What I know - Seresto for fleas and ticks, is it worth it?

I have been seeing a lot of advertisements on blogs lately for Serestro, mostly because they have been sponsoring posts on blogs I read.  I am always pretty leery of new products for cats, especially when they are made for both dogs and cats, and I wanted to hold reserve judgement for this product until it had been 'out in the wild' for some time.

Having seen yet another 'blogvertisement' for it recently, I thought it was time to look into it and see what kind of reactions it is getting.  A quick trip over to Amazon.com and a click on the reviews is eye opening.

Before we get into that though, what is Seresto?  Seresto is a collar you put on your cat designed to kill fleas and ticks for eight months and costs anywhere from $50-$80 (there is also a $20 rebate on it if you go to their website). It is made and distributed by Bayer, and according to their website includes two insecticides Imidacloprid (to kill fleas) and Flumethrin (to kill ticks).

Imidacloprid has many brands and formulations for a wide range of uses, from delousing or defleaing animals to protecting trees. It is currently used in Advantage - also made by Bayer. In doing this research I've come to find out that Imidacloprid is one of those most toxic insecticides when it comes to honey bees.

Flumethrin, according to Wikipedia, is used for both fleas and ticks, and is actually used to help control mites in honey bee colonies..

You are supposed to put this collar on your cat and it is supposed to safely and effectively kill fleas and ticks for eight months.  This means the collar slowly releases these insecticides over an eight month period.  Sounds good doesn't it?

Well back to those reviews.  I went to the Bayer website and read the reviews posted there and according to the reviews there, it has a 4.2 out of 5 rating.  I have always maintained I learn far more about a product from the 1 and 2 star ratings than I ever would from the raving reviews, so I asked the site to filter me the 1 star reviews.  There were 152 of them, and most of them were from dog owners claiming the product did not work. Fleas and ticks abounded in these dogs. One cat owner said the collar came off after a few short days. Another cat owner said the collar did not come off when the cat got it's jaw stuck in the collar and had harmed itself trying to get it off.

However, Amazon reviews are vastly different. Granted these reviews are on the cat collars only, but most of the reviews there talk about hair loss, sores around where the collar is, lethargy, neurological issues and in a few instances death.  Talk about scary!  Now granted, even Frontline and Advantage have some cats and dogs who have very bad reactions to them, but one reviewer said two of her cats that were not related had issues.  How many people have issues who do not report them?

If your pet EVER has bad reaction to a medication or insecticide, PLEASE report it to your vet, and ask them to report it to the FDA This is the only way we can protect our pets. A lot of people consider a mild reaction not worth reporting, but it is.

So Seresto has a 4.0 out of 5 rating, with 210 five star ratings and 50 one star rating, but the 1 star ones scare me. If it were just a matter of continuing to find fleas and ticks on the pet, I would be much more open to giving this a try if I had an issue with fleas and ticks, but neurological issues and death? I would be hard pressed to say those risks were worth it.

Might these side effects be from the fact that counterfeit products have made it into the supply chain? Sure. This would not be the first time that counterfeit flea products have made it to mass market. Reading the reviews it seems that many people wrote that they purchased the collar from their vet, which makes this a bit less likely.

So.. Is Seresto worth it? I'm going to say for my cats, who are indoors and never get fleas and ticks, absolutely not. We have gotten fleas in the past and Frontline Plus works well for us when it happens. Fortunately I haven't seen a flea in several years. When I went to the clinic, the vet found it odd that I don't regularly apply it to my cats, and even did a flea check when I said no. I do not believe in using product unless there is a direct need for it. Would I consider it if I had a flea infestation and Frontline or Advantage (purchased from my vet because of those counterfeit products) weren't working? I am glad I do not have to go there.  At a 20% (66 negative reviews out of 316) risk of a problem, to me, that is just not worth it. To you it might be, but now you know to keep an eye out for any lethargy or any negative symptoms.

Thankful Thursday - Clinical Trial for VAS..

Clinical trial provides hope 

to owners of cats with cancer

By LORI TUCKER
6 News Anchor

KNOXVILLE (WATE) - A clinical trial is underway in East Tennessee that could save lives in cats with cancer.

One beautiful gray cat named Griege just graduated from the clinical trial at Animal Emergency and Specialty Center in West Knoxville.

She's been part of Linda Wallace's family for 17 years, most of them healthy years.

But recently, Griege showed some troubling symptoms.

"She actually developed thyroid disease and got very thin and when she got very thin, then we could see she had this tumor on her hip," Wallace said.

She brought her pet to be checked out at the AESC where Dr. Jeff Phillips confirmed the bad news, but offered hope through a new clinical trial.

The tumor on Griege's hip turned out to be an aggressive form of cancer called feline fibrosarcoma. It's a type of cancer that can be triggered by some vaccines.

Dr. Phillips says surgery to remove the malignant tumor is not enough.

"This is horrible," Dr. Phillips told 6 News. "The standard treatment is surgical resection, but even with the best surgeon in the world, the average cat has a regrowth of their tumor within nine months."

That's why the AESC is part of a clinical trial of immunotherapy using feline interleukin-2. A form of the drug is already used in the treatment of some types of cancer in people, like melanoma, and kidney cancer.

Griege just had her last round of interleukin-2 for the study. So far, Wallace said her beloved pet was responding well.

"She has been fabulous," said Wallace. "She has had no side effects at all. Just nothing. I mean, you wouldn't even know she had any treatment."

To find out if your cat qualifies for the study, call the Animal Emergency and Specialty Center at 865-693-4440.

The clinical trial itself is free of charge. It does not include surgery to remove tumors.

News article copyright WATE.com
Thank you so much for reporting this!!

Heartwarming News Story

This is a wonderful news story.. please remember that your own local shelter really could use some donations

A shelter in Farmington Maine recently had to take in 75 dogs from one home.  They were seized, so they need to hold on to them until it works its way through the court system.  The shelter I volunteer for was once a part of a seizure and the amount of work was near overwhelming.  Even more overwhelming is the fact that  for the Franklin County Animal Shelter that is about a quarter of the animals they take in annually..

Rescues on the Runway 2013

Last year, I went to Rescues on the Runway at the Maine Mall.  I decided to go again.

We just stopped by for a bit to see what was going on.  We were really shocked by just how many people were at the Mall on a Saturday afternoon, why I'm not really sure... Guess I thought we were still in a recession.  We had to park out in the boonies of the parking lot (oddly enough right near a shelter van) 

Last time I went I learned about CCART.  This year there were two new rescues I hadn't heard of before.  Buddy Up and The Pixel Fund which is always so interesting

Unfortunately for me (but not for them) there were a lot of people so there aren't wonderful photos. 

Miss Maine was on hand

The Maine Claws were on hand to sign autographs

HART brought kitties again

I love this tiny cat bed.. would be perfect for only kittens
(which I am so not fostering any more which is why I didn't attempt to steal it)

And don't forget, rescue isn't just for cats and dogs

I was amazed by the Greater Androscoggin Humane Society vans

They were Mercedes Benz!

There were a lot of people off on the part of the mall that doesn't have a store looking like they were doing meet and greets.  I didn't want to take photos as that seemed invasive, but it was nice to see so many people opting to adopt.

According to the Maine Mall update on Facebook there were a lot of adoptions!

Thanks to everyone who participated today. 48 animals were adopted and were either taken home or will be in the next week. Another couple dozen adoption processes were started via surveys or email followups with agencies that have more involved adoption protocols  Tall Tail Beagle, for example, had 10 inquiries in their inbox before the event was even over!

13 cats from HART found homes too! Apparently there were rabbits again this year.  I didn't see them, but they are in the 192 photos posted on Facebook by the Maine Mall 

With thoughts of Jack and the Crystals

So I have been obsessing over what on earth could have caused Jack's problems.. Then I saw this..

No, I haven't been giving Jack dog treats, but I did get a couple of bags of Catswell treats.. the salmon and the chicken, and he got a few of each over the weekend..

It still doesn't make a whole heck of a lot of sense, as I didn't give out that many and he didn't eat all that I gave out (but a lot, a good portion of The Crew was totally not interested in them) I got them for free from PetSmart (they had a FB promo) and while I wasn't overly thrilled with the ingredients, I figured as treats what harm could they do..

I'm not saying this was the cause.. but it is seriously making me think - and I doubt I'll be giving any more of them to my kitties.. I don't want to risk it.  Now the question is do I bring them back to the store??



the products in question are being recalled because of the quality of the meat involved.  it comes from China where they use antibiotics and other ingredients that make the chicken unacceptable to be sold to the humans of the US.  Petfoods have no such restrictions.  I can not imagine the quality of the chicken caused Jack to develop urinary crystals, but I can not imagine anything else he ate did either.  I haven't pinned anything on this, it is just the one thing that has changed in my house in the past two weeks, but I will keep thinking about it.. 

Now this just is annoying

Seriously, someone calls THIS research??

Cool cats rule, but being aloof comes down to a lack of breeding

Not only did they call it research, but some reporter thought it was news!! arrgh.  Why on earth are stereotypes "news"?  Why oh why do they not consider there are probably more factors in play besides genetics.

Now I will admit there is a lot to genetics for personality.  Siamese cats are talkers, Aabyssinians are known for being very people orientated, Ragdolls are companionable, but I dare you to do an ACTUAL study of cats not just an observational one.

Cats are aloof or affectionate depending on how they were raised.  They learn what to expect from the world in the first 8-12 weeks of their life.  If they were raised in a household that wanted them, loves them, and cherishes them (not to mention the owners love of the breed and possibly the love of the money to be made off of them) than they turn into very affectionate kitties.  If they are out on their own and they learn to rely on themselves and accept that life doesn't include cuddles and attention at their demand, and often they learn that people coming at them can mean very bad things, so they are very wary when it does happen.

For this to be an actual study, you need to put sets of kittens from birth into a home that is going to lavish attention on these kittens from day one.   I can tell you my motley crew of moggies are very affectionate.  Even Eli, who has every right to be 'aloof', demands that we pay attention to him quite regularly now.

All this "study" does is condemn kitties waiting for homes in shelters..

There are some amazingly affectionate, beautiful, playful, cuddly, fun, amazing cats at your local shelter, and I challenge you to rescue your next kitty..

Don't you love a good rescue story?

I came across this yesterday and wanted to share..

Adele Harland's eighteen month old kitty "Diesel" climbed up a tree.  Not just any ol tree, but a 60+ foot tree cause he was 60 feet up.. For five days he sat there crying, afraid to climb down, and then the meowing stopped.  No one would help her.  The tree service people she called only had the ability to get 30 feet up into the tree.  They were not willing to risk going up any further.  The fire department also would not help, they are unwilling to put the firefighters at risk either.  Finally after a facebook plea, Kyle Watkinson - a 15 year old boy who likes climbing and who is very good at it went over and got the kitty down.

YEA for Kyle!!  So wonderful that he would hear the plea, have the skills, take the time and actually save the kitty.  I think this is an even better story then Christian Slater saving a duck.  (I will eventually stop talking about that)

It stinks that no professional organization could help poor Diesel.  You would think there would be SOME help somewhere for a poor cat stuck in a tree for more then two days.  But alas it seems no where is safe from companies and governments more concerned about "risk".  I totally agree that people shouldn't risk their life to save an animal, but there is risk and then there is risk.  And frankly I think a fire department with a bucket truck designed to get into tall buildings should be able to help a citizen out..  I mean not if there is a fire going on somewhere else, but I'm sure at some point in those last three days they were sitting around with nothing to do.

But what stinks more then there really wasn't any help was all the incredibly CRUEL comments that usually follow a cat stuck up a tree story.  The one I hate the most, the one that makes me want to slap some sense into people is the "you have never seen a cat skeleton in a tree" - seriously?  You are that stupid that you think this is a valid argument?  First of all if you don't think the cat is hungry enough after the first day to get down on it's own if it were able, then I invite you over to my house at feeding time.  Just twelve hours with out food and my cats will tell you they are STARVED.. I'll let you watch them gobble down their food like it has been days for you or I.    Then there is that annoying "science" behind an animal dying in a tree.  I mean seriously!  Have you ever seen a bird skeleton in a tree?  a chipmunk? a squirrel??   What, do you think skeletons just hang out all joined together just because that is how you see them in science class or in a book?  How about the fact that there are way too many to mention carnivore and scavengers who would make fairly short work of a body.. bones and all.

*sigh* I can't believe I'm dignifying that with a reply.  Connie - stop feeding the trolls.

Lets go back to this poor kitty in the tree.  Why he went up I have no idea.  Was he frightened up there? Could be.  Was he horribly curious, could be that too.  In the UK there is a completely different state of mind to keeping cats indoors. Not quite sure why, I would imagine all of the dangers that are here in the US are there too, but I would imagine someone from the UK would be more able to answer that part of this thought... but we'll ignore that, cause the kitty is already up the tree.

Climbing up is pretty easy.  They have claws that curve out and down, so they naturally sink in and give purchase to the kitty to pull up.  Kind of like how you would grip a bar if you were going to do a pull up.  Now imagine you are above the bar and you can't tighten your grip (cause claws are static and have no muscles) you'd fall right off.  Well a kitty going down can't use the claws because out and down doesn't help going down.  If they can't reach a branch or perch, they are going to fall.

I remember being out in the woods looking for "Smoky" my childhood kitty.  We let him out - hey, it was the 80s. He was lucky he lived to a ripe old age dying from cancer a few years after I got married  (I got him on a school field trip to a dairy barn when I was in second grade).  I had found him up a tree too afraid to climb down.  I called and called and he meowed and meowed.  I can only image what names he came up with for me at the time.  Picturing it now I can only image how silly he must have thought I was since he had already determined he could not make it.  But I was determined to help my furry friend, my confidant, my kitty.  I realized he wasn't coming straight down, so I circled the tree trying to find a way up to help him, but what I found was a branch that was lower then the one he was on.  I called to him and told him to jump to the lower branch, and he laughed at me and what the heck are you talking about, I can't get down you silly girl.  So finally I found a long stick and pointed to the lower branch and slowly he came to understand and went to the lower branch.  This continued for quite some time until he felt comfortable enough to attempt the climb/fall/jump to the ground.  He had been stuck up in that tree for at least a day if my memory serves me and I had been worried sick about him.

I can only image the pain of Adele knowing where her kitty was for five days, listening to him getting weaker and weaker..

So kudos and karma points to Kyle and Christian Zwicky and anyone else who makes the effort to help a kitty (or a duck)

SQUEEEE!!!

a great kitten story

I saw a lot of familiar names in comments of this blog post, so you probably have already heard of the wonderful story of Zoe over at "God's Little People" but I just saw it today and absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE this story.

With so many bad stories out there of kitties I just love the good ones and I think they should be celebrated.

If you haven't read Zoe's story, you should.

and you should so totally watch the video!

New Pain Medication for Cats

Now this is interesting.. I just learned there is a new "three day" pill for cats called Onsior (robenacoxib)  (got to love these names for medications!!)

You give one pill once a day for three days.  It is especially formulated for cats and has safety studies for up to six months. which to me could imply that you can give it for six months, but in other areas of the page it says for up to three days, or three days of pain relief for cats, so I'm assuming there is going to be some confusion here and possibly that some vets might prescribe it for longer then three days... lets hope not.

Since the problems with Metacam and Convenia, I'm very leery of new pain medications for cats. so I went to their website.  On the how does it work page, I find some  information that makes me pause.  On one hand it says it is eliminated quickly from the blood (Mean blood t_1/2 of 1.7 hours) but it then says it has demonstrated tissue selectivity (clinical significance unknown) and apparently hangs out where it is necessary.  so then how is it cleared from the body after this?  and if it is cleared from the blood, how do you know it has cleared from the tissue in question


 Also on the "how does it work" page, there is the impressive results of the fact that it has an 83.5% success in the field study (n=164)  but when you realize that the placebo had a success rate of 53.8% (n=80) why isn't the groups the same?? it appears that it only has a 30% improvement over nothing.

On the safety data and field studies page I found this..

Onsior safety studies for up to six months.  The Onsior clinical trial field along with the 6-month safety study, support the safe use for 3 days. (and) There was no clinically significant difference between groups for hematology, serum chemistry, or urinalysis results.

Which goes on to say

 Robenacoxib was well tolerated when administered at 24 mg/kg/day for 21 days, except for 2 cats that experienced neurologic signs. 24 mg/kg/day is the equivalent of giving an 11 lb cat 20 tablets per day.

there were eight cats in this particular study.  So if your cat is overdosed then you have a 25% chance of your kitty having neurological issues.  I guess the chance of you giving your cat 20 pills a day - when the standard is one -  is kinda low, but this stat still scares me.

I am bothered by the extremely low numbers that this has been tested on.  I won't be giving any of this to any of my cats until it has been out for quite some time and we can get a better handle on the side effects that might not have been seen in smaller studies.  There are so few options for pain management in cats that it nice that they are coming out with additional options and I do support that.  It is just sad that some kitties will end up paying the price for it.

Happy Endings

Do you remember a while back when Apple, Pumpkin and Cherry went to the shelter and I took a photo of some kittens and one had lost its eyes?

Well they healed up well and were named Killian and Conner.  The local news outlet did a bit on them, it's really cute.  Sadly I can't embed it here, but you can view it over on their website

From their website:
Seeing Eye Cat Helps Blind Brother

Seeing eye dogs are a big help to people who have lost their eye sight. Now one kitty in West Kennebunk is helping his brother get around after losing both of his eyes because of an infection.

Killian and Connor play just like normal brothers.

Megan Arsenault, Animal Care Technician, "It's amazing how well adjusted."

It's surprising because even though four month old Killian pushes Connor out of the way to eat, Killian is blind.

Dr. Stephen Askin, a veterinarian at the Spay/Neuter Clinic at the Animal Welfare Society in West Kennebunk, says, "Over my career I've seen four or five where I've had to take both eyes."

Dr. Askin removed Killian's eyes at the end of May shortly after he and his littermates were surrendered by owners who couldn't care for them.

Dr. Askin says, "Up close he wasn't responding to any of the exam so I think he was pretty close to being totally bind anyway."

Dr. Askin thinks Killian had a herpes virus that attacked the eyes.  But he's bounced back and it may be partly because of his seeing eye cat, his brother,  Connor.

Arsenault says, "I think he does just fine on his own but does super well with his litter mates helping him out."

As they hang out together, you can tell while Connor is watching with his eyes, Killian is reaching out with his other senses trying to figure out what's going on around him.

Arsenault says, "I think he uses his whiskers and his sense of hearing and his other senses...unless you look closely you really wouldn't know he is missing two eyes and gets around just fine and is a normal, healthy cat."

And his brother treats him like one having no problem stealing his toy.

Killian and Connor have found a wonderful home together.  A volunteer at the animal society adopted them both so they will be able to grow up together.  All their littermates have now been adopted but there are still many cats at the Animal Welfare Society looking for a great family to take them home.Seeing Eye Cat Helps Blind Brother

Another Internet Sensation - kitten style

Have you heard of Moses the Cat at http://milkdrinkingfool.blogspot.com/  (don't you so love that url?)  Found at only a few days old in Knoxville, TN..

My local news cat Togus told me about it.. :)

and in the news about flea products

Just a quicky to say this possible new legislation regarding labling for OTC flea products is so due.. I hope it passes quickly and is effective in helping pet owners to not give their pets toxic overdoses..

I so need to be working on a project at work, and I'm so doing my best to avoid it.. not good Connie, not good..

Be aware..

Years ago I worked as a receptionist at a veterinarian office.  While working there I got a few sit downs with a Merial representative and listened to the sales pitch and the pros of the product (and received samples) and listened to the how and why of that they distribute ONLY to vets.

Also while working there I saw too many cats rushed in by fretful owners because they were having serious reaction to OTC flea products.  I watched the kitties suffer, I watched the owners suffer, I saw the bill when all was said and done..

Not to mention the counterfeit Frontline mess.

So I would always tell people to buy their flea and heart worm products from the vet.  The makers of these products guarantee them but ONLY if you buy them from a vet.  If you try to save a few bucks and end up with heart worms, the company will not pay for the treatment, but will if you have a history of buying them through your vet. Also vets have promotions that often make it similar in cost (buy so many get some free etc)

Then I started seeing Frontline at the local mega pet stores.  This was after I stopped working for the vet, and I thought I heard that Merial was now selling directly to them, so I changed my recommendations slightly in that people really should stay away from OTC products like Hartz..

but now I see on the VIN that Merial still says they don't sell to these OTC places..

The article that I read at the VIN website is very interesting.  I too was always told that Merial does monitor vets for redistribution, but according to the article they don't really.  While I can understand the reasoning discussed, I fear that it simply opens the door (or keeps the door open might be more accurate) to more counterfeit products entering the system and putting our pets at risk.  If Merial and Bayer really want to keep control over their product and their name, why are they not suing these companies that sell it with out the company's OK? If reselling a product isn't illegal, then why don't they put stickers or stamps on the products with the name of the vet they were shipped to so they could see first hand who was selling to secondary markets??  I'm guessing because they don't really care.. the product is being sold and that's more profit for them.

I have been very lucky in that I haven't needed to treat for years.  The last time I did I did buy flea products on the internet simply because Jack needs Advantage (his fur is so fine, and a large dose of Frontline isn't able to protect him, but a regular dose of Advantage does) and no one locally sells the large dog Advantage (most sell Advantage II which has ingredients I'm not OK with putting on my cat not to mention you can't purchase the large dog size and split it among your cats like you can Advantage and Frontline Plus since the ingredients are the same.  The shelters have been doing this for years, and even the Merial rep said it was recommended for larger cats to use the small dog size vial - something you can ONLY do with these two products.. all other dog flea products are TOXIC to cats.. )

Many people buy these safer products from the secondary market and have no problems.  If you choose to be aware they did not come directly from the manufacturer. That counterfeit products are out there, and that if you have problems the makers of these products only stand behind them if you bought them directly from a vet.

When I need to buy more Advantage, I'm going to find a vet who does mail order.. and not some big fancy website that says they are vets or can sell it to me (especially if they have a limit of product they will sell at one time)  Fortunately my vet sells Frontline, and I prefer to support his business when I can.

Edited to add that I kept reading the 13 part series VIN did on this, and apparently Bayer who makes Advantage does sell directly to retail outlets.. good to know!

son of a biscuit

i just heard that "Meow" the "39-pound cat" has died..

according to the website Meow developed unexpected respiratory difficulties which ended up taking his life.

I can only sit here and shake my head because I have no real words, nor any real information to create words of meaning. But I feel horrible. 

I know some cats aren't meant to have a full long life, and that they are here to teach us something if only we are open to learn what that is.  Hopefully Meow sparked a conversation about pet obesity and the proper way to care for it in cats.

What I can't help but wonder is what brought about the "unexpected respiratory difficulties"  was it because he was overweight and that was a direct cause (they blame the weight as "may have set off a string of events that ultimately ended his life") or was it more that he was exposed to some sort of URI while in the shelter and the stress of traveling all over the country and meeting so many TV personalities and what not stressed the living daylights out of him and lowered his immunity.  Stress does a number on cats..

I do not know, I doubt we'll ever know for sure... even if the Santa Fe Animal Shelter goes into further detail about the wheezing and it turns out to be something that would have happened no matter what, that isn't anything we can ever be absolutely certain of, because sadly medicine is as much an art as it is a science and there is just so much we don't know.  (and while this might sound like I'm blaming them for his death, I'm not.  Just having a thought and sharing it.  I don't think sharing him with the world was the wrong thing to do, I don't know if all his public appearances stressed him out or not (he did look mighty happy sitting next to Matt Lauer that day)  I guess I'm just going with this stinks!)  I do believe they did the best they could for him and had his best interests at heart.

I hope SFASHS doesn't mind I am using their image, it is just so beautiful..

Gatefeeder

Now this is fascinating!  I have to say it is about time, I also have to whine that it is a little expensive. 

Back when Em was alive, before she was officially diagnosed with cancer, I wanted a way to feed her more food with out the Garbage Disposal and the DishWasher eating it all before she got hungry again.  So we bought a magnetic cat door with a magnetic key and put the door in the bathroom door and the key on Em.  It was a wonderful idea in theory.  In practice Em was too slow to walk through the door before the rest of the cats heard the door unlock (from the far reaches of the house) came running and would sneak in behind her by nosing their way in before the door had a chance to latch because of her tail. The day I had EVERY SINGLE CAT in that room with her I knew that it was hopeless, but it gave her some food, because they respected her enough to let her eat, so we kept putting food in there for her.

but this.. this is cool.  Only one cat in at a time, the cat's body blocks entrance to the food while the door is open.. I have to wonder if a clever kitty could get in next to another, but I'm sure some cat dynamics would prevent that.  Another thing I have to wonder is what would happen if the cat with the chip was sitting on top of or right next to the food box..   Also, would all cats take to eating with something on their head??   *shrug*  so if not would it be returnable??

I am also not thrilled that they advertise you can put a weeks worth of food in it.  Not really a good idea in my book.  Discounting the fact that it is dry food, how would ants and other bugs be kept out?  not to mention it would be sitting out for a week.. the fats they have to spray on the food to make it palatable would most likely go rancid.. but hey, it is their product they can advertise it however they want. 

FIP - a possible treatment??

I started following the Winn Feline Foundation and I read they have given out several grants recently.  One was to test the efficacy of a drug to help treat FIP!!

You have absolutely no idea what this means to me.. having lost my sweet Kodi to FIP, and knowing there is NOTHING that can be done for it, no vaccine to prevent it and no treatment to help cure it or slow it or even help the kitties feel better while dealing with it.  It is a death sentence and there is no test to prove it is FIP until a necropsy can be preformed..  Can you tell I hate FIP?

my standard disclaimer in case anyone shows up here doing a search for FIP.  If you have a kitty who was diagnosed with FIP, do not do the "titer test" it is a waste of money.  It tells you the count of the corona virus not if the virus has mutated.  Just about every cat has been exposed to the corona virus at one time as it is very common.  Also, get yourself a second and a third opinion.  Since FIP is a diagnosis of elimination (well it isn't A, B or C it must be FIP) finding a vet who thinks outside the box or has a lot of experience with FIP is VERY important.  Join support boards online.  There is a really popular one on Yahoo.  People who have gone through it and deal with it daily can give you other suggestions of things to test for.. not all disease is fatal.

Now, this appears to be far from an actual treatment that people can use, but to even consider there is something - well to me anyway - is huge.  I am seriously considering sponsoring the study.. Granted, it will be a tiny part of it, but I'm sure any help would be appreciated..

Free Initial Health Exam

I like free stuff, so I follow a few people who blog about such stuff.  Today I saw posted a Free Initial Health Exam for new clients only (and not in New Mexico - and apparently not Maine either since there are none there) at VCA Animal Hospitals.

Don't know if this pertains to anyone who follows my blog, but I thought it was interesting enough to post.  I also know nothing about them.

(btw, if you haven't seen my Wordless Wednesday post on Petra, I'm sorry.  I had a little problem posting it, so it might not be showing up in readers)

Cats are an opportunity for growth

I'm watching (or more like listening cause I'm trying to work too) to the the opening program of the AAHA conference  It is interesting, and I am not quite sure I'm going to be watching much more because at this point it seems to be geared toward management of the practice.. but I'm definitely going to be keeping my eye on it.

Anyway, toward the end of the opening program, the speaker had mentioned several times that cats are an opportunity for growth, and twice he mentioned specifically to the pet owners watching that if they own cats they should take them to the vet.

apparently cats don't go to the vet.  If your cat hasn't gone to the vet, it probably should.  Getting a hands on check up from a professional and blood work if your cat is over 8 will ward off lots of health issues if done regularly..

but he was trying to sound altruistic and saying it is in the cats' best interest if you take them to the vet.. he said something along the lines of  'you'll feel better and they'll feel better'  and I couldn't only think (especially after listening to them go on and on about how to increase revenues) that the vets will feel better.. I have to say most people don't feel better after taking their cat to the vet.  It is stressful and I know when I'm done I'm exhausted from the emotional strain.  I know my cats would greatly appreciate it if they never went to the vet ever again (I know, I threaten them quite often when they look like they might be coming down with something - you'd be surprised how quickly they start feeling better.. )

So yes, take your cat to the vet, but don't dress it up as they'll enjoy it :)
(and I so have to appreciate technology that I can 'attend' this event so easily.. I remember the early days of the Internet where even getting a single page to load took some patience)

Rescues on the Runway

My local shelter and 13 others participated in "Rescues on the Runway" event being held at the nearby mall.  They asked for volunteers but I held off volunteering, I wanted to just visit.  I'm a little glad I didn't volunteer, because there was a LOT of people there wearing the shelter T-shirts so I'd probably would have just been in the way..

I was a little overwhelmed by all the people and the chaos and I wondered how on earth the cats were standing it, but they all pretty much seemed to take it in stride.  Some were interacting with the public, many were nonplussed by the whole thing.  There was a nice mix of animals there too.  Many dogs, some puppies, some cats, a bunny and a horse! :)

I also learned that there is now a group dedicated to helping animals out in an emergency called CCART.  Apparently they have been around for three years and I hadn't heard of them.  The very nice woman gave me some information about volunteering.  A little overwhelming since they require a criminal background check - so it makes me wonder exactly what I would be signing up for - but I like the idea of making sure there is this sort of emergency services around.  I'm not quite ready to sign on, but I'm definitely going to be looking into it a bit more.

Watching flashes of light on the ceiling

Nonplussed

I want the horsie!!

Cats in harnesses

puppy

puppy close up

Girl and Puppy

Girl and Puppy

Another puppy

They use aprons for jackets

cute bunny

yeah, whatever..

crowd shot

More kitties

That bottom cage is open and there is a pet in there

The news just reported that 48 animals went home (or are in the process of it) so I would say that was a great success.  Hopefully a few other families have pets on the brain and will stop by in the next few days or weeks..