Winter’s chill may have settled in your neighborhood, but your energetic pooch still wants to go for walks in the great outdoors. Take it slow and steady, pet parents. According to our experts, the danger of stray voltage on city streets can turn a simple stroll into a devastating event for our furry friends.
Most common in northern climes and urban areas, stray voltage occurs when dormant utilities leak excess electricity. Combined with wet streets and salt-based ice melts, this current can shock, injure or even prove fatal for those in its path. “Since salt used to treat icy streets is a great conductor of electricity,” says Dr. Louise Murray, ASPCA Director of Medicine and author of Vet Confidential, “the risk of shock from stray voltage is that much higher during the winter months.” The ASPCA offers the following tips to help you avoid potentially hazardous areas, and advice on what to do if your pet has suffered an electrical shock:
Another frigid winter is coming to Central New York. It's time to remember that every year, too many family dogs freeze to death in this country right in their own back yards. To prevent your dog from becoming a victim when the mercury plummets, bring your dog inside.
Puppies, kittens, elderly and small dogs, and short-haired dogs such as Dobermans, pit bulls, and Dalmatians are especially vulnerable to the cold. If you would like your dog to spend some time outside, limit it, and always provide proper shelter. An effective doghouse must be made of wood; plastic does not provide proper insulation.
To prevent cold and dampness from seeping in, it should be raised several inches off the ground. Putting foam sheeting, such as Tyvek, on the underside and in the walls is especially good for this. The door should have rubber flaps to prevent drafts, and the area where the dog lies should be offset from the door.
Also, be sure to use plenty of straw for bedding; rugs and blankets will become wet and freeze. Don't be afraid to complain about constant barking; it is a sure sign of a neglected pooch. It's a dog's way of saying, "Hey, I'm lonely, bored and cold out here. Somebody, please help me!"
Throughout America, many municipalities now prohibit chaining of dogs. Tucson and New Orleans are among those. Many more limit time and tethering. If you would like to know more about such progressive legislation, go to www.unchainyourdog.org. If you feel, as I do, that legislation is needed in Central New York, contact me at LDesant3@twcny.rr.com.
November 28th is Fur Free Friday, an event that began over twenty years ago in this country and is now observed throughout the world. By the 1990's, after exposing the brutality of fur production, animal advocates had succeeded in making the wearing of fur taboo in the eyes of many people. Recently, to counter this, department stores have been promoting clothing with fur collars and trim that consumers mistakenly believe is made from scraps of leftover fur. In reality, animals suffer and die for each article, whether fur-trimmed or full length. And that death is not pretty.
In the U.S., nearly four million animals are caught in traps where they suffer for days before trappers break their necks or even bludgeon them to death. Throughout the world, an estimated 45 million animals will spend their lives in small cages on"fur farms". These animals' short, miserable lives are ended by such cruel methods as gassing, neck-breaking and anal-electrocution. In China, where most of the West's fur comes from, animals such as foxes, raccoons, cats and dogs are, unbelievably, skinned alive.
Fur trimmed items are now a half-billion dollar industry. The number of animals killed for fur trim is soon expected to overtake those killed for full-fur garments.
The holidays are meant to be a time of peace and kindness. Shouldn't that compassion extend to our fashion decisions?
Lou DeSantis, demonstration coordinator for PAR
Michael Greger, M.D. provided an informative and lively quiz on the latest in nutrition. Liverpool Public Library, Sept. 16, 2009. See DrGreger.org
Michael Greger, M.D. introduces an engaging new interactive quiz show format that lets us test our nutrition knowledge with some surprising outcomes. ÊDr. Greger has scoured the world's scholarly literature on clinical nutrition and developed this brand-new talk of the latest in cutting-edge research. ÊFocusing on studies published just over the last year in peer-reviewed scientific nutrition journals, ÊDr. Greger offers practical advice on how best to feed ourselves and our families to prevent, treat, and even reverse chronic disease.
A founding member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, Michael Greger, MD, is a physician, author, and internationally recognized speaker on nutrition, food safety, and public health issues. ÊHe has lectured at the Conference on World Affairs, the International Bird Flu Summit, the National Institutes of Health, testified before Congress, and was invited as an expert witness in the defense of Oprah Winfrey in the infamous "meat defamation" trial. He is a graduate of Cornell University School of Agriculture and Tufts University School of Medicine. Currently Dr. Greger serves as the Director of Public Health and Animal Agriculture at The Humane Society of the United States.
Matt Perry, Conservation Directory of Spring Farm CARES in Clinton, showed his beautiful video of "The Wild Birds of CNY" on April 20, 2009 at Liverpool Public Library.
Pamm Mosey covers the PAR table at our Nov. 10, 2008 program featuring the CNY Cat Coalition.
Michelle Powers speaks about the CNY Cat Coalition at the Nov. 10, 2008 PAR program.
Those who missed our earlier showing of "The Emotional World of Farm Animals" requested another date so we will show it again on Tuesday, June 17 at 7 p.m. at the Recess Coffeehouse, 110 Harvard Place, Syracuse. Free and open to the public. This delightful 50-minute documentary visits several sanctuaries for farm animals and explores their emotions. See the harrowing escape of Queenie, the cow, from a Queens slaughterhouse.
Info: People for Animal Rights, 488-PURR, ldestefano3@twcny.rr.com
MON. MAY 12, 2008 AT 7 P.M. AT THE LIVERPOOL PUBLIC LIBRARY, 310 TULIP ST., LIVERPOOL
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Sept. 10, 2007 PAR hosted Cindy Page, wildlife rehabilitator, at Liverpool Public Library. She used props and slides to demonstrate her rescue of orphaned and injured wild animals. Among the audience was a Girl Scout troop which sent up a chorus of appreciative sounds whenever a cute animal was displayed on the screen.
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