Baby MIRACLE's Plight

MIRACLE IS NO MORE WITH US (25/09/2011)

DONATION NEEDED URGENTLY FOR BABY MIRACLE. PLEASE PLEASE HELP IN ANY AMOUNT YOU CAN SPARE!
25th September, 2011

MIRACLE on day of admission

A little kitten who was a victim of a hit & run case 2 days ago near Pizza Hut Delivery (Subang Jaya)... this little kitten... whom I named MIRACLE.

I was at PHD yesterday nite getting my son a pizza, knowing I can call them to deliver but GOD knows why I took my car keys and drove there to order a TAKE-AWAY. As I was getting near the entrance, I noticed a mama cat with 3 lovely kittens (est to be 6 weeks old). I went near and noticed 1 particular little orange tabby who were lying there but lifted its head and MEOWed at me. I look closely and saw he was hurt and I asked the Pizza Boys at the entrace what happened. They told me that the kitten met with an accident, was hit buy a bike and that irresponsible person just sped off! I immediately told them to get me a box that I can put kitty in. The boys told me to be careful as it is a fierce kitten and it hisses and wanting to scratch them when they wanted to put it in the box too before I came... I stroke Miracle gently, I talked to it telling it I am going to bring him to a vet and to please hang on there. Kitty was really well behaved, didn't hiss nor scratch, only participated.

I wanted to send it to a vet but due to being nite time, all around my area already closed for the day. I called an animal hospital pleading them to give the kitty medical attention while I apply for sponsorship for its fee and that I found the kitten on the streets and I do not have that amt of cash with me to admit the kitten as they insist they wanted a couple of hundreds to proceed with admission. I am as helpless as the kitten yesterday nite not being able to admit him immediately due to insufficient cash.
 




Vet diagnosed Miracle with Hernia

This morning as soon as my doggie's vet opens, I called for assistance and the Dr was truly kindhearted enough to attend to the kitten without any admission fee knowing I will apply for sponsorship. I then named the kitten "MIRACLE" as to me it already was a miracle that this nice Dr offers his professional help willingly without looking at monetary gains first. We met with an Angel.


Baby "MIRACLE" needed all the miracle he could get as he was diagnosed with abdominal wall hernia and diaphragmatic hernia that needed surgical repair ASAP. Despite the bad condition that he is in now, baby MIRACLE still can lift its head when I go near him and MEOWed showing his fighting spirit. To me he truely deserve a 2nd chance to live. 

Little Miracle on drip hanging on for life

 Miracle is on drip now and is in dire straits for its surgical fund which the Vet has estimated to come to approx RM2,000+- including boarding. I hereby plead for help from all kind souls to donate to this MIRACLE FUND and help spread this news as widely as possible.



Miracle's x-ray showing the diafragmatic hernia

Time is ticking away, PLEASE HELP!
Please email to nicktham05@yahoo.com with subject MIRACLE's PLIGHT for account information. All donors info with banks' transaction records (once after transaction goes through) would be posted here for the eyes of the public for transparency.


CONFIRMED DONORS WITH TRANSACTION THROUGH
1) -  Date (26/9/2011), Donor (Marina Tham), Amount RM (50.00)    - (VIKI's mommy)
2) -  Date (26/9/2011), Donor (Yasmin), Amount RM (100.00)
3) -  Date (26/9/11). Donor (Fung Kin Cho), Amount RM (20.00)
4) - 
5) - 
6) - 
7) -   


Potential/Pledged Donors updated 26/9/2011

1) - Yasmin
2) - Jacqueline Thien

3) - Ainul Azie Azuren
4) - Fung Kin Cho
5) - Christine Arms

6) - Myanimalcare.org (pledged to subsidise partial amount from vet's bill, amount unknown)

7) - Veeranoot Nissapatorn

8) -

    
For those who wished to help, kindly call Klinik Mayo Subang Jaya to inquire on orange hernia kitten for vet's assessment amount and it is advice that payment to be made direct to avoid misunderstanding.
thank you.

Update (27/9/11)

Vet called me today, informing me the bill for Miracle's case which I owe him is RM160.00 and this is to inform that above through donations would be used forthis purpose. A BIG THANK YOU AND GRATITUDE TO YASMIN and FUNG KIN CHO who had made this payment a success. A BIG THANK YOU FROM ME TO YOU. A BIG THANK YOU FROM MIRACLE TO YOU.

GOD BLESS!

HOW COULD YOU?.....

by Jim Willis ( http://vetmedicine.about.com/library/viewers/uchowcouldyou-a.htm )

When I was a puppy I entertained you with my antics and made you laugh. You called me your child and despite a number of chewed shoes and a couple of murdered throw pillows, I became your best friend. Whenever I was "bad," you'd shake your finger at me and ask "How could you?" - but then you'd relent and roll me over for a bellyrub.

My housebreaking took a little longer than expected, because you were terribly busy, but we worked on that together. I remember those nights of nuzzling you in bed, listening to your confidences and secret dreams, and I believed that life could not be any more perfect. We went for long walks and runs in the park, car rides, stops for ice cream (I only got the cone because "ice cream is bad for dogs," you said), and I took long naps in the sun waiting for you to come home at the end of the day.

Gradually, you began spending more time at work and on your career, and more time searching for a human mate. I waited for you patiently, comforted you through heartbreaks and disappointments, never chided you about bad decisions, and romped with glee at your homecomings, and when you fell in love.

She, now your wife, is not a "dog person" - still I welcomed her into our home, tried to show her affection, and obeyed her. I was happy because you were happy. Then the human babies came along and I shared your excitement. I was fascinated by their pinkness, how they smelled, and I wanted to mother them, too. Only she and you worried that I might hurt them, and I spent most of my time banished to another room, or to a dog crate. Oh, how I wanted to love them, but I became a "prisoner of love."

As they began to grow, I became their friend. They clung to my fur and pulled themselves up on wobbly legs, poked fingers in my eyes, investigated my ears and gave me kisses on my nose. I loved everything about them and their touch because your touch was now so infrequent - and I would have defended them with my life if need be.

I would sneak into their beds and listen to their worries and secret dreams. Together we waited for the sound of your car in the driveway. There had been a time, when others asked you if you had a dog, that you produced a photo of me from your wallet and told them stories about me. These past few years, you just answered "yes" and changed the subject. I had gone from being "your dog" to "just a dog," and you resented every expenditure on my behalf.

Now you have a new career opportunity in another city, and you and they will be moving to an apartment that does not allow pets. You've made the right decision for your "family," but there was a time when I was your only family.

I was excited about the car ride until we arrived at the animal shelter. It smelled of dogs and cats, of fear, of hopelessness. You filled out the paperwork and said "I know you will find a good home for her." They shrugged and gave you a pained look. They understand the realities facing a middle-aged dog or cat, even one with "papers." You had to pry your son's fingers loose from my collar as he screamed "No, Daddy! Please don't let them take my dog!" And I worried for him, and what lessons you had just taught him about friendship and loyalty, about love and responsibility, and about respect for all life. You gave me a goodbye pat on the head, avoided my eyes, and politely refused to take my collar and leash with you. You had a deadline to meet and now I have one, too.

After you left, the two nice ladies said you probably knew about your upcoming move months ago and made no attempt to find me another good home. They shook their heads and asked "How could you?"

They are as attentive to us here in the shelter as their busy schedules allow. They feed us, of course, but I lost my appetite days ago. At first, whenever anyone passed my pen, I rushed to the front, hoping it was you - that you had changed your mind - that this was all a bad dream...or I hoped it would at least be someone who cared, anyone who might save me. When I realized I could not compete with the frolicking for attention of happy puppies, oblivious to their own fate, I retreated to a far corner and waited.

I heard her footsteps as she came for me at the end of the day and I padded along the aisle after her to a separate room. A blissfully quiet room. She placed me on the table, rubbed my ears and told me not to worry. My heart pounded in anticipation of what was to come, but there was also a sense of relief. The prisoner of love had run out of days. As is my nature, I was more concerned about her. The burden which she bears weighs heavily on her and I know that, the same way I knew your every mood.

She gently placed a tourniquet around my foreleg as a tear ran down her cheek. I licked her hand in the same way I used to comfort you so many years ago. She expertly slid the hypodermic needle into my vein. As I felt the sting and the cool liquid coursing through my body, I lay down sleepily, looked into her kind eyes and murmured "How could you?"

Perhaps because she understood my dogspeak, she said "I'm so sorry." She hugged me and hurriedly explained it was her job to make sure I went to a better place, where I wouldn't be ignored or abused or abandoned, or have to fend for myself - a place of love and light so very different from this earthly place. With my last bit of energy, I tried to convey to her with a thump of my tail that my "How could you?" was not meant for her. It was you, My Beloved Master, I was thinking of.

I will think of you and wait for you forever.

May everyone in your life continue to show you so much loyalty.




How Could You? - Epilogue -
Farewell to the "How Could You?" dog, "Holly Golightly," Feb. 14

 

"How Could You?" - original article

 

I had to say goodbye to my elderly rescued Basset Hound "Holly Golightly." Holly was about 10 when I adopted her on her last day from a kill shelter and she was approaching 14. She had a stroke several weeks ago and hadn't made a good recovery. I knew she was in her last days and partially concerned about quality of her life, and partially spurred by an erroneous weather prediction that could have meant I'd be snowed-in on my mountain for several days, I made that difficult call yesterday. It was appropriate that the day commemorating love should be her last day on this Earth.



Photo insert is not of Holly



I drove 15 miles past the vet office to get to the nearest fast-food restaurant to order Holly two plain cheeseburgers, without a dill pickle. I was very clear about that at the drive-through order-intercom because they'd made that mistake before and Holly accused me of trying to poison her (and I'd had to go back inside and order her new cheeseburgers!). I made it to the pick-up window before the tears started to flow and the elderly woman working the window asked "Are you okay, Honey?" and I said "Not really. I'm on the way to have my old dog put to sleep and I wanted her to have some final cheeseburgers." The poor woman started crying, too, and refused to accept money for my order. (I think I'll take her a box of candy next week. I'll bet she paid for them herself out of her minimum-wage earnings.)

Holly never knew or cared how "famous" she was. She had inspired what has been called the most published animal-related essay in the world, translated into 25 foreign languages that I know of. She only wanted her homecooked dinner served on time and for me to play doorman for her 100 times a day. She'd been incontinent for the past year, and despite all proper precautions, and newspaper provided for her benefit, she felt the need to announce her incontinence to me at 3 or 4 a.m.

She never knew that "her" story, "How Could You?", when read by a drivetime radio DJ in Toronto, stopped traffic. And then it was repeated with similar results in other cities. Or that it encouraged some people to think, change their minds, get involved, and most importantly, for some to go to the nearest shelter and save a beautiful animal being who didn't deserve to die, who never deserved to be abandoned. I hope now, in a better place, she knows that. She changed a lot of lives, most especially mine, and I miss her so.

As much as I would appreciate anyone's sympathy, what Holly and I would appreciate more is that you download the story she inspired, "How Could You?", from the sample writings section, and distribute it where it can do some more good. That's the greatest tribute we could pay her:
http://www.crean.com/jimwillis

I gave her a final kiss and whispered "How Could You?" in her ear, and I think she understood.

Thank you to all independent rescuers for these wonderful photos of puppies they rescued and managed to rehomed and some of them may be waiting for a wonderful human like you to take them home. If you are interested to provide home to rescued pups, please visit the link below.

http://www.facebook.com/groups/169480346446878/#!/groups/169480346446878/ 

Don’t Dump Your Dog!

Reasons to NOT Give Up Your Dog

By Jenna Stregowski, RVT

When you choose to get a dog, you must choose to become a responsible dog owner. Unfortunately, not all dog owners act responsibly, abandoning their dogs when they become inconvenient. The most irresponsible of dog owners will leave them to fend for themselves in a vacant home or chained in a yard. This is tragic and unacceptable.

Sometimes life gets rough and we have to make serious choices. In some cases, that means giving up a beloved pet. However, there are many ways to avoid this. Here are some examples...

I’m moving and my new place does not allow dogs.

Don’t move there. Anyone who has tried to rent an apartment with a dog knows it is not easy. Be diligent and chances are, in time you will find the right place. Try to negotiate the conditions with potential landlords, and be willing to spend extra money. If you absolutely must move right away and cannot find a place that allows your dog, talk to friends and family - someone you know might be willing to take care of your dog for an extended period of time while you search for other arrangements. The same applies if your move is temporary and dogs are truly not allowed.

My dog has health or behavioral issues that are out of control.

Health problems will happen from time to time in people and pets. If your dog has a chronic illness, it is your duty to help manage it. If current therapy is not working, ask for a referral to a specialist or get a second opinion. Tell your vets that you are at the end of your rope and you need help.
With regards to behavior problems: have you heard the expression “there are no bad dogs, only misinformed owners?” This is generally true. Our dogs act the way we train them to act, so a behavior problem is YOUR responsibility. Hire a trainer or visit a behaviorist. If you cannot afford this, learn about dog training on your own. Talk to anyone who will listen – you may find someone else who has experienced the same problem.

I am having a baby and don't have time for a dog now.

Dogs and kids can actually be a great combination if handled correctly. It is essential that your dog is properly trained and exposed to babies and children before your baby is born. Then, be certain to introduce the baby to the dog appropriately. Plus, you must raise your children to respect dogs! Make sure you include your dog in as many family events, outings and gatherings as possible. If your dog knows his place in the pack - and that includes knowing the children are higher-ranking - you can have a safer, more peaceful family unit. Growing up with dogs is one of the best gifts you can give a child, if done right.

I simply cannot afford my dog anymore.

Learn the cost of dog ownership. Make a budget that includes your dog’s necessary expenses to determine if this is truly the case. You may find than you can afford your dog after all. To lower long-term expenses, keep your dog healthy. A nutritious diet, regular exercise and preventive veterinary care all play a major role in keeping future costs down. Here are some money-saving tips:

• Visit low-cost clinics for routine vaccinations. Contact the Humane Society or your local animal shelter. Or, ask your local pet supply store for information.
• Resist the urge to buy extras such as a new collar, dog bed, or bag of treats. Make your own dog bed or ask a friend for help. Learn to make dog supplies instead of buying them. You can also offer your dog carrots or apples as snacks, or make homemade treats.
• DO NOT stop giving heartworm and flea prevention! Instead, shop around for discounts (but make sure the products are legitimate – ask your vet before you buy).
• DO NOT feed generic/economy dog food to save money. Low-quality diets can cause poor health in the long run. If you cannot budget for premium dog food or a holistic/natural diet, consider a homemade diet.

I have an illness or other physical limitation and can no longer care for my dog.

This is probably the most understandable reason to give up your dog, but there may be other options. Turn to your family and friends for help. Your dog will most likely be a comfort to you during your illness, so it will be beneficial to keep him around. Some cities and towns have outreach programs where volunteers come and care for the pets of sick owners. Contact local animal rescue groups for suggestions.
If you are the caregiver of a dog owner who must enter a nursing home or similar facility, consider keeping the dog yourself or placing the dog with friends or family.

I have exhausted all of my options and I really cannot keep my dog.

It will not be easy, but sometimes the only option is to give up your dog. Be sure that you have truly explored all avenues. Millions of dogs are euthanized each year because of overcrowding in shelters, so try not to contribute to that number. Abandonment is NEVER acceptable. You are responsible for finding the best home possible for your dog.

• Write up a brief fact sheet about your dog covering details like age, breed, size, color, health, temperament and personality. Be honest about your dog – especially regarding behavior.
• Tell all of your friends, family members, neighbors, co-workers and acquaintances that you are looking for a new home for your dog. Explain your situation and the fact that you want to find a great home for your dog. Make sure you check out potential new owners well so your dog does not end up needing a home again.
• If you cannot place your dog in a forever home yourself, contact animal rescue groups and “no-kill” animal shelters in your area. If your dog is purebred or mixed with a specific, obvious breed, try a breed-specific rescue group.
• Tell your veterinarian and staff about your situation, they may be able to help. However, do not drop your dog off for services and fail to come back and pick him up. Never leave your dog on the doorstep of a veterinary office. These are seriously irresponsible acts and are unfair to your dog!
• Please, please do not euthanize your dog if you cannot find him a home.



Why Is A Dog's Nose So Important To Them?

Before I go on, I wish to dedicate this article to a friend MIMI CHITA (a dog with no nose, but once had a great one before an evil evil "human monster" looped it off!). Mimi's heartbreaking and rescue articles can be read at the following links... 
http://malaysiandogsdeservebetter.blogspot.com/2011/07/evil-human-who-cut-off-this-dogs-nose.html 

http://malaysiandogsdeservebetter.blogspot.com/2011/07/citta-is-improving-by-day.html
http://malaysiandogsdeservebetter.blogspot.com/2011/07/citta-is-doing-well.html
http://malaysiandogsdeservebetter.blogspot.com/2011/07/she-will-survive-without-nose.html 



Mimi is looking for a good Human to call her own, one who will love her the way she is now, one who will not abandon her to the streets and one she can love back unconditionally!

For those who sincerely wants to provide Mimi a home and willing to love her for the rest of her life, please contact MDDB (Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better) at their facebook page. http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Malaysian-Dogs-Deserve-Better/64173243307
Special thanks to MDDB and all its independent rescuers, the Vets and all those who had donated and who had offered Mimi what she needed most during her most distressed moments. 


Now back to Why Is A Dog's Nose So Important To Them?...

 

....because they can smell and what not; smell is the most senstive sense that a dog has, and it gives them the most information about their environment (unlike human beings who rely more on vision and hearing).

To understand more about a dog's nose, please read the following info referred from the Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, by Ned Rozell.

"A dog can tell you a lot about the outdoors. When Jane, my Lab, vacuums the ground with her nose and her tail moves like a helicopter blade, I know a grouse is about to fly. When Jane stops as abruptly as a dragonfly, then runs off sniffing an invisible path, I know a snowshoe hare has crossed our trail.

All this entertainment is courtesy of that most sensitive appendage, a dog's nose. It's an instrument man has not been able to duplicate. A local search-and-rescue group, PAWS, uses dogs to find lost people, dead people, and people buried under earth and snow. Dogs have also been used to find gas leaks and the presence of gypsy moth egg sacks. A researcher here at the University of Alaska Fairbanks even wants to train a dog to find tiny wood frogs hibernating in the duff.

SAR dog at World Trade Center, New York on 9/11/2001

 Lurking behind those textured, damp nostrils are sensitive membranes that allow a dog to distinguish smells--molecules of odor that emanate from every living or once-living thing--at least one thousand times better than humans. A dog processes odoriferous molecules more readily because a dog has a much larger set of scent membranes within its nose, explained Robert Burton in his book, The Language of Smell. While humans have a pair of these "olfactory receptors" in our noses each about the size of a postage stamp, dogs' receptors can be as large as a handkerchief, depending on how big the dog is.

Dogs noses work much the way ours do: We inhale molecules of odor, which then dissolve in mucus. The dissolved odors are picked up by the olfactory receptors, located behind where sunglasses rest on the nose. An organ called the olfactory bulb shunts the chemical messages straight to the part of the brain that deals with stored feelings and memories, bypassing the cerebral cortex, the main part of the brain. This short-circuit is one reason smells so rapidly trigger strong emotions and memories that may have lain dormant for years.

With its larger olfactory membranes, a dog's nose does amazing things. Researchers at Duke University found that a randomly selected fox terrier could after three weeks detect the scent of a fingerprint on a glass slide when compared to four clean slides. When the researchers placed the slides outside in the rain and dust, the dog was still able to pick out the slide with the fingerprint after 24 hours of weathering.
Dogs have fantastic tracking ability because humans leave a pretty good scent trail. Most researchers think the scent trails consists of "rafts," tiny bits of skin cells that have an odor when mixed with sweat and fed upon by bacteria. Because the human body sheds about 50 million cells each minute, rafts fall from the body like a shower of microscopic confetti. Dogs quickly detect these rafts, as well as other scents that may not be apparent to the producer, including breath and sweat vapor. Each person's scent trail is unique, and dogs are remarkably good at separating one person's trail from another's.

In an experiment performed a century ago, G. J. Romanes lined up 11 men behind him. He started walking, with each man walking precisely in his footsteps. After they walked 200 yards, the men dispersed, with five going to the right, six to the left. All the men hid. Another person released Romanes' dog, who found Romanes almost instantly after hesitating slightly where the men separated.

Seventy years after Romanes' study, H. Kalmus performed a similar test using identical twins. The twins must have had quite similar scents, Kalmus reported: "if the dog was given the scent of one twin, it would happily follow the other." When both twins were used in the experiment, however, the dog was able to pick one from the other.

What a great tool a dog's nose is--it rarely malfunctions and the body it's attached to is always happy to see you".

Senior Dogs and Behavior Issues

It is a known fact that in many cases for all beings at old age comes the so-called “second childhood”. Something similar happens in case of the old dogs as well.
Just like puppies, they might disobey the rules. This doesn’t happen because they don’t understand them, but because they are simply unable to follow them. One of the most common problems that have been recognized at older dogs is separation anxiety. This means that the animal gets anxious when the owner is preparing to leave, and after he or she has left the animals gets destructive.

My friend BUDDY (11yr old Lab) resting with my human boy.


In case the animal got used to a routine, it is very difficult for them to adapt to new ones. If they have some health problems, they might get even more anxious especially when they are far from their owner.
There are some ways to help the animal cope with these problems. For example you shouldn’t make a big deal about leaving or coming home. Another good idea will be to teach the animal to relax. In case you can get it to relax at a “sit” command, most likely he will be able to relax for longer periods of time when you are gone as well.
There are some departure cues that the dogs learn really fast. For example in case you have an alarm to wake up on working days, the dog will know that once the alarm goes off, you will start preparing to leave. You could change your routines to help the animal.
For example you could pick up the car keys and sit on the couch, or dress up like you are going to work, but stay at home. This can be easily done on a Saturday or Sunday.

My Beagle sister, HAPPY (10+ human years)

At the beginning, start with short departures. Find out how much time it takes for the dog to get anxious. It might be 10 seconds, so at first leave for only 10 seconds. In case the dog is calm when you return, you should reward it. Then increase the time period but make sure that you return before the animal gets anxious. This training might take months so make sure that you are patient about it.
Make the animal associate your departure with something pleasant. For example offer him a treat as you leave. This will keep the pet busy for a while and it will take his mind off from your departure. Anxiety grows with time, so in case you can achieve for the dog not to get anxious before you leave, chances are that he will remain calm the entire period.
The environment is also important regarding the anxiety of the dog. There are some that are calmer if they can see the outside world, while others get anxious because of this. Some like to be left outside, while others prefer inside the house. It is important to find the right environment for the dog because this might reduce the anxiety that he feels which is advantageous for both of you.

Write-ups reference http://www.thepetscentral.com/dogs/dog-care/senior-dogs-and-behavior-issues/