Tails in the News
By Theresa Gonzalez
Dogs of all shapes, sizes, and breeds will hit the catwalk this month at the Fashion for Compassion fashion show, hosted by the Peninsula Humane Society and SPCA (PHS/SPCA). On Sunday, April 13, at the Hyatt Regency in Burlingame, four-legged friends will sport hip dog threads from Bow Wow Meow in San Carlos, while their human companions model the latest spring styles for men and women from Macy’s department stores.
“Some people come to see our two-legged models and their fashions,” says Ken White, president of PHS/SPCA, “and others love seeing dogs strut their stuff on the runway. But everyone leaves knowing they’re helping animals in need.” Attendees will enjoy a three-course lunch and can enter a raffle for a chance to win prizes, including an Avon gift basket or Dog Day Spa from Scrub-a-Pup in Belmont. All proceeds benefit the Hope Program, which provides intensive medical and behavioral care for the most needy homeless animals, giving them better chances to find loving homes. Tickets are $75 per person, with special premiere runway tickets being sold for $100. For more information, call (650) 340-7022 x375.
Kids ages 4 years old to those in fourth grade can enjoy a new kind of spring break. The San Francisco Zoo is offering a week-long day camp from April 14 through 18 with full- and half-day programs. Little ones can experience zoo discovery tours with animal-themed crafts, games, and animal encounters so they can learn about the daily and spring rituals of wildlife, including building nests, finding food, and raising their babies. Advanced registration is required.
For more information about the camp, email zoocamp@sfzoo.org.
Stephanie Lam of San Jose knew the dangers of chocolate when it came to her three dogs, but she didn’t expect that breath mints would be the cause of a life-threatening experience.
She was shocked to learn about the harmful effects of some breath mints on animals after her 2-year-old Pug, Harley, licked some up when they spilled in her car. Within hours, Harley went into acute liver distress. “The normal liver count for a dog is in the hundreds,” says Lam. “At the peak of Harley’s illness, her liver count was at 7,500.” Xylitol, a chemical sweetener, is a relatively new sugar substitute that can be found in mouthwash, toothpaste, sugar-free chewing gum, candy, baked goods, and breath mints. “I had no idea xylitol was toxic,” she explains. In a panic, Lam rushed Harley to her vet, who referred her to Pacific Vet Specialists in Capitola to meet with a toxicology specialist. While under intensive 24-hour care, Harley received two blood transfusions at Pacific. “She was lucky,” says Lam. “Smaller dogs can transfuse blood quicker, so their chances for recovery can be better.”
Lam has become a dog advocate since bringing Harley home two years ago. “She was the catalyst for everything in my life right now,” Lam says. That includes founding two dog Meetup groups, including San Jose Pug Meetup, which meets once a month at Butcher Dog Park, and the South Bay French Bulldog Meetup. She also volunteers at Our Pack, a Pit Bull rescue, where she teaches a responsible guardian class and has started a pet portrait business. “My life has gone to the dogs since I got Harley,” Lam jokes. “To lose her would have been devastating.” During the ordeal, Lam emailed as many as 500 pet guardians through her groups. “No one knew about the xylitol,” she says. Today, Harley is doing well. “She’s back to her bossy self,” says Lam.
The Animal Poison Control Center of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) has seen an increase in xylitol poisoning cases over the last few years—reporting 70 cases in 2004 and 170 in 2005—most likely due to the chemical being used in more products. While cats are not likely to consume such products, ASPCA recommends avoiding any situations in which cats and dogs would come in contact with xylitol.
For more information on xylitol and other products poisonous to pets, visit the Animal Poison Control Center at ASPCA.org.
Images of “downed” cows, those too sick to stand or walk, being beaten, shocked, and pushed by forklifts in order to force them to slaughter, sparked a national outcry over current farming practices in the U.S. Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Co. in Chino, CA, is the second-largest supplier of beef to U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Commodity Procurement Branch, which distributes beef to needy families, the elderly, and schools through the National School Lunch Program. Undercover investigators from the HSUS videotaped the abuse, which occurred even while several USDA inspectors were at the slaughter plant. After the footage was released nationwide, the USDA promptly closed the plant and suspended its federal nutrition contracts with Westland, citing “egregious violations of humane handling regulations” and enforcing the largest beef recall in history.
According to the USDA, downed cattle are 58 times more likely to carry mad cow disease than other cattle and are more likely to carry other food-borne illnesses, like E. coli and Salmonella, which kill hundreds of Americans every year. At least 12 of the 15 identified cases of mad cow disease in North America to date have reportedly been from downed cattle.
In a statement, HSUS President Wayne Pacelle expressed long-term concern: “The larger issue for the Humane Society of the United States is whether the problems we uncovered are systemic and occur at other slaughter plants around the country. That is the question that the Congress, industry, and consumers must now confront.”
So far there has been an aggressive response to the incident. San Bernardino County District Attorney Michael Ramos has charged one of the slaughter plant’s employees with five felony counts under California’s anti-cruelty statute and with three misdemeanor counts for abusing downed animals. A second worker was charged with three misdemeanor counts of abusing downed animals. Felony-level charges were also made against a manager, a landmark step in prosecuting animal abuse. Members of Congress have announced at least four hearings into the matter, while California Senators Barbara Boxer and Diane Feinstein have urged the USDA to take immediate action to enforce the removal of downed animals from beef production in the U.S.
For more information, visit HSUS.org.
Canines and coutore collide at PHS/SPCA benefit
Dogs of all shapes, sizes, and breeds will hit the catwalk this month at the Fashion for Compassion fashion show, hosted by the Peninsula Humane Society and SPCA (PHS/SPCA). On Sunday, April 13, at the Hyatt Regency in Burlingame, four-legged friends will sport hip dog threads from Bow Wow Meow in San Carlos, while their human companions model the latest spring styles for men and women from Macy’s department stores.
“Some people come to see our two-legged models and their fashions,” says Ken White, president of PHS/SPCA, “and others love seeing dogs strut their stuff on the runway. But everyone leaves knowing they’re helping animals in need.” Attendees will enjoy a three-course lunch and can enter a raffle for a chance to win prizes, including an Avon gift basket or Dog Day Spa from Scrub-a-Pup in Belmont. All proceeds benefit the Hope Program, which provides intensive medical and behavioral care for the most needy homeless animals, giving them better chances to find loving homes. Tickets are $75 per person, with special premiere runway tickets being sold for $100. For more information, call (650) 340-7022 x375.
San Francisco Zoo offers educational camp for kids
Kids ages 4 years old to those in fourth grade can enjoy a new kind of spring break. The San Francisco Zoo is offering a week-long day camp from April 14 through 18 with full- and half-day programs. Little ones can experience zoo discovery tours with animal-themed crafts, games, and animal encounters so they can learn about the daily and spring rituals of wildlife, including building nests, finding food, and raising their babies. Advanced registration is required.
For more information about the camp, email zoocamp@sfzoo.org.
New sugar substitute can be fatal to pets
Stephanie Lam of San Jose knew the dangers of chocolate when it came to her three dogs, but she didn’t expect that breath mints would be the cause of a life-threatening experience.
She was shocked to learn about the harmful effects of some breath mints on animals after her 2-year-old Pug, Harley, licked some up when they spilled in her car. Within hours, Harley went into acute liver distress. “The normal liver count for a dog is in the hundreds,” says Lam. “At the peak of Harley’s illness, her liver count was at 7,500.” Xylitol, a chemical sweetener, is a relatively new sugar substitute that can be found in mouthwash, toothpaste, sugar-free chewing gum, candy, baked goods, and breath mints. “I had no idea xylitol was toxic,” she explains. In a panic, Lam rushed Harley to her vet, who referred her to Pacific Vet Specialists in Capitola to meet with a toxicology specialist. While under intensive 24-hour care, Harley received two blood transfusions at Pacific. “She was lucky,” says Lam. “Smaller dogs can transfuse blood quicker, so their chances for recovery can be better.”
Lam has become a dog advocate since bringing Harley home two years ago. “She was the catalyst for everything in my life right now,” Lam says. That includes founding two dog Meetup groups, including San Jose Pug Meetup, which meets once a month at Butcher Dog Park, and the South Bay French Bulldog Meetup. She also volunteers at Our Pack, a Pit Bull rescue, where she teaches a responsible guardian class and has started a pet portrait business. “My life has gone to the dogs since I got Harley,” Lam jokes. “To lose her would have been devastating.” During the ordeal, Lam emailed as many as 500 pet guardians through her groups. “No one knew about the xylitol,” she says. Today, Harley is doing well. “She’s back to her bossy self,” says Lam.
The Animal Poison Control Center of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) has seen an increase in xylitol poisoning cases over the last few years—reporting 70 cases in 2004 and 170 in 2005—most likely due to the chemical being used in more products. While cats are not likely to consume such products, ASPCA recommends avoiding any situations in which cats and dogs would come in contact with xylitol.
For more information on xylitol and other products poisonous to pets, visit the Animal Poison Control Center at ASPCA.org.
Government responds to Chino slaughterhouse outrage
Images of “downed” cows, those too sick to stand or walk, being beaten, shocked, and pushed by forklifts in order to force them to slaughter, sparked a national outcry over current farming practices in the U.S. Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Co. in Chino, CA, is the second-largest supplier of beef to U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Commodity Procurement Branch, which distributes beef to needy families, the elderly, and schools through the National School Lunch Program. Undercover investigators from the HSUS videotaped the abuse, which occurred even while several USDA inspectors were at the slaughter plant. After the footage was released nationwide, the USDA promptly closed the plant and suspended its federal nutrition contracts with Westland, citing “egregious violations of humane handling regulations” and enforcing the largest beef recall in history.
According to the USDA, downed cattle are 58 times more likely to carry mad cow disease than other cattle and are more likely to carry other food-borne illnesses, like E. coli and Salmonella, which kill hundreds of Americans every year. At least 12 of the 15 identified cases of mad cow disease in North America to date have reportedly been from downed cattle.
In a statement, HSUS President Wayne Pacelle expressed long-term concern: “The larger issue for the Humane Society of the United States is whether the problems we uncovered are systemic and occur at other slaughter plants around the country. That is the question that the Congress, industry, and consumers must now confront.”
So far there has been an aggressive response to the incident. San Bernardino County District Attorney Michael Ramos has charged one of the slaughter plant’s employees with five felony counts under California’s anti-cruelty statute and with three misdemeanor counts for abusing downed animals. A second worker was charged with three misdemeanor counts of abusing downed animals. Felony-level charges were also made against a manager, a landmark step in prosecuting animal abuse. Members of Congress have announced at least four hearings into the matter, while California Senators Barbara Boxer and Diane Feinstein have urged the USDA to take immediate action to enforce the removal of downed animals from beef production in the U.S.
For more information, visit HSUS.org.
