70° Is Too Hot. 3-yr Vaccinations. Bison Revitalize Prairie. Rescues Are Optimistic. Freeing Chimps. Trouble With TNR. Toxoplasmosis. Captive Kitties. Saving Elephants. Pike Expedition. Mariner 4. Tex Schramm.

 

For “Mammal Monday”:

70 degrees is too hot to leave a pet in a car.

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The Outdated Vet Vaccination Advice That Can Harm Your Pet

“The new canine vaccination protocol recommending 3-year vs. every year intervals for core vaccines is now two years old. Within those new guidelines, the American Animal Hospital Association admits that immunity lasts at least 5 years for distemper and parvo, and 7 years for adenovirus. So in fact, even the new 3-year protocol is heavy-handed.

Regrettably, two years after the new guidelines were released, and despite the fact that vet schools are now teaching the 3-year protocol, the majority of practicing veterinarians continue to recommend annual re-vaccinations.

One reason given for continued yearly vaccinations is veterinarians can think of no other way to encourage clients to bring their pets in for wellness exams. The second and more offensive excuse is that many vets simply do not want to give up the revenue they bring in with annual vaccination visits.

If your vet is still recommending yearly re-vaccinations, ask for titers to measure your pet’s immunity. If your pet was properly vaccinated as a puppy or kitten, chances are he’s protected for life from core diseases. It’s also important to remember the only vaccine required by law is rabies.

If your vet recommends any non-core vaccines, it’s important to ask what your pet’s real risk is of acquiring the disease in question, and we also recommend doing your own research on risks vs. benefits of non-core vaccines.”   Complete article at: http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2013/07/03/new-pet-vaccination-protocol.aspx

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Yellowstone Bison Revitalize Prairie on Fort Peck Reservation in One Year

Photo Alexis Bonogofsky

“The bison and the native wildlife and plants that rely on the bison are thriving. New songbirds are coming through that they’ve never seen before. Native grasses and wildflowers are thriving in the bison pasture. The bison have restored balance to the land.

One of the major things that Robbie has noticed is that bison make it possible for other wildlife species to thrive in the winter months. Bison use their massive heads to push the snow out of the way, exposing grass and other vegetation to eat.

Pronghorn antelope are unable to dig through the snow to find food so during the long hard prairie winters, pronghorn antelope suffer. However, with the bison back, Robbie noticed that the pronghorn follow behind the bison and are able to eat in the places that the bison have uncovered. Then come the ground birds and all of the other critters. The bison are bringing other species back to the prairie.

It makes me think how interconnected the two animals are and how when the bison were killed off, the antelope lost a lot of their ability to forage for food in the long winter months.”

More and lovely pictures at: http://blog.nwf.org/2013/07/yellowstone-bison-revitalize-prairie-on-fort-peck-reservation-in-one-year/

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Rescued Animals Are Optimistic

“All animals deserve love and care, especially those who have been neglected and left to fend for themselves. For all of those individuals who've rescued a lost, abandoned, or unappreciated animal, your kindness has not been overlooked and is making a bigger change than you may think.

A new study by scientists at Queen Mary, University of London has discovered that animals rescued from abuse and neglect, aren't a lost cause. These animals can recover and in some cases have a more optimistic outlook on life compared to other animals.

So even though our furry friends can't literally thank us for our hospitality in their time of need, it's their outlook on the future, after they've been cared for, that proves that we are making a difference in each rescued animal’s life, one at a time.”  Read more at: http://theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/clickToGive/ars/article/Rescued-Animals-Are-Optimistic213

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Unlikely Partners, Freeing Chimps From the Lab

“On June 26, Dr. Collins announced that more than 300 of the 360 or so chimpanzees owned by the N.I.H. would be retired to sanctuaries over the next few years.

“There are still chimpanzees in private labs,” Jane Goodall said, as well as in other countries, though Gabon is the only other country known to allow medical experimentation on the animals. It is, however, “a very, very important milestone along the way,” she said.”   Video: http://nyti.ms/16m3ay5  

More at: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/09/science/unlikely-partners-freeing-chimps-from-the-lab.html?pagewanted=all

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The Trouble With Trap-Neuter-Re (Abandon!)

is simply stated by the executive summary of the 2012 Florida Department of Health Rabies Guide:

“The concept of managing free-roaming/feral domestic cats (Felis catus) is not tenable on public health grounds because of the persistent threat posed to communities from injury and disease. While the risk for disease transmission from cats to people is generally low when these animals are maintained indoors and routinely cared for, free-roaming cats pose a continuous concern to communities. Children are among the highest risk for disease transmission from these cats.”

1. 30,000 +/- Kids are Hospitalized Each Year from Cat Scratch Disease!

2. 455 People in Florida given Rabies Shots from Cat Attacks in 2010!

3. 250,000 -1.25 MILLION people impacted yearly with Ocular Toxoplasmosis!

4. 1 of every 4 Americans infected with Toxoplasmosis!  *

5. 4,000 – 6,000 Kids develop Congenital Toxoplasmosis each year!

6. 2.4 BILLION (avg) Birds Killed by Feral Cats Each Year!

7. 12.3 BILLION (avg) Small Mammals Killed by Feral Cats Each Year!

* http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/toxoplasmosis.html

Feral cats are maintained in the wild by a dangerous, cruel, and illegal practice called trap, neuter and return. After these unfortunate animals are re-abandoned, they are regularly fed, which draws more feral cats and encourages more re-abandonment.

One intact male can impregnate dozens of females, so trying to reduce cat populations by TNR is like, well, herding cats.

It's dangerous — because feral cats are reservoirs for disease. Three studies reveal that 62 percent to 80 percent carry toxoplasmosis. Feral cats are now the most common domestic rabies vector. In Florida, where rabid cats attack people, the state Department of Health warns that TNR "is not tenable on public health grounds because of the persistent threat posed to communities from injury and disease." A TNR colony at Point Pleasant Beach, N.J., was removed because rabid cats were biting children.

It's cruel — because feral cats lack vet care and suffer from injuries and the same diseases they spread. They infect lynx, bobcats and endangered Florida panthers with feline leukemia, distemper and an AIDS-like immune-deficiency disease, FIV.

It's illegal — because feral cats kill migratory birds and endangered species such as honeycreepers in Hawaii and lower keys marsh rabbits and silver rice rats in Florida. But the Interior Department lacks the spine to back its law-enforcement agents who want to prosecute TNR practitioners. Free-ranging cats have driven at least 33 bird species to extinction.” 

More at: http://www.hahf.org/awake/the-trouble-with-trap-vaccinate-neuter-return/

and: http://news.msn.com/science-technology/parasites-in-cat-poop-how-dangerous-is-it

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Forty Percent of River Otters in England and Wales May Be Infected with Parasitic Disease Toxoplasmosis

(Washington, D.C., July 11, 2013) A study by 11 British scientists who examined 271 Eurasian otter cadavers across England found that 108 (almost 40 percent) of those animals tested positive for the parasitic disease toxoplasmosis, which is described in the study as a “globally important [disease] with potentially devastating health impacts both for humans and a range of domestic and wild species.

None of the otter cadavers that were examined for the British study died directly from toxoplasmosis. The leading causes of mortality were road traffic (90 percent); infection, fighting injuries, and/or emaciation (5.5 percent); or drowning or shooting (2.6 percent). The study’s authors pointed out, however, the comparative ease of finding road-killed otters as opposed to those which might have actually died from toxoplasmosis.”  More at: http://www.abcbirds.org/newsandreports/releases/130711.html

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Your Cat's Life in Captivity - How to Simulate Conditions of the Wild...

“Believe it or not, your feline companion is a wild animal living in captivity!

It's true. Your kitty, especially if he lives entirely indoors (which I recommend), can be loosely compared to a zoo animal held in captivity. But don't be tempted to throw open a door or window and encourage your pet to run wild and free.

While it's true living indoors isn't an entirely natural environment for your cat, letting him run around loose outside actually presents much more risk to his health and longevity than keeping him 'captive.' Housecats with free access to the outdoors are much more likely to be exposed to viruses and other agents that cause serious disease. They can also be inadvertently poisoned.

They become prey for dogs and wild animals like coyotes.

Fighting among outdoor cats is common, and someone has to come out the loser. Usually it's the kitty who doesn't live outside full time and hasn't honed his street-fighting skills.

Cats with access to the outdoors in winter are apt to look for warmth in hazardous places, like the wheel well or up inside the hood of a parked vehicle. Kitties have also been known to dart out into traffic after being startled or because another animal is chasing them.

So I absolutely do not recommend you set your captive kitty free. A much smarter, safer alternative is to learn…”   More at: http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/10/20/your-cats-life-in-captivity-how-to-simulate-conditions-of-the-wild.aspx

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Elephants in Africa are facing a serious predicament.

“With illegal poaching topping rates not seen since the 1980s, nothing short of a full-throated global outcry will prevent their extinction.

President Obama launched an unprecedented anti-poaching campaign, dedicated to the fight against illegal wildlife trafficking. This new $10 million initiative will work to thwart poachers and reduce the insatiable demand for ivory from vulnerable elephants.

With poachers able to sell ivory for thousands of dollars per pound, it's clear that criminal networks have everything to gain from killing wildlife. But countries across Africa have everything to lose from the instability, organized crime, disease, and economic disruption created by poaching.

It's an uphill battle, but I'm so glad to know we have one of the world's most powerful diplomats standing up for elephants, rhinos, and other wildlife driven toward extinction by poaching. We need to make sure President Obama knows folks at home think he's doing the right thing. Will you send him a letter of support?”     https://secure3.convio.net/wcs/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=561    Thanks!

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On This Day:

Pike expedition sets out, Jul 15, 1806:

“Zebulon Pike, the U.S. Army officer who in 1805 led an exploring party in search of the source of the Mississippi River, sets off with a new expedition to explore the American Southwest. Pike was instructed to seek out headwaters of the Arkansas and Red rivers and to investigate Spanish settlements in New Mexico.

Pike and his men left Missouri and traveled through the present-day states of Kansas and Nebraska before reaching Colorado, where he spotted the famous mountain later named in his honor. From there, they traveled down to New Mexico, where they were stopped by Spanish officials and charged with illegal entry into Spanish-held territory. His party was escorted to Santa Fe, then down to Chihuahua, back up through Texas, and finally to the border of the Louisiana Territory, where they were released. Soon after returning to the east, Pike was implicated in a plot with former Vice President Aaron Burr to seize territory in the Southwest for mysterious ends. However, after an investigation, Secretary of State James Madison fully exonerated him.

The information he provided about the U.S. territory in Kansas and Colorado was a great impetus for future U.S. settlement, and his reports about the weakness of Spanish authority in the Southwest stirred talk of future U.S. annexation.”

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Mariner 4 studies Martian surface, Jul 15, 1965:

“The unmanned spacecraft Mariner 4 passes over Mars at an altitude of 6,000 feet and sends back to Earth the first close-up images of the red planet.

Launched in November 1964, Mariner 4 carried a television camera and six other science instruments to study Mars and interplanetary space within the solar system. Reaching Mars on July 14, 1965, the spacecraft began sending back television images of the planet just after midnight on July 15. The pictures--nearly 22 in all--revealed a vast, barren wasteland of craters and rust-colored sand, dismissing 19th-century suspicions that an advanced civilization might exist on the planet. The canals that American astronomer Percival Lowell spied with his telescope in 1890 proved to be an optical illusion, but ancient natural waterways of some kind did seem to be evident in some regions of the planet.

Once past Mars, Mariner 4 journeyed on to the far side of the sun before returning to the vicinity of Earth in 1967. Nearly out of power by then, communication with the spacecraft was terminated in December 1967.”

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Tex Schramm dies, Jul 15, 2003:

“On this day in 2003, former Dallas Cowboys General Manager Tex Schramm dies at the age of 83. Schramm served as the architect of 30 Cowboys teams, from the franchise’s inception as an NFL expansion team in 1960 until 1989, when owner Burn Bright sold the team to oil billionaire Jerry Jones. Under Schramm’s stewardship, the Cowboys won five NFC titles and two Super Bowl championships.

Contrary to his nickname, Tex Schramm was born and raised in Southern California. He played high school football in his home state before moving to Austin to study journalism at the University of Texas. After graduation, he took a job as public relations director for the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams had moved from Cleveland to Los Angeles in 1945, and had been the first team to integrate the segregated NFL that same year, with the signing of Kenny Washington and Woody Strode out of UCLA. After being promoted to general manager of the Rams in 1949, Schramm signed the first player from a historically black college, Tank Younger out of Grambling. In 1950, Schramm selected the first African American in NFL draft history, Dan Towler from Washington and Jefferson.

In 1960, after three years working in television, Schramm was hired as general manager of the expansion Dallas Cowboys. His philosophy centered on building a team through the draft, and in 1961, he began by selecting Bob Lilly, a defensive tackle who went on to anchor Dallas’ feared "Doomsday Defense" from 1961 to 1974. In 1963, Schramm drafted Lee Roy Jordan to play linebacker behind Lilly, and the next year chose defensive back Mel Renfro; wide receiver "Bullet" Bob Hayes; and, last but not least, quarterback Roger "The Dodger" Staubach out of the Naval Academy. With a strong foundation in place and legendary coach Tom Landry at the helm, the Cowboys managed winning seasons every year from 1966 to 1985. In the process, they became "America’s Team," beloved by fans across the country.

As head of the NFL’s competition committee, Schramm teamed with the American Football League’s Lamar Hunt to unite the NFL and AFL, first with a Super Bowl played between the champions of the two leagues after the 1966 season and finally with a complete merger in 1970. He also instituted microphones for referees, flags in the end zone to judge the direction of the wind and instant replay to ensure that calls were made correctly.

Upon Schramm’s death, no less an authority than former Dolphins Coach Don Shula told the Associated Press that Schramm had "as much or more to do with the success of professional football as anyone who has ever been connected with the league."

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Yesterday:

After feeding the five hungry kittens at 6.00 am, I cranked up the computer and started work.  When I was done at 8.00am, I fed Misty, Nala and Midnight, and the kittens wanted to be fed again.  They are hungry little critters, and I am glad that I was fostering them for a few days, and not permanently.  I don’t know how long it will take to get them all adopted, especially the four black ones. 

Midnight is a very sweet cat, but she often nearly trips me up when getting under my feet.  Of course she had to help when Ray came over to help me move a heavy item in the Grooming Room, so that I could clean behind it.  Then Ray went back to painting the new fence in front of my front door.  It was a lot cooler for a change.

I was expecting Midnight and the kittens to be picked up by their foster parents around 11.30 am.  I couldn’t leave or do anything like bathe Misty, as the kitten’s pen is in front of my dog dryer.  But I did give Misty a little trim.  By then Ray was through with painting for the morning, and it was time to feed the kittens again.

Ray and I took my newer desktop computer outside, opened it up, gently vacuumed it and blew it out with the compressor.  I took note of the # on the little battery that works the clock.  I know it needs a new one, it never says the right time.

Finally, after I had fed the kittens for a fourth time, the foster parents arrived after 5.30pm.  They asked me if I wanted to keep Midnight, but I said no.  Taking care of Misty and keeping track of Nala, my foster cat, is enough for me right now, with all the building going on.

Thankfully, it is now a drizzly rainy day.