Vaccinations. . . how important they are.

I know there is a huge controversy right now on whether or not to vaccinate your children. We are a vaccinating family, and this comes first hand from my time in the clinic as a Veterinary Technician. 

Anyone who has ever had a puppy has probably seen or been through the puppy vaccination schedule, very similar to when you are blessed with a human child. You have 3 or 4 vaccination dates with many being the same vaccination given multiple times. Have you ever wondered why this is? 

The short version of this is that colostrum that a mother animal gives to her young contains antibodies to different diseases that the mother has come into contact with. These antibodies are a form of protection to the baby animal as its defenses are not mature. The maternal antibodies do not create an immune reaction in the baby animal, it just protects it from possible infection. Like bubbles you blow in the wind some pop fast while others linger for a while before popping. This is the same with the maternal immunity. At around 6 weeks of age some of the maternal immunity starts to lose their effectiveness, (the bubbles pop) and no longer provide the needed protection. By 12 weeks of age 97% of all little critters have lost the immunity that their mother passed to them through the colostrum. Since every baby critter is different, Veterinarians give a series of vaccinations to cover the animal with the goal of a vaccination being on board when the maternal immunity fails and the baby critters own immune system can take over and create its own immunity from the vaccination. This is why you pay for 3 or 4 shots to protect your new puppy or kitten from some pretty nasty diseases. 

Why the immunology lesson you ask? Well, simple. Many diseases that dogs or cats catch as young-in's can be prevented. I know the vaccination schedule seems like a good way for veterinarians to make money. However, if veterinarians really wanted to make money they would tell you not to vaccinate your pet. That way when it comes down with something they can rake in the cash by providing the nursing and hospital care that is required for many of these diseases to even give your new family member a chance at survival. And all that time and money spent isn't a guarantee. 

Over Memorial weekend one of my LEO's (Law Enforcement Officers, or Police Officer) picked up a little German Shepherd-cross puppy around 15 weeks of age. Cute little critter, friendly as can be and loves a good belly rub. On Sunday of this last weekend my kennel attendant J called and said that Krieger, as my husband and I had named him, wasn't doing good. He had not been eating and there was vomit and diarrhea all over his kennel, which are classic signs of Parvo. I went out to the shelter to find my once playful little guy with sides sucked in and drinking but his thirst not being met. He also was showing additional signs of dehydration. 

I contacted my veterinarian on call who was already at the clinic before I packed up Krieger and took him in. Within about 30 minutes we have a confirmation of Parvo.

If you have never heard of Parvo, it is a terrible virus that attacks a puppy’s gastrointestinal system from the stomach through the intestines. It pretty much strips the lining of the GI tract, causing bloody diarrhea and vomiting. This creates severe dehydration, and if not treated will lead to death.

My funding does not provide for major medical care of the shelter critters, but as a Veterinary Technician I have nursed many a pup with Parvo. Some make it and some don’t, no matter how much you fight for them their bodies just can't fight. Ultimately your goal is to keep them hydrated while their body attempts to fight off the virus and keep from a secondary infection from starting. 

Krieger (which is German for “warrior” or “fighter”) had an IV inserted into his front leg and we were sent home with two "banana bags" of fluids. Additional antibiotics were started today. He has been camping out in my master bathroom since Sunday afternoon hooked up to IV fluids. This is a picture of him on his first night at the house. He was dehydrated and tired as his body worked hard to fight off what was ravaging his body.

We went through most of the two bags of fluid. I shut him off Monday afternoon and presented him with water and a Gatorade mix to help keep the electrolytes going and attempt to make it taste better. I also gave him some rice and cooked chicken. Bland foods are easier on his recovering GI tract, but he was only semi interested in the rice. When I added the chicken he attacked it, though. Now we wait and see if he can keep it down, which is so far so good. The picture below is from his second night at the house after I took him off his fluids. 

Understand, though, that this has been a relatively easy treatment. It was caught early and we are by no means out of the woods until he is keeping food and water down and the diarrhea is completely gone. If you have a weak stomach treating Parvo can be a trial. There is a smell that comes with a Parvo pup. The blood, vomit diarrhea is not a pretty site. It wrecks havoc on small bodies who just don't understand why. Parvo is highly infectious. It can live in the soil for years. So if you have ever had a puppy at your home come down with Parvo it is very important that you complete the puppy vaccinations on time to do everything you can to prevent your new puppy from contracting this terrible disease. 

Krieger went home with his new owner on Tuesday afternoon after I felt confident he would make a full recovery. He was chasing the squirrels in the front yard during lunch when his new owner came to see him.

Krieger ended up in the shelter. More than likely he was someone’s puppy that wandered away or they just decided they couldn't afford him. Who knows his history before he ended up with me? What I am confident in is that he wasn't vaccinated properly. Many people do not vaccinate their dogs. They are putting their dogs at risk for terrible diseases. Rabies in required by every state in the United States, and with good reason as it is zoonotic and can be passed to people and other species. There is no cure for Rabies, however don't forget about the other vaccinations as they are just as important to the health and happiness of your new little furry addition to your family. 

If you have more questions about Parvo you can go here:http://www.avma.org/animal_health/canine_parvovirus_faq.asp

Walking the Green Mile. . . for Jack.

The hardest part of my job  normally comes on Thursday afternoons. For those of you who know me, I call this the Green Mile walk. If you have read the book or seen the movie you know what I am referring to. Many people don't realize, or don't want to realize, what happens to far too many animals that come into an animal shelter. An estimated 4-6 million (from the ASPCA and HSUS) dogs and cats are euthanized, killed, every year. In the shelter I manage, last years numbers show that 1 out of every 2 animals that come into the shelter do not go home. They walk the Green Mile. I work very hard to this number, from other data, I can tell you that the number has been as high as 90% of all animals going into that shelter leave via the green mile.

We can try to make ourselves feel better by saying that many of the animals are aggressive or in a poor state of health, and that it is better for them to be put down. The reality of it is that a small number of animals meet that criteria. Most of these animals are put down to the sure fact that there are no where near enough homes for all of the animals out there. We kill these animals because humans have failed them, plain and simple. Instead of caring for these animals people choose to throw them away. Someone else will care for them or they can fend for themselves is the mentality. What did these animals do to end up in a shelter? Many of these animals did nothing but love an owner that thinks they are disposable.

I don't know how many times I will get a call from a pet owner telling me about their lost animal. When I ask how long they have been missing their response always shocks me. If my animal was missing I would be on the phone and out on the street looking for them. Many people wait, not days, but weeks before contacting their local shelter or animal control to see if their animal is there. In the state of Kansas an animal shelter or humane society is only required to keep an animal three business days. Yes, THREE BUSINESS DAYS! At the end of that time the animal becomes the property of the shelter. Once those three days are over, the shelter then has the right to adopt this animal out to a new family, transfer it to rescue or euthanize the animal. I know many shelters do the best they can, but the number of animals vs the number of kennels available makes keeping animals much longer than those required three days difficult. This is the part of the job I find most difficult, the decision between who stays and who goes. Is it fair? No. Its not fair to these animals, that their owner has failed to come pick them up from the shelter. Or just has decided that they don't care to even look for their lost animal.

Last week I parted with a dog that had been in my shelter for over a month. The poor guy even had a collar and a tag on. His owner just didn't feel that it was her responsibility to come pick up the animal even after I contacted her multiple times. I had to make a choice as I had no more room in my shelter. This dog lost his life because the person who "claimed" to be responsible for him left him there to die. Every time I walk the green mile with these dogs a piece of my heart cracks. I bond with many of these animals as I am their care giver for the days they live under our roof at the shelter. For the animals that walk the green mile I feel I have failed them. We as a society have failed them. I just hope and pray that these animals understand why I have to do what I do. This is why when I am out cleaning kennels I don't rush. I play and interact with these animals so that if these are the last days on this earth they know that someone truly cared and wanted what was best for them. I just wish there was a way to save them all.

Until each and every one of us stands up and takes responsibility for the animals on the earth. Dogs and cats just like Jack will continue to lose their lives. Next time you think it will be neat to breed your dog or don't have the money to get your animal vaccinated or fixed. Think of Jack.

Get to them young.

I am an Animal Control Officer, no I am not a dog catcher. I do so much more then, "catch dogs."

I was asked over a month ago to talk to the Clover Buds group, these kids are the mini 4-H'ers ages 4-6. I then got asked last week to talk to a class of third graders about my job and how to take care of animals. I will tell you that I love my job. I love working with animals and educating people on how to take care of animals. One thing I will tell you is that I hate that my job has to be a job. When it comes down to it Animal Control Officers have their jobs not because animals are bad, though their are animals out there that fall into the category. Animal Control Officers have their jobs because we as a human race sometimes fail to be responsible.

God created man to be in his likeness. Then God created animals and humans were told to take care of these animals. No, I am not a vegan, I eat steak and chicken. However, I think there is a humane way to raise and harvest animals. Back to how this plays into my job. Most animals I come into contact with are dogs and cats, most of the animals are friendly and just want to make someone happy. I happen to be the owner of two dogs and a cat. Two were pound critters and one was headed that way had I not taken him. My critters rank right up there with my son, they were my kids before I had my son. So I have a hard time understanding how people can just dump animals, let them run around on their own, and not have the proper medical care that they need.

We has a human race are all about instant gratification. That cute little puppy that you get for Christmas, will one day grow into a dog. Possibly a large dog, dogs need to be fed and watered, they poop, they chew on things, they want love and attention. You can't just one day decide that you no longer want to deal with it. If you make the choice to be a pet owner then you need to fully understand what it means to be a pet owner. You wouldn't keep your child until they turned 4 or 5 then decide they are no longer cute and cuddly and drop them out in the middle of no where to fend for themselves? So why do we do this to animals? Who decided this was okay?

I have two critters in my animal shelter as we speak. They are mixed with a breed that has a terrible rap, mostly because humans have taken this animal and exploited it for entertainment purposes at the expense and life of this dog. These two critters are puppies, they have done nothing to deserve the fate they will meet. As I can't adopt them out in my city limits and my rescue connections have no room for them. I am guaranteeing you that I will cry when I have to walk these pups down the green mile. All because of our responsibility.

I think it is very important to educate children about how we should take care of animals. How important animals are to our history and how they can be such a wonderful part of a family. How to respect animals. I also think you need to educate the parents. That was a nice thing about the Clover Buds tonight as, I think many adults don't think about things such as rabies vaccinations and city tags until I pick up their animal or they are part of a dog bite investigation. These are just scratching the top of topics. I think animal education and agricultural education should go hand in hand. These are basics that children and adults both need to know and understand. Animals, both domestic and wild play important rolls. We need to teach our children how to interact, care and respect these animals. I feel blessed that both of these groups asked me to come talk to their classes. I hope that even if I reach one child, and it clicks how to take better care of an animal. I will have done my job.

Here goes nothing.

I have considered starting a blog for a while. But I was not sure what I would blog about. My husband and I have had some interesting changes to our life here lately. I completely uprooted myself and our son to move back to my home town. Leaving my husband behind in his home state to finish his college education. Now this is not the first time we have been apart, however I think it has been the hardest since we now have our son.

I am born and bread Kansas girl. I think the Kansas farm land is beautiful. My husband is from the mountains and is used to seeing nothing for the trees. We lived in Montana for just over 3 years before I returned to Kansas. While Montana is a beautiful state, there is no place like home. I just hope that my husband will love it here as much as I do.

My husband is from Montana. He ended up in Kansas for the first time while stationed at Ft Riley in the Army. We were married in Sept 2006, and 11 days after we tied the knot he deployed to Iraq for 15 months. This would be our first separation as a married couple. When he completed his enlisted time we returned to Montana for him to work on his degree, in Forestry. Yes, we know this is an odd degree for Western Kansas. However, if you have a tree question I'll be married to one of the only "Tree Sperts" as we call him to answer. He will be joining us in May when he finishes up his degree.

As I said, I was born and raised in Kansas. I have college credits from 4 Kansas colleges and two degrees. One in Veterinary Technology, I am a registered Vet Tech. Then a Bachelors of Agriculture - Animal Science.  I work as part of a small, rural town police department as the Animal Control Officer. I have a love/hate affair with my job. I love my job, I hate that there are people so irresponsible out there with animals that my job must exist.

Well for blog one I'll call this good. Who knows what will be next!