.New Family.

Meet Jerry Pirate.

I rescued this one-eyed kitten just a week ago from the middle of the road near my house and I nearly ran over him at that time.


This fella had a really bad eye infection when I brought him to the vet. Nearly lost his life as well. What a lucky fella that I'm his new mama now! Jerry is really adorable. Apparently his own mother and his siblings bully him around too much because according to the doctor, his eyes have been scratched and he has not been well fed. I have seen his family around every time I drive past the area I rescued him from and they all seem pretty healthy except for this guy. No fear! Jerry is in good hands now. :)


 I shall post more pictures of him once I find my USB cable for the phone because technology sucks. :P


Love,
Sarah.

.Black Puppy.

The Little Black Stray Puppy

Not long ago, my good friend *Dory found this little black male puppy in the middle of the road after she witnessed a car running over it. Quickly, she got in touch with *Samantha and myself, since she is aware of our connection to vets and rescue activities. A little warning to animal lovers, this story might cause emotional sadness if you're extremely sensitive towards little puppies getting hit-and-run by ignorant drivers.

According to Dory, the driver casually ran over it and didn't even stop or bother to move the puppy away, despite the fact that it was still alive. Honestly, I was angered and frustrated for the little guy, nevertheless, all we could do for it was to rush it back to town to seek a vet's help. Note that this incident happened at 8pm and the roads were clear of traffic.

As soon as we brought the little guy to the vet, it was diagnosed to be positive of a disease called "Distemper" and the survival chances that he had were 0-5%, since his entire  left and right limb has been dislocated after being ran over as well. To those of you who do not know of the viral disease called distemper, here is a brief definition and introduction for you:

• Canine distemper is a multi-systemic viral disease of dogs found throughout the World. It is highly contagious. It is fatal in approximately half the cases.
• Canine distemper is usually transmitted through contact with respiratory secretions. But contact with fecal material and the urine of infected dogs or things they have contaminated can also cause infection.
• In the body, this virus attacks and grows within the white cells (lymphocytes and macrophages) of the blood and lymphatic system as well as the cells that line the intestinal tract.
• Once these pets are infected, the virus is shed in all their body secretions. Signs that the pet is sick begins 3-6 days after infection. About the seventh day of infection, most dogs develop a fever of 103-106F (39.5-41 C) and become depressed.
• By the end of the day, animals affected by distemper will appear weak, confused, disheveled, have little to no fur and excretes body fluids (poop and pee) uncontrollably and lastly die. 

- Canine Distemper In Your Pets, Ronald Hines, 2012.

Here is a video of distemper in dogs:

Youtube - Distemper Dog (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyEFS77rOzU)

November 14, 2006.

We wanted a different ending for the black pup, but unfortunately, the vet strongly advised us to euthanize it. There was nothing we could do, unless we were willing to save it with lots of injections, IV drips and watch it grow retarded for the rest of its life. Think of it as the final stage of breast cancer in humans and you'd get the picture.

Finally after an hour of contemplation, we agreed to the final move and put little black puppy to sleep where he can be in a better place. I bet wherever he is, no ignorant person will run over him ever again. Rest in peace, little fella. Inallillahiwainallillahirajun (muslim prayer)...

R.I.P. <3

Love,

Sarah.

Reference List:

Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canine_distemper

Youtube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyEFS77rOzU

Canine Distemper in Dogs - http://www.2ndchance.info/dogdistemper.htm

.Problems & Solutions.

THE PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS FOR STRAY ANIMALS

In this post I'd like to discuss about some of the causes, problems and some of the solutions directly linked to stray animals.

WHERE DO STRAY ANIMALS COME FROM?

Humans have played the biggest role to this question. Without humans, the term 'pets' wouldn't exist. Therefore, there is only one cause - Irresponsible animal ownership & uncontrolled breeding that derived from the irresponsibility. 

      Irresponsible Animal Ownership

·  Some owners allow their animals to roam outside the house compound unsupervised. (PLEASE KEEP YOUR PETS INSIDE THE COMPOUND)

·  These animals then become part of the stray population because some might get lost or mate with other strays causing an uncontrollable stray population.

·  Owners may also abandon their animals in the streets when they no longer want them. This can be a common fate for unwanted litters of puppies.

Uncontrolled Breeding

      Basically, owned animals may be allowed to breed uncontrollably which would lead to the problem of abandonment. Should one is not keen on breeding their pets then they should spay/neuter them as soon as possible. Breeding within the stray population can produce the next generation of stray animals (UNSPAYED/UNNEUTERED PETS WILL GO OUTSIDE AND BREED WITH STRAYS AS PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED).

SOLUTION 

- SPAY/ NEUTER YOUR PET IF YOU DON’T WANT TO BREED THEM!                           

- Adopt a pup rather than buying one (mix/local breed are as good)

- Sponsor a stray around your home. Help to spay/neuter and release them back to where you found them if you can’t keep them. If the society contributes little by little, change can come in greater numbers.

HOW DOES SPAYING/NEUTERING YOUR PET 

BENEFIT YOU?

1. Prevents the problem of unwanted puppies and kittens that may become part of the stray population.
2. Spayed/neutered animals are less likely to leave the house and will stay home more to guard the house.
3. Helps the health of the individual animal by reducing the chances of getting sick (eg: STDs).

Female disease - 

• Pyometra is an abscessed, pus-filled infected uterus. Toxins and   bacteria leak across the uterine walls and into the bloodstream causing life-threatening toxic effects.
• Mammary tumour – breast cancer in animals.

Male disease - 

• Prostate disease and testicular cancer.

In short, animals are exactly like humans. They live, breathe, eat, poop and mate the same. The only difference between us and them is that we have a larger brain and we have COMMON SENSE. If we do not take action with our own pets then who is going to be responsible for our irresponsible actions? Who will clean the streets full of strays that our pets have produced? In this case, I believe you can judge and think about it yourself.

“We must be the change we wish to see in the world”. – Mahatma Ghandi

Love,

Sarah.

Reference List:

http://www.americanhumane.org/animals/adoption-pet-care/caring-for-your-pet/spaying-neutering.html

http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/pet_overpopulation/facts/why_spay_neuter.html

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/spayneuter/spay-neuter-top-ten.aspx

http://www.doghause.com/spay.asp

.Brownie.

2 months ago, roughly during the end of the month of March 2012, my good friend *Samantha and I have been feeding and caring for the strays around the Senadin area near campus. If you are one of the students or individuals who frequent the commercial area called "DPS" to get food then you'd stumble upon many many many stray dogs and cats. *Sam and I have been eyeing the dogs for the longest time in order to capture and spay or neuter them to control the population of these stray dogs around that area. The act of spaying or neutering can be defined as:

• Spaying = Surgically removing both ovaries and uterus in female dogs and cats whereby they won't be able to produce offspring.
• Neutering = Surgically removing both testicles in male dogs whereby they won't be able to  produce offspring.

- Veterinary Q & A: Spay Operation in Dogs and Cats by Janet Tobiassen Crosby, DVM, About.com Guide, n.d.

Yes, you can debate on how right or wrong our actions might seem to you and your brain; personal opinions are welcome. The exchange of heated arguments can wait because I am here to tell you stories, not run for presidency... LOL :)

Like I was saying, Sam and I have been feeding the dogs in DPS and have been eyeing some of them for a long time. One of them happened to be someone's dog... Or not... I wasn't sure. But I have known that dog for 2 years (since I started studying in Curtin) and his name (according to my previous semester classmate) is Brownie. It was apparent that the adorable, stubby, short and long-bodied stray dog has been through a lot because during that period of time, he had a humongous patch of scab on the left side of his body and he had numerous skin problems going on all over his fur. The big scab can mean that somebody either poured hot water on him or he accidentally came into contact with a running motorcycle exhaust pipe.

So I finally got to capture him and took him in and that was in early April. First thing we did was that we brought him to the vet and gave him several injections for his various skin conditions. He was a very brave boy and deep down inside I know that he appreciates what we're trying to do to help him because he's been obedient the whole time. Next, we neutered him and nurtured his health back. Since my parents were away for the whole week that I managed to capture Brownie, I kept him in my house until he felt better. 

My Brownie... Obedient and on the way to recovery! As you can observe, there is a big dark patch of scab on the right of his body. Taken at my porch.

Bought him some blings for his neck!  

Brownie looking depressed awaiting his recovery.

I remembered sometime around February or March 2011, I sat alone at the Curtin Villa bus stop because I just had a fight with my family and felt really depressed with everything around me. And then cheerfully came Brownie wagging his tail, as he sat through my tears the whole night that I sat there. From then on, I got his back. Now that he needed me, I will be there for him as long as I can.

And so, he recovered under 4 days of "vacation" in my house, he was vaccinated and sent back to the DPS commercial area. Why didn't I keep him, you might ask? Well, the main contributing factor is that I am a Muslim and there is only so much I can do. My parents will NEVER tolerate the presence of animals in my house, EVER. I might as well just dig a grave for Brownie and myself should they find out that I have kept him there.

For your information, the choke chain that I've placed on Brownie's neck was stolen just a few days after I brought him back to DPS. Sigh... It makes you wonder how desperate some people are that they have to steal from a stray dog. Oh well, I hope it served a better purpose in somebody else's life now.

Stay tuned for the next post folks as I shall inform you of why you should spay or neuter your pets and why the strays should be done to the same as well.

Love,

Sarah.

Reference List:

Crosby, J. T. (n.d.). Veterinary Q & A: Spay Operation in Dogs and Cats. In About.com. Retrieved May 17, 2012, from http://vetmedicine.about.com/cs/dogdiseasess/a/spaying.htm

.My Reasons.

Greetings, readers. :) As you might already guess from the blog's title, I am an animal lover. Although it might sound repetitive to you (some of you have probably read my profile), I shall re-introduce myself and the main reason why I created this blog. My name is Sarah. I live in Miri and currently pursuing a course in Bachelor of Arts at Curtin Universiy. My hobbies are simple and direct; which you can find out through my profile. This blog aims at capturing and documenting my weekly stray-feeding adventures and also to examine the living conditions they are stettled in. 


For your info, I feed them on every occasion that I can, depending on my personal schedule. Moving on, I'd like to explain the more accurate definition of stray animals - "any domestic animal found loose, not under the immediate control of a competent person or owner" (Town of Clover - Animal Control, n.d.).


So why strays, you might wonder. I guess it depends on individual interpretation of the issue. Some might say that I've lost my mind, some might  even find it a waste of time. But in my opinion, this is my way of releasing stress and feel true happiness through the activities that I do for these animals.

A friendly female stray dog that approached me this afternoon in Pelita Commercial area.  As you can see, she  looks like she's in a pretty bad shape and lacking a lot of nutrition. 

It is general knowledge to all of us, aware or ignorant enough to be unaware, that the streets of Miri roam with hundreds maybe thousands of stray dogs and cats.

• No one cares for stray animals. For that reason, they often look disheveled.
• A lot oft wild born cats and dogs had little to no contact with humans during their shaping phase. Because of this, they are shy and do not want to be touched or even caught.
• The animals do not have any identification features like collars or microchips.
• Often, stray animals are undernourished and have evident deficiency symptoms. Parasites, injuries, accidents and extreme weather conditions affect a lot of them.

Personally, it saddens me to know that these strays wonder on the streets with the simplest drive for food and dry shelter and even sometimes mistreated by humans who abuse them for reasons that cannot justify their actions. Trust me, I can go along the whole day debating about this topic!


So there you go! A long first post with everything you need to know about this blog. Stay tuned to find out with I'm up to next week! ;)


Love,
Sarah.



Reference List:
TOWN OF CLOVER - ANIMAL CONTROL. (n.d.). In Animal Control. Retrieved April 1, 2012, from http://www.cloversc.info/portal/departments/Animal%20Control.htm