Oops!

Hi There, everyone,

Not sure what happened to this weeks' show  - I'll let you know as soon as I do!

I interviewed Vicki VanLinden and Elizabeth Gerrow, both of friends of Captive Animals

We discussed the plight of Lucy, a lone female elephant at the Edmonton Zoo, as well as bill 50, the new bill that just passed that begins to give more right s to animals.

Details about Lucy can be found on The Friends Of Captive Animals website here.

There is also a lot of detail at Zoocheck Canada's website here

The problem is that Elephants are highly social creatures, and do not do well in zoo environments, especially when kept alone.  They develop many chronic and uncomfortable conditions when kept in these environments.  A list of Lucy's medical problems can be found on both of those websites.  They are very typical of an elephant kept in less than ideal conditions.  An elephant sanctuary in Tennessee has offered to transport her, and take care of her, at no cost to the city of Edmonton, but the city refuses.  They say she is too ill for transport, amongst other things, but elephants much more ill than Lucy have been safely transported in the past to the sanctuary, and NO elephant has ever died en route to the sanctuary.  

Zoocheck Canada's website has a wonderful letter written by Bob Barker that sums up the issues surrounding Lucy.  Find it here.  (PDF, may take a minute to load)

Bill 50 is a very important piece of legislation concerning tougher laws to protect animals - Friends of Captive Animals sum it up nicely here - bottom half of the page.

And this is the official website for bill 50 here.

F.O.C.A. has sent me a letter to post on the blog.  I cannot do it from home, as I don't have the program on this computer to open it!

I will post it as soon as I am able.

In the meantime, please check out the links in this post.  Zoocheck has a link to write an email to the Edmonton city council, it only takes a minute.

FOCA's website also contains lots of valuable, and interesting, information.  Among my favorite pages are "what captive animals need"  - things to notice and pay attention to if you happen to visit a zoo, as well as what to do if you see that the animals are NOT provided for.

I have also listed the links for easy access on the right hand side of the page, in the links box.

Lastly, check out this amazing video.  It is about another elephant in the Tennessee sanctuary.

Here it is.  I think it's a wonderful clip, and very heart-warming.

Thank-you so much to both Vicki and Elizabeth for being such wonderful guests!

Well, I'll let you know what happened to the show this week, and in the meantime, love your pets.

-Lisa

Sunday March 1st Show - Brian Salt of Salthaven!

Hi Everyone,
I'm really excited about this week's show. I interview Brian Salt, of Salthaven, Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Centre.

Salthaven Mission Statement

Salthaven Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Centre is an organization dedicated to helping sick, injured, orphaned and otherwise displaced wildlife. Salthaven endeavours to educate people and provide inspiration which will improve the environment that we share with native wildlife. We all depend on the same ecosystem; when we help wildlife, we help ourselves.

One of the reasons we wanted to do this show now is to ask for some help.
Salthaven is in need of 15 volunteers this year. And Brian has asked for anybody interested to please look at their website salthaven.orgsalthaven.org If you are interested, you can email them a resume, and they will get back to you. I asked Brian about qualifications, and the main thing is that you be in good health yourself and not have a compromised immune system. There are a lot of things like parasites that can be transmitted from wildlife to humans, and people with a compromised immune system are at greater risk.
Salthaven is also always in need of donations of different things. Items included on the list right now are; examination gloves, raw salmon or trout for the bald eagle they have, garbage bags, a skill saw, etc. This list changes, check it often! Here is the link
Brain was always interested in animals, and thought that someday he'd be a veterinarian. He got sidetracked by becoming a drummer, and had quite a successful career doing that before he came back around to animals.
Brian Salt is the founder and director of rehabilitation at Salthaven. He has been a wildlife rehabilitator since 1985 and is certified by the IWRC (International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council) and OWREN (Ontario Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Network) in rehabilitation training skills and Advanced Clinical Pathology. He also currently serves on the OWREN (click for link) board of directors. Salthaven is an amazing wildlife hospital located in Mt. Brydges, just outside of London.
Salthaven is a completely volunteer run facility. During the spring, summer and fall Salthaven receives 25 to 30 calls a day regarding displaced, sick, injured, or orphaned wildlife. The calls come from local and regional police, humane societies, animal care and control agencies, the Ministry of Natural Resources, Canadian Wildlife Services and the concerned public.
They are only able to handle a small percentage of these calls, as the do not currently have a "rescue" arm. If someone finds a sick or injured animal, they have to be able to transport it to Salthaven themselves.

What will we be talking about?
I asked Brian how to tell if an animal is truly sick or injured. How do you determine if you should intervene or not?
One thing I know for myself is that every spring I get numerous phone calls from people who have found a baby bird on the ground who, they are certain has fallen out of the nest and is walking around, defenseless. Brian explains how, with baby birds, there are a few days in their development that they have to spend this time out of the nest before they are able to fly. The chest or pectoral muscles on a bird are the largest muscles, and the ones that they really depend on for flying. While they are in their little nest with mom, dad, and their siblings, there just isn't enough room for them to be able to adequately stretch out in order for them to develop those muscles. So, as fledglings, they are, indeed "pushed" out of the nest in order for them to gain the strength needed for flight. The way to tell if a baby bird is actually in need of help is to hide yourself far enough away from the bird so you won't scare it or it's parents, and watch. Most of the time, you will see that the parent comes about every 30min to feed the baby. This usually happens very quickly, and you have to be vigilant in your observations. The parent will be very quick when they come to feed, so as not to alert any potential predators as to the location of the baby.
This is also a common situation with fawns. The mother deer will give birth, clean the fawn of and feed it, and then leave it, sometimes for hours while she feeds herself. As humans, we cannot imagine such a thing! But, Brian tells me, fawns when they are first born have no scent, and as we know, are extremely well camouflaged. So, again, if you happen to come upon a fawn that appears to have been abandoned, and are concerned, create a bunch of distance, and wait. Usually you will see that the mother will come back.

Ways to tell that wildlife DO need assistance are;
-Obvious signs of trauma
-Dead siblings nearby
-Blood
-dry cold noses (as opposed to warm and moist)
-obviously older birds that are grounded
-not putting weight on a limb
-Broken wings
-lethargy, uninterested in it's surroundings
-the presence of flies - this one is a great indicator of an injury that may be hidden
-it is cold

OK, so there is an animal that does need help, now what do you do?
(from Salthaven's website)
If you answered yes to ANY of these questions, take the following steps:

• Place the baby in a softly-lined covered box with ventilation.
• Place the box in a warm, dark quiet indoor location away from all humans and pets.
• If you have a heating pad, put it under one half the container that has the animal in it and turn it on low. In a pinch a pop bottle or water bottle with hot water can also be used and wrapped in a t-shirt material and put in with the baby. Do not use towels for bedding. The weave is too loose. It comes undone easily and the threads can wrap around legs, and necks with dire consequences.
• Do Not attempt to give it food or water! The baby may appear hungry, but feeding a weakened animal or providing the wrong diet could cause irreversible complications that could further compromise the baby's condition.
• Contact a wildlife rehabilitator immediately. You can get their number by calling your local animal shelters, animal control, or the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.

What else is going on at Salthaven?
They are looking for corporate sponsorship right now. They have developed a 5 year business plan that includes plans for a new facility to house Salthaven. They have included in their plan the cost of making the new facility a "green" one, run on wind & solar, and incorporating geothermal principles as well. Salthaven has outgrown it's current facility, and right now, they receive 25-30 calls a day, as I mentioned, and they are only able to help a small percentage of these animals. The new facility will also incorporate isolation facilities, which will greatly improve their handling capacity.
Another exciting thing that the new facility will allow is the construction of an auditorium, where people can come and learn about Salthaven, and what it does. Currently, Salthaven does an great deal of education and outreach. Brian is the one who does this, and as a result is only able to speak in the months from September - April, as during the rest of the year, all his time is spent at the facility helping the wildlife. With an Auditorium, they will be able to offer more education services, as he will not have to be travelling. Also, right now, Salthaven receives many calls from people who would like to tour the facility, and they are unable to accommodate this request. Salthaven is a rehabilitation hospital for sick and injured WILDLIFE. It is not a zoo. It would be detrimental to the wildlife to be exposed to humans on that level. In fact, even the volunteers sometimes have real difficulties not getting attached, and whenever someone has a bad day, looses a patient, stress affects them, etc, Brian tells me that Salthaven has a bunny for cuddling purposes. The distance MUST be maintained between the wildlife and the volunteers.
I think it's great that they have provided a "cuddle Bunny" to help relieve the stress that I can only imagine these people must have to deal with some days.
I hope you enjoy the show, I really enjoyed interviewing Brain, and want to express my sincere thanks to him, and all the volunteers who work so hard - often 18 hours a day during the spring and summer - to help our wild companions.
Salthaven is a wonderful place that deserves the support of caring people. Please help however you can - volunteer, donate, check the wish list - you may just have some things around that you have no use for, and instead of putting it in your garage sale, or listing it on Kijiji, you can donate it to them.
Thanks so much for your interest in the show. Next week, I will interview Vicki and Elizabeth from friends of Captive Animals, to discuss Lucy, an elephant in need of help who is currently living alone in the Edmonton Zoo, as well as the state of the regulations (or lack thereof!) in Ontario. Here is a link to their website.

Peace, and love your animals!-Lisa

Canine Life Training

Hello all,
This Sundays show features another guest, Sharlene from canine life training. I have known her for a few years, and she has always struck me as very knowledgeable about the subject of training. Which is a good thing, since it is her business we will be talking about!
You can find her website by clicking here
We will be talking about all sorts of things regarding training, and her methods, and why it is so important to find a place (even before you get your new addition home) to do training.
One thing that I like about her methods is that they are motivational based, as opposed to using food for training. I know that this can be a real "hot button" topic, but in my personal experience with dogs, one of the most irritating things is when a dog won't do anything for you if you don't have a treat in your hand.
One of the reasons that so many people share their lives with dogs is that they are truly domesticated. They are hard wired to work for us. They excel and are at their happiest when you are the leader of the pack, and your expectations of them are clear and consistent. Sharlene makes a good point about dogs in a pack, and how ridiculous it would be if all the members only did something for the pack leader if there was a food reward involved. She also makes the point in regards to children - do you have to give them a piece of candy for every little thing that they do to contribute to the household? Unfortunately, I think I know just as many people who would and do bribe their children in this way as I do dog guardians! But that is a topic for another space!
From Canine Life's website;
At CanineLife, we take a fun, scientific, motivational approach to dog training to provide you with the best techniques that lead to a happy, healthy pet based on the psychology of how dogs think and learn.
Our method focuses on rewarding and increasing desired behaviours and prevention and management of unwanted behaviours. Since it is easier to prevent behavioural problems before they start, we encourage rewarding and reinforcing good behaviour.
Our goal is to ensure that all pet parents have a solid understanding of how to properly train their canine companion through teaching how dogs think and why they do what they do; helping to build the relationship between pets and their families. With a solid knowledge and understanding, you will be happy and confident with the ability to teach your dog.
CanineLife offers training for all ages, levels, and breeds of dogs. We offer both Private training lessons and Group training classes. In addition, we offer a special ‘Skills’ class once a week where you and your dog are welcome to come on a drop-in basis to enhance your training skills. Trainers are available on site to assist you with any techniques. Please browse our website for more information on classes, schedules, and pricing.
Our training instructors are certified in Pet First Aid and CPR, ensuring the safety of your pet.
So tune in on Sunday nights, from 5-6pm on am980. You can listen to the show on the internet, if you don't live in the area by following this link here
Just click on the "listen live" link at the top of the page.
Next week, we'll have Brian Salt, from Salt Haven Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Centre on the show. His website is here
As always, your questions and comments are welcome.
You can comment on individual posts, or click on my profile for an email link.
Thanks for listening and reading.
-Lisa

My name is Lisa Birtch and I'm here to bring you the " Everything Pets Show".I'll be here on Sundays from 5-6 pm, and we're going to spend the hour talking about ....pets. l really do prefer "companion animal" But that gets to be a mouthful, so we'll say pets sometimes, and companion animal other times!


"The main focus of the show is to help educate pet guardians to help them make more informed decisions regarding their companion animals."
I hope that we can help to kindle in you a desire you become involved in your pet's care, to improve their diet and to become an active partner, with their health care provider in their health and long life.
I believe that our health and the health of our companion animals is closely tied. The relationship that we have with the animals we share our lives with everyday is... oftentimes the closest relationship that may of us will ever experience. It is certainly unique, and I believe that it should be treasured and kindled.

Everything is precious, And the relationships that we as humans have with them is of utmost importance in my view.

So I'm here to help everyone who wants to enjoy your dog and your cat and your rat and your bird, even more than you already do because that is the reason you chose to share your life with an animal, right?I would like to stress, right off the bat that
The information on this show is meant to supplement the advice and guidance of your veterinarian and is not meant in any way to be taken over the advice and guidance of your vet.Please consult a licenced veterinarian to help you make informed decisions regarding your pet's care
I want to talk about a lot of things, and I really want to thank everyone here at the station for believing that we can have a great show and for giving me a chance!!!!! I'm pretty excited - who wouldn't be -to talk about something that they are passionate about and care about? And for me, that thing is obviously everything animals!!And........thanks to everybody listening.
Some of the things that I will be talking about are things like
-How to make traveling with your pet a more enjoyable and relaxed experience.-how to trim your pets nails with confidence, and the reasons it's so important.

-Pet Adoption/Rescue Organizations
-toxic plants to avoid if you have animals in the house!

-Safe plants to have in the house -especially - when you have cats who have taken up floral arranging as a hobby!
-Integrating a new animal or person into the family.-Coping with the loss of a pet.

-We'll have guests on the Show to answer questions, and address topical issues.

-And most importantly, we'll ask you to e-mail any questions that you have about your animals, and I'll do my darndest to answer them.When we get a pet, there is an agreement made to provide a home -shelter, food, etc. for that animal And so you might as well get the most out of it, right?
Now, I'm aware that there is always the person who will say "well, It was never my choice I never wanted this cat in the first place, or, I inherited the dog from someone, and now I'm stuck with it, I never chose to get a pet.But on some level, you agreed to it, right? And wouldn't you like to reap all of the benefits that pet "ownership has been shown to have?And most people did acquire their pet just for that reason -enjoyment companionship, and that's what we want to focus on -

Really getting the most out sharing your life with your pet!

No matter how you came to be sharing your life with themSo I'd just like to take a little bit of time and tell you about the reasons why I chose to spend my life with animals and with their well -being as my focus.

when I first moved out on my own - I got a cat - for the first time- my dad never wanted a cat -then I got a puppy!!

Well, that puppy, a golden retriever named Kassie ended up showing me WAY more than I could have known beforehand. We'd always had dogs - my whole life - I can only remember very brief periods of time when we didn't have one, so it was only natural that I wouldn't have been able to live without having my own!

Well, Kassie ended up being absolutely the most allergic dog, I could never have imagined that a dog could be so besieged with "issues".

Before I go any further, I have to say that... of course, she was....... mainly....... the VERY MOST WONDERFUL, PERFECT, SWEET, LOVING, BEATIFIC ANGEL you could dream of
Which is the reason I was so motivated to discover what was wrong with her.

-Her ears stank,,,,,,,,,, And required cleaning regularly-She chewed her legs and feet - incessantly - non-stop  - all the time

-the skin in the folds of her neck would sweat and irritate her

-She just seemed so uncomfortable at times-She would get so Irritated that I would just get irritated, more frustrated, because I started to wonder if there was ever going to be a way I would be able to help her feel comfortable, and happy


SHE WASN'T LIKE THAT ALL THE TIME - it came and went, there would be stretches when she'd be just fine - and then - BOOM -
I starting thinking that maybe changing her food would make a difference, and it did, for a while, then it would be right back to the same old thing. Everytime I changed her Food it would help for a little while, then it would be the same thing again
I tried every shampoo, spray, remedy, prescription, food , EVERYTHING for quite a while
I went to every store
I talked to every person that I thought MIGHT be able to help
Then I found some people who were incredibly knowledgeable, and when I talked to them, the things they were saying just made senseAnd.... their ideas helped. Kassie began to feel better - her fur grew back, her ears stopped getting infected and sore, she stopped chewing her feet, she lost her stinky doggy odour.

I still had to make sure that her ears were cleaned - but not nearly as often, and they certainly didn't require the same amount of attention, but they became easier to maintain.
In short, it changed our lives.
I learned so much from them, and because of them, I began to work in the field of animals in a retail store that sold healthy pet food and supplements. I saw everyday that the way that people feed and take care of their animals had a profound effect.

And I started to learn more.Animals are such great teachers - it's like there is no filter - there is just cause and effect.
And it's quite easy to see when we just learn how to see it.

Just the fact that their metabolisms are so much faster than ours allows us to see JUST how profound and lasting making the best decisions we can regarding their well being can have. We have all heard that one human year equals 7 dog years, so think
about that in terms of being able to see positive changes in their health.Before I started to learn so much about animals, I had learned quite a bit about people. I had been in a pretty bad car accident and as a result of that I had investigated, and then became educated in the field of complimentary health care for people.

I am a certified clinical herbal practitioner, and although I do not practice herbal or other forms of nutritional therapy on humans, or on pets in that capacity what that knowledge allowed me to do was to become more versed in certain terminology, and to be able to make informed choices for myself in regards to using foods therapeutically for myself and my family and to see the effect that those things had on us.The knowledge I gained from my studies also allowed me to be able to weed through more information more quickly than I would otherwise have been able to do, and gave me valuable resources and ways to research all manner of things pertaining to the vast world of "alternative health"
Again, I am in no way trained in the veterinary sciences, and will never presume to give out any advice pertaining to those things that you should talk to your vet about - which should be really everything to do with your animal.

What I hope to accomplish is to educate and inform so that the time that you and your vet spend together can be more productive.

I am a strong believer that your relationship with your veterinarian is of utmost importance, and my plan is to have veterinarians on the show to be one of our primary resources to help answer your questions, and address topics of interest and concern to all of us.I was just talking about my experience regarding human health and going to school - basically to try and help myself recover my life after a bad car accident.

What I really discovered when I began talking to people about themselves and their health is that, unless they REALLY had a problem, they weren't really interested in doing much to help themselves. If They couldn't just take a pill to fix themselves, they, mostly, just really didn't see the point!But, after I started working in the health food store for pets, I realized that people would take your advice in regards to their pets health, and they would be consistent and follow through - and, they would see positive change. I realized that by helping people improve their relationships with their pets, they may start to see the positive effects certain changes could have on themselves as well, and on their own well being.

My involvement in the animal world also includes the fact that I am privileged to serve on an advisory committee here in the city of London, known as the "Animal Welfare Advisory Committee"This committee is made up of a group of wonderful, DEDICATED, caring members of the community who volunteer their time energy and expertise to fulfill the following mandate taken from the city of London's website

All information about the advisory committee can be found at this linkI'd just like to talk a little bit more about the advisory committee, because I really feel like there are important things that animal lovers, especially in London would like to know that are happening
The advisory committee was created as a result of a recommendation from the "Companion Animal Welfare Task Force",

Report submitted to the city in July 2006.
I am honored that I was also a member of that task force, and I was privileged to see just how the system does, actually, sometimes work. The task force came about as a result of much continued pressure on the city by a small group of dedicated people who were committed to bringing about change in the way that London dealt with animal issues.

We made many recommendations to the city, in particular, in regards to the relationship it had with the Animal Care and Control Centre, and the contract that the city has with them. Many of these recommendations were adopted by the city, and we can all be proud of our city because of it.

One thing that came about as a result of the task force, and the advisory committee is the city's new feral cat program

Again, from the city's website - just so I keep my facts straight -

Click hereNow, I know that this has been a "hot button topic for a lot of people, and any concerns seem to centre around the justifications for spending money on any kind of initiative to control feral cats. In particular an objection I read in the paper was "how dare the municipality spend a single dime to help stray cats when there is any single person suffering due to lack of basically anything, and that only after all the people are taken care of should we even begin to think about spending on cats

Well the point that I WOULD like to make here is that the city is ALREADY spending money dealing with stray and feral cats - which, by the way are two separate things
Feral means Feral cats were never tamed or socialized. They avoid humans and usually run away. Feral cats are very untrusting -so much so, they will wait to go to food if humans are in sight.
Stray cats were once pets. They are tame, friendly and will allow you to get close and pet them. Stray cats can be rescued and adopted to a home. They are sometimes vocal.
So the city is already dealing with and spending money on this issue - mostly through animal control. What the task force and the advisory committee were able to do was enable the city to see - through programs that have already been tested in a number of other municipalities is that it is actually more cost effective to develop programs such as the city's TNVR program than it is to capture and euthanize these animals which is what was happening previously.
So, implementing this program was done because not only is it more cost effective, but it is also kinder and more humane. This was an excellent example to me of how a city can function as a corporation, at the same time taking into consideration being humane and caring. Where there is a will there is a way, and I will say that in my opinion, there truly are some wonderful politicians right here that are willing and want to make our city a better place to live.
People can be quite quick to judge and make assumptions, but those who truly care will want to learn more before deciding what to think.
And that's really what I want to do in this time - Help inform so that you can be better informed to make up your own mind and also so you can make better decisions regarding your pets life I would encourage anybody who wants to know more about this TNVR to check out the city's website at this link - again I'm Lisa Birtch, and I'd like to continue to talk about the things that we'll be talking about here on the show in the weeks to come.
One important subject is coping with the loss of a pet. This can be a devastating thing to deal with, and something that a lot of people have difficulty understanding
Quite often, when someone loses a pet, people don't know what to say, a common reaction is to tell the person to go out and "get a new dog/cat puppy/kitten and they'll be fine. This is not always the case. We'll discuss this and help not only the person who has lost the pet, but also the other people in that person's life understand it.

The whole nail trimming issue - for dogs and for cats - why it is so important -
long nails split rip bleed painful cats get stuck, tear
chronic long - change dog's gait - lead to arthritis
how often you should do it, and how to get rid of the stress involved in doing it!

Pet Adoption and rescue - what is involved - close to my heart
why is it important
how you can help

Importance of regular vet check ups
again with fast metabolism - one year=7catch things early
preventative medicine much more effective

Games and things to do with your pets -
how to enrich your own life through doing thisNew ideas that you may not have thought of

Leads back to your suggestions - again email is here send in your comments, ideas, questions, what have you, I'd love to know what you think,
and what you consider burning issues.
Won't promise to get to all of them, but I'll do my best!So, this brings us to our final segment of the showThanks so much for tuning inI know some of you are catching this cause you're waiting for The SUPERBOWL to start, so, I hope some of you like it, and tune in again next Sunday night - Feb 8th From 5-6pm here on AM980

Again, I am really looking forward to the weeks ahead and all the possibilities that we have to really talk about animals and our relationships with them.

I don't think that I can stress enough just really how important they are in our lives, and what incredible gifts they can really be to us when they are thriving.

There is nothing like bundling up to take your dog out in the minus whatever weather, grumbling the whole time, then being so glad that we got out there with them because we saw the most beautiful frost or a beautiful bird, coming home and curling up with our cat to watch a movie, and falling asleep to a purr lullaby instead, or any of the wonderful things we're exposed to because of having an animal in our lives.

Thanks again for listening

Don't forget to email suggestions and comments to

EMAILlisac.gpo@gmail.com

Check out the show on the web on AM980.ca

And, we'll talk to you next Sunday - Feb 8th Here on AM 980 5-6pm