Where to turn when you've lost a companion animal

I started FloridaPets.net back in October of 2001. As you can imagine, I hear from readers a lot. Perhaps their animal has been featured through the years on FloridaPets.net as a Pet of the Week, or as a reader's submission in our monthly eZine, the NewsPetter. Or perhaps something I've said on the site or in the newsletter has resonated with them and we connect and, from time to time, exchange email correspondence and photos of our "kids."

Probably the hardest thing for me about having a pet-related Web site and hearing from all our nice readers is when they write to tell me they've lost a companion animal. Our readers don't think of themselves as "owning" an animal, rather they'll chuckle and tell you how that pet "owns" them. FloridaPets.net is a Web site for people who think of their pet as part of the family and that's the sort of people who read it. So when a pet dies, they've lost a member of the family. It's a big deal as well it should be.

My heart breaks when one of our readers writes to tell me their pet is gone. But I, like so many pet people, have enormous faith that we'll see our beloved companions again one day at Rainbow Bridge. If you haven't heard about this, please check out the link - you'll never be the same once you're read about Rainbow Bridge.

If you've lost a pet and feel sad - yes, it's perfectly OK to be really, really sad when you lose a pet - here are a few other sources that might provide you with comfort and support:

The Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement

Beloved Buddies

University of Florida Pet Grief Support Hotline

Publix shows caring side for animals

It's rare to find a business that offers free stuff for pets without a catch or sales pitch to go along with it. That's why I have to tell you about something Publix (yes, the grocery store chain) is doing for pets.

Under a program that went into effect last summer, Publix offers a free prescription program for one of seven oral antibiotics. Pets are reaping the benefits too. When veterinarians prescribe one of the drugs, consumers can take the prescription to Publix where they can get a 14-day supply of one of seven medications, including Amoxicillin; Cephalexin, generic of Keslex; Penicillin VK; Ciprofloxacin (excluding Ciprofloxacin XR); Ampicillin; Erythromycin (excluding Ery-Tab), and Sulfamethoxazole/Trimethoprim (SMZ-TMP).

An official from CVS Pharmacy said they too have a program where they provide certain antibiotic drugs for people or pets at no charge.

CSI now tracking down animal abusers

Getting away with harming animals has just gotten more difficult. A new mobile crime scene investigation (CSI) unit was launched recently by the ASPCA. It will open the organization's reach around the country to assist, hands-on, wherever law enforcement needs them to help build cases against people who need to be prosecuted for animal abuse, neglect or endangerment.

The 26-foot, fully-equipped van, will include all the regular crime scene supplies, equipment to treat animals found in life-threatening conditions, supplies to process blood and other kinds of evidence, grave detection equipment, a GPS unit and more.

This is the kind of positive news needed at the end of what was a long and cruel year for many animals.

Pets are victims of domestic violence too

I worked at a domestic violence shelter a few years ago and once asked the director about the pets of the women who arrived in need. After all, many victims of domestic violence have been threatened with the harm or death of their dog or cat. Pets are at great risk in such instances. While not unsympathetic, the director shrugged her shoulders and said, "Well, we just don't have the facilities to care for animals too."

Since then, a lot of research has revealed a direct connection between animal and human abuse. If a woman is enduring someone who is hitting, slapping, burning or otherwise degrading her, chances are her children and the family pets are in danger as well.

And as with hurricanes, sometimes women won't leave a bad situation because they just don't want to leave the family pet behind. To many, the wrath of an abusive person is just as great as a major storm and a defenseless pet stands little to no chance of surviving if left behind.

Quigley House, a domestic violence shelter in Northeast Florida, may be one of the first in the country to finally address this matter. They've built 10 outdoor runs about 40 square feet in size to house client's pets. It's a terrific first step.

The shelter is initiating fundraising projects because they want to build another area where they can house animals not used to living outside. One of the events will be a charity poker run scheduled for December 1. There's a $10 entry fee. The ride will leave from Cracker's Lounge at 1282 Blanding Blvd. in Middleburg. To register or get more information, please call 904-272-4620 or just show up at Cracker's at 9 a.m.

Giant toads bad news for Florida dogs

Watch out for cane toads. They can cause canines considerable damage.

We humans think we've got it rough down here in Florida with the heat and the hurricanes, but there's plenty to make life difficult for our doggies too, such as alligators and fleas. The latest threat to their tranquility is the "Cane" toad, known to scientists as "bufo marinus" and generally referred to as the "giant toad."

Found weighing as much as 5 pounds, giant toads carry giant loads of venom in the large glands found along their bodies. There's enough toxin in an average giant toad to put even your large dog in peril if he gets too close. An animal can quickly become sick and could die from cardiac arrest within 15 minutes of coming into contact with the toad's toxins.

So far, cane toads have mainly been seen in South Florida, but they're an invasive species and have lately been showing up in the Tampa Bay area. Researchers expect them to continue moving around the sunshine state.

If your dog exhibits any combination of the following symptoms, he or she may have been poisoned by the venom of a giant toad and should be seen by a veterinarian immediately:


* Profuse salivation or foaming from the mouth
* Twitching
* Vomiting
* Shallow breathing
* Collapse of the hind limbs

TIP: Experts say you should flush your dog's mouth with water before dashing off to the vet's office.

You can learn more about the giant toad and ways to keep them away by checking out

Florida Exotic Species

Who wins and who loses with rent-a-pooch?

Have you heard about the latest trend of renting a dog? It's said to be gaining popularity in California and is being touted as perfect for those upscale folks who are just too darned busy during the day or the week to care for an actual, live dog. Companies will rent out furry companionship to these poor, overworked people, giving them, of course, their choice of breed, size, sex and color.

Thankfully, there's only one company currently in the biz and they're charging clients like there's no tomorrow - a registration fee of about $300 PLUS a maintenance fee of around $50 per month PLUS another $24.95 per 24-hour visit from a dog who may visit someone else the next night and another the next. You get the picture.

My concern about such an arrangement is three-fold. How are these dogs cared for in between their rent-outs? And what happens to these dogs when they get too old or no longer cute enough to be used as a profitable commodity?

This isn't like going down to the local shelter and picking out a dog needing a good forever home. These dogs don't get homes. They get gigs, like freelance writers. They don't get to be anyone's forever companion. They get pimped out, used up, and then, well, who knows their fate?

I hope this renting of dogs idea poops out quickly. And if not, I hope animal welfare people will start keeping an eye out and stand at the ready to care for any dogs in need that are created by these businesses.

Palm Beach County considering mandatory sterilization

That's pets, not people...

Now that I have your attention, here is an issue worthy of discussion. Palm Beach County is sick of its pet overpopulation problem and is talking about the possibility of making it mandatory for pets to be spayed and neutered. Passage of such a law would be significant because there are only 50 other cities in the United States that have a mandatory spay/neuter policy.

According to the Humane Society of the United States, people in Palm Beach County, Florida, keep about 450,000 dogs and cats as pets, but only about half of those have been spayed or neutered. And that doesn't include any feral animals, of which few to none have been sterilized.

You know, by itself, having your pets spayed or neutered might not seem like a big deal. I mean, this is a free country and people should be able to decide whether or not they want their pets sterilized - or, indeed, if they can afford to have them spayed or neutered. Right?

Except that last year, animal control officers put to death 18,248 dogs and cats in Palm Beach County. More than 75,000 animals have met that fate in Palm Beach County since 2002.

Palm Beach County officials said they spend about $10 million a year on animal control operations, no doubt much of it for the cost of the stuff with which unwanted animals are killed.

While mandatory sterilization of pets seems a bit odd at first glance, the numbers scream out their message: Allowing animals to run around not spayed or neutered, breeding at will, just isn't cool. And letting animals die because there's more of them than good homes who want them, well that's downright cold.