Donations For Emaciated Dog Needed

[caretaker]

This is Mary I am All Aboard Animal Search and Rescue, I had a dog yesterday that someone found in santa rosa, I have not found its owner, although I am obligated , I hope I dont find them, this dog is very emaciated, not something that was lost for some time, her nails are extremely long, she has alot of very rotten teeth, its taken us couple days to get her to eat dog food, she seems to eat burriotos , with helping so many forclosure homes animals etc. we are running low on funds, anything would be greatly appreciated , we have her In a foster home and on good dog food, we are taking donations for getting her spayed when she gains enough weight, vaccinations, she needs a dental and teeth pulled for sure, and micro chipped, someone I know and think highly of , knows of person that might adopt , but we have to get her square,

If you can help donate, it would be greatly appreciated.
we have just got our non profit.
Please mail
any donation
to
All Aboard Animal Search and Rescue
P.O. Box 7486
Santa Rosa, ca . 95407
thanks for your support, and kind thoughts.
Mary

[Barbara]

As I have told Mary in a private email, I do not believe this dog needs vaccinations nor to be spayed. There is so much research to show that dogs/cats do NOT need boosters, or even initial vaccinations to be protected these days. There is even debate about vaccinating puppies/kittens. Also, this dog, if she is so old, probably does NOT need to be spayed. A responsible adopter can keep her safe from males, and after so many years, the dog may not even come into heat anyway. Why put an old dog through such surgery?

I am in NO way condemning what Mary is doing in rescuing this poor dog. She has my full support. What I want to make clear is that dogs/cats do not need vaccinations to the extent that the public has been lead to believe. Better to let an animal live without filling them full of unnecessary substances. Mary can save a lot of $ for her rescue group and prevent possible health problems if she merely has the dog treated for dental problems and malnourishment.

Just my two cents because I care.

[caretaker]

I enjoy all replies, dont always have to agree, Alot play into if and when I do vaccinations and spay, very very old dogs I dont, and also If I know the home and the life style of the people, sometimes I dont do vaccinations, sometimes like two young cats I have here have such great immune systems they actually have reactions to vaccines there immune system is so good.
so even sometimes at a very young age although they have had only 2 there bodies built up a great immune system, because when I got them they were very very ill, now they have the best health of any cats I have.

Back to the dog, its depends for me the age of the dog, and what my vet thinks, very very old dogs, I leave alone, and usually adopt to older people that dont socialize alot , or go to dog parks. again depends of the lifestyle of the people I adopt my resuces to, at a certain age I dont use vaccines after that, this is only my opinion I think its basically like kids, they dont get vaccines until they are old its to a certain age. and thats enough.

But when I get a street dog, alot of times, they have been cared for so poorly that they have never had vaccines and not knowing I alot of times will do vaccines for 3 years with older dogs and leave it at that, but depending again the health of the dog and the match of the person.

We dont realize just how much we have thrown different illness to our animal community we have exposed them to some really horrific illness, I am at animal control alot, its scary also in the city.

Think about it, people and rescues are bringing dogs from other countries here, we are seeing illnesses we have never seen before, and some there just isnt any vaccines for it. Dogs from Turkey, Mexico Italy,, everywhere are brought here, just like people from other countries bring things here also.

So I always weigh out and each case is different the case of the emaciated dog when she has enough weight and again depending on my vet, and he does not always believes to vaccinate which is why I love him after 30 years.

Then I decide, age what age, and health of the dog, and the people who are adopting.

Thanks
Mary

As I have told Mary in a private email, I do not believe this dog needs vaccinations nor to be spayed. There is so much research to show that dogs/cats do NOT need boosters, or even initial vaccinations to be protected these days. There is even debate about vaccinating puppies/kittens. Also, this dog, if she is so old, probably does NOT need to be spayed. A responsible adopter can keep her safe from males, and after so many years, the dog may not even come into heat anyway. Why put an old dog through such surgery?

I am in NO way condemning what Mary is doing in rescuing this poor dog. She has my full support. What I want to make clear is that dogs/cats do not need vaccinations to the extent that the public has been lead to believe. Better to let an animal live without filling them full of unnecessary substances. Mary can save a lot of $ for her rescue group and prevent possible health problems if she merely has the dog treated for dental problems and malnourishment.

Just my two cents because I care.

[Vet-To-Pet]

There has been a lot of controversy about whether or not to vaccinate our pets; this has been going on in the veterinary community for over a decade, and the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) was hesitating to make any "official statement" on the subject. Eventually, they came to some sort of "guidelines", with some wiggle room when taking individual animals into consideration. These apply to dogs & cats only, I don't know about livestock & such.

Rabies is a fatal disease that can be transmitted through the saliva to any mammal, including humans. There is no way to tell (for certain) if an animal has rabies by looking at it & there is no test that can be done on a live animal---the test involves microscopic examination of some brain tissue, so the animal must be dead in order to perform this definitive test. If an animal has been vaccinated for rabies & there is proof of this vaccination (a certificate with a licensed veterinarian's signature on it), then there's no question about the animal possibly transmitting rabies to a human or other mammal. However, the vaccination doesn't last a lifetime in the dog or cat. Boosters should be given by a vet at the recommended intervals (usually every three years once the dog/cat has reached adulthood)

As for other vaccinations---and this applies to vaccinations since they were invented, for ALL the diseases we've been able to create vaccines for---the point of vaccinating ANY person or animal is to prevent them from getting a horrible disease. Think "polio". Think AIDS---wouldn't YOU get a vaccine for AIDS if it were available?? There are many dieases we are lucky enough to have vaccines against, so we hardly see cases of people or animals with those dieases anymore. If everyone just stopped giving vacinations to their children, dogs, cats, etc, it wouldn't take long for those dieases to start becoming more & more common. Diptheria, anyone? Smallpox? Tetanus?

With almost any medical procedure there will be some risk. The point is that the risks generally outweigh the disease enough to go ahead with the vaccinations (or other procedures). Think about chemotherapy for cancer patients---it's not pleasant & there's some risk involved, but I'm pretty certain fairly few cancer patients turn down the chance of getting rid of their cancer because it's "risky".

Regarding spaying and/or neutering dogs & cats, the main reason is to limit the overwhelming number of homeless pets in this country, so many that countless HEALTHY pets are killed every day because the shelters are overflowing, and room must be made for the next "load" being brought in. However, controlling the pet overpopulation is not the ONLY reason for sterilizing our dogs & cats. A dog that's spayed at a yound age (before their first "heat") will have about a zero chance of developing mammary tumors (which often metastisize) at a later age. They'll also be unable to develop infected uteruses (which can be fatal unless surgery is performed at an early stage---and can be quite expensive!) or attract male dogs from all over the county to your back door, many of them getting into fights over whose "bitch" is inside your house. What a wonderful way to spend a summer day: watching the dogs fight in your yard!

And male dogs, when neutered, won't develop prostate cancer. They also won't take off whenever they detect (sometimes from miles away) the scent of a bitch in heat. They might get hit by cars, get lost, get into fights with other dogs (see above), or even get shot by someone who doesn't want him near their chickens (or other livestock).

So, it's not "just" about birth control, although make no mistake, there's WAY too many unwanted dogs & cats in our "civilized" culture/country. Take a walk through any animal shelter across the country & you'll see the poor dogs & cats who are doomed unless someone adopts them THAT DAY. It breaks my heart---stupid humans!! Be responsible about getting your pets neutered!!

Back to the vaccinations. Each case is individually evaluated (or should be). If your dog never leaves the house/your yard, not even to go tto the groomer or a boarding kennel, then there's probably zero chance that s/he'll be exposed to another dog who could transmit Bordatella ("Kennel Cough"). So, in YOUR dog's case, that vaccination would be considered very low on the list of "necessary vaccinations". But we ARE seeing cases of Leptospirosis, a disease that's transmitted from the urine of one animal that ends up in the pond or creek where another animal might drink it, as well as venereal transmission (mating!!!), or ingestion of infected tissue. It can cause kidney, liver disease, or death. So, I'd recommend that dogs in this area/region get vaccinated for it. The same thing applies with Lyme disease. Transmitted by ticks (as well as ticks transmitting other diseases), there is now a vaccination to protect against Lyme. There didn't used to BE a vaccine until the last several years! When your pets are protected against Lyme disease (and ticks), YOU are also less likely to be exposed to those ticks that can effect you & transmit Lyme disease to YOU.

It's up to you, of course, but don't just think it's about birth control & the "horrors" of vaccinations. True, some people & animals have bad reactions to vaccinations; some have even died. But those are so few compared to the millions who are protected from the terrible diseases that used to be uncontrollable, I believe it's worth the risk. Free Country---your choice.
Paula/Vet-To-Pet
(Licensed veterinarian)