I was thinking about a vacation. I found these Sandals Beach Resort Coupons and they sure would save me some money. I just might have to check into it more and take a much needed vacation.
Important information if you own a dog!!
If you have a dog … PLEASE read this. If you don’t have a dog, please tell your friends who do. As you can see at the end of this, it was written by a real Veterinarian. Please tell everyone you know even if they don’t have a dog.
This week I had the first case in history of raisin toxicity ever seen at MedVet. My patient was
a 56-pound, 5 yr old male neutered lab mix that ate half a canister of raisins sometime between 7:30 AM and 4:30 PM on Tuesday. He started with vomiting, diarrhea and shaking about 1 AM on Wednesday but the owner didn’t call my emergency service until 7 AM.I had heard somewhere about raisins AND grapes causing acute Renal failure but hadn’t seen any formal paper on the subject. We had her bring the dog in immediately. In the meantime, I called the ER service at MedVet, and the doctor there was like me – had heard something about it, but…
Anyway, we contacted the ASPCA National Animal Poison Control Center and they said to give IV fluids at 1 & 1/2 times maintenance and watch the kidney values for the next 48-72 hours. The dog’s BUN (blood urea nitrogen level) was already at 32 (normal less than 27) and creatinine over 5 (1.9 is the high end of normal). Both are monitors of kidney function in the bloodstream. We placed an IV catheter and started the fluids. Rechecked the renal values at 5 PM and the BUN was over 40 and creatinine over 7 with no urine production after a liter of fluids.
At that point I felt the dog was in acute renal failure and sent him on to MedVet for a urinary catheter to monitor urine output overnight as well as overnight care. He started vomiting again overnight at MedVet and his renal values continued to increase daily. He produced urine when given lasix as a diuretic. He was on 3 different anti-vomiting medications and they still couldn’t control his vomiting.
Today his urine output decreased again, his BUN was over 120, his creatinine was at 10, his phosphorus was very elevated and his blood pressure, which had been staying around 150, skyrocketed to 220 … He continued to vomit and the owners elected to Euthanize.
This is a very sad case – great dog, great owners who had no idea raisins could be a toxin. Please alert everyone you know who has a dog of this very serious risk. Poison control said as few as 7 raisins or grapes could be toxic. Many people I know give their dogs grapes or raisins as treats including our ex-handler’s. Any exposure should give rise to immediate concern. Onions, chocolate, cocoa and macadamia nuts can be fatal, too.
Written by:
Laurinda Morris, DVM
Danville Veterinary Clinic
Danville, OH
Ex-Major Leaguer dies
Bill Werber, who was the oldest living ex-major leaguer and a teammate of Babe Ruth, died Thursday at the age of 100.
Werber was a career .271 hitter who led the American League in stolen bases three times. He played with Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx and Lefty Grove in stints with the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. He hit .370 as the third baseman on the 1940 World Series champion Cincinnati Reds.
“Babe Ruth hit a home run and I wanted to show them how fast I could run,” Werber said in an interview in June. “So I get into the dugout, and finally Babe got into the dugout. He patted me on the head and said, ‘Son, you don’t have to run like that when the Babe hits one.”‘
What an amazing man with some wonderful stories to have told not only his own children but his grandchildren too. Imagine the stories they have to tell their children. Bill Werber died in Charlotte North Carolina in an assisted living center close to his daughter.
We only have to worry about deer
The following pictures are of a moose that went through a car’s windshield and out the rear window this month near South River, Ontario .
The VERY lucky woman driver ended up with just a broken wrist and needing a good bath. When you view the pictures you will wonder how the woman managed to survive.
More about our Angel Tree
I am still getting requests for more Angels to be placed on my Angel Tree. Most of the Angels are gone already and the presents are starting to pour in. I wasn’t expecting them to be brought in until around the 15th of December but I have put them in one of my rooms for safe keeping. They are due to be given on Christmas Eve.
Most of the presents for the children will be their Santa Clause this year as there are so many in need of assistance with that more than just a present. How about that? I’m Santa Clause this year but no I’m not a ‘Ho’. 😉 I never really thought about it that way. I just thought of it as doing my part for my community.
Now here’s the sad part. I got a request from a 7 year old little boy that wants a new Daddy. His died during Hurricane Katrina and his mother has been sad ever since so he just wants a new Daddy. How do I find him one of those. Hey, maybe I could find a nice man that would be a Big Brother type Daddy for him. In fact, I know just the right man for the job. He’s worked for me for years and is single. He’s great with kids too.
Then there’s the request I got from a 9 year old little girl. Her mother has cancer and her father left them when she got it. She wants a cure for her mother for Christmas. I’m calling several hospitals and doctors trying to see if I can get her free medical care. I sure hope so.
There is so much suffering that we are unaware of within our own community but my little Angel Tree is opening not only my eyes, but the eyes of everyone that looks at the Angels and reads the requests. It looks so far like most of the children on my tree will have a good Christmas after all.
I just wish I could grant each and every child’s wish but some of them have to be granted by a higher power than just me alone. I pray every night for the wishes I know I can’t fill. Maybe God will take over and grant those wishes. Christmas is a very special time and I believe it can happen.
Well are you as stuffed as I am?
Talk about a Thanksgiving feast, well we sure had one. We had turkey of course but also gumbo, dirty rice, green beans, sweet potatoes and just about anything else you can think of. I ate until I couldn’t eat anymore. I think we have enough leftovers to feed a couple more families.
We had 5 families that we had invited for Thanksgiving that wouldn’t have had a Thanksgiving meal otherwise. I was so proud to be able to do that for those families. They were so thankful to us for doing what we did. I did it for them because they have all suffered so much for so long that I wanted them to have something to be thankful for and a community that cares is something to be thankful for.
I hope your Thanksgiving was as blessed as mine was. Mine was full of love, food, good friends and family, and new friends too. What more could anyone ask for?
Britney Spears
Britney Spears is also from Louisiana as most of you probably know. Bless her heart, she’s finally getting her life back together. She is a prime example of a young girl that got too much too soon and fell from grace. She is doing much better now thank God.
So much so that she’s working hard on a comeback and doing quite well with it from what I understand. She also has gotten permission from the courts to bring her two young sons home to visit with her family. This poor girl has fought back hard only to have one of her sons rushed to the hospital while here because of a severe allergic reaction to something he ate. I bet that scared the living daylights out of her. First of all just because it’s her son and second of all, because she lost custody and the first time she’s allowed to take them out of California, this happens.
Britney, honey, you are on the top of my prayer list along with your sons. I wish you only good things and hope and pray your comeback is a total comeback and not just musically. Hang in there hon!!!
Enough gloom and doom, let’s have a party
What is New Orleans known best for? Their parties. So enough of the gloom and doom of the economy. LET’S PARTY!!!! Halloween is tomorrow night and we’re all geared up to throw a ‘Monster Bash’ if you will. Costumes are everywhere here so there’s no reason not to get all decked out in a costume and cast your cares to the wind, if only for one night.
Personally, I think we all need to just throw caution to the wind from time to time to keep our souls healthy. It’s good to let the problems of everyday life go if just for one night to sort of recharge your batteries so you can face whatever the next day or week shall bring so get out and enjoy yourself for Halloween but be safe too. HAPPY HALLOWEEN YA’LL!!
Angelina Jolie
Bless her heart, she can’t even feed one of her new born babies without causing a stink. Have you heard about it? She is on the cover of W’s November magazine and is apparently breastfeeding one of the twins. It’s not a full frontal picture of her breast or even the baby on her breast. She’s sitting with the opposite shoulder facing the camera and part of her breast on the opposite side is visible. SO?
Have celebrities not worn less on the red carpet? Look at some old pictures of Cher is you don’t think so. What Angelina is doing in this picture is the most beautiful thing a woman can do for her baby. She’s breastfeeding and not just hanging her boob out for everyone to see. It’s crap like this stink that drove women away from breastfeeding. Sure there are some that for one reason or another can’t breastfeed their baby. Then they have to give them a bottle and that’s okay but breastfeeding is the way nature intended for us to feed our babies.
I will admit I think there is a time and a place and also a way to breastfeed. No woman should just whip her breast out and feed her baby where ever she is. If she’s in public, you can very discretely place a baby blanket over your shoulder and cover the fact that you are breastfeeding and most people won’t know at all. Or if she’s entertaining at home with both men and women, she should excuse herself and invite the women to join her in the other room if they would like while she feeds the baby but that’s my opinion.
There has been countless into the benefits of breastfeeding. Breastfed babies usually score higher in math, they have stronger immune systems and therefore, don’t get sick nearly as often and have less severity to when they do get sick. So what’s the big deal here? I think Angelina should be commended – not chastised!!
Best friend
I am one of the luckiest people I know. You see, I have a best friend that has been my very best friend since we were in 4th grade together back in elementary school. There aren’t many people that can say they have had a friend for 10 years, much less as long as we have been friends. Unfortunately we don’t get to see each other very often but thank God for cell phones and instant messaging. With those things, we get to talk or chat quite often.
Well my best friend has been going through a tough time lately and I just wanted to try and find a special way to let her know:
and I think I just found the perfect way to tell her. What do you think? Love ya girlfriend!!