Even if you don’t care about hunting, Gotta Love Ted!

 

?

Ted Nugent, rock star and avid bow hunter from Michigan , was being interviewed by a liberal journalist, an animal rights activist.  The discussion came around to deer hunting.

The journalist asked, ‘What do you think is the last thought in the head of a deer before you shoot him? Is it, ‘Are you my friend?’ or is it ‘Are you the one who killed my brother?

Nugent replied, ‘Deer aren’t capable of that kind of thinking. All they care about is, what am I going to eat next, who am I going to screw next, and can I run fast enough to get away. They are very much like the Democrats in Congress.’

The interview ended.

 

Cyber won Best in Specialty Show at the Meadowlands Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club in New York in February the day before Cavaliers were shown at Westminster in which Cyber was not entered. Under breed specialist, Mrs. Mea Askins Kendall from the UK, Cyber won over all the top ranked Cavaliers in this country with my short, chubby, arthritic legs trying to keep up with him.  He and I are a team and he is very patient with his “mother” as this dog could show himself!  I have not been back to New York from whence I originally came since Al’s last long term bout with cancer and his passing (probably over six years).

Because of circumstances in my present life which I will explain when I do another “Catching Up” entry, I have not really blogged in months and probably lost all those interested in following my blog and some of my political rantings. Anyway, Cyber and I have gone not entered the ring together since the Meadowlands but look forward to stepping out in the future. Meanwhile he and I are busy doing yard work (I plant and he unplants), raising lovely tricolor puppies (not his but his uncle Clooney’s), and vacuuming dog hair (he sheds and I vacuum).  I adore this dog as well as my others, but Cyber has a sense of humor and I am usually the target of his laughter! 

 

UPDATED LIST OF PET TOXINS

 

 

Both known and unknown toxins can be found hiding in our houses and yards. In 2011, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) in Urbana, IL, fielded more than 165,900 phone calls about pets exposed to poisonous substances. –italics are my comments from experience. Meredith

Visit our poison app on Facebook

 

1. Prescription Human Medications

Almost 25,000 calls last year were about human prescription medications. Pets, especially dogs, are notorious for ingesting any dropped pill. Cardiac and ADHD medications make up a large percentage of these calls. Always make sure to take these medications in a safe place away from your pets.

2. Insecticides

Insecticides were the subject of 11% of calls to the ASPCA in 2011. These include products used on the lawn, in the house and on the pet. The most important thing to do is read the label before you use any insecticide, and never use a product labeled for dogs on cats. I know of two cases personally in which dogs died due to horrible allergic reactions to lawn sprays. 

3. Over-the-Counter Human Medications

Over-the-counter medications such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen can kill your pet. Never give any medication to your pet without consulting with your veterinarian first.

4. People Food

Chocolate is still the number one people food that pets ingest (we received over 7,600 calls last year). Too much chocolate can cause vomiting, diarrhea, high heart rate and seizures. The second most common food is xylitol (the sugar substitute). Xylitol can cause seizures and liver failure in dogs.  (Raisins are also very poisonous to dogs.)

5. Household Products

It is amazing what animals can find to chew up around the house from fire logs to paint. Some household items may just cause stomach upset, while others can be deadly.

6. Veterinary Medications

Chewable medications make it easy to give your dog or cat a pill. However, this tasty pill can also mean that the pet, if given access, will ingest all the pills in the bottle. Always make sure to keep pet medications out of reach. Contact your veterinarian if your pet ingests more than its proper dose of medication or ingests another pet’s medication.

7. Rodenticides

When putting out baits to kill mice and rats, never underestimate the resourcefulness of your pet. Most bait is grain based and is attractive to dogs. Depending on the type of rodenticide, ingestion can cause internal bleeding, kidney failure or seizures. (If a dog eats rat poison, do not induce vomiting.  Keep vitamin K in your first aid kit and begin administering at once to counteract internal bleeding. Rush to the vet.)

8. Plants

About 4% of our phone calls are pet parents calling about their animals eating plants. This is one category that cats lead dogs in the number of exposures. Lilies can cause kidney failure and death in cats. Please see our list of toxic/non-toxic plants for more information. 

9. Lawn and Garden Products

Fertilizers, which can be made of dried blood, poultry manure and bone meal, are very attractive to pets, so it is not surprising that we get many calls (almost 3,900 in 2011) on lawn and garden items.  (One of my Cavaliers living with my orthopedic surgeon licked the fertilizer just applied by the lawn care company and burned his esophagus.  No amount of money or expertise could save this beautiful boy, Jeffrey, after a valiant fight.  He is sorely missed and still deeply loved by his grieving family.)

10. Automotive Products

With more people keeping their animals inside (especially cats), the number of animals exposed to automotive products (antifreeze, brake fluid, etc.) has dropped. This is great news since many of these products, if ingested, can be life-threatening to pets.

If you have any reason to suspect your pet has ingested something toxic, please contact your veterinarian or the Animal Poison Control Center’s 24-hour hotline at (888) 426-4435.

A Dog’s Last Will and Testament—Unselfish to the End     (Author anonymous)

 

When humans die they prepare a will in order to leave their home and everything they own to all those they love.

 

If I were able to write I would also make out such a will:

To a poor lonely full of longing stray I would leave my happy home, my food bowl, my cozy bed,

my soft pillow, my toys, and my beloved lap– The gently stroking hand, the loving voice, the place

I had in someone’s heart, and the love which at the end will help me towards a peaceful painless end

while being held in loving arms.

And when I die then please don’t say:

“Never again will I have a dog the loss is much too painful.”

Find yourself a lonely unloved dog and give it my place in your heart.

That is my bequest.  The love I leave behind is all that I have to give.

r

Ch. Rattlebridge Delta Dawn and her nephew, Ch. Rattlebridge Truth and Dare, have the same idea!