The Pet Tree House - Where Pets Are Family Too

Friday, August 31, 2018

Drunken Veterinary Technician Gives His Sick Girlfriend a Drug Prescribed for Her Dog

A Florida Veterinary Technician has been arrested and charged with practicing medicine without a license after he allegedly gave his sick girlfriend a drug meant for her dog.

Cedrik Claude Merlet, 40, from Bradenton, was taken into custody Tuesday in connection to an incident that took place back in February.

According to the Manatee County Sheriff's Office, Mr Merlet, a Veterinary Emergency Technician at a Bradenton clinic, hooked up his girlfriend to an IV during what he believed was an asthma attack.

Sheriff's deputies responded to Merlet's home in Bradenton just after midnight February 1 after receiving a report about a domestic incident.

The officers noted that the 40-year-old man smelled of alcohol and had slightly glassy and bloodshot eyes, according to Miami Herald.

Merlet, a French national, told the deputies that his girlfriend got extremely drunk during an alcohol-fueled party and began throwing up.

Merlet, who had worked as a paramedic in New Jersey before moving to Florida in 2006, apparently came to the conclusion that the woman was having an acute asthma attack.

In an effort to help her, the veterinary technician injected saline into his girlfriend, according to officials.

Merlet admitted to the deputies that he administered 2 milligrams of dexamethasone sodium phosphate, which was left over from a prescription for the girlfriend’s dog.

The drug is a corticosteroid used to treat a wide variety of inflammatory conditions in cats and dogs, as well as certain cancers and Addison’s disease.

A version of the drug can also be prescribed to human patients suffering from severe allergic reactions, arthritis, blood disease, internal, eye and skin disorders, as well as breathing problems.

Merlet's girlfriend, who is not being named, has told sheriff's investigators she only vaguely remembered being injected with something.

According to deputies, Mr Merlet did not seek medical help for his girlfriend and failed to mention that he injected her with a corticosteroid when he called 911 to report a domestic incident.

Merlet, who has a young son, was arrested Tuesday morning and taken to Manatee County Jail. He was released the same day without a bond.

According to his profile on the website of his employer, Veterinary Emergency Center in Bradenton, Merlet is a native of France, where he served in the military and graduated from college with a bachelor’s' degree in biology before emigrating to the US.

After settling in NJ, Merlet worked as a rescue diver paramedic and the as a first responder for the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management.

For man and beast: Dexamethasone sodium phosphate can be prescribed to human patients suffering from severe allergic reactions, arthritis, blood disease, internal, eye and skin disorders.

Dog Circus Educates Japanese Youngsters on the Responsibilities of Pet Ownership

Tokyo, Japan - Japanese elementary school children enjoyed a dynamic performance by a troupe of 'unwanted dogs' on Wednesday when the Wow Wow Dog Circus came through town with the aim of educating youngsters on the responsibilities of pet ownership.

Jumping rope, balancing on balls and crossing narrow balance beams the furry friends brought smiles and laughter to the students of the local public school located in Tachikawa city on the outskirts of the greater Tokyo metropolitan area.

Beginning with a short 10 minute speech about dog shelters and statistics on the numbers of canines abandoned each year in Japan, organizers provided the young attendants with both education and entertainment.

Impressed by what he learned one 6th grader said he didn't approve of people who abandoned their pets.

"I really felt those people that abandon their dogs and don't take responsibility for them, that's not a good thing," 12-year-old Tokutaro Takahashi said.

His classmate, Keito Aoki who also had a chance to jump rope on stage with man's best friend agreed.

"For me it is unforgivable! From the moment you buy one, until it dies, that is our obligation," Aoki said.

The Wow Wow Dog Circus aims to educate young people about the responsibilities of pet ownership and encourage them both as children and later as adults to adopt animals from shelters in preference to buying them from pet shops.

"To understand the value of life, while they are still kids, to let them know what the situation in Japan is in the hope that they will pass on what they learned to others. That is the main focus of the program," said dog trainer Kayo Takeda.

In contrast to some other nations the concept of 'doggie adoption' or animal rescue is still relatively unknown in Japan. Most pet owners purchase animals from local pet shops or kennels.

"Compared to a country like Germany the number (of adoptions) is way too low, more and more we need to use the system (for adopting abandoned dogs).

The sales at pets shops are very high (in Japan), but overseas the thinking to adopt a dog is much more prevalent. I'd like to hope that Japan will move forward in that direction," Takeda told Reuters.

In Japan 100,000 dogs are abandoned and destroyed every year.

What Not to Do When Visiting Someone Who Has Dogs

Maybe it’s the hair, the attention the animal seeks, or the barking when someone knocks on the door. Maybe your dog is a working dog, not a pet, and others judge the way you treat them. The truth is that not everyone is a dog lover, and not everyone who has dogs raises them in the same way. Other than extreme situations of abuse or neglect, there are just some things you don’t do when you are visiting someone who has a dog.

Punish Them
Just like it’s never a good idea to punish someone else’s child, it’s never a good idea to punish someone else’s dog. However, there are always extenuating circumstances. For instance, if a dog is running into a street, it’s okay to call after it to keep it safe. Other than those types of dangerous situations, it’s important not to overstep your boundaries by punishing someone else’s dog. You might not know the rules, you might be stepping on the owner’s toes, or you may be confusing the dog. Unless safety is a concern, or you have been tasked with puppy sitting, you shouldn’t go into someone’s home and punish their animals.

Feed Them Scraps
Some dogs have sensitive tummies. Whereas some dogs can eat scraps all day, some dogs have one scrap and spend the next day with diarrhea. For that reason, it’s important not to sneak scraps to any dog you are visiting unless the dog’s owner tells you it’s okay. Not only that, but some scraps are not good for dogs. There are plenty of foods that can be fatal to dogs, so it’s best not to chance feeding them something that can hurt them.

To read more on this story, click here: What Not to Do When Visiting Someone Who Has Dogs

Robotic Squirrel Survives Sequester - Project Government Funded

While many government projects and programs are facing steep cuts due to the sequester, the National Science Foundation's animatronic squirrel remains fully funded. Jen Markham takes a look at the robotic rodent and explains its uses.

Puppy in Boston Police Department Bulletproof Vest Melts Internet

A photo of a budding member of the Boston Police Department’s K-9 force sent a shockwave of ‘awws’ across the Internet Monday.

The photo, which was posted to Reddit, is from Massachusetts Vest-A-Dog, a non-profit that helps provide bulletproof vests, essential equipment, training, and purchase of dogs for police and law enforcement K-9 programs throughout the state.

“As K-9s are trained to give up their lives to protect their partners and all of us, we believe it is every bit as important to protect them,” according to www.mavestadog.org.

Boston Magazine reported that the German Shepherd puppy’s name is Tuco, named for the volatile “Breaking Bad” character named Tuco Salamanca.

A Dog's Last Will and Testament

I did not write this poem, I am sharing. I must warn you that tissues are a requirement.

Dog Owner Cuddles His 19 Year Old Dog in Lake Superior to Help with Arthritis Pain

It’s an image that’s hard to look at without smiling.

A dog sleeps in blissful repose, head rested against the neck and shoulder of a ponytailed man standing shoulder-deep in water. The man appears in profile, and he wears dark glasses, but his eyes seem to be closed. The smile on his face matches the dog’s contentment.

The photo has drawn the attention of thousands of people since being posted on Facebook last week. The story behind the photo is touching.

Professional photographer Hannah Stonehouse Hudson took it off Bayfield’s Reiten Beach in Lake Superior on Tuesday. The man is her friend John Unger. The dog, an aging, arthritic shepherd mix, is named Schoep, after a brand of ice cream that’s popular in southern Wisconsin (the dog likes vanilla).

Unger and his then-fianceé found the dog 18 years ago at a humane society in Ozaukee County, Wis., when it was an 8-month-old puppy.

“We knew we wanted to work with an animal who was abused,” Unger said. “I just had a vision of working with an animal to bring out his full potential.”

Testing suggested that the dog had been beaten by a male, and it took Unger another eight months to fully earn his trust.

The relationship with his fianceé didn’t work out. They shared custody of Schoep for a while, but he has been Unger’s full time since his former fianceé moved to Colorado 13 or 14 years ago.

But the breakup with his fianceé caused Unger to enter a depression. One night, he said, he went to a breakwater in Lake Michigan off Milwaukee with thoughts of suicide.

“To be honest with you, I don’t think I’d be here if I didn’t have Schoep with me (that night). He just snapped me out of it. I don’t know how to explain it. He just snapped me out of it. … I just want to do whatever I can for this dog because he basically saved my ass.”

Unger has no other pets, but he said that while growing up he dreamed of having a house full of dogs. Like him, Hudson is a dog-lover. Self-employed as StonehousePhoto, she includes dogs in much of her work. “My dream … is to only take photos with dogs in them,” she said in a telephone interview on Friday.

It’s the right community for people who love dogs, Hudson said.

“Bayfield is a dog town,” she said. “We all love dogs. A lot of us have them, and basically we keep track of each other and our dogs.”

She hadn’t seen Unger for a couple of months and thought his dog might have died. But last week, Unger approached her with a request. “He said it’s been so warm in the lake I’ve been able to take Schoep into the water,” Hudson related. “He’s so relaxed he just falls right asleep.”

Unger, who found his way to Bayfield about six years ago, had a photo of himself with his dog in mind for several years. But that mission took on added urgency last week he said. Noticing Schoep limping, Unger took his dog to a veterinarian in Ashland. The vet prescribed pain-relief medication, but Unger doesn’t yet know how effective it will be. If Schoep isn’t able to get up without pain, it will be time to put him down, Unger said.

Unger stopped the conversation to regain his composure.

“What was going through my mind when Hannah was taking those pictures was that this may be the last time I’m going to be swimming with him,” Unger said.

When Hudson got to the beach on Tuesday, Unger and Schoep already had been in the water for about 10 minutes, so she only had about five minutes to take the photos. She didn’t know the results until she looked at them on her computer later on Tuesday, and she didn’t have time to post them to her Facebook page until Wednesday evening.

It didn’t take long for the image to go viral.

“About six hours later I was in complete awe that it had been shared, I think it was, 200 times,” Hudson said.

But that was barely the beginning. By Sunday evening, the photo had been shared 86,000 times, “liked” 150,000 times and viewed in excess of 1.8 million times. The more-than-17,000 Facebook comments on the photo include words such as “touching,” “tender,” “loving,” “breathtaking” and “precious.”

Hudson, 34, who didn’t charge Unger and doesn’t expect to make any money from the photo, accomplished what she set out to do. “A lot of the time if I find an interesting, cool story that’s positive about animals, I’ll just do it,” she said.

Unger, 49, works as a caretaker on the farm where he lives outside of Bayfield. He got his first computer in February and admits to being befuddled by the Internet. He has seen the responses to Hudson’s photo, but isn’t quite sure how to respond.

“He is not really keyed in to the Internet world,” Hudson said. “That’s what makes this all even more fun. Because I think he’s getting e-mails from women asking if he’s single.”

Unger — who is single — said the overtures haven’t been quite so blatant as that, but he has picked up hints of interest from some women online.

Which is fine, Unger said.

“Boy, is it tough to meet women up here,” he said, laughing. “So this might open up a new road.”

The photo of Unger and Schoep is the second photo taken by Hudson to cause a sensation since she started her business in 2005. The first was of a bear crossing the ice on the lake in front of the Madeline Island ferry. “I tend to be in amazing spots at the oddest times,” she said. “It’s Lake Superior, and weird stuff happens.”

Hudson’s husband, Jim, 34, also works on his own. A former police officer, he left the force 10 years ago to be a full-time fisherman. “We call it breathing into the bag of self-employment,” Hudson said. “But he’s having fun and we can do it and make a living and stay in Bayfield, which is very important to us.”

Hudson is having fun in her work, too, especially when dogs are involved.

“I have a blast,” she said. “I can’t believe I get to do this.”