Earlier this summer, we read a notice of a suit filed against Petco's San Francisco stores, citing inhumane treatment of animals being sold at its stores in the area. According to San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera, "Petco has proven that it is not capable of caring for the animals it sells in a humane manner. If they can't treat living things with care and consideration, they sure shouldn't be in the business of selling pets." Citations and warnings had been issued over the course of three years by city health inspectors. There were instances of dead and dying animals kept in cramped and unclean cages at Petco's two locations in the city, 1685 Bryant and 1591 Sloat. Sick and dying animals were kept in a freezer, toads were inadvertantly cooked to death, animals with contagious illnesses went untreated, and other animals were found living in crowded and unsanitary enclosures without water. We're aware that many Petco stores have been host to adoption days at their various locations, and we applaud their efforts to help the rescue effort. However, we are appalled by these allegations.

In our June newsletter, we presented our opinions and asked for yours on the following questions:

Should registered breeders be asked to declare a moratorium on breeding for a specified length of time?
Should we have stronger legal means to close down puppy mills and to stop backyard breeding?
Should people be required to become educated about and to be certified before they can have a companion animal?

All who responded expressed strong support for a moratorium on breeding animals and for stringent laws restricting breeding. There also was unanimous support for strong legal action to shut down puppy mills. The majority of respondents were also in favor of a program that would make it mandatory for people to obtain education/certification prior to taking on the responsibility for a companion animal.

Our thanks to all who responded! But, please note, we are still open to hearing more opinions.

Hearts United for Animals asks your support in their campaign to shut down puppy mills. Here's what they are asking you to do:

Each time someone does something that gets us closer to the goal of shutting the mills, let that person know that you applaud what they are doing. This month, please write to Tom Bauerle, a radio personality in New York State who announced on his show that he was thinking about where to go on vacation. He mentioned Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, as a possible choice. Tom Bauerle is the dean of talk radio in Western New York and for two consecutive years has been named one of the top 100 Most Important Radio Talk Show Hosts in America. Jim Weibel, an HUA supporter, immediately E-mailed him and told him about all the puppymills in Lancaster County. Within days, Tom Bauerle announced on his show that he would definitely NOT visit Lancaster County. Tom Bauerle's E-mail address is tom@wben.com. Please take a few minutes to E-mail Mr. Tom Bauerle and thank him for the comments he made regarding puppymills on his radio show. Thank him for his compassion. Ask him to mention puppymills again.

For continuing information on other people and personalities who take a stand on puppy mills, please visit: the prisonersofgreed.org webpage.

According to the Animal Rescue Site, "Over ten million animals are abused, neglected or abandoned yearly. Over 27,000 defenseless animals are being harmed or dying every day! Visit The Animal Rescue Site every day to give a bowl of food -- at no cost to you -- and participate in the fight to save animals in need. Funding to purchase a bowl of food, paid for by site sponsors, is generated when you click on the "Feed an Animal in Need" button on the homepage of The Animal Rescue Site. In 2002, with your help, we hope to give over five million bowls of food to animals living in humane shelters or sanctuaries."

"Take San Francisco. Together with the Department of Animal Care and Control the San Francisco SPCA found homes for about 5,300 homeless dogs and cats last year through aggressive, creative, and well-funded adoption programs. That's about seven adopted animals per thousand people, very close to

Finding solutions to your particular community's problems is the bailiwick of a dedicated animal lover named Peter Marsh, who, according to Best Friends magazine "... is happy to consult, at no cost, with groups that are working with local government to create publicly-funded spay-neuter programs. You can E-mail him at petsolutions@aol.com."

We applaud Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI) for reversing their original decision not to provide insurance for Bear, the 12-year-old Golden Retriever who risked his life and health to locate people trapped in the rubble of the World Trade Center after the September 11 terrorist attacks. His human partner Scott Shields says that, in the first few days after the attack, Bear located more human survivors than any other dog at the site. Bear often worked 18-hour days, which took a huge toll on the dog's health. Bear has had worsening arthritis and a cancerous infection, which are typical in aging dogs.

Veterinary Pet Insurance, an insurance company based in Brea, CA, offered free insurance policies for the more than 300 search and rescue dogs that helped at Ground Zero. Bear, however, was rejected on the basis of pre-existing health conditions. But, on Friday, Dr. Jack Stephens, CEO and founder of VPI, refersed that decision. We say hooray! (This article based in part on the article published by Cable News Network's.)

Here at the Senior Dogs Project we were appalled to learn from the following article that, contrary to their claims that funds for research would be compromised if drug prices were lowered, there is far more spent on advertising and marketing drugs than there is on research and development. Here are some excerpts from this very interesting article:

WASHINGTON, July 17 (Reuters) - The top U.S. drug companies spend twice as much on advertising, marketing and administration as they do on research and development, according to a report issued on Wednesday. Families USA, a nonprofit healthcare advocacy group, said their analysis rebutted drug company arguments that lowering drug prices and promoting the use of cheaper, generic drugs would cut into their ability to develop new medicines. "Drug companies are spending much more on advertising and marketing than they are spending on research and development," Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA, told a news conference. "...

The group's report, which uses numbers from the annual reports of nine leading drug companies, shows, for instance, that Merck and Co. Inc. (MRK.N), which reported $47.7 billion in revenue in 2001, spent $6.22 billion or 13 percent of that on marketing, advertising and administration. Merck reported a net income, or profit, of $7.28 billion -- 15 percent of revenue, or triple the $2.46 billion it spent on research and development, Families USA pointed out. Pfizer (PFE.N), which makes the blockbuster Viagra impotence pill, spent 35 percent of its $32.2 billion in revenue on marketing, advertising and administration and 15 percent on research and development. ...

Pollack said the numbers, available in each company's annual report, speak for themselves. "At the same time drug prices are skyrocketing, drug companies are spending more and more promoting their drugs," he said. Michigan Democratic Sen. Deborah Stabenow noted that drug companies get a tax break for research and development costs, and also get to use, for free, the results of basic research done at taxpayer expense by the National Institutes of Health. "They get the write-off. Then we give them a 20-year patent," Stabenow said. "We protect them from competition for 20 years. And what do we get in the end, the American taxpayers? The highest (drug) prices in the world."

And that includes medication for our senior dogs, too!

Thanks to Dr. Olakunle Ayeni, DVM, for this very useful list:

National Pet Recovery Hotline: 1 800 984 8638. Whenever your pet is lost, this is one of your first places of help to report your missing friend. This 24-hour service will help you to locate your pet. Lost pets usually end up in an animal shelter before the county or city steps in. Members pay $25.00 for the lifetime of the pet or $55.00 to find the pet for free and non-members pay $50 and above.

Legal Hotline: 1 800 555 6517. "I think my neighbors are abusing their pet. Can I do any thing to stop them?" Here is the number to call. To know your rights and how to go about expressing your displeasures, this number is for you. But try not to call because you don't like someone's method of training his or her dog. Animal Legal Defense Fund can also help with landlord-tenant issues, vet problems, neglect and any form of abuse.

National Animal Poison Control Center: 1 888 426 4435. In a life and death situation when every minute counts for your cat, dog or other pet, this 24-hour manned emergency number is your pet lifesaver. Sponsored in part by 36 different companies. There is a $45.00 charge for consultation.

Emergency Disaster Hotline: 1 800 22 7 4645. Provided by the American Humane Association, this number is your first point of call for earthquake preparedness for your pets or for other disasters -- what to do and where to go. They provide support and relief information.

Pet Loss Support Hotline: 1 888 478 7574. Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine provides a source of emotional support for those who have lost an animal friend or are anticipating the loss of their pet. Veterinary students at the college man this free service. A 24-hour touch phone line provides a place to leave a message and have someone return your phone call. Seven days a week 6:00pm-9:00pm CST; May to August, Wednesdays and Fridays 6:00pm-9:00pm. This free service is funded by the Iams Company and dedicated in memory of Krista Rankin.

Spay HeIpline: 1 800 248 SPAY. Thousands of abandoned and unwanted pets are euthanized yearly due to irresponsible breeding. SPAY USA provides free or low cost services to all. Locations at over 950 programs and clinics nationwide.

On July 6, we received the following E-mail message from Dr. Pam Wilson concerning her dog's experience with Rimadyl:

"I haven't seen anything mentioned about this but do know Asterixis is an occasional side effect of Rimadyl. I have a 15-year-old Chow who has been on Rimadyl for about 12 months. I determined by trial and error that if he took it steadily for over a month or at the recommended doses -- 50-100 mg bid -- he developed ataxia and lethargy. But, off it, his pain was so bad he could barely walk. So I settled on 25 mg bid and increased it for a few days if he had a bad spell, and usually stopped it every few weeks for a day.

"He started having modest nosebleeds a few weeks ago after a barking session at the neighbor's Scotty. The nosebleeds would stop and start, and it took me a while to realize about two weeks ago he had a nearly chronic minor drippy nosebleed,. But he's always sneezed, and our air is so dry, so I thought that was the issue. Then last week I came home to a kitchen just covered with blood. In panic, I made a vet appointment and stopped his Rimadyl. By late the next day the nosebleed was totally gone. Off Rimadyl four days, and not a trace of nosebleed.

"After a very expensive workup, the vet said he's a remarkably healthy 15 year old, and that I was probably right to think it was the Rimadyl. After an injection of cortisone, we have started him on Etogesic 300 mg, but it is not seeming to hold his pain as well, so we're not sure what we can do next. I just thought it was important that the nosebleed issue be passed along. I am very glad to find your site. I also have a 3-year-old Chow with traumatic hip dysplasia JUST started on Rimadyl, which helps greatly, but I will watch her much more carefully now." PWillson@aol.com

In our June newsletter, we discussed the issue of annual vaccinations and referred to websites that had information on the topic. In addition to the Colorado State site that we listed and repeat here, we are listing others that should be of interest to those readers who are still debating whether annual vaccinations are necessary for their senior dogs:

Colorado State University's new protocol on Vaccinations
http://www.vth.colostate.edu/vth/savp2.html

"The Immune System and Disease Resistance." A paper by Dr. Jean Dodds D.V.M. on thyroid, vaccinations etc.
http://www.rahul.net/hredlus/dodds.html

"Vaccines, Infectious Diseases and the Canine Immune System."by Pamela Davol a breeder of Labradors. Pamela has conducted a survey on the various vaccines that have been found to cause problems, the results are extremely interesting especially to breeders who give their own shots.
http://www.labbies.com/immun.htm

Important information on vaccinations by Helen McKinnon including, Vaccinations in Veterinary Medicine - A New Perspective. By D.M. Mcuggage, DVM Journal of the American Holistic Veterinary Association.
http://www.itsfortheanimals.com/VACCINE1.HTM

New vaccination protocols, vaccinations dogs and cats shouldn't have
http://www.critterfixer.com/new_vaccination_protocols[1].htm

Vaccinations, Too Many too Often:- a thoughtful discussion
http://www.thepetcenter.com/exa/vac.html

The Dangers of Vaccinations, and the Advantages of Nosodes for Disease Prevention
http://www.abap.org/nosodes.htm