- 1. ASPCA Happy Tails: Up for the Challenge
- 2. ASPCA Provides Critical Care for Neglected Horses in Maryland
- 3. Pet Health Alert: FDA Issues Warning on Buying Pet Drugs Online
- 4. YES on Prop B! Launches New Ad Campaign
1. ASPCA Happy Tails: Up for the Challenge
Last week, we asked you to submit your photos and success stories about adopting, fostering or volunteering for one of our $100K Challenge contestants, and so far, we’ve received some truly heartwarming tales of furry fate. So heartwarming, in fact, that we couldn’t wait to share a little preview of some of our submissions. Mandy and Onyx were adopted from Challengers Southern Pines Animal Shelter in Hattiesburg, MS, and Boulder Valley Humane Society in Boulder, CO. In addition to the $100K grand prize, these organizations are now in the running to win a bonus $1,000 grant!
Jamie Martin and Mandy of Hattiesburg, MS: Because of our interest in Southern Pines Animal Shelter, my husband and I offered to host an adoption event at our restaurant. Little did we know we'd fall in love with sweet Mandy and be the first to adopt from the event! As I took pictures for the shelter's Facebook page, Mandy managed to make her way into nearly every one. As my husband spoke on the local news about the event, she caught his eye. We had no intentions of adopting another pet that day, but it was without a doubt meant to be.
Maria Joslin and Onyx of Erie, CO: I have been volunteering at the Boulder Valley Humane Society for over two years, working primarily with the dogs, but I always spend time going through the cattery to see the cats and kittens waiting for adoption. I grew tired of seeing this poor old guy being passed over for cuter and smaller cats and kittens. Finally, one day after working my normal Saturday shift, I told my husband about Onyx and we both decided to go meet him. It was love at first sight and we brought him home that very same day.
Do you have your own story to tell about adopting, fostering or volunteering at one of our $100K Challenge shelters during August, September or October? Do you have a happy tale about reclaiming a lost pet from a $100K Challenger? Tell us about it! Your shelter could win an extra $1,000!
2. ASPCA Provides Critical Care for Neglected Horses in Maryland
On September 24, at the request of Days End Farm Horse Rescue in Howard County, MD, members of the ASPCA Field Investigations and Response Team were dispatched to assist in the care of eight critically ill horses originally seized from an equine rescue group in West Virginia.
Kristen Limbert, Manager of Field Operations for the ASPCA Field Investigations and Response Team, is currently on the ground with other ASPCA team members skilled in horse handling. The following is the first in a series of field reports from Kristen in Howard County.
Tonight is long and cold—it's in the 50s and pouring rain. The horses must be fed every two hours, on the even hour. They can eat hay around the clock, but it is fed to them out of a bag with 2-inch holes—this way, they must pick at it, eating very slowly.
Since they are so emaciated, ingesting any large amount of food at one time could be deadly for them. Since the horses require 24-hour monitoring, we are taking turns sleeping—a couple of hours each on a folding chair wrapped in horse blankets. We blanketed the horses as well. Healthy horses would be fine in this weather, but these seven have little fat to keep them warm—many are actually shivering, which I've never seen a horse do before.
Read more exclusive field reports from the Howard County operation at the ASPCA Blog.
3. Pet Health Alert: FDA Issues Warning on Buying Pet Drugs Online
Although it may be tempting and convenient to order your pet’s medications online, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning to pet parents about unregulated online pharmacies that sell expired or counterfeit drugs without a prescription. According to the FDA, foreign and domestic web pharmacies may ask pet parents to fill out an online form and then falsely claim that a veterinarian will evaluate the pet’s condition to prescribe the appropriate treatment.
“Some of the Internet sites that sell pet drugs represent legitimate, reputable pharmacies,” says Martine Hartogensis, D.V.M., deputy director of the Office of Surveillance and Compliance in the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM). “But others are fronts for unscrupulous businesses operating against the law.”
The ASPCA does not recommend that pet parents forgo purchasing pet drugs on the Internet altogether, but encourages the active participation of your veterinarian in any decision to medicate your pet. “All pet drugs should be prescribed by a veterinarian after an in-person physical exam, and should either be purchased from that veterinarian or outsourced to a reputable pharmacy, whether on- or off-line,” says Dr. Camille DeClementi, ASPCA Senior Director of Medical Records.
Dr. DeClementi also recommends that pet parents avoid purchasing nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)—one of the most common types of drugs dispensed online without a prescription—to treat their pet’s pain without consulting a veterinarian to determine the underlying cause of the pain. NSAIDs can be dangerous if not dispensed properly, and pets who are taking these drugs should be monitored closely.
If you do decide to purchase your pet’s medications online, please follow these smart practices:
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Bring your pet to a veterinarian for a physical exam and obtain a written prescription for any necessary medications.
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Ask your veterinarian if he or she uses an online pharmacy service. These services are state-licensed and require the active participation of a reputable doctor.
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Only purchase medication from websites that are Vet-VIPPS (Veterinary-Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites) accredited. Check to see whether the online pharmacy you’re considering is accredited at www.nabp.net.
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Mail or fax your veterinarian’s written prescription to a Vet-VIPPS accredited pharmacy.
For more helpful tips and to watch an informational video about purchasing pet drugs online, please visit the FDA’s consumer health information page.
4. YES on Prop B! Launches New Ad Campaign
On November 2, animal lovers everywhere will be watching election returns from the State of Missouri as its citizens decide the fate of the Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act, which will appear on the ballot as “Proposition B.” If passed, the Act will vastly improve the lives of dogs in Missouri’s commercial breeding operations by limiting the number of breeding dogs to 50 per facility and requiring basic elements of humane care including clean water, regular exercise and adequate rest for female dogs between litters.
With just over three weeks to go until Election Day, Missourians for the Protection of Dogs/YES! on Prop B—a coalition of animal welfare groups that includes the ASPCA—has intensified its efforts to get state voters to the polls by producing and airing four short television commercials. The first 30-second ad, which you can watch below, began running on October 4 in St. Louis, Kansas City, Springfield, Columbia/Jefferson City, Joplin and Cape Girardeau.
Although the Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act would be a state law, its passage would have far-reaching implications around the country. Known as the Puppy Mill Capital of America, Missouri supplies more than 40 percent of all dogs sold in pet stores nationwide and is home to more than 3,000 commercial dog breeding facilities—as many as the next three largest dog-breeding states (Arkansas, Oklahoma and Iowa) combined. It is estimated that nearly 70 percent of puppies sold in New York City pet stores come from Missouri.
Please help Missouri’s puppy mill dogs—our nation’s puppy mill dogs—by supporting Prop B in whatever way you can. Post the video on your Facebook page or blog, tweet this article, and visit www.yesonpropb.com to see how you can support the cause, even if you live outside of Missouri.
Paid for by Missourians for the Protection of Dogs / YES! on Prop B, Judy Peil, Treasurer