The Pet Tree House - Where Pets Are Family Too : May 2016 The Pet Tree House - Where Pets Are Family Too : May 2016

Monday, May 30, 2016

Weekend Outing at Cincinnati's Zoo Turned Tragic When a 4-Year-Old Boy Was Hospitalized After Falling into a Gorilla Enclosure


A holiday weekend outing at Cincinnati's zoo turned doubly tragic Saturday when a 4-year-old boy was hospitalized after falling into a gorilla enclosure - and zoo workers had to kill the rare gorilla to protect the boy.

Cincinnati police and emergency crews responded to a report of a child falling into the exhibit at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden at about 4 p.m. Saturday. Police confirmed the child was taken to Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center near the zoo, and was treated for serious injuries that were not considered to be life-threatening.

Cincinnati Zoo President Thane Maynard said the boy crawled through a barrier and fell an estimated 10 to 12 feet into the moat surrounding the habitat. He said the boy was not seriously injured by the fall.

The Cincinnati Fire Department reported in a press release that first responders "witnessed a gorilla who was violently dragging and throwing the child."

Maynard said the zoo's 17-year-old male western lowland gorilla, Harambe, grabbed the boy and dragged him around. Two female gorillas were also in the enclosure.

The boy was with the 400-pound animal for about 10 minutes before the zoo's Dangerous Animal Response Team deemed the situation "life-threatening," Maynard said.

"The choice was made to put down, or shoot, Harambe, so he's gone," Maynard said. "We've never had a situation like this at the Cincinnati Zoo where a dangerous animal needed to be dispatched in an emergency situation."

The fire department release said  the boy was in between the gorilla's legs at the time of the shot.

Maynard said the Dangerous Animal Response Team followed procedures, which they practice in drills. He said in the 38-year history of the zoo's gorilla exhibit that they've never had anyone get into the enclosure.

After the gorilla was shot, zoo employees unlocked the gate and two firefighters quickly retrieved the child, according to the fire department.

"It's a sad day all the way around," Maynard said. "They made a tough choice. They made the right choice because they saved that little boy's life. It could have been very bad."

Brittany Nicely of Dayton was visiting the zoo with her two children and four other children on Saturday. They were at Gorilla World when the incident took place.

"Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the little boy in the bushes past the little fence area. I tried to grab for him. I started yelling at him to come back," Nicely said.

"Everybody started screaming and going crazy," she said. "It happened so fast."

Nicely said the gorilla rushed toward the boy and led him by the arm through the water in the enclosure. She said initially the gorilla seemed protective and only alarmed by all the screaming.

The area was then evacuated by zoo staff. Nicely stood with her group outside the exhibit.

"About four or five minutes later we heard the gunshot," she said. "We were pretty distraught. All the kids were crying."

Nicely said she spent the whole trip home explaining why they are told to stay close and not run at the zoo.

"That could have been them," she said. "Something like that could have happened. It's a very traumatizing experience for anybody involved. The kids, the zookeepers, the other gorillas that now don't have him there any more."

News of the incident triggered huge social media response.   A video posted by the Enquirer  had been viewed about 71,000 times at 9:30 p.m. Saturday.

Many commenters criticized the parents of the boy for not watching him more closely. A Facebook group called Justice for Harambe was created and gathered more than 100 "likes" in less than two hours.

"This page was created to raise awareness of Harambe's murder on 5/28/16," the page states. "We wish to see charges brought against those responsible!"

Lt. Steve Saunders, the spokesman for the Cincinnati Police Department, said no charges were being pursued against the child's parents.

The decision to shoot Harambe instead of tranquilizing was made in the interest of the boy's safety, Maynard said.

"In an agitated situation, it may take quite a while for the tranquilizer to take effect," he explained, "At the instant he would be hit, he would have a dramatic response. You don't hit him and he falls over."

Maynard also explained that while Harambe didn't attack the child, the animal's size and strength posed a great danger.

"All sort of things could have happened in a situation like that. He certainly was at risk," Maynard said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and little boy.”

He said that zoo officials have not yet spoken with the family of the child who fell into the habitat. Zoo officials will be reviewing the security of the enclosure and their procedures, but said they have no plans to stop the gorilla program.

Harambe was born at the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, Texas before he was moved to Cincinnati in September 2014. Another gorilla, Gladys, named for her home zoo, also come to Cincinnati from Brownville.

Western lowland gorillas are one of the four gorilla subspecies. According to the World Wildlife Foundation, populations of the critically endangered animal are hard to estimate due to the dense, remote rainforests where they make their home, but experts say between 175,000 to 225,000 could live in mostly in Congo, but also in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon.

In 2009, the International Species Information System counted 158 male western lowland gorillas and 183 females in captivity in the United States.

"Harambe was good guy. He was a youngest who started to grow up. There were hopes to breed him," Maynard said. "It will be a loss to the gene pool of lowland gorillas."

The zoo is open Sunday, but Gorilla World will remain closed until further notice.










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Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Truth About Pet Food


The latest Pet Food privilege announced by the FDA is regarding prescription cat and dog food. All pet food consumers and veterinarians should take note of this recent FDA Compliance Policy.

For decades the FDA has strictly enforced their idea that drugs are the only cure or treatment for illness – refusing to allow any food to make health or wellness claims. A claim such as ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away’ is forbidden.

But in the FDA’s infinite collusion with Big Industry, the agency allows pet food the same privilege of a drug (to claim it can cure or treat disease) without any of the requirements of a drug. Pet food is allowed to claim it can cure or treat disease without having to prove the effectiveness or even the safety of the pet food.

Kidney Function Canine Formula Dry/Kibble. This dog food, sold through a veterinarian, is allowed to make the claim of treating kidney disease in dogs.

Ingredients (bold added for emphasis): “Whole grain corn, brewers rice, dried egg product, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), sugar, dried whey, sodium caseinate, animal digest, calcium carbonate, vegetable oil, potassium chloride, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, fish oil, salt, potassium citrate, choline chloride, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, Vitamin E supplement, niacin, manganese sulfate, Vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, copper sulfate, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin B-12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, garlic oil, folic acid, Vitamin D-3 supplement, calcium iodate, biotin, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), sodium selenite.”


To read more on this story, click here: Truth About Pet Food

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National Pet Week – May 1 - 7, 2016


Lifetime of Love -- The Basics: Seven days to a happier, healthier pet

Everyone loves their pets but not everyone is aware of what their pet needs from them to keep them happy and healthy long into their pet's senior years. Leading veterinary experts in animal health, welfare, and behavior invite you to take each of the essential actions highlighted during National Pet Week® that are vital to achieving a Lifetime of Love.

Select the pet that's right for your family's lifestyle, and make a commitment to that pet for its life. Even if you have already welcomed a pet into your home, your veterinarian can help you better understand the social and healthcare needs of your individual pet.

Learn about how to appropriately prepare your pet to enjoy a variety of interactions with other animals, people, places and activities. Everyone will be more comfortable!

To read more on this story, click here: National Pet Week – May 1-7, 2016


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Pet Owners Deserve Family Leave, Too


Bringing my adopted cat, Jameson, home with me in 2014 was one of the happiest days of my life.

Having to go back to work two days later was one of the worst.

While the rest of the country is hung up on the necessity of maternity leave — or even the newly coined “meternity” — one group continues to be overlooked when it comes to paid time off from work: new pet owners.

“Paw-ternity” leave is already a reality in the UK — the US pet-insurance provider Petplan found that nearly 5 percent of new pet owners in the UK were offered time off to care for their four-legged kids. (Not surprisingly, the UK is also light-years ahead of the US when it comes to maternity leave, offering up to 39 weeks of paid leave for new mothers.)

It’s time for the US to hop aboard the “paw-ternity” train. It’s not just because I want to stay home and cuddle on the couch with my new feline (which I do). When I adopted Jameson, he was 6 years old and had spent the previous year of his life in an animal shelter. He was suffering from several health problems after being neglected by his previous owner — and was skittish, nervous and uncertain about why he was suddenly being transported to a strange new home.

To read more on this story, click here: Pet Owners Deserve Family Leave, Too


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A Horse Clipper Has Become a UK Sensation Because of Her Serious Horse Clipping Skills


Melody Hames, 27, began clipping her own pet pony at the age of 12, and is now an absolute pro at it.

She had to trim her pony frequently because it suffered from a condition called cushings, causing it to have a thick woolly coat which doesn't change in the warmer season.

As she became more experience she decided to set up her own clipping company in Lancashire, JMC Equestrian.

She set up shop in 2013 and business has been booming ever since.

She used to do normal clippings, but has expanded her horizons after getting quirky requests from clients.

The clipper is now inundated with requests for fancy horse trimmings before shows.

Explaining how she decides patterns, she said: 'Often I will visualize it in my head and clarify it with a quick look at related objects which in turn can create new ideas and viewpoints.

"I sketched out different shapes for castles and also for the armour clip as I knew I wanted a specific kind of style castle and sword.

"This helps me visualize in my head and I run with it from there.

"I use a wide range of blades and clippers, I have blades and clippers to suit pretty much every situation, and ever breed as well as coat type.

"No stencils have been used to date or CGIs here - all hand crafted, it's very much like a craft to me that only comes with experience and practice."

Her designs, some which she draws freehand, take from 30 minutes to eight or nine hours to do.

She is most proud of her castle design, which she did over a few days.

She continued: "I would work for as long as it took though, over the space of days, to suit the horse.

"The castle is important to me as it kick started the larger scale custom clipping and gave me something to really work at. It got me a lot of attention.

"This season my favorite has been the Armour De L'Amore clip as it's on my personal horse Romeo and I have worked over time to build him up.

"Now he stands unaltered with complete trust while I work which has been a challenge as he's was a very nervous character and still is but he trusts me and it's a great feeling."

She trims complex medieval designs into the animals for her clients, and the horses she works on always look fabulous!


You wish you were as beautiful as this horse. Credit: Facebook/JMC Equestrian Custom Clipping



This is definitely Beyonce as a horse. Credit: Facebook/JMC Equestrian Custom Clipping



Just look at this great horse. Credit: Facebook/JMC Equestrian Custom Clipping




Credit: JMC Equestrian Custom Clipping




She hand-draws all her designs. Credit: Facebook/JMC Equestrian Custom Clipping



Utterly majestic! Credit: Facebook/JMC Equestrian

  
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