Remember, as summer heats up this coming year, so do concerns about
those pesky pests, fleas. Fleas are small, brown or black, wingless
insects with flattened bodies. Several types of fleas infest the coats
of animals, and some may occasionally feed on people. These blood-sucking
insects cause considerable irritation and distress to the infested
pets, leading to itching, hair loss, and skin disease. Severe infestations
may cause anemia due to blood loss. Fleas can carry some viral and
bacterial diseases. They commonly transmit tapeworms, an intestinal
parasite. Fleabites also trigger allergic reactions, rashes, and sores
on both pets and their owners.
The best places to look for fleas on your pet are the base of the
tail, stomach and groin regions, and around the face and ears. Sometimes
no fleas are found but only tiny, black granules that resemble black
pepper. This material is flea feces or flea-dirt and consists of digested
blood. To distinguish this material from dirt, smudge it on white paper
and add a drop of water to it. If you see a reddish-brown color, your
pet has fleas, even if you cannot find a live one.
Fleas are more prevalent outdoors in warm weather. Usually dormant
fleas hatch after thirty days of warm weather outside. However, as
long as there is a host animal, fleas can live throughout the year
indoors. After feeding on an animal, fleas drop off the animal and
deposit their eggs in cracks, crevices and carpeting. A single breeding
pair of fleas may produce 20,000 fleas in three months. After two to
twelve days, eggs hatch into larvae that feed in the environment. Larvae
molt two times and then older larvae spin a cocoon in which they remain
for one week to one year. The long period during which the larvae remain
in the cocoon explains why fleas are difficult to eradicate from the
environment. A hungry adult flea finally emerges from the cocoon.
Many different products are available for flea control. To eradicate
fleas, you must apply the insecticide correctly and at time proper
intervals. All pets and the environment itself should be treated to
eradicate fleas. Traditionally, the products we used for our pets were
pyrethrin or permethrin based spays, powders, and dips. These products
had to be reapplied frequently, had very little residual value, and
could be dangerous for cats and very young or old dogs. Treatment of
the environment with insecticide sprays and bombs was essential to
controlling flea populations. Some pets with skin allergies were actually
allergic to the pyrethrins. In addition, fleas rapidly developed resistance
to these chemicals.
Today, there is a new generation of topical, long lasting flea control.
Products like fipronil (Frontline) and imidacloprid (Advantage) are
more effective products, with more consistent residual action, and
actually a higher safety margin than older flea products. These products
are easy to apply and we recommend using them monthly during flea season
(April or May until November or December). Frontline also provides
protection from ticks when used monthly.
For owners who want to avoid topical pesticides on their pets, lufenuron
(Sentinel and Program) are oral medications that limit the reproduction
of fleas. These products work best for pets that are mostly in their
own house and yard, because once the flea population is exposed to
the medication, they die off, unable to reproduce. Pets can still get
an occasional bite, but the medication will keep the environment from
becoming infested.
Environmental treatments are less necessary today, but in a heavily
infested home may beneficial. Sweeping and vacuuming, as well as washing
bedding, are probably most helpful for removing flea eggs and larvae
from the home. Following up with a household spray, ideally containing
an insect growth regulator (IGR), should help eradicate the pests more
quickly. Most household products need to be repeated in two to four
weeks, according to manufacturers instructions. Finally, never use
household products on pets or use a pet product on a pet it is not
specifically labeled for. Be especially careful about the many DOG-ONLY
over-the-counter products that can be deadly for cats. Also watch for
minimum age requirements as well as warnings about sick or elderly
pets.
Dr.
Welle is a Veterinarian at All Creature's Animal Hospital in Urbana,
Illinois. She is one of the wonderful doctors at this animal hospital
that looks after our Shepherds. Please visit their new website at http://www.allcreaturesah.com
From a Caretaker:
Luke
Definition of Caretaker: One who takes a dog home, from the Central
Illinois German Shepherd Dog Rescue, and treats it as his or
her own. A caretaker may take care of the dog until it is adopted or
the until the caretaker feels that he or she can no longer care for
the rescue dog.
Playful Luke
Sleepy Luke
Background on Luke Luke came to the rescue as a little pup, about three months
old. He was rescued from a pound, where he had only a day before he
would have been euthanized. From the beginning he was a lovable puppy
that wanted only to be held. Once at the rescue he became sick from
all the stress he had been under and an illness that he had picked
up from the pound. With the care of the rescue president, Elizabeth
Riddle, and her family, Luke fully recovered.
From the caretaker
Luke came to me (his caretaker) after he had recovered from his illness.
He decide to give me a hard time by refusing to eat, but actually
it was a devious plot to obtain the "good food". Unknowingly
I fell into his plan perfectly. I went out and bought the juiciest
wet food I could find. Upon returning
(stinky, wet food in hand), Luke was suddenly cured of his inability
to eat. He was one of the best puppies I have ever cared for. He
understood bedtime, pottying outside, playing nicely with the resident
dog, cat and kitten, and rarely barked unless he needed to go potty.
It was truly an enjoyable experience!
If
you would like to be a caretaker for one of our dogs until a forever
home is found for them, please e-mail Elizabeth Riddle at
.
Lukewas
adopted on September 21, 2002
A special thanks goes out to
Luke's sponsors:
Aileen O'Dea, Terri Maxwell, Kathleen
Braun, Kathie Enser, Bruce Long and
Kim Long Would you like to be a sponsor?
UPDATE (12-9-02): Luke (now named
Kooper) is very happy in his new home. He's pictured right with Santa
Paws!
What
to Wear?
Check out our German Shepherd Dog shop at Cafeshops http://www.cafeshops.com/cp/store.aspx?s=germanshep
Its all the rave in GSD wear this Fall!
Best of all, all profits benefit the dogs at the Central
Illinois German Shepherd Dog Rescue!
Volunteer Needs
People willing to go into nursing homes to meet the residents with
our dogs
A Grant writer
Obedience buddies to take our dogs to obedience class (no class
fees apply to Obedience Buddies)
Why Volunteer and How?
It helps the dogs.
It helps the people that help the dogs.
Looks darn good on your resume and...
It helps the dogs.
E-mail us at
and let us know when you would be able to volunteer your time. Feel
free to e-mail us if you have any questions about volunteering. A few
hours every week or even once a month can make all the difference in
the world to one of our dogs.
Product Profiles The following are products that people
have found helpful or fun. The Central Illinois German Shepherd
Dog Rescue does not endorse or receive any
monetary benefits from profiling these products.
Emergency Decals
In the case of an emergency, do you have a way to let someone know
that there's a pet in your home? If not, check out these breed specific
emergency decals at http://www.sundogsdecals.com/.
See the German Shepherd Dog decals at: http://www.sundogsdecals.com/GermanShepherdNew.html.
For an additional fee, you can even get a picture of your own dog
on a decal!
Springer
Do you like to go biking with your dog but need to have him on a leash?
Do you find it dangerous to hold a leash while biking? If not, you
should. A number of accidents can happen while holding a dog's leash
while riding a bike. It is hazardous to you, the dog, and anyone
you pass by who might get hurt if you fell. However, biking is a
great way to exercise your German Shepherd Dog if he's high energy.
The Springer is a great solution
for those looking for a safer alternative to riding a bike and holding
a leash. The biker's weight is centered above the spring mechanism
that holds the dog — so the dog doesn't have the ability to
easily pull you over. Several people have purchased their Springers
through the Valley Vet online catalog at: http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_pet.html.
Just search for "springer."
Greatest Stories
Sandy was
brought to us by a good Samaritan that noticed that she was let
tied to a tree trunk on a very short chain with no food or water
in the back yard of a rental house. The tenants that had owned
her left her tied to that tree stump when they moved and the new
tenants had no interest in caring for her. The good Samaritan brought
this up to the new tenants purchased a more appropriate tie-out
and began to feed and water the dog. Upon finding out that we (at
the rescue) would be willing to take Cassandra, the good Samaritan
had all of Sandy's vet services done (including heartworm test,
a full box of heartworm prevention and spay, all of her vaccines)
and it was not even her dog (or her responsibility) Sandy has been
adopted to her new home and couldn't be happier that someone took
the time to rescue this young girl and give her a second change.
Briggs came
to us from a southwestern Illinois where a private rescue pulled
her out of a pound. The private rescue had done much of her medical
care but wished for this purebred to go to purebred rescue where
people more knowledgeable about the German Shepherd breed could
find her a new home. As hoped, Briggs wasn't with us too long
since a wonderful, German Shepherd loving family came forward
to adopt our puppy.
Shelter Profile: Crawford
County Humane Society
When
you first step into the Crawford County Humane
Society (CCHS) in Robinson, Illinois, if it were not for the
barking dogs beyond the door leading into the kennel area, you may
not at first realize that you are in shelter. The atmosphere is home-like
and comfortable. The volunteers are eager to help. The shelter is a
little off the beaten path but is worth finding.
The Central Illinois German Shepherd Dog
Rescue has helped to rehome several animals from this facility.
Currently up for adoption, our Shepherd/Lab mix Buddy,
is a CCHS alum. [Update: Buddy was adopted
into a very spoiling family on April 14, 2003]
Amazingly the volunteers at this shelter do not appear to be jaded,
even after receiving so many puppies each year from unwanted litters.
Why so many unwanted litters? There are too many people who do not
spay/neuter their animals. Unfortunately, this means that many puppies
that are brought into the shelter must die for lack of space.
CCHS is very open and knowledgeable about their policies and are more
than happy to share them with interested parties. For instance, last
years CCHS adoption rate for dogs was 64% with around 25% of those
dogs "adopted" to rescue organizations like the Central
Illinois German Shepherd Dog Rescue.
CCHS began 10 years ago and the present shelter was built 4 years
ago on land donated by a gentleman with the help of money donated by
2 other main donors. The shelter has Crawford County's Animal Control
contract. Since beginning the use of Petfinder (http://www.petfinder.com)
in January of 2001 CCHS adoptions have gone up considerably for dogs
(as can be seen by the chart below).
Year
Pet type
Received
at HHCS
Adopted*
Returned
to Owner
Euthenized
2000
Dogs
1100
227
120
669
Cats
733
217
14
463
2001
Dogs
961
614
77
282
Cats
906
306
11
489
* including adoptions to rescue organizations
We, the Central Illinois German Shepherd
Dog Rescue, greatly appreciate the work of those working at
the Crawford County Humane Society.
We understand that their job is not easy, and we thank them for working
so hard at saving dogs by working so closely with rescue groups.
This is truly a model humane society. Please visit them on the web
at: http://www.petfinder.org/shelters/crawfordcounty.html
Keep Sending Us Pictures!
If you have adopted from us — send us your pictures
to
We would like to post them on the Alumni
page!
Webside Chat by the Central Illinois German Shepherd
Dog Rescue's Webmaster
Community Dogs Page
We've had so many organizations and individuals using our Community
Dogs page that we've had to divide up the Community Dogs Alumni page
by year!
If you've adopted a German Shepherd from an individual or organization
in IL, MI or IN in the past year, then take a look at the Community
Dogs Alumni page and see if your fur-child is there. If he/she was
ever posted on our site and adopted out, they'll be there!
Community Dogs page Community Dogs Alumni page
[Due
to the increase in the number of Community Dogs,
there
is no longer a Community Dogs Alumni page.]
Alumni Page
We've done the same thing to our own Central
Illinois German Shepherd Dog Rescue (CIGSDR) Alumni page! It
is now divided by year. This was done to allow you to view the Alumni
more quickly, since the more images that are on a web page = slower
the download (time 'til viewing). By dividing up the alumni pictures
by year, download time was decreased.
Owner Give-ups page
We've also added an Owner Give-ups page to allow those who are looking
to give-up their dog an understanding of what our rescue is able
to do to help them rehome their dog. In rare instances, we'll physically
take an owner give-up dog into the rescue, however we rather help
people find new homes for their animals through our Community
Dogs page. This allows the dog to stay in its own home until
a new home is found, which means less stress for the dog. Besides,
who is better than the owner at letting perspective adopters know
about a dog's favorite food, toys and personality traits?
People must always remember that adopting a dog from a rescue, a breeder,
or even a neighbor whose dog had puppies, means that one is taking
on the responsibility of caring for that dog for the rest of its life.
This could mean up to 14-19 years and is no small commitment.
Rebel was a handsome male German Shepherd.
He topped a hundred pounds easy, yet was the sweetest boy in the world.
He never asked for much from us at the Central
Illinois German Shepherd Dog Rescue.
He came from a sad situation. Apparently having changed ownership
several times in his life and ending up with someone who never really
wanted a dog. He was chained to a dog house under a tree. The neighbor
fed him most of the time and asked permission to walk him. She was
tired of seeing him in the weather with flies and feces surrounding
him and asked if she could call the Central
Illinois German Shepherd Dog Rescue to surrender him.
Rebel certainly wasn't getting any younger, he was at least eleven,
if not 13-14 years old. It was December of 1999 and winter was here.
His old bones were not going to make another season of exposure. The Central
Illinois German Shepherd Dog Rescue lucked out and picked him
up during a mild beginning to the winter just weeks before bigger storms
hit.
He was brought in the house and given his own room to stay in. He
was quiet, loving, and just loved a good meal. He had never been neutered
and had a couple major masses on his body. We had his masses removed
and tested, he was neutered and his teeth were cleaned. He braved all
of this new medical attention and healed up well. We hoped for a couple
of good happy years.
He enjoyed car rides and walks around the block and was content to
sleep in his room the rest of the day after breakfast and supper. His
limbs started to get sore, so the walks declined and we had to be more
careful on stairs. He was a senior and we understood the process, but
he was still comfortable and happy.
Rebel was never adopted to a personal home of his own where he would
be loved and spoiled all alone. We came home one day in the summer
of 2000 and he could no longer get up. We moved him closer to air-conditioning
in hope of bringing comfort and called our vet. She came to the house
and performed an exam. He had become painful on palpation and all of
his organs were enlarged. She believed he was very end stage and things
were just shutting down.
Rebel was held by us, lovingly in our home, which we hoped he considered
his, and our vet brought him peace. Rebel will forever be in our hearts.
We only knew this magnificent animal in his golden year and could only
imagine how fantastic he must have been in his youth.
We don't want to imagine this animal's heartbreak at being discarded
over and over and spending his final years at the end of a chain by
a tree surrounded by his own excrement. How brave he must have been
to accept care from complete strangers, tolerate medical procedures,
and examination by a vet, when he may have never seen a veterinary
hospital before.
We can marvel at his gratefulness for a warm place to sleep without
fleas, flies, or mess. We can be amazed at how happy a bowl of food
made him. We can be reminded of the horror of irresponsible human actions
and the purity of an animal's soul.
Rebel was a dog who never left the rescue for a single loving home.
We all understand the love we feel for our pets and how none of them
will ever be forgotten, may we never forget the dogs who pass away
in wait for rescue.
Dukewas
a real sweetheart and a beautiful big boy. He broke our hearts because
he was such a large and handsome boy, but would drop in a second as
if in fear of being struck. He was so quiet and gentle and very snugly
and surprisingly trusting, but if you tried to throw a fetch stick
or said "no" too loudly, he just cowered. We were afraid
he had been beaten and this is inexcusable. He was very well behaved.
He was found by police locked in a basement and left for dead. Thankfully
he did not suffer malnutrition or illness. Unfortunately Duke developed
Gastric Torsion (bloat) in the morning of November 22, 2002, after
breakfast. Because of his age (possibly 8 years old), the Central
Illinois German Shepherd Dog Rescue opted not to try surgery
and put him to sleep
A special thanks goes out to
Duke's sponsor: Lori Broach — on
behalf of her dog Leia, a Shepherd/Doberman
mix
We have a hold on Duke's body
right now and would like to get a personalized cremation done. However,
given our current state of resources, we are unable to logically
spend the $150-200 to cremate him and receive his ashes back. We
always have liked burying our babies and believe Duke deserves better
than a group cremation. If at all possible, we ask that you please
make a donation to this cause. Thank you.
UPDATE (12-6-02)
Thanks to Aileen O'Dea, Marilyn Manley, and Rebecca Kuk and their generous
donations, Duke was able to be cremated and the rescue was allowed
to receive back his ashes.
What is Canine Bloat?
View an article on this topic at Cyber Canine: http://www.cybercanine.com/bloat.htm
Visit our In Memory of.. page to
find out how you can remember your German Shepherd Dog or German
Shepherd mix that has passed away while at the same time helping
those dogs looking for forever homes at the Central
Illinois German Shepherd Dog Rescue.
Approximately 8-12 million
companion animals enter animal shelters nationwide
every year and approximately 5-9 million are
euthanized (60% of dogs and 70% of cats). — Annual
Shelter Statistics, ASPCA
The American Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)
answers the question Why
Spay or Neuter? (PDF—15K). This
low-cost surgery keeps your animal healthier
and helps fight pet overpopulation.
Check
this out...
Try the ASPCA's "Is
your Home Poison Safe?" Interactive
Quiz on the ASPCA web site.
