Category: rants and raves

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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

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Looking for a boat lift?

Living as close to water as we do here in New Orleans, anyone that has property on the water has a boat lift. It’s almost necessary when it comes to the smaller storms that come through here. But if there’s a bigger one, then most people look for Boat Storage. It’s not a bad idea either with some of the hurricanes we get from time to time. Unfortunately even if your boat was in a boat storage unit, it didn’t help. Not much did then.  But like I said, if it’s just a small storm, the last thing you want is your boat in the water where it can get damaged by the dock or the rising tide.

Well the best boat lifts there are come from a company that has been in business for over 40 years.  In fact, Marine Travelift also appears at boat shows all over the world, in Helsinki, Finland and Dusseldorf , Germany just to name a few.  Their equipment was also seen in the last America’s Cup race in Spain.  As you all know, the America’s Cup race is one of the most prestigious regattas in sailing. Marine Travelift has had the honor of providing equipment to these teams that invest large sums of money into their sailboats so that has to tell you that they are the best or these teams wouldn’t have them.

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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.

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Well what do you think of our new President so far?

I have heard a lot of what local people are saying about the changes President Obama has made so far and most of them think he’s headed in the right direction.  Most of the country must think so too with his approval rating I just heard about this morning on the news.  He has a lot to deal with and seems to be on the ball.  That’s good because that’s what we need is someone that’s aware of what’s going on.

I remember seeing President Bush’s face when someone asked him what he thinks about the price of gas being nearly $4 a gallon when it was that high.  President Bush looked at the reporter and said “Is gas really $4 a gallon?”  That’s pretty bad when the President doesn’t even know how much gas costs when the gas companies are gouging us like they have been for the past several years.  Oh well, hopefully President Obama will even do something about that too.

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No one worked yesterday

I told everyone working on the apartments to take the day off yesterday because they needed to witness history.  That was more important than working for me.  I know there are some people that think this is the worst thing that could have ever happened but they’re wrong!!  This is a great day that will go down in history as just that, a GREAT DAY!!!  One thing is for sure, I didn’t think I would live to see it but thank God I was wrong.

New Orleans has always been known for welcoming PEOPLE to our fair city.  We don’t look at a person and say they aren’t welcome because of their heritage, skin color, accent, or anything else.  Everyone is welcome in New Orleans just as everyone is welcome in America, or used to be.  They should be because the only true ‘American’ are the Indians.  Everyone of us that does not have American Indian in our background, are from another country in all reality.  We are all immigrants but we all became Americans and that’s what is the most important thing.

I sure  hope each and every one of you took the time to watch history in the making unfold before your eyes.  I sure did and loved every moment of it.

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Won’t be long now

Well it won’t be long before the new President is sworn in.  I sure hope he has some good plans to get things back up and running.  There are so many people without jobs and a lot more that are worrying that they’re about to lose their job.

The stock market took it’s toll on every one’s 401K so there are probably a lot of people that were thinking about retiring this year that are having to rethink that.  With all of the bail outs that everyone is asking the government for, I don’t know if we will ever get the National Debt down again or not.  All we can do is hope and pray that this man will do what he said he’ll do.  I think he’ll try awfully hard anyway.

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I am so ashamed that he’s from New Orleans

I got on my computer this morning and my heart just sank.  I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.  This so called ‘Man’ was ordered to pay child support and instead of paying it………….well here is what happened.

Danny Platt confessed, told police where to find the child’s body and will be booked on a charge of first-degree murder in the death of Ja’ Shawn Powell, Riley said at a news conference. “He had said he would kill either his wife or his child before he paid child support,” which he recently had been ordered to do, Riley said.

Riley said he did not know the amount of child support and would not describe how the boy was killed, saying the coroner would do that after the autopsy was complete. The coroner’s spokesman did not immediately return a call. “The mother is in a safe place,” Riley said.

Although he had visiting rights, Platt, 22, of New Orleans, had never visited the boy until he picked him up Friday, Riley said. Police put out a notice Saturday asking people to look for the boy and saying his father had told them three men with dreadlocks and AK-47 rifles had piled out of an SUV and kidnapped Ja’ Shawn shortly before midnight Friday.

“His story never really added up,” Riley said. “He was a suspect from the very beginning.” Riley said Platt eventually confessed and told officers where to find the body.  “How does an individual – because he’s ordered to pay child support to take care of a kid … believe that this is so much pressure that he would face – he would do this hideous act to his own child, or to any child, and think that is a remedy to paying child support?” Riley said. “I mean there are some sick individuals in this society, and this gentleman is clearly one.”

After having so much pride in the good people of New Orleans over the Christmas holiday to reading this just doesn’t seem possible.  How could he?  This is not anything even remotely close to a ‘Man’.  This is a monster and deserves to be punished to the fullest extent of the law.  It’s bad enough when someone else hurts a child but their own father?  I want to make sure you and everyone else gets to see this monster.

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Picking up presents

What a wonderful day this is.  The parents are making a steady path to my door to pick up the presents for their families.  I wish I could be at each and every house in the morning to see the faces of the whole family.  At least they will have a camera to take pictures.

I am so very proud to be from New Orleans.  I am so very proud of the people of New Orleans.  They have come together to make sure the families that have lost so much, will have a very Merry Christmas.  My little Angel Tree has already brought so much joy and tomorrow morning, it will bring more joy than I ever dreamed it could.

The day after Christmas, we’re having a special dinner for every family.  We had to borrow a church fellowship hall to hold it in but that’s as it should be too.  Christmas is the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ after all so the church fellowship hall is perfect.  I can’t wait to see all the smiling faces.  Here’s hoping your Christmas is a full of love and joy as our is.  Merry Christmas!!!!

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The magic of the season

Christmas has long been a magical season and this year is no different.  The whole community has pitched in to help me with all the ‘Angels’ on my tree.  Some businesses have donated items.  Some businesses have offered jobs.  Some businesses have donated food, and there is even a celebrity, which I promised not to name, that has donated $100 to every family that has an Angel on my tree.  God has blessed this little tree in ways I never imagined.

I am so proud to live here in New Orleans.  I am so proud of the people of New Orleans as they have pulled together to see to it these families and mostly the children, will wake up Christmas morning to a wonderful surprise from Santa.  There are PSP’s, Game Boys, Wii’s, MP3 players, DVD players, TV’s, PS3’s, and more gadgets than I know what they are.  Guess I’m getting old when I don’t recognize some of the presents we’re giving out, ya think?

Oh well, I’ll know it’s the right thing with all the smiles.  Oh each family is getting a disposable camera that they are to bring back to me so I can get the pictures developed.  Of course I’ll get double prints and maybe more because I want a picture of the children’s faces, and I also want to send ‘Thank you’ notes to the many people that donated along with a picture of the smiling faces of the children they helped to make this Christmas special for.  Then of course, the parents need a copy of their pictures too.

I’m worse than the kids beacuse I can’t wait!!!!!!

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I thought I was seeing things

SNOW…………..in New Orleans!!!  You got it. The rare snowfall has triggered crashes on major highways and left thousands of people without power.  Schools, government offices and bridges have been closed.  Snow just isnt’ something that we usually deal with so basically we don’t know how to do anything in it except maybe make a snow ball and hit someone with it.

The heavy band of snow coated windshields and grassy areas in New Orleans, where about an inch accumulated.  A peak of eight inches was reported in the town of Amite, about 75 miles northwest of New Orleans. Boy am I glad we didn’t get that much.  There would have been accidents everywhere because we have nothing to remove snow.  It was pretty though!!  See!!