deeply-rooted sense of personal outrage at anti-gay policies, laws, and attitudes. He doesn’t, like Maher, support gay civil rights as part of an overall libertarian or progressive political ideology, but because, as he told conservative pundit Bill Bennett in what may be the greatest interview of Stewart’s career, gay equality is part of “the natural progression of the human condition” because “every gay person [is] someone’s son or daughter.” And in Stewart’s mind, apparently, you just don’t treat your kids like that.

It also has to be said, no matter how much it hurts, that Stewart isn’t perfect. Oh, his sense of humor rarely misses, and his hair actually really may be perfect. But when it comes to gay political humor, sometimes The Daily Show gets it wrong – hello, Stephen Colbert gay-baiting the inventor of “Gaydar,” a little electronic device that will vibrate whenever anyone else in close proximity has the same device.

It’s also true that The Daily Show and its spin-off, The Colbert Report, haven’t been making a lot of friends in the MySpace generation or the blogosphere lately. That’s because those buzz-killers at Comedy Central have been rampaging around YouTube and other video-sharing sites for months now, getting those shows’ clips yanked as fast as they went up. The reason is now clear: They’ve been building their own little Daily Show video universe, where every single clip of every segment of the show since the day Stewart joined its cast in 1999 can be viewed and embedded. The Colbert Report will be getting the same treatment soon.

The Daily Show site launched in mid-October with the butt-covering word “Beta” scrawled under the logo, probably to account for the fact that a lot of times, the videos just won’t play. Still, those seeking the gay can lose many, many hours in The Daily Show vaults, reliving past moments of queer glory and discovering many others previously unknown. After all, no fan, however obsessed, can ever really have seen every single episode – until now.

It's all here... have fun!

California fires: More on how you can help

In addition to the information posted here, there are a few other ways you can help people and animals displaced or threatened by the California fires.



Everyone I've spoken to has been full of praise for the work being done by the San Diego Humane Society -- they can receive online donations on their website. We think it's particularly important to support local on-the-ground efforts by groups local residents say are doing good work.



Liz Palika's North County Reptile Rescue is a 501c3 charity that assists reptiles in need, and she is currently caring for a number of snakes, lizards, and other herps whose owners have fled the fires. Donations can be sent to 250 Flame Tree Place, Oceanside, CA 92057.



Horses continue to be the animals most in need, and Liz says she will happily use donations to buy feed and other supplies for horses at the Del Mar Fairgrounds as well as with local residents who are caring for the horses of people who were evacuated. If I can locate any equestrian organization that is doing disaster work, we'll update with that information as well.



The American Federation of Aviculture (AFA) is working in the fire areas and is in need of bird food, cage wire, and other supplies. You can donate on their website, and designate your money for the Disaster Relief Fund.



The AKC's Companion Animal Recovery Program is a permanent charitable fund that provides resources, support and other assistance to not-for-profit animal shelters and similar not-for-profit organizations providing care for domestic animals orphaned or displaced as a result of natural or civil disasters. You can donate online through the AKC store. If you have an account, simply log in and click on the "Donate to Support and Relief Fund" option. If you don't have an account, it takes less than 60 seconds to create one .

California fires: How you can help

[Update 8:54 a.m. Wed: I've posted the complete, unedited text of information on how to help just sent to us. We'll be tracking updates and confirmations as we can, but in these situations rescuers and groups are pretty busy, so that will be difficult (plus, we don't want to take time away from their work. Go to the bottom and click "more" to ge the e-mail. ... Gina. P.S. Christie is in San Francisco and I am in Sacramento, so please stop worrying about us. We are a long, long way from Southern California.]



More word tonight from Liz Palika, still on alert in her home near the fires, but not under evacuation at this time:

I have been asked by several people what is needed for those who have evacuated. I can only answer from my perspective up here in Northern San Diego county.



San Diego is the headquarters for Petco and they and other businesses have been very generous. There are pallets of dog and cat food at both Qualcomm Stadium and the Del Mar Fairgrounds. Plus, the majority of pet owners seemed to leave more prepared this time and brought many supplies with them.



However, horses are another story. Del Mar Fairgrounds is sheltering 2000 (yes, 2 thousand!) horses and needs food. Many people, like myself and my trainers, are sheltering a few horses here and there. We have a half a dozen at our dog training yard (luckily there is grazing there) but two of my trainers have about two dozen horses at their individual homes in their backyards and many other people are doing the same thing. People notify the media or local feed stores and post a note that they can take in horses. I know my trainers are going through hay and feed in a huge way.



Myself, I again have a garage full of small reptiles and critters but they eat significantly less.



If anyone would like to make a donation that can go towards feeding refugee horses, I would be happy to be the point of contact. I would like to help my trainers who opened up their yards, plus the horses sheltered at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. I could also contact the local feed stores; they will know who needs help.



My reptile rescue group, North County Reptile Rescue, is a 501c3. Donations can be sent to me Liz Palika, 250 Flame Tree Place, Oceanside, CA 92057.



You can also contact the Helen Woodward Animal Center in San Diego. They are a wonderful organization and will put donations to work there, also. After the Cedar fire, they nursed back to health a very elderly horse who had been badly burned.

We'll probably have more information on how you can help sometime Wednesday.



Click for more information after the jump:



First a plea from San Diego Humane for:

horse supplies-hay (timothy and grass), halters, lead ropes, and

tons of portable corrals.



They expect to house and care for 500 to 1,000 horses.



If anyone is able to help with supplies please contact:

Stacey Zeitlin

cp@sdhumane. org

Community Programs Manager

San Diego Humane Society and SPCA

5500 Gaines Street

San Diego, CA 92110

619-243-3424

www.sdhumane. org

###########################



KINSHIP CIRCLE ANIMAL DISASTER RELIEF

PERMISSION TO CROSS-POST AS WRITTEN



RELIEF GLOBAL

10/23/07: Animals Caught In California Wildfires: How To Help

KINSHIP CIRCLE’S DISASTER VICTIMS SITE:

http://www.kinshipcircle.org/disasters/



COMPREHENSIVE ALERT ABOUT ANIMALS AFFECTED IN SOUTHERN CALFORNIA

WILDFIRES: As of today, nearly a half million people have evacuated. Homes

are GONE. Noah’s Wish says this is approaching Katrina-like proportions,

with fierce winds spreading fires...



READ CAREFULLY, if you want to help. Many listings below show info to DONATE

and/or VOLUNTEER. Anyone certified with Noah’s Wish, EARS, or other disaster

relief orgs should be on standby to deploy.



As during Katrina, however, Kinship Circle has no control over the

ever-changing logistics of a disaster.



10/23/07: How To Help Animals In California Wildfires



UPDATE: Fire Evacuation For Gentle Barn - Cows Trapped. Horses Afraid.

UPDATE: As Flames Engulfed Animals At Gentle Barn In Santa Clarita, CA...

San Diego Animal Evacuations: Where They’re Welcome/How To Help

Southern California VCA Hospitals Offer Free Boarding

Animal Evacuation Order Issued For Topanga Canyon

High Winds Bring Displaced Doggies To Blown-Down Ranch

Evacuated Horses Streaming into Pierce College As Fires Spread

Flames Threaten San Diego Wild Animal Park

Massive Evacuations Ordered As Onslaught Of Fires Spreads

MORE REPORTS/RESOURCES FOR ANIMALS



+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++



1. [b]UPDATE: Fire Evacuation For Gentle Barn - Cows Trapped. Horses Afraid.[/b]

DATE: 10/22/07

FROM: Lorri Bauston, President, EMERGENCY EVACUATION UPDATE: Fortunately, because of the dedication of

volunteers and individuals who helped us buy animal transport trailers, [b]WE WERE ABLE TO SAFELY EVACUATE ALL OF GENTLE BARN’S ANIMALS, and the animals

are now being cared for at Animal Acres...



Given the state of emergency in southern California, it is clear that

additional fire evacuation areas need to be established for farm animals,

and we are focusing all our efforts on this over the next two weeks. We

DESPERATELY need YOU to help with this effort.

HOW TO HELP FARM ANIMALS IN FIRE EVACUATIONS:

1. VOLUNTEER AT ANIMAL ACRES: Come to Animal Acres to help care for

evacuated animals here.



Caregivers needed from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

No appointment necessary

Directions to Animal Acres: http://www.animalacres.org

2. HELP ESTABLISH EMERGENCY EVACUATION PROTOCOL: Help set up an emergency

evacuation area for the Animal Acres animals. The more volunteers who can

pitch-in, the sooner a site can be ready for evacuation needs.



Volunteers needed to put up fencing and other jobs.

Volunteers needed EVERY DAY from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Let us know what day(s) you will be joining us.

CALL: 661-269-5404 or EMAIL: [email protected]

3. DONATE FOR EVACUATION NEEDS: Your donation, in any amount, will means so

much. We URGENTLY need funding for:



Temporary housing sheds

Evacuation site fencing and corrals

Water troughs and water hoses

To purchase an additional transport trailer to evacuate ALL animals immediately.

DONATE ONLINE: http://www.animalacres.org/donate.html

On behalf of ALL of us at Animal Acres, and the animals who need our

assistance at this difficult time, THANK YOU.



Lorri Bauston, President, ANIMAL ACRES

5200 Escondido Canyon Road * Acton, CA 93510

ph: 661-269-5404; fax: 661-269-0194

email: [email protected] * website: http://www.animalacres.org

Animal Acres is a Los Angeles farmed animal sanctuary and compassionate

living center directed by Farm Sanctuary co-founder Lorri Bauston.



DIRECTIONS TO ANIMAL ACRES:



Located approx. 40 minutes from Los Angeles.

Take Interstate 5 North to Highway 14 North (Antelope Valley Hwy towards Palmdale).

Take Highway 14 North approximately 18 miles.

Take the RED ROVER MINE ROAD exit;

the exit will curve to the right; take the first LEFT (you’ll be on Ward Road), and this road ends at ESCONDIDO CANYON ROAD.

Take a LEFT on ESCONDIDO CANYON ROAD.

The Sanctuary is the first farm on the left; look for buildings with red tiled roofs and mailboxes in front of driveway.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++



2. UPDATE: As Flames Engulfed Animals At Gentle Barn In Santa Clarita, CA...

DATE: 10/22/07

FROM: Susie V Kaufman, [email protected]



Sunday and Monday, as flames engulfed the animals at Gentle Barn in Santa

Clarita, CA , Kinship Circle urged volunteers to bring transport trailers

and willing hands to both Gentle Barn and Animal Acres. You were advised to

notify Susie Kaufman, if able to help. Below is Susie’s update on the

evacuated animals.



CONTACT SUSIE TO BE ON-CALL FOR EVACUATION OR LOADING/UNLOADING ANIMALS:



PHONE (only use this number): 661-251-6669

EMAIL: [email protected]

Contact by EMAIL is preferred.

We need loving people to come to Animal Acres and help feed and water our

rescued rescues. We also need:



Food!

Bedding!

Containers for water

Everything you can think of for farm animals to make them comfortable and calm.

If you come to Animal Acres, let them know Susie sent you their way. That

way we'll know if this system works.



We need folks on standby -- in case Animal Acres needs to evacuate -- with:



Trailers, trucks

Ability to load and unload panicked animals

It's AMAZING how many of you love animals that much!

With all my heart, Susie, [email protected] * 661-251-6669

DIRECTIONS TO ANIMAL ACRES:

Animal Acres, 661-269-5404

5200 Escondido Canyon Road * Acton, CA 93510



Located approx. 40 minutes from Los Angeles.

Take Interstate 5 North to Highway 14 North (Antelope Valley Hwy towards Palmdale).

Take Highway 14 North approximately 18 miles.

Take the RED ROVER MINE ROAD exit;

the exit will curve to the right; take the first LEFT (you’ll be on Ward Road), and this road ends at ESCONDIDO CANYON ROAD.

Take a LEFT on ESCONDIDO CANYON ROAD.

The Sanctuary is the first farm on the left; look for buildings with red tiled roofs and mailboxes in front of driveway.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++



3. San Diego Animal Evacuations: Where They’re Welcome/How To Help

DATE: 10/23/07

SOURCE



SOURCE: http://www.cbs8.com/

COMPANION ANIMAL EVACUATION:

Residents evacuating their homes are asked to take all companion animals

with them. If possible, place your pet in a crate or carrier and bring any

necessary supplies including leashes, food, water, and medications as

supplies at evacuation centers may be limited. More tips.





Most Red Cross evacuation centers are accepting pets in carriers. If you do

not have or were unable to put your pet in a carrier or need pet supplies,

bring your pet to one of the following Red Cross evacuation centers:



El Camino High School - NO PEOPLE, ONLY ANIMALS

400 Rancho Del Oro Dr. * Oceanside, CA 92057

Space for horses, livestock and small animals



Fiesta Island - ACCEPTING 500 OWNERS AND THEIR ANIMALS

1500 Fiesta Island Rd * San Diego, CA 92109



Qualcomm Stadium - SMALL PETS ONLY

9449 Friars Road * San Diego, CA 92108



Mira Mesa High School - FULL

10510 Reagan Road * San Diego, CA 92126



Camp Diggity Dog - FREE BOARDING TO DOGS DISPLACED BY FIRES

1835 Imperial Ave * San Diego, CA 92102

619-702-4090, [email protected]



DIRECTIONS: http://www.campdiggitydogs.com/



LARGE ANIMAL EVACUATION:

Del Mar Fairgrounds - FULL



Lakeside Rodeo Grounds - FULL

Hwy 67 & Mapleview St.



CALL: 619-236-4250OU NEED EMERGENCY EVACUATION FOR YOUR ANIMALS OR LIVESTOCK:[/b] and press "1" for emergency services



ANYONE WITH STABLE OR AREA TO HOUSE EVACUATED LARGE ANIMALS & LIVESTOCK:

CALL: San Diego Humane Society, 619-299-7012



HUMANE SOCIETY ALSO NEEDS PORTABLE LIVESTOCK PANELS FOR TEMPORARY CORRALS:

If you have these available for use, CALL: 619 299-7012



VOLUNTEERS & SUPPLIES:

Volunteers and supplies are not needed at this time, but the San Diego

Humane Society is keeping a list of names for people interested in helping.



TO HELP, DONATE



Or CALL: 619-299-7012



4. Southern California VCA Hospitals Offer Free Boarding

DATE: 10/23/07

SOURCE: KPFK



animal hospitals throughout Southern California are offering free

boarding through Nov. 5 -- on a space-available basis -- for animals whose

owners have been evacuated or displaced as a result of the firestorms.



Pet owners should call ahead to double-check, but VCA facilities in Los

Angeles and Orange counties that may have space available include:



-- Burbank, VCA Animal Hospital, 818-845-7246

-- Canoga Park, VCA Companion Animal Hospital, 818-340-1569

-- Cypress, VCA College Park-Ana Brook Animal Hospital, 714-827-6861

-- Glendale, VCA Arden Animal Hospital, 818-246-2478

-- Hermosa Beach, VCA Coast Animal Hospital, 310-372-8881

-- Laguna Niguel, VCA Aliso Viejo Animal Hospital, 949-643-0437

-- Lake Forest, VCA Saddleback Animal Hospital, 949-586-4250

-- Lake Forest, VCA Arroyo Animal Hospital, 949-770-1808

-- Los Alamitos, VCA Rossmoor-El Dorado Animal Hospital. 562-598-8621

-- Los Angeles, VCA Miller-Robertson Animal Hospital, 310-657-7050

-- Los Angeles, VCA Petville Animal Hospital, 310-313-9118

-- Mission Viejo, VCA Mission Viejo Animal Hospital, 949-582-1220

-- Pasadena, VCA A Breed Apart Animal Hospital, 626-795-4444

-- Reseda, VCA McClave Animal Hospital, 818-881-5102

-- Santa Monica, VCA Santa Monica Dog and Cat Hospital, 310-453-5459

-- Santa Monica, VCA Wilshire Animal Hospital, 310-828-4587

-- Woodland Hills, VCA Parkwood Animal Hospital, 818-884-5506

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++



5. Animal Evacuation Order Issued For Topanga Canyon

DATE: 10/21/07

FROM: Kate Danaher, [email protected]

SOURCE: CBS2.com



EDITED FOR LENGTH

(CBS) LOS ANGELES Owners of horses and large animals in the Topanga Canyon

area were ordered Sunday to evacuate their animals immediately, as officials

said animal owners in areas affected by wildfires should evacuate their pets

early. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and the Los Angeles

County Fire Department issued the animal evacuation order for Topanga Canyon

Sunday afternoon because of a windblown, 1,200-acre wildfire that began in

Malibu Sunday morning and is bearing down on the canyon.



MALIBU & AGUA DOLCE AUTHORITIES’ EMERGENCY ANIMAL HOTLINE:

[Animal caretakers] call 818-991-6384 for help with emergency evacuation.



TOPANGA COUNTY SHELTER FOR SMALL ANIMALS [CATS, DOGS]:

Agoura Hills Shelter

29525 Agoura Road in Agoura Hills



TOPANGA COUNTY SHELTER FOR LARGE ANIMALS [HORSES]:

Pierce College Equestrian Center in Woodland Hills

Horse owners were advised to enter the college via El Rancho Road, east of

DeSoto Avenue, a quarter mile south of Victory Boulevard.



REST OF STORY



++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++



6. High Winds Bring Displaced Doggies To Blown-Down Ranch

New Leash On Life Needs Your Help

DATE: 10/22/07

FROM: Kate Danaher, [email protected]

SOURCE: http://nlol.org/winddisaster.asp

Late last night (Sunday, October 21) high winds ripped four of our exercise

pens off the ground and sent them flying. Currently they are residing where

they landed last night. Some are slung over the kennel and into the pool

area, others just upside-down in the middle of our exercise area. We need

help to secure these structures down and make the ranch safe as we are also

expecting a large influx of displaced dogs from the fire evacuations.



The Castaic Animal Shelter has already put in a call to our office to ask

for a place to put all these unfortunate doggies. If you can come help us at

the ranch today in any capacity, please do. The high winds continue to

threaten the ranch as the already destroyed pens are hanging on rooftops and

sticking to trees. Thank you for helping us in this time of need.



NEW LEASH ON LIFE

16742 Placerita Cyn. Rd. * Newhall, CA 91321

661-255-0097 or 818-710-9898 * [email protected]



DONATIONS:

https://www.nlol.org/donationform.asp



++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++



7. Evacuated Horses Streaming into Pierce College As Fires Spread

DATE: 10/23/07

SOURCE: http://www.lapc.cc.ca.us/

Horses in evacuated areas threatened by the Malibu and other fires raging

this week are finding safe refuge at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, a Los

Angeles County large animal emergency evacuation center. As of noon on

Tuesday, Oct. 23, 153 horses had been logged in, sheltered and fed under the

direction of the L.A. County Volunteer Equine Response team.



HOTLINE: 818-991-6384

A temporary emergency Command Center phone number for the public to get

evacuation information for large animals.



Pierce can house more than 200 large animals, and additional evacuation

centers are being set up by the County, so the public should call the

Command Center hotline for direction.



Horses are taken in for free at Pierce, and a veterinarian is onsite.

Trained volunteers from Pierce College’s equestrian program and Boots and

Saddles Club are assisting the county rescue effort, night and day.



EMERGENCY CENTER GUIDELINES:



No stallions

Bring a water tub and medicines for your animal

Please bring feed if you can

PIERCE COLLEGE LOCATION:

6201 Winnetka Avenue in Woodland Hills

Enter the campus off De Soto Avenue just south of Victory Blvd.

Turn east onto El Rancho Road.



FOR SMALL ANIMALS (DOGS, CATS):

Call the Agoura animal shelter: 818-991-0071

Evacuees in Ventura County call: 805-388-4341



DONATIONS:

Donate to: “Foundation for Pierce College Equine Emergency Fund”

Mail to: Foundation for Pierce College

6201 Winnetka Ave.

Woodland Hills, CA 91371

Or call the Foundation: 818-703-0826

Pierce College donates its equestrian facility, volunteers, food and

supplies to this rescue effort. Generous community members and local

businesses including numerous feed stores and Ralph's in Woodland Hills and

Olive Garden are bringing in "feed" -- for both horses and volunteers.



++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++



8. Flames Threaten San Diego Wild Animal Park

DATE: 10/22/07

SOURCE: http://cbs2.com/local/local_story_295121707.html



(AP) SAN DIEGO, Calif. The sprawling San Diego Wild Animal Park has been

closed to visitors and staff. Flames are threatening its eastern end.



Smaller animals, including California condors, were moved to the park's

hospital Sunday. Other animals are being kept in their large field

enclosures, which are considered to be safer because the vegetation is

sparse.The northern San Diego County park, encircled by fire breaks, is home

to about 3,500 animals.



+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++



9. Massive Evacuations Ordered As Onslaught Of Fires Spreads

DATE: 10/23/07

FROM: Kate Danaher, [email protected]

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune



EXCERPT FROM STORY:

The sheer ferocity and sweep of the firestorm, and the scale of its impact,

created surreal images throughout the region.



In the Rancho Bernardo area in north San Diego County, more than 1,500

people, 2,200 horses and other animals, including chickens, a zebra and a

zorse (a cross between a zebra and a horse), took refuge at the Del Mar

fairground and racetrack.



At least 5,000 people were evacuated to Qualcomm Stadium, home of the San

Diego Chargers, inviting comparisons to Hurricane Katrina evacuees who were

housed in squalor at the Louisiana Superdome. The scene at Qualcomm, though,

could hardly have been in sharper contrast.



+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++



10. MORE REPORTS/RESOURCES FOR ANIMALS

Emergency Animal Rescue Service [EARS] Resource Page





10/21/07: Santa Barbara County Maintains Sedgwick Fire Animal Services Hotline

KSBY-TV



The Santa Barbara County Animal Services Program has implemented a hotline

to assist pet owners with animal evacuation and sheltering due to the

Sedgwick Fire. This hotline is available to identify those needing aid with

transporting or sheltering animals as well as individuals in our community

offering to provide assistance with animals. The Sedgwick Fire Animal

Services Hotline number is: 681-4332.



10/23/07: NOAH’S WISH REPORT

http://www.noahswish.info/CurrentRecentDisasters/

Update as of noon, 10/23/07:

Three Noah's Wish trailers left the El Dorado Hills office at noon loaded

with supplies and responders enroute to Qualcomm stadium in San Diego (see

photos below). Conditions continue to worsen as high winds drive the fires

into communities. Over a half-million people are evacuated in Southern

California. Qualcomm stadium now has more than 50,000 evacuees and the

numbers continue to grow by the hour. N.W. volunteers continue to arrive.

They are very busy but have the shelter functioning smoothly.



Update as of 7:00 am:

All Noah's wish personnel responding to San Diego fire disaster should

report to our command center at the temporary shelter, Parking Lot "H" at

Qualcomm Stadium. The First response trailer arrived last evening with much

needed cages and supplies.



Eight N.W. first responders spent the night caring for the many animals

already in place. (With hundreds more to come). This morning's count : 20

Horses , 79 Cats, 93 Dogs, 6 Rabbits, 5 Rats and a Chinchilla.



At 9:00am this morning a caravan of three trucks pulling N.W. trailers will

leave the El Dorado Hills office bound for Qualcomm. Trailers are stocked

with more caging and other much needed equipment. Two dozen volunteers are

now preparing to leave their homes from as far as Canada, Oklahoma and

Arizona, traveling to San Diego via car and plane.



This is a major disaster, much the same as Hurricane Katrina...Hundreds of

thousands of people and animals are out of their homes. Many will have no

homes to return to. Regions 1,2,5 and 6 are being deployed, more areas will

be alerted as warranted by the situation.

Windy weekends in October

I spent the day yesterday at the Silken Windhound Western Regional Specialty, and had a wonderful time. I'm more impressed every day with the firm commitment in the Silken community to medical, genetic, and scientific research about their dogs and their breeding program.

I got into an interesting discussion with one of their guest speakers, a canine genetic researcher from UC Davis. In fact, we stood in the parking lot for a couple of hours after the show, talking. I'm hoping to sit down with him again for an interview and tour of his lab. He had some ideas that really changed the way I think about what breed clubs can do to support research into their areas of concern.

I was saddened, though, on getting home to hear of the terrible fires down in San Diego. I'll be blogging about that, with information about the animals involved, over on Pet Connection in a few minutes. It reminded me of another dog show weekend, in October of 1991 -- almost exactly two years after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake -- when a terrible firestorm ravaged the East Bay Hills.

Both weekends, I was on my way home from a dog show when I heard news of the fire. It was eerie. And yesterday was incredibly windy, just like that long-ago weekend was.

My heart goes out to all my colleagues, friends, and everyone else evacuated or in danger in San Diego. 

California fires: No room for more horses at Del Mar, but still accepting families with pets; VCA offers free boarding in affected areas

Update 2, 5:48 PM Pacific Time: We've just heard from our colleague and friend Liz Palika, who has been reporting to us on the fires from her San Diego area home and dog training facility:

The fire is moving this way and sirens are blasting. We just relocated the animals at our training yard; that location is under voluntary evacuation. As is my house. So I also just relocated the animals under my care. Now I'm packing up my animals and my papers and my computer! I will try to keep in touch.

We're grateful to Liz for keeping us informed throughout the day, and are thoughts are with her and her family and animals as they struggle with this tragedy.



Update: We've heard that Del Mar facilities at the San Diego fair grounds are closed. Not true. Just off the phone (2:30 p.m. PT) with the San Diego fairgrounds staff. They cannot take any more horses -- they're full -- but they are taking displaced families with pets.



And the VCA hospitals are indeed offering free boarding to pets of people displaced by the fires in Southern California. We confirmed with VCA by phone, and then got this from their corporate headquarters:

VCA Animal Hospitals announced today that local Southern California VCA facilities are offering free boarding for companion animals whose families have been evacuated or displaced as a result of the current firestorms. Conveniently located VCA animal hospitals will provide a safe environment for pets that have been affected by the fires through November 5, 2007 on a space available basis.



“As thousands of families are being evacuated to shelters or facing the loss of their homes, VCA hopes to ease their burden by offering free boarding for pets so they can focus on the critical issues with their families and homes,” said Art Antin, Chief Operating Officer of VCA Animal Hospitals.



Boarding assistance for pets is based on space availability at individual VCA Animal Hospitals throughout Southern California.

A full list of VCA facilities with space, and their phone numbers, is under the jump.



Pet owners can call the following VCA facilities that currently have space available:



Alhambra VCA Mission Animal Hospital 626-289-3643

Arroyo Grande VCA South County Animal Hospital 805-489-1361

Bellflower VCA Lakewood Animal Hospital 562-633-8126

Big Bear City VCA Lakeside Animal Hospital 909-866-2021

Burbank VCA Animal Hospital (Burbank) 818-845-7246

Canoga Park VCA Companion Animal Hospital 818-340-1569

Cypress VCA College Park - Ana Brook Animal Hospital 714-827-6861

Encinitas VCA North Coast Animal Hospital 760-632-1072

Glendale VCA Arden Animal Hospital 818-246-2478

Hermosa Beach VCA Coast Animal Hospital 310-372-8881

Hesperia VCA Victor Valley Animal Hospital 760-244-8022

La Mesa VCA Grossmont Animal Hospital 619-697-0082

Laguna Niguel VCA Aliso Viejo Animal Hospital 949-643-0437

Lake Forest VCA Saddleback Animal Hospital 949-586-4250

Lake Forest VCA Arroyo Animal Hospital 949-770-1808

Long Beach VCA Los Altos Animal Hospital 562-421-3749

Los Alamitos VCA Rossmoor-El Dorado Animal Hospital 562-598-8621

Los Angeles VCA Miller-Robertson Animal Hospital 310-657-7050

Los Angeles VCA Petville Animal Hospital 310-313-9118

Mission Viejo VCA Mission Viejo Animal Hospital 949-582-1220

Monrovia VCA Santa Anita Animal Hospital 626-359-3281

Palm Springs VCA Desert Animal Hospital 760-778-9999

Pasadena VCA A Breed Apart Animal Hospital 626-795-4444

Rancho Mirage VCA Rancho Mirage Animal Hospital 760-346-6103

Reseda VCA McClave Animal Hospital 818-881-5102

Ridgecrest VCA Crestwood Animal Hospital 760-446-7616

Rolling Hills Estates VCA Silver Spur Animal Hospital 310-541-3331

San Diego VCA Angel Animal Hospital 619-291-0042

San Diego VCA Hillcrest Animal Hospital 619-299-7387

San Diego VCA Main Street Animal Hospital 619-232-7401

San Diego VCA West Bernardo Animal Hospital 858-485-7570

Santa Fe Springs VCA La Mirada Animal Hospital 562-921-3539

Santa Monica VCA Santa Monica Dog and Cat Hospital 310-453-5459

Santa Monica VCA Wilshire Animal Hospital 310-828-4587

Spring Valley VCA Paradise Valley Animal Hospital 619-475-9770

Temecula VCA El Rancho Animal Hospital 951-296-3898

Torrance VCA Clarmar Animal Hospital 310-371-2474

Torrance VCA Kennel Club Resort & Spa 310-539-2201

Upland VCA Central Animal Hospital 909-981-2855

Venice VCA Marina Animal Hospital 310-306-8707

Victorville VCA Mesa Animal Hospital 760-245-0109

Woodland Hills VCA Parkwood Animal Hospital 818-884-5506

California fires: People and animals in danger

Gina and I, and all our animals, are safe in Northern California, but a lot of people and animals south of us can't say that today. That's because there are eight out-of-control fires buring around the San Diego area, and due to heavy winds, firefighting planes can't be used, firefighters have been badly injured, there has been at least one death, and the fires are considered "zero percent contained" as of Monday midday.



Our friend and colleague, dog trainer and renowned author of more than 50 animal books Liz Palika, who lives in the San Diego area, has given us permission to share her reports on the situation. Please check back for updated information during the day.

This morning the sun rose on a disaster. There are now eight fires burning in San Diego county and I have no idea how many are burning north of us. There are now fires burning north of me; west; and several south of me. There are three fires within ten miles of me, I think, and whereas yesterday when I wrote, I was not in danger - that has changed today - the potential is not good. The air is thick and red; ash is coating everything; and so many roads are closed traffic is horrible.



An unknown number of people are missing; no one knows how many homes are gone; and shelters are overflowing. The San Diego Chargers stadium has been opened to evacuees (and their pets!!!). People are just being urged to use leashes and crates - crates are preferred - and to bring supplies as those are running low.... The world famous San Diego wild animal park - a world known CRES facility - is threatened. They have been threatened before, though, and are prepared.



Two of my trainers have horses and horse trailers and they have volunteered to help haul out threatened horses. We have also opened our dog training facility for housing any horses (or goats, cattle, sheep, llamas, and other large livestock) as some of the facilities are now full. People are also being urged to take horses to the Del Mar fairgrounds. I have notified all the local shelters how many empty cages I have, and that I can take in small critters and reptiles - as I did during the fires four years ago - and have several now with more coming. (Many shelters would prefer to house dogs and cats as they don't have experience with others. Plus I have the equipment to house reptiles.)



[....]



The Del Mar fairgrounds is full for horses and livestock so we may have some in our dog training yard soon. We can only take two or three dozen but we'll do what we can.



I already have several ferrets, rabbits, snakes, geckos, bearded dragons and a couple of iguanas. I'm told I will have some turtles, tortoises and beardies show up soon. The animal control truck pulls up, unloads and is off again. Luckily my neighbors are supportive and a few have even offered to help.

She also mentioned that "Our efforts paid huge dividends after Hurricane Katrina; pets are in shelters now!!! However, we need to stress even more the need to crate train dogs AND cats. The shelters are asking that pets be in crates. This reduces pet conflicts, of course, keeps them contained, and provides them with shelter. But not all pets are crate trained and those that aren't and are suddenly shoved into these situations are even more stressed."



If you are in the San Diego area, at around 9 AM Pacific Time this morning the San Diego Animal Support Foundation reported that the "number operated by the county and being reported by most television stations (760-735-0448) is not working. The 211 number is also busy. The Animal Rescue Hotline IS BEING ANSWERED and people with livestock emergencies should call (619) 299-0871."

In the East Bay Sunday? Come say BOO at Boofest!

I'll be ring stewarding on Sunday, October 21  for the Western Regional Silken Windhound Specialty in Antioch, CA, from 9 AM to noon. If you feel like seeing some pretty little sighthounds do their show ring thing, and me pretending to know what's going on, please stop by! Info here.

The photo is of 2005's specialty winner, my friends Alison Brendel, DVM, and Joyce Chin's lovely Sony (BISS Talisman's Sycthian Huntress CGC), just to give you an idea of the size and what they look like. More photos of Sony here.