Angels Among us

"Dear God, Will you please take special care of our dog, Abbey? She died yesterday and is heaven. We miss her very much. We are happy that you let us have her as our dog even though she got sick. I hope that you will play with her. She likes to play with balls and swim before she got sick. I am sending some pictures of her so that when you see her in heaven you will know she is our special dog. But I really do miss her. Love, Meredith Claire ps: Mommy wrote the words after Mer told them to her" We put that in an envelope with 2 pictures of Abbey, and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Mer stuck some stamps on the front (because, as she said, it may take lots of stamps to get a letter all the way to heaven) and that afternoon I let her drop it into the letter box at the post office. For a few days, she would ask if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had. Yesterday, for Labor Day, we took the kids to Austin to a natural history museum. When we got back, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch. Curious, I went to look at it. It had a gold star card on the front and said "To: Mer" in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith took it in and opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers, When a Pet Dies. Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God, in its opened envelope (which was marked Return to Sender: Insufficient address). On the opposite page, one of the pictures of Abbey was taped under the words "For Meredith." We turned to the back cover, and there was the other picture of Abbey, and this handwritten note on pink paper: "Dear Mer, I know that you will be happy to know that Abbey arrived safely and soundly in Heaven! Having the pictures you sent to me was such a big help. I recognized Abbey right away. You know, Meredith, she isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me--just like she stays in your heart--young and running and playing. Abbey loved being your dog, you know. Since we don't need our bodies in heaven, I don't have any pockets!-- so I can't keep your beautiful letter. I am sending it to you with the pictures so that you will have this book to keep and remember Abbey. One of my angels is taking care of this for me. I hope the little book helps. Thank you for the beautiful letter. Thank your mother for sending it. What a wonderful mother you have! I picked her especially for you. I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much. By the way, I am in heaven and wherever there is love. Love, God, and the special angel who wrote this after God told her the words." As a parent and a pet lover, this is one of the kindest things that I've ever experienced. I have no way to know who sent it, but there is some very kind soul working in the dead letter office. Just wanted to share this act of compassion :)

A great Story

Today until Thanksgiving. I am going to be putting up lifting stories to help us remember the good in people and for us to find something in out life that we are thankful for.

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Babes Miller was bagging some early potatoes for me. I noticed a small boy,
delicate of bone and feature, ragged but clean, hungrily apprising a basket
of freshly picked green peas.

I paid for my potatoes but was also drawn to the display of fresh green
peas. I am a pushover for creamed peas and new potatoes. Pondering the peas,
I couldn't help overhearing the conversation between Mr. Miller and the
ragged boy next to me.

"Hello Barry, how are you today?"

"H'lo, Mr. Miller. Fine, thank ya. Jus' admirin' them peas. sure look good."


"They are good, Barry. How's your Ma?"

"Fine. Gittin' stronger alla' time."

"Good. Anything I can help you with?"

"No, Sir. Jus' admirin' them peas."

"Would you like to take some home?"

"No, Sir. Got nuthin' to pay for 'em with."

"Well, what have you to trade me for some of those peas?"

"All I got's my prize marble here."

"Is that right? Let me see it." "I can see that. Hmmmmm, only thing is this
one is blue and I sort of go for red. Do you have a red one like this at
home?"

"Not zackley . but almost."

"Tell you what. Take this sack of peas home with you and next trip this way
let me look at that red marble."

"Sure will. Thanks Mr. Miller."

Mrs. Miller, who had been standing nearby, came over to help me. With a
smile she said, "There are two other boys like him in our community, all
three are in very poor circumstances. Jim just loves to bargain with them
for peas, apples, tomatoes, or whatever. When they come back with their red
marbles, and they always do, he decides he doesn't like red after all and he
sends them home with a bag of produce for a green marble or an orange one,
perhaps."

I left the stand smiling to myself, impressed with this man. A short time
later I moved to Colorado but I never forgot the story of this man, the boys,
and their bartering.

Several years went by, each more rapid that the previous one. Just recently
I had occasion to visit some old friends in that Idaho community and while I
was there learned that Mr. Miller had died. They were having his viewing
that evening and knowing my friends wanted to go, I agreed to accompany
them. Upon arrival at the mortuary we fell into line to meet the relatives
of the deceased and to offer whatever words of comfort we could.

Ahead of us in line were three young men. One was in an army uniform and the
other two wore nice haircuts, dark suits and white shirts ... all very
professional looking.

They approached Mrs. Miller, standing composed and smiling by her husband's
casket. Each of the young men hugged her, kissed her on the cheek, spoke
briefly with her and moved on to the casket.

Her misty light blue eyes followed them as, one by one, each young man
stopped briefly and placed his own warm hand over the cold pale hand in the
casket. Each left the mortuary awkwardly, wiping his eyes.

Our turn came to meet Mrs. Miller. I told her who I was and mentioned the
story she had told me about the marbles. With her eyes glistening, she took
my hand and led me to the casket.


"Those three young men who just left were the boys I told you about. They
just told me how they appreciated the things Jim "traded" them. Now, at
last, when Jim could not change his min d about color or size ... they came
to pay their debt."

"We've never had a great deal of the wealth of this world," she confided,
"but right now, Jim would consider himself the richest man in Idaho."

With loving gentleness she lifted the lifeless fingers of her deceased
husband. Resting underneath were three exquisitely shined red marbles.
Moral: We will not be remembered by our words, but by our kind deeds.

Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take
our breath.

Today I wish you a day of ordinary miracles... . A fresh pot of coffee you
didn't make yourself.. An unexpected phone call from an old friend.. Green
stoplights on your way to work. The fastest line at the grocery store. A
good sing-along song on the radio. Your keys right where you left them.>
They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate
them, a day to love them, But an entire life to forget them.

Great articles about Animals

Pooch saves owner from heart attack - with her rear end!

London, Nov 11 :

Doctors are baffled after a dog saved its owner from a heart attack with a hearth shaped patch on her flanks.

Piotr Wagner, 50, from Kazimierza Biskupiego, Poland, fell to the floor with severe chest pains while watching TV at home.

However, all the agony just disappeared when his two-year-old Jack Russell cross, Pearl, showed him her heart-shaped patch.

According to the Austrian Times, medics are now trying to find out the reasons of the pooch's healing powers.

'He certainly had a heart attack but it seems to have suddenly stopped and he is now healthy and back to normal,' the Daily Express quoted a medic, as saying.

And Piotr is certainly proud of his beloved pet.

He said: 'I want everyone to know about my big-hearted dog.'

--ANI
published by: http://www.newkerala.com/nkfullnews-1-148770.html

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Shark bite acts as emergency caesarean

published by : http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/6542200/Shark-bite-acts-as-emergency-caesarean.html

 

To end the Week a couple of cute photos.

" I want to thank Gail for the articles. They were great and I wanted to share them with everyone. "

Seizures in Pets

Seizures are scary when you first notice them in your pet. My dog Tags has them and even though he is almost 11 years old, it is still scary when he has one.  If your pet has seizures please take them to the vet and get them tested to make sure that they are caused by another underlining condition. Some causes of Seizures in pets are:

1. A Blow to the head
2. Calcium Deficiencies (usually in nursing mothers)
3. End stage heartworm disease
4. Toxic plants
5. Chemicals
6. Fertilizers
7. Poisoning.
8. Blood Glucose that is to high
9. Certain disease can cause seizures

Below are some items that may cause seizures but may not be able to found with blood work.

1. Allergies to certain foods or ingredients
2. Stress in the household

The most common way to control seizures in both people and animals is with Phenobarbital. Tags was on it for about a year. It does have adverse side effects, that I was told would go away with time and they did not.  He was always tired and didn’t want to play anymore so he gain weight and he was always drinking water and because of that always going to the bathroom, sometimes in his sleep. If you animal is on Phenobarbital, you will go in and have blood work done to make sure that the medication is not doing damage to their liver. Luckily it didn’t to any to Tags, but he had to have blood work every 3 months while on it.  I looked at ways to prevent seizures and since the vet decided that they were minor we took him off the medication, but please consult with your vet before removing your pet off any medications that they are.
Some natural ways to treat Seizures in animals:

1. Changing your animal’s diet.  You can try feeding an all organic and natural food, if they have food allergies remove that food from their diet completely. Tags is allergic to corn so we do not buy any food with corn or corn syrup in it.  You can also try to feed an all raw diet to your pet.
2. Use an all natural remedy to help with the seizures. An example I found was called EaseSure Which can be purchased here.
3. Do nothing, we treat Tags after he has his seizures with rescue remedy and watch him to make sure that he is doing fine.  He has not had a seizure in a few years and we are grateful for that, we still have to watch him to make sure that he is doing fine.

I hope that this gives you hope if your pet has seizures or if you were worried about them.  Please note that I am not a vet and this is not to give medical advice, please check with your vet for any treatments that you choose to do with your pet, but that it does give you hope that you do not have to treat your pet with drugs that can be harmful for them. 

In case you’re wondering, Tags use to have seizures 3 times a day before we put him on Phenobarbital, He went down to having them 1 a week while on the Phenobarbital but he was not a happy dog. I took him off after year and he has only had about 5 in the last 7 years.  I am a firm believer in the quality life versus of quantity of life. I wanted him to be able to play and be happy again, so that is the reason, I took him off, but please check with your vet before taking your pet off any medication, mine agreed to wean him off it and it took about 3 months to get off completely, but it was success for us, but it may not be for you and your pet.

Forgiveness

Rather than denying or venting angry,learn how to forgive. It’s an answer being explored more widely today. “Why is forgiveness so powerful a force?” asks Harry Aponte, in the Journal of Family Therapy. “Because it is a direct product of love.”

Forgiveness, the antidote to taking offense, isn’t easy; self-sacrifice is involved. But it carries a lighter price tag than nursing a feud or holding a grudge. Not forgiving gives another person power over us. Forgiveness sets us free of imprisoning bitterness, anger, revenge and resentment and allows us to find a new way to think of the “wrongdoer.”

Robert Enright, an education psychologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and known as the father of forgiveness research, has observed that those who practice forgiveness usually maintain their emotional health. For people who are able to let go of the hurt, he says, “Much of the giving comes back to us in a form a spiritual person might call peace … in a diminishment of anxiety and depression and an increase of hope and self-esteem.”

Enright established the International Forgiveness Institute in 1994 to share research on the power of forgiveness. This summer, he’s in Belfast, Northern Ireland, assessing the cumulative effects of his ongoing curriculum there introducing school children to the idea of forgiveness. “We simply lay the foundation that there’s such a thing as forgiveness,” he notes. His U.S. pilot city is Milwaukee, which CityRating.com reports has property crime rates exceeding the national average and a murder rate higher than Belfast’s.

“I think forgiveness absolutely has to be learned,” advises Enright. He emphasizes that forgiveness is not weakness; it is not forgetting, excusing, condoning or reconciling oneself to a wrong done. Neither does it preclude justice.

“Our work in forgiveness education is based on the conviction that forgiveness can reduce anger,” Enright explains, “and that a decrease in anger leads to less depression and anxiety and to stronger academic achievement and more peaceful social behavior.”

Robert Enright’s books include the seminal Forgiveness is a Choice and his book for children, Rising Above the Storm Clouds: What It’s Like to Forgive.

Source: Natural Awakenings August 2009

1. What it is:

Moral
It is a response to an injustice (a moral wrong).
It is a turning to the "good" in the face of this wrongdoing.
Goodwill
Merciful restraint from pursuing resentment or revenge.
Generosity or offering good things such as: attention, time, remembrances on holidays.
Moral Love or contributing to the betterment of the other.
Paradoxical
It is the foregoing of resentment or revenge when the wrongdoer's actions deserve it and giving the gifts of mercy, generosity and love when the wrongdoer does not deserve them.
As we give the gift of forgiveness we ourselves are healed.
Beyond duty
A freely chosen gift (rather than a grim obligation).
The overcoming of wrongdoing with good.
2. What it is not:

Forgetting/Denial
Time passing/ignoring the effects of the wrongdoing.
Condoning
Nothing that bad happened. It was only this one time. It won't happen again.
Excusing
The person did this because.....it wasn't really their responsibility.
Condemning
She/he deserves to know they have wronged me.
"Forgiving" with a sense of moral superiority.
Seeking Justice or Compensation
Forgiveness is not a quid pro quo deal--it doesn't demand compensation first.
3. Important Distinction:

Forgiveness: One person's moral response to another's injustice
Reconciliation: Two parties coming together in mutual respect

Cute Friday

Beagle Puppy Attacks Rottweiler

Helping your pet with their first vet visit

Helping your Pet with their first visit to the vet is important. It also makes it easier to bring them back when it less traumatic experience and can be one of the best things you can do for you and your pet.

 1.       Handling

• -          Help your pet get use to being handled by the vet. Do when you are cuddling your pet play with their ears, feel and tail. Manipulate their body parts as a vet would do in an exam. This will make all this very normal for them.
• -          Older pets may not be as tolerate with being handled in this way, you should take it slow and work with your pet. If they start biting or scratching, stop and try again later, if it continues you may want to consult a behavior consultant or animal communicator.

2.       Pre-Visit

         If you vet offers a pre visit then schedule one. This is where you pet will be able to meet the vet staff without being poke and prodded.

-          Bring treats that your pet loves and give them to the staff, to give to your furry baby.

-          Let them check out the exam room, scales, etc...

3.       Day of the visit

-          For Dogs

·         Arrive a few minutes early to take your dog for a walk before entering. This will reassure your dog by being able to sniff all the new smells, explore and relive themselves before going in.

·         Take your dogs favorite treats and if they like toys bring their favorite one with you to keep them distracted and happy.

·         Do not allow them to visit with other dogs unless given permission to.

-          For Cats

·         Introduce your cat to a carrier at home before scheduling the visit.  That way your cat will feel comfortable and safe in the carrier.

 Feed your cat in the carrier for a few weeks to make it feel safe instead of a confinement or punishment.

       Place a small towel or mat in their favorite sleeping place for a while and then put in the carrier a few days before the trip to make it feel safe

4.       Alternative Therapy

·         Rescue Remedy: liquid homeopathic treatment can be found in stores that carry Bach Flower Remedies.  Apply about 4 drops into your pet mouth or add it to their food or water.

Your Home Veterinary First-Aid Kit

Ready-made first-aid kits are available at pet stores or through catalogs. You can also put one together yourself, using items from around the house. Put the kit where it can be easily found and include your veterinarian's business card, along with the phone number for and directions to the nearest emergency clinic. Check the kit every once in a while to make sure you aren't running low on any supplies and everything is still usable.

The following items make up a basic first-aid kit:

• Activated charcoal (available at drugstores) for absorbing poisons
• Adhesive tape to secure bandages
• Antibacterial ointment or powder for cleaning wounds
• Antidiarrheal agent such as Kaopectate (Ask your vet what amount is appropriate for controlling your dog's diarrhea.)
• Blunt-tipped scissors to trim away hair from wounds and cut bandaging material
• Cotton balls and cotton swabs
• Gauze pads and rolls to make bandages
• Hydrogen peroxide (3 percent) to clean wounds
• Laxative or antacid such as milk of magnesia
• Lubricating jelly or petroleum jelly to lubricate a thermometer
• Needleless syringe for giving liquid medications
• Plaster splint for broken limbs
• Plastic eyedropper to administer liquid medications or eyedrops
• Rectal thermometer
• Rubbing alcohol
• Syrup of ipecac to induce vomiting
• Tweezers

Other helpful items for your kit might be needle-nose pliers to remove porcupine quills or other items stuck in the mouth or throat, sanitary napkins to help stop heavy blood flow, and towels.