Beautiful Soul

What a lovely little story to remind us that life really can be beautiful. It is not known who replied, but there is a beautiful soul working in the dead letter office of the US postal service. 

If this doesn't touch your heart, nothing ever will.

Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my 4 year old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey.. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so she dictated these words:

 

Dear God,

Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick.

I hope you will play with her.. She likes to play with balls and to swim. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her You will know that she is my dog. I really miss her.

Love, Meredith

We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it.. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office. A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had.

Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed, 'To Meredith' in an unfamiliar hand.. Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr . Rogers called, 'When a Pet Dies..' Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey & Meredith and this note:

Dear Meredith,

 Abbey arrived safely in heaven.

Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away.

Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. Since we don't need our bodies in heaven, I don't have any pockets to keep your picture in, so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by..

Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you.  I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much. By the way, I'm easy to find, I am wherever there is love.

 Love,

God

Success Story...........

One of the families that recently adopted a dog through Ark sent us a wonderful thank you and agreed to let us share it with everyone here on  our blog.     This definately shows what we are about and that we are very successful at what we do. 

Thank you to the Anderson's for letting us share one of our success stories!

Douxo Seborrhea Shampoo Warning

This information is from the FDA website:

FDA Issues Caution to Pet Owners with the Use of an Unapproved Pet Shampoo Product

 

May 13, 2011

The FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine is alerting pet owners to use caution with the use of an unapproved animal drug product, Douxo Seborrhea Shampoo (0.1% phytosphingosine), distributed by Sogeval Laboratories, Inc. of Coppell, Texas after recently receiving a report of the death of a woman associated with the use of the product on her dog.

The March adverse event report describes a woman with severe, preexisting asthma who had a sudden, severe asthma attack and died while bathing a dog using the product, Douxo Seborrhea Shampoo. A few days later, another asthmatic family member bathed the dog using the same product and experienced a mild asthma attack but recovered.

FDA is advising consumers with asthma or other respiratory conditions to consider consulting with their physicians prior to use of this product.

FDA is currently investigating this serious issue and will provide additional information as appropriate.

To view the FDA site click on the link below:

http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/NewsEvents/CVMUpdates/ucm255384.htm

ProMeris - To Kill Ticks and Fleas

 

I've researced the warnings about this product and while the ASPCA does not have anything on their website at this time I found hundreds of forums where people had shared their experiences with this product. They all reported the same issues.

Below is just one comment that tells the experience all of the people who posted on forums had with this product. The level of symptoms varied a little, but not much, and all sizes and breeds seemed to be affected.

Example of Forum Posts:

This is Jo and this is a very important message to my family & friends who have dogs-cats--and to alert you to the hazard of using a new Flea & Tick Preventative called ProMeris http://www.promeris.com/consumer/.

This is a new product designed to be a more effective product than other flea/tick treatments that was just released this year. It is available thru a vet and not currently on-line. I got ProMeris this week for my 7 dogs (6 Huskies & 1 Golden-Airedale) , and the results were debilitating for nearly all of them-including me. Since my incident this week, my vet has pulled it from distribution and alerted the manufacturer, Fort Dodge.

Here are my results: Within less than 2 hours after applying, 4 of my dogs had vomited from 2-4 times, 3 were disoriented and stumbling, 1 was dragging his back leg, 1 was salivating. I had very similar symptoms like an allergic reaction-my lips were swollen, eyes very red, mucous membranes such as eyes, nose, and mouth were stinging. I was very disoriented- dizzy equilibrium and not able to drive. To make this a short story-all 7 of my dogs were admitted to the hospital for veterinarian care, and 3 of them remained for care, IV fluids and observation for 24 hours. I was in the emergency room. I'm home now and so are the dogs. We're all feeling much better. Vet bills were over $2,500 and Fort Dodge is paying for these. Not only can the product cause this reaction, it has a highly noxious odor that permeated the house and is just starting to dissipate after 3 days.

Your dogs/cats might not have the same reaction, but given my experience-I wanted to help you all become well-educated about the product.

Manufacturer's Comments:

Comments: The manufacturer of ProMeris, Fort Dodge Animal Health (a division of Wyeth Pharmaceuticals), has acknowledged in a statement that the case described above, involving multiple adverse reactions in seven dogs owned by the same person, was reported by the attending veterinarian on April 11, 2008. According to the statement the company's Professional Service Department is still gathering information on the case and will take appropriate action once all the details are known.

The statement also acknowledges "a high number of email forwards and Internet postings" (such as the one above) questioning the safety of ProMeris, all of which the company believes stem from this one case. That may well be true, but at least one other veterinarian, Dr. Paul Jaco of Kentucky, has also reported seeing "a fair share" of adverse side effects from use of the same product, including lethargy, nervous twitching, and hyper salivation. In an interview with WPSD-TV News in Paducah, Jaco said ProMeris isn't a product he currently recommends.

HOW TO USE GARLIC TO KILL FLEAS

Using garlic to repel and kill fleas has become quite popular in the pet world. Rather than use potentially dangerous chemicals to keep your dog flea-free, you can use garlic and get the same results. You should consult with your veterinarian before using garlic to make sure your dog can handle the treatment. Fortunately, it is quite easy to kill fleas with garlic.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Things you’ll need:

• Raw garlic
• Garlic supplements

o    1 Add fresh, raw garlic to your dog's diet. The amount depends on your dog's weight, so consult with a holistic veterinarian. Garlic makes a dog taste bad to fleas.

o    2 Give your dog supplements that contain garlic. Many pet stores sell products that contain garlic just for the flea killing and prevention. Follow the dosing directions on the label.

o    3 Feed your dog treats that contain garlic powder. To make these flea-killing treats, dissolve three beef bullion cubes in 1-1/2 cups of boiling water and set aside. Mix 2 cups of whole wheat flour, 1 cup of cornmeal, 2/3 cup of brewer's yeast and 2 tablespoons of garlic powder in a large bowl. Add 2 egg yolks and slowly add the beef-infused water while stirring. If done properly, the dough will become quite thick. Roll the dough out on a floured surface until it is 1/4-inch thick. Use cookie cutters to cut out your cookies and place them on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes in a 350° oven, then turn the heat off and let the sheet sit in the oven for at least 3 hours. The garlic, along with the brewer's yeast, will keep the jumpy pests away from your pooch.

Dog Saves Boy

This report was in the AOL News today.  

When 22-month-old Tyler Jacobson wandered off into the dark woods surrounding his South Carolina home, he was wearing only his T-shirt and a diaper.

Rescuers using a bloodhound tracking team and an infrared-equipped search helicopter scoured the woods for the missing boy, but high winds and deep darkness forced them to call off their search until daylight Saturday.

After wandering away from home, 22-month-old Tyler Jacobson made it through a cold night in the dark South Carolina woods thanks to his family dog, the local sheriff said.

Thankfully, the toddler had someone looking after him. One of his family's dogs apparently had tagged along and stayed at his side through the night, keeping the boy warm and safe as temperatures dropped into the 40s.

"I believe that dog being with him is what kept him alive," Kershaw County Sheriff Jim Matthews told AOL News in a telephone interview today.

"I was with one of my officers talking to the helicopter crew when we got the call, 'They found him.' And I was like, 'Is he alive?' We worried there was no way, because of the coldness and because he had been out there all night.

"When they said, 'He's fine,' I'm thinking, Wow. How did that happen? And the answer is because of that dog."

Tyler was reported missing about 8 p.m. Friday by his mother, Jacklyn Marie Jacobson, 25, who said that the child left the bedroom where she and her boyfriend were watching a movie to get some juice, according to local newspaper The State.

Dozens of police officers, firefighters and sheriff's deputies searched the woods, some using bloodhounds, while the helicopter circled overhead in a search pattern. But the infrared was looking for a little boy alone -- and without knowing one of the family's two dogs was missing as well, they may have missed the pair, Matthews said.

"We're surmising that's why the helicopter crew could not distinguish the child. They picked up deer and other animals, but they just did not see a small child alone," Matthews told AOL News. Around 3 a.m., with the helicopter needing fuel and winds increasing, they decided the search would resume Saturday morning.

That morning, as dozens of police officers and firefighters headed into the woods with volunteer searchers, a man walking down the road said he thought he heard crying in the woods, Matthews said.

The crying boy and the dog, a mid-size black Labrador retriever mix, were found about a quarter mile from home. The child was cold but otherwise uninjured, Matthews said.

Emily DuBose and Linda Harr, who live in the house near where Tyler was found, said they heard the helicopters overhead Friday night but didn't know a little boy was missing.

"When we saw the choppers last night, we just assumed a criminal was loose, so I locked the door. The last thing I was gonna do is go outside," Harr told local television news station WIS-TV. "I just wish I'd have known, I could have warmed him up, called the cops."

They praised the dog, who kept close to Tyler.

"Just thinking that a dog would watch a baby over the night, it's kind of like a movie instead of real life," DuBose told the station.

Creating an Animal-Friendly Abode

How to Make Your Home Animal-friendly

Easy steps to help get ready for your new furry friend

by Stephanie Vozza

Before introducing a pet to your household, take a few precautions to make sure your home is animal-friendly. Here are some ways to make your abode safe and hazard-free for your dog or cat:

• Keep medicines in a locked cabinet or on a high shelf, and alert guests who may have medicines to keep them secure. “The National Animal Poison Control Center receives the most calls about human drugs inadvertently ingested by animals,” says Deborah Lee Pickett, a veterinarian in Burnsville, Pa

• Keep all chemicals in a locked cabinet. Common hazards include ethylene glycol antifreeze, paint thinners, drain cleaners, insecticides, mothballs, fabric softener sheets and garden products such as fertilizers.

• Some plants are toxic to pets, including lilies, tulip bulbs, sago palms, poinsettias, philodendrons, daffodils and azaleas. Keep them out of reach or don’t have them at all.

• Restrict access to foods that can be poisonous to pets, including chocolate, yeast, grapes, onions, raisins, Macadamia nuts, alcohol, and products such as gum that contain the sweetener xylitol.
• Cover electrical outlets and remove cords that can be chewed. Keep toilet lids and dryer doors shut. If your cat jumps, screen windows and secure lamps, pictures and collectibles. Don’t leave hot irons or stove burners unattended.

• “When you’re done pet-proofing, get down on your hands and knees and go through your house to see what you may have overlooked,” advises Paris Parmenter, of DogTipper.com.


If you suspect your pet has ingested a toxic item, call your vet immediately, Pickett says. Symptoms can include vomiting, diarrhea, profound lethargy and severe uncoordination. You also can call the Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435. Visit the website aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control to learn more about protecting your pet from poisonous substances.