L OCAL LIVING
District animal watch
These were among cases handled by the Washington Humane Society. The society operates its shelter at 7319 Georgia Ave. NW and the District’s at 1201 New York Ave. NE. For information or assistance, 24 hours a day, call 202-723-5730 or visit www.
washhumane.org.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Puppy left in hot car
HUNT PL. NE, 4000 block, July 9. U.S. marshals removed a puppy left inside a vehicle for more than half an hour. A Humane Society officer impounded the 3-month-old pit bull and left a notice on the vehicle’s windshield. The owner called later, saying he did not intend to leave the dog for more than a few minutes. The puppy was returned to its owner, who agreed not leave the animal in the vehicle unattended.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Kitten rejected
PONDS ST. NE, 4400 block, July 7. Responding to a call, a Humane Society officer found that a young man who had taken a kitten home and was told he could not keep it became upset and threw the animal into a trash can outdoor. The 8-week-old kitten did not appear to have suffered any injuries. The man was warned that throwing an animal is a criminal offense. After explaining to the officer that he was mad and wanted to upset his mother but not
harm the kitten, the man decided to surrender the animal. The kitten was evaluated and is available for adoption.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Dog in concrete yard
DUDDINGTON PL. SE, 100 block, July 9. Responding to a call, a Humane Society officer found a Shar-Pei running loose in a concrete yard with very little shade. The owner called and said he was out of town and unaware that the dog’s caretaker had left it outside.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Dog needs veterinary care
W ST. NE, 100 block, July 9. A Humane Society Officer discovered an extremely underweight pit bull in a home. The owner said the dog had had puppies seven weeks earlier and was eating well but not gaining weight. The owner was given a notice to have the dog seen by a veterinarian within seven days.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Adoptable cat
NEW YORK AVE. NE, 1200 block, June 12. A 2-month-old cat that was found as a stray was taken to the shelter and later cared for at a foster home. The cat was made available for adoption.
The following were among cases handled by the Washington Animal
Rescue League, 71 Oglethorpe St. NW. For information, call 202-726-2556 or visit
www.warl.org.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Dog upset by fireworks
FRANKLIN ST. NE, 2600 block, July 9. A man took his 18-month-old Labrador retriever to the league’s medical center because the animal was eating very little, was afraid to go outside and was having accidents in the house. A veterinarian discovered that the problem was a phobia of fireworks. The dog was given medication and mild sedatives.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 26 West Virginia dogs
OGLETHORPE ST. NW, 1-99 block, July 13. The league took 26 dogs from a crowded animal shelter in Barboursville, W.Va. All the dogs were being evaluated for adoption.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Eight Washington cats
GEORGIA AVE. NW, 7300 block, July 13. The league accepted eight cats from a crowded Washington animal shelter. The cats were being evaluated at the league’s medical center before being made available for adoption.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII North Carolina Persian cat
SHERIDAN ST. NW, 200 block, July 13. A woman surrendered her
2-year-old Persian cat to the league because she had just moved from North Carolina and was staying with relatives who did not want the animal. The cat was treated for a flea infestation and was to be made available for adoption.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Cat neutering clinic
People with incomes of $30,000 or less can have their cats neutered free
Monday. There is no residency requirement; appointments are not necessary. Cats must not be fed after 10 p.m. Sunday. Cats must be dropped off at the league’s medical center between 8 and 9 a.m. and picked up between 3 and 4 p.m. Routine vaccinations can be done for $10 each. No feral cats or rescue groups will be accepted. For information, call 202-726-2256. — Compiled by Ria Manglapus
adopt a pet
Sweeny, 2 months, was found as a stray. He will stay at a foster home until the Washington Humane Society finds someone to adopt him.
The D.C. Animal Shelter, 1201 New York Ave. NE, and the Washington Humane Society Shelter, 7319 Georgia Ave. NW, offer animals for adoption. The D.C. shelter has viewing and adoption hours from noon to 8 p.m. weekdays except Wednesdays and noon to 5 p.m. weekends. Hours at the society’s shelter are noon to 7 p.m. daily. Pictures of other available animals can be seen at www.
washhumane.org. For information, call the D.C. shelter, 202-576-6013, or the society’s shelter, 202-723-5730.
WASHINGTON HUMANE SOCIETY
15 DC
animal doctor
Anti-flea drops, other chemicals can trigger fatal reactions
Dear Dr. Fox: I used flea medicine drops on
our little dog, Minnie Pearl, in December. I applied them about 5 p.m., and by 11 p.m., she had a severe seizure. I thought I had lost her. I had to work with her and the veterinarian for three months to get her back to normal. To see her go through all of this was horrible, and I have no doubt that the drops caused the problem. I stopped applying the drops, and she hasn’t had a seizure since. I hope no one else has to go through this.
L.H. Springfield, Mo.
DF: You are one of many pet owners whose dog or cat has had a severe and sometimes fatal
reaction to anti-flea drops and other spot-on chemicals. The foot-dragging of federal
and state regulators to do anything substantive to address the entire matter of over-the- counter anti-flea and anti-parasite drugs that harm thousands of animals annually is deplorable. It shows the power of business interests. My advice is to get such
products only as a last resort, when safe methods of integrated flea control break down, and then only from a veterinarian who is more likely than not selling safer products and will provide strict instructions to follow. Never buy over-the- counter medications, pesticides or worming medicines. You may save some money but lose your
animal companion.
ALLERGIES OR INFECTION?
Dear Dr. Fox: I have a 6-year-old Portuguese water dog, Gingee. She loves the
beach: In winters, we are in Florida, where the only beach available is a dog beach that is crowded with dogs and not very clean. This year, after a trip to the dog beach, she developed a cough that the vet diagnosed as kennel cough; he gave her a prescription for antibiotics to clear it up. When the cough did not lessen, we took her back, and the vet took an X-ray of her chest that indicated bronchitis and pneumonia. Thereafter, she was on ciprofloxacin twice a day and amoxicillin once a day for almost two months. The cough slowly disappeared, but now she has an extraordinary amount of mucus that she emits by sneezing. We
ISTOCKPHOTO dr. fox continued on 18
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THE WASHINGTON POST • THURSDAY, JULY 22, 2010
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