My family has been quite busy moving things to our new home (we’re sleeping there soon! Yay!), so unfortunately, I wasn’t able to blog this sooner. I just hope it’s not too late.

A few days ago, I received an email in the mailing list from Nice Rodriguez telling us about Rene Jose’s show which talked about CARA’s catch/spay/release program for cats and dogs.

I am just wondering if someone else watched UNTV’s Good Morning Kuya show this morning. One of the hosts Rene Jose was reacting to CARA’s catch/spay/release program, saying it’s not right to catch the strays, neuter them (kapon) and release them back in the streets. And when he asked around for the other minor hosts/guests to give their opinions, nobody opposed him. There were no advantages offered about spaying and neutering of stray cats and dogs.

I’ve been watching the program for the last few months because I find their political commentaries refreshing, enlightening and funny. I am just bothered because first of all, nobody in the show seemed to be interested in the topic. They didn’t really care about all the cats and dogs out in the streets, with only one commentator worrying more that he might drive over a stray at night and thus, endanger his own life. Mr. Jose seemed to be more concerned about emasculating the tomcats since the sterilization process appeared unthinkable for him–almost like it’s cutting his own balls!

I know the show is sexist at times but it’s still the best show to eavesdrop about the country’s affairs. I am only sad because we seem to be very far from being a compassionate society. I find Mr. Jose almost encyclopedic with his knowledge and commentaries on several topics in the show, and to learn that he vehemently opposes neutering and spaying of stray animals (like it’s a sin against the Pope) is worrisome, and there could be many like-minded folks like him out there. Sadly, he didn’t even bother suggesting an alternative to the stray population problem.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to watch the show. Heck, I don’t watch Rene Jose’s show at all, to tell you the truth. Political debates and talks usually annoy me. But, like any other form of media, it is nevertheless effective.

The problem I have with the commentary regarding the spaying and neutering of animals is not the commentary per se. Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion. You don’t think it’s good for the animal population, fine. But the thing is, being able to say that on TV is a different thing—you get the “power” to convince other people.

That is why journalists have the responsibility to deliver accurate information.

It is true that the humanity of spaying and neutering remains debatable. But not to also present its advantages is quite one-sided, and uninformed.

The damage is done. Maybe there are a number of people who believed what was discussed on the show. Maybe not. But no use complaining. We might not have the advantage of television reach, but we do have one medium readily within our reach: the internet.

I think some of you would know that I am a blogging advocate. Dog-lover, but also a blogging advocate Blogging has already helped a lot of advocacies on the Internet—the Blog and Soul Movement, Filipina Images, and Bloggers’ Kapihan just to name a few. These groups try their best to actually bring about their advocacies through action. A person can complain all he/she wants, but I honestly feel that action is much more effective.

I strongly suggest that dog-lovers informed about spaying and neutering help spread information through their blogs.

Allow me to start. Here’s my take

As soon as we get settled down on our new home, I’d have Harry and Choknat neutered. We don’t breed dogs, but we already have a lot of them. And honestly, my dad and I get headaches every time mating season nears. The dogs just go crazy. We needed to isolate the female dog in heat. But if they’re successful, we get another problem of what to do with the puppies

This is Moy-moy. He’s just about to get neutered in this photo. More details on his parents’ blog at The Animal Doctor

Neutering would definitely be an advantage in our pets’ case. But I think my opinion also applies to CARA’s catch/spay/release program as well.

There will always be the risks of surgical complications and other possible physiological disadvantages, but I believe that spaying and neutering stray animals are actually quite a humane way of controlling the animal population. It’s definitely cheaper than catching the animals, rehabilitating them, and putting them up for adoption (unless of course we have a hell lot more organizations like PAWS around), and by far more humane than euthanasia.

I don’t know… But I just don’t like euthanasia that much. Before Sheero passed away, I was willing to do anything just to avoid having her put down at all costs. What more a dog or cat who wasn’t even sick? I would rather have the street animals devoid of a sex life than putting them down.

What about you? What do you think?

Fireworks are pretty, and LOUD. And they have to be, since tradition says that the loud noise will scare away evil spirits and bad luck for a prosperous New Year. But the thing is, loud noise not only scare evil spirits and bad luck, but our canine friends as well.

Dogs are a whole lot more sensitive than us humans. A loud bang from a labintador may be tolerable noise for us, but for dogs, that’s like the beginning of World War III. For them, the noise is magnified—you can just imagine how scary it is for our pets come New Year’s Eve.

Military dogs are trained to withstand the noise from a gun shot even if their handlers are the ones taking the shot. But our sweet pets at home don’t have that kind of training—loud noises from fireworks can really scare them. As responsible pet owners, it’s our job to help our little canine friends cope with New Year’s Eve.

If you’re familiar with a dog’s behavior in a pack, you’d know that “subordinate” dogs look up to their “alpha leader.” Aside from letting the alpha leader get first dibs on everything, the subordinates feel that it is their alpha leader who will protect them from harm. Dogs see their masters as their alpha leaders (unless you let your dog dominate you), so they do look up to you for protection. So come New Year’s Eve, you’d have to know what to do in order to help your dog cope with the loud bangs from fireworks. Here are some ideas:

• If your dog normally stays outside in the garden, bring them inside the house (at least just for the night). They would feel more “protected” inside instead of outside where they get full blasts of the noise.
• If your dog has a cage, cover it with cloth.
• For small dogs, it’s best to keep them inside the bedroom or something. Our dogs (even the medium-sized ones) like to hide under the bed in packs whenever it’s New Year’s Eve
• Take some time off lighting and watching fireworks, and accompany your dog in his/her “corner.” Your dog will most likely find a dark corner in your house to hide, and it would really make them feel better if you take some time sitting with them. When Sheero was still alive, I used to let her and Harry cuddle up under my blanket on New Year’s Eve. I sometimes stay with them under the blanket (see the photos above). I missed some of the best fireworks displays, but seeing how scared my dogs were (Sheero was shaking and Harry’s heart was beating so fast I was afraid he’d have a heart attack), it was worth it
• There are some dogs, like Choknat, who respond to fireworks with curiosity instead of fear. The loud bangs made him jump, but his curiosity outweighs his fear—I had to drag him away from the window or keep him from getting sparks on his fur. He wanted to be part of the celebration, so my sister and I had to keep him on a leash under control while watching the fireworks and lighting up sparklers in the garden. Curious dogs like Choknat have to be kept under control as well on New Year’s Eve. They could easily be burned by fireworks (and God forbid, get hit by a stray bullet) if you let their curiosity run away with them.

These are just some reminders that could help your dog on New Year’s Eve, just some of the things that my family practices. If you know others, do share so our readers will be in the know come New Year’s Eve.

Happy New Year, everyone! Take care of your dogs, and KEEP SAFE!

What does it really mean when you say “natural dog food?” Some of my dog-loving relatives and friends have tossed this word around, each saying that they’re feeding their dogs the best natural dog food. But do we really know what it means?

When Sheero was still alive, I used to buy her baked doggy snacks from Animal House Clinic every time I happened to be in a branch. Even from the packaging you’d know the goodies were homemade—they came in standard sealed plastics packaged in a decorative brown paper bag. Sheero used to love these all natural goodies, but I couldn’t buy as much for her as I’d like to—these home-baked doggy snacks were pretty pricey.

Unless it’s pretty apparent that the dog food has been home-baked (like the chicken liver dog cookies Sheero used to love), it’s harder to determine if a dog food really is all natural when it comes in commercial packages. We feed our dogs Royal Canin, and it wasn’t because we thought it was all natural—we basically feed them that brand for the simple reason that it’s good for their coats.

The All Natural Dog Food article from Dog Buffs discusses this in detail. It points out important ingredients that could help prove or disprove that the dog food is all natural. It also discusses popular dog food brands which claims that their dog food falls under the “all natural” category.

The article is very informative, but what struck me the most were these lines:

The production of kibble is achieved by one of two methods, by oven baking or by extrusion (high pressure steaming). Oven baking is deemed to be better, but it still makes you wonder whether a manufactured food can be called all natural if it is processed.

I never really thought of it that way, and it does make sense. How can a dog food be called all natural if it is processed? I suppose they’re just describing the ingredients in this case and not the process by which it was made.

Although I’d have appreciated the article more if it had some pictures (sorry, I’m a web designer by profession—I just can’t help it), it did present a lot of stuff about dog food. And by the way, the photo on this post was taken from the Dog Buffs home page (I think the adorable dog’s name is Ruby), which if I may add, is also quite a good read.

Since this is a paid review anyway, allow me to go all out in suggesting things. I love the idea of the site being a treasure throve of dog information (I’m definitely bookmarking that site), but it would be great if the site is liven up a bit. Maybe a little bit more color and photos? The site doesn’t necessarily have to be as flamboyant as Dog Fashionista, but a little bit play in color combination can result to a lively and professional-looking site.

Another suggestion I’d like to make is allowing comments on posts, which encourages interaction from visitors. But if a blog isn’t what the site owners have in mind, an option to subscribe to the site’s RSS feed might help in letting people know that there are site updates. The key to getting traffic to the site is to be able to find a way for people to keep on coming back. Since the homepage isn’t really designed that way (it has a welcome text instead of a series of recently posted entries), an RSS feed will help people get updated—and they will come back for the new piece of useful info.

Hope that helps

Marc, my husband, and I normally bring our dogs to Animal House for check-ups and x-rays. My dad prefers the University of the Philippines Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital at Diliman, Quezon City for our dogs, but I guess we usually had somewhere else to go to after every vet visit that we’ve never really brought Sheero there. But last Wednesday and Thursday, we had nothing else to do but bring her. And frankly, we didn’t have much of a budget at the moment, so we really had no choice but to settle for a government-owned vet hospital.

Apparently, we made the right decision. Not only was UP Vet Med cheap (consultation is just Php100, approximately $2), but you’d be able to see that the vets are genuinely concerned about the animals. The fact that Marc and I are avid House MD (an American TV show) fans just adds a bit more fun to the experience—you see, the setting of the medical-inspired show was a teaching hospital as well. Lucky for us (and Sheero) that our vet wasn’t like Dr. House!

Sheero had been feeling weak lately, she just didn’t have her usual bounce (and snobbishness), so the vet had her go through extensive blood tests. Turns out that she had an infection and anemia.

The medicines Sheero had to take were actually more expensive than what we’ve spent for her blood tests and doctor’s fees. It was less than $11 all in all. But the best thing about it, Sheero’s showing great progress. Obviously, the doctor prescribed the right medicines. My baby is getting better! She’s now slowly getting back her “spoiled princess” manners

A friend of mine had once told me that their dog passed away because of a wrong dosage of Parvo anti-virus injection from UP Vet Med. I don’t know, I guess it would just depend on the attending vet. Or if your dog was treated by a vet student without proper supervision from a certified veterinarian.

If you need to bring your pet to the vet and you’re near the area, you can give the UP Vet Med hospital a try. Just make sure that the attending veterinarian is there to supervise your pet’s treatment. Demand for one if you have to, but they’ll be more than happy to oblige for sure If your pet needs an x-ray or lab work, make sure you don’t go there on a Wednesday—they don’t have lab and x-ray services that day. We had to bring Sheero back the following day for her blood work. Oh, and yeah. They treat all kinds of animals too: dogs, cats, iguanas, and whatever you there in your house!