I had gone to the Washington Humane Society to talk to the staff about nutrition and Titus had just come in that day, with a bad gash at the juncture of his right hip and belly. Apparently his mother had killed the rest of the litter, and he was rescued and brought into the shelter by a good Samaritan. Of course they asked as soon as I came in and I said no……that is, until they said he was injured. So I called home to let my partner know we had a new foster that was very young, eyes and ears still closed, and he needed special care.

We started him on Answers Additional raw frozen goat’s milk, and he started to thrive. I felt bad that he did not have any other pups with him, so of course I let the good folks at WHS know we would take another orphan if one came in about that was about his age.

Wouldn’t you know, it was only a week that passed and we got a call that there were 8 puppies that had just been brought in by their ‘guardian’ to be euthanised. He would not give up the mother, and wanted them gone at two weeks old because they were mixed Pit Bull and Boxer. Fortunately a nursing mother was at the New York Avenue shelter and she took 5 of the orphaned pups, when left 3 others to be placed somewhere. They also did not yet have their eyes open, nor their ears

Of course we said we would take one, and when the remaining two were not taken by any other fosters we took them also. So here it is, a tale of 4 orphaned pups, who have had a wonderful micro-community galvanized around their story and their care. We have had people doing round the clock bottle feedings until they could eat from a dish, and the pups have had constant contact with humans, other dogs, and cats.

They are about 4 1/2 weeks old now, running, playing and growing, and we are preparing to let them go to their new forever homes sometime within the next month. We wanted to share a little about them and their personalities now that they have their milk teeth, and are playful, rambunctious, sweet and curious about everything in their world. If you want to know more about them or want an application for adoption, please contact Pennye or Julie.

Titus at 4 1/2 weeks

Titus (named by the wonderful WHS humane Officers)

Titus is a wanderer, curious about everything, with a calm and engaging personality. He is not afraid to be alone but definitely wants to be with his people and can be very vocal about wanting that type of attention. He is happiest being near us and explores every crevice, open door and bag he can find. He is strong, and while there may be a bit of residual scarring from his injury, he compensates for it well. He has a very upright and proud walk and is a lover.

Weezer @ 4 1/2 weeks

Weezer (named for the Shirley MacLaine character in Steel Magnolias)

Her name was simply RUNT when we got her, and her ribs were showing because she was always pushed away at feeding time. The universal donor’s milk (goat’s milk) and as much bottle feeding as she wanted, and she started to thrive in a matter of two days. Now she is an unstoppable force, who runs faster than any of the other pups, and is more determined to have her say. She will always be a small dog in comparison to Frankie and Johnny, but she has a very sweet disposition, loves to play and demands that you hold her so she can snuggle down to nap. She is a cuddler who is always squeezing in between the other pups, or knocking them over to say ‘let’s play!’. She is very taken with our pit Yaya and is constantly running up to her and pouncing. Oh yes, and she is faster than a speeding bullet!

Frankie @ 4 1/2 weeks

Frankie
(named for the ballad Frankie & Johnny)

Frankie is the surprise, she is a big pup, with lots of strength and very attentive to everything going on around her. She watches us and often I will find her sitting at my feet, waiting for a cue to let her know what is expected from her. She is a very playful and happy go lucky type of girl who loves her food and toys with equal passion.

She is a brave little soul who will make a great companion and appears to be very athletic. She loves to stay up past her naptime and is on the more active side. Definitely a keeper…….

Johnny @ 4 1/2 weeks

Johnny (named for the ballad Frankie & Johnny)

If you are looking for a sweet, big lug who adores you this is your guy. He is very playful and loves to get into things, but when you call him he halts whatever he is doing and comes running! He loves to cuddle and wants to be with his people.

He is the little soulful guy who is very comfortable in his own surroundings but can be a bit shy and timid in unfamiliar places. We are working on exposing him to a lot of different elements right now. He is also intrigued by Mr. Kitty and does not understand why Mr. Kitty won’t play with him yet.

A special thanks to the following raw food companies who have contributed to the feeding of these pups: Answers Pet Food, Bravo Raw Diets, Stella & Chewy’s, and Ziwipeak. All the pups know their names, come when called, and are learning paper training.

It had been years since I had worked around horses on a daily basis and I had forgotten the primal emotions I always experience when around them. I had always felt a kinship with them that was different from any other species. I was amazed at how quickly I adapted to working with them again, my ‘horse sense’ had lain dormant but returned immediately when working on the Fairgrounds daily.

Temporary sheltering is a very hard and gratifying experience. Many of the workdays stretch into double shifts, and with larger animals there are multiple rounds of feeding, watering and mucking. The days are long and the work physically hard, but most of all, the day to day gratification in seeing these animals improve with proper vet care, dental care, and basics like food and water. Even the most fractious animals start to improve in behavior, temperament and physical condition.

As of July 2, 2010 twenty-one of the horses were transported to Maryland to await adoption to their new homes. I was fortunate enough to see Sara Varsa of HSUS yesterday and she said the horses are doing very well and continuing to improve. Resilience, that is key and the caring and thoughtful consideration of the numerous volunteers and donors that make rescues like this happen.

Horses have been with us throughout the centuries, and continue to work along side us today, in the fields, as police and military , as companion animals, sport, and yet we have people in our society who are capable of such extreme neglect without thought of the service these animals give with their hearts, bodies and minds.

While this may not be news to a large number of petowners, the extent of the problem is significant. It is therefore more than ever imperative to make the lives of our pets as toxin free as we can, because in doing so we make our own lives healthier. Multiple and layered illnesses have increasingly been seen in clinic in the human animal, as well as pets over the last several years in part due to this.  The contamination comes from many sources; poluted tap water, commerical pet foods, lawn and garden chemical residues and indoor environment; air, off gassing of manmade materials in the home, commercial products for; cleaning, clothes washing and other home maintenance products, various commerical pet grooming products and flea protection products, cat litter, toys with toxic ingredients, etc.  There are also those chemicals used in the urban environment and general airpolution.  Animals absorb surface chemicals directly through the bottom of their feet, through nosing, licking or eating things off the ground and through grooming themselves thereby absorbing chemicals in ways that a human would not.  All of this puts great stress on a many of the body’s systems and functions.  It is therefore important to purchase products that are safe and luckily there are increasingly more to choose from and places to get them. 

There is much we can do in controlling toxic contaminants for ourselves and out pets, but of course much we can’t readily controll.  But if we provide clean, organic food, filtered or spring water, non toxic products throughout our homes; cleaning/maintenance, laundry, sprays, organic/non toxic products to groom pets, non toxic toys, collars, etc. it goes a long way towards helping our pets and ourselves maintain health. Consider for a moment that we and our children hug our pets, place our faces in their fur and pick up chemicals that may linger there.  Anything we do for our pets can therefore have a beneficial impact on our own health as well.

To read the full article or for more information go to: http://www.ewg.org/reports/pets

The day before Andrew, I remember packing up a few things and piling my cat into my Jeep as I evacuated my apartment eight blocks from the ocean and headed to the relative safety of a family member’s home on the mainland. A 16-foot storm surge had been predicted for my neighborhood; we could not stay, evacuation was mandatory. But I also remember driving down Ocean Drive for one more look before I left. One last look at the pastel colored deco hotels, lined up like so many petit fours next to the sand and the palm trees and the sea. I just sat by the side of the road and tried to commit it all to memory, because I knew that in a day, everything would be different. Even with only 85 days in Miami I knew that after that day, I would have a before and an after.

So how on earth can the folks in the Gulf cram a lifetime of memories into their heads while they wait for the inevitable? The fishermen and oystermen whose families have plied the Gulf waters for generations, the fish houses and packing plants, restaurants and motels that all depend on the the Gulf of Mexico for their livelihood – what will become of them? How do you find that spot where everything is stored for safekeeping? Is it even possible to capture the smells and tastes and sounds of a life in jeopardy? All of them are waiting, waiting and watching. Surely the bayous and back bays and seagrass beds and small town life that is the Gulf will survive. Maybe. Or maybe not. Sullied oyster beds and ruined beaches, oil encrusted birds and other wildlife may be their version of my stripped-to-the-bone South Florida landscape. Are those folks taking one last look? Are they allowing themselves a quick drive to a lighthouse or a fort or a favorite fishing area or beach one last time before the oil changes every part of their world into before and after?

Here in South Florida, before Hurricane Andrew, we all were mesmerized by a giant orange blob on our television screens – a blob that relentlessly plowed across the Atlantic Ocean and straight into our living rooms. But then it was gone. However, for the residents of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the panhandle of Florida, it isn’t one blob they are watching, but thousands. And they just keep coming with no end in sight.
How can we help, what can we do, when will it end? When will they get their “after”?

“The noontide sun, call’d forth the mutinous winds,
And ‘twixt the green sea and azur’d vault
Set roaring war.

- William, Shakespeare, The Tempest -

Note: I started to write this piece a few days after the spill when it seemed as if a quick solution would be forthcoming. But my mind was jumbled with unease and fear and sadness, and the piece went nowhere. About two weeks ago I took another look and refined the piece to what you just read. Although still numb, I retained some small measure of hope in regards to this horrific occurrence. Today, when I heard that one of BP’s robotic machines had jostled the cap on the pipe, forcing its removal, and that oil was once again flowing full force into the Gulf, I decided that there was nothing more that I could say. And, for now, that there is nothing else that I can do. June 23, 2010.

Eczema may have a basis in other allergies.  In dogs, some breeds seem also to be more prone to skin diseases than others; for example golden retrievers, terriers, poodles, Dalmatians, schnauzers.   In dogs the cause for eczema can be internal and/or external parasites, fungus, yeast, fleas, chemical substances and drug reactions and others in addition to dietary and environmental allergies and sensitivities from a western perspective.  Therefore thorough pattern discrimination is important. In TCM no health issue is seen in isolation, but always on the background of overall health.  Once a TCM diagnosis is established the practitioner writes a treatment option for either herbal formulas or acupuncture or both, as well as dietary recommendations, which directly correlates to the specific person or animal’s TCM diagnosis.    The herbal formulas for the two types of eczema will be different and may include topical treatments.   If the condition has elements of dietary allergies, the diet must be checked and changed.  If there are external causes for the eczema, these need to be eliminated not only on the animal, but also in the animal’s environment for treatment to be successful.

 While an acute condition is easier and quicker to treat than chronic, enough time needs to be allowed for the treatment to work and to bring harmony back to the body.

Vim & Vigor

We know that many herbalists use this as a base for herbals and tonics, and one of my favorites is carried by the Mennonites in Maryland, called Vim & Vigor. One shot of this a day and I think you could take on Godzilla……..we love stopping in Flintstone to pick up this wonderful elixer.

“Our Indiana based product combines extracts of wild mountain-grown Gingseng Root, Goldenseal Root( also known as yeller root), Black Cohosh Root, Black Walnut Leaves, Star Anise Pods, Echinacea, Chamomile Berries, Licorice Root, Chickweed, Cinnamon,Fenugreek Seeds, Cloves, Ginger Root, and Valerian with aged apple cider vinegar and then flavored with concentrates of apple and grape juices, resulting in a unique elixir which, according to our customers, has produced some interesting results.”

Even WebMD has scientific evidence to back up some of the claims made about the health benefits of this simple fermented apple juice.

I started thinking about all of this while at dinner, listening to a young man at the table next to me talk about how bad his acid reflux was, and what he could not eat (including some great foods) because of it. Boy did I wish I had some Apple Cider Vinegar to hand to him So go on, grab a teaspoon and perhaps you will find this a good habit to form!

And now, here we are, 40 years later (40 years – how can that even be possible?!) And we all know so much more, and we all know so much less. We’re in another war, corporate America still makes headline-grabbing news, and even though we have done countless things to attempt to aide and protect the environment, much of our natural world appears to be in worse shape than ever. Global warming, images of polar bears drowning in the Arctic seas, rain forests decimated for profit, dying coral reefs and extreme weather worldwide seem to be the new normal. Happy Earth Day, indeed.

But I continue to have hope. That small girl that I was in Ohio, the girl who loved animals and loved to camp and spent hours lying in the grass looking up at the sky, the stars and the moon, has morphed into the woman who I am today: an involved, informed, and verbal (some would say too much so…) individual who is not afraid to state her position and make her case for various environmental issues. I remember reading a few years back about the concept of “compassion fatigue” and how it led otherwise well-meaning people to become so overwhelmed by the multitude of organizations and causes appealing to them for help that they – these same people who could be potential volunteers and donors – would end up doing nothing. The article went on to say that it was so important to listen to that little voice inside of you, to really focus on what area of concern it was that resonated the strongest for you. And that was where you should devote your time or your money or your expertise. There will always be so many more worthwhile areas of concern than any one of us can ever hope to address in a meaningful way. And we shouldn’t try to undertake that as a personal goal. But by zeroing in on that one thing that makes you smile when you have finished a day as a volunteer, or made a contribution to some organization where you know that it is going to make a difference, or mentored someone, or shared your knowledge of a particular subject with a larger audience, then you’re on the right track.

I love that we are paying more attention to what we eat and how and where it is grown. Urban gardens bring better nutrition to all of us living in cities and take advantage of the knowledge of the elders in our communities who may be only one or two generations away from life in the country or on a farm. And we are finally focusing more clearly on our treatment of food-producing animals and their impact on the larger environment as a whole. Cleaner water, more efficient automobiles, alternative energy sources and recycling are now all components of our daily lives. Every day we gain more and more protection for the forests and the oceans and the very air that we breathe. But so much more remains to be done. In this fight for the health of Mother Earth, there are major international players who appear to have very different items of importance on their agendas. We have to continue our vigilance, since we absolutely won’t get a “do-over” on this one.

So here’s what I think and what I plan to do this Thursday on Earth Day. I’m going to look at the causes that I am passionate about, the organizations to whom I contribute – either with my time, my expertise, or my checkbook – and I am going to push myself a little bit harder to do a little bit more. To strengthen my resolve. To do better.

After all, this is my planet, And I love my Mother Earth.

In TCM herbal formula construction follow specific rules; one or two herbs address the main problem, additional herbs support this action, but also address other issues present.  Other herbs are added to harmonize and  others again send the joint actions of the formula in the desired directions throughout the body and so on.  It must be understood that when you put two or more herbs together, you not only have the action of the individual herbs, but a joint, synergistic action.  Increasingly Chinese herbs are studied and tested based on Western standards.  There are thousands of formulas to draw from, many of which have been updated over time given the prevalent health issues at that time.  It is in the knowing how to put a formula together that one can be very targeted.

Western Herbal Medicine also has a deep history going back some 2000 years.  In this system herbs are also classified in categories to address, for example; the circulatory system, the respiratory system, the nervous system, muscular sceletal system, etc.  The actions of the herbs are classified as; alteratives, analgesics, anti-spasmodics, emollients, diuretics, bitters and many more.  Of great importance is the chemistry of the herbs which desribes plant actions, such as; benzoic acid, citric acid, phenols, coumarins, alcohols, tannins, , flavonois, glycosides and many more.  All this information allows a practitioner to choose the appropriate herb(s) for the patient.

What many don’t realize is that the same plant may grow in different parts of the world simply as different varieties.  For example  Angelica Archangelica in the West and Don Quai (Angelica Sinensis)in Asia are in the same plant family and have similar actions, they are just different varieties.  Hawthorn is used in Western Herbalism  for the cardiovascular system.  In China it was traditionally used for food stagnation, now it is increasingly used there as well for cardiovascular problems.  In the West the leaves of dandelion are used as a diuretic, the root for inflammation and congestion in the liver/gallbladder.  In TCM the whole herb is used to “clear heat, relieve toxicity and resolve dampness”.  Many Chinese Herbs are now regularly in use as part of Western herbal formulas.

As use of herbs to deal with health issues gains acceptance, one needs to keep in mind that herbs can have powerful actions and need to be used with respect.  Just because it is natural doesn’t mean it can’t cause problems, even as the actions are generally far less problematic than conventional medications can be.  There does however not need to be an either or.  If a medication is necessary, it needs to be used.  Using medications  doesn’t mean that a trained herbal practitioner can’t formulate around that medication to the benefit of the patient.

These past few weeks have brought me news of illness and death, both personally and globally. Three friends have been diagnosed with cancer. For two, I fear, the handwriting is already on the wall. A family member passed away at the height of the northern blizzards when travel was an impossibility, a sad situation made sadder by the inability of friends to offer comfort personally. And the crisis in Haiti continues to dominate the news and our thoughts here in South Florida. Where is the comfort there?

And then I heard two things on the radio that focused my quest for comfort: a bit of music and some extended kindness. These things were just snippets, a few bars of sound and an off-hand remark, part of a larger interview with someone who was in Haiti reporting on the ongoing process of recovery. The occasion was the one-month anniversary of the earthquake. People had gathered for a commemorative program in a square somewhere in Port-au-Prince and they were singing. The words were in French, but the melody was unmistakable: “How Great Thou Art.” A hymn from my childhood. The power of music was offering comfort and the strength to go on. And the off-hand remark concerned an observation made by the radio reporter. He had noticed that, with as little as the Haitian people seemed to have to eat and to drink, they were sharing their provisions with animals. Their own animals, to be sure, but they were also petting and talking to and caring for the strays. They were extending kindness.

In these two examples I had my answer to the comfort question: music and animals. As far as music goes, I have sung my entire life: in church choirs, a high-school girls group, an oratorio society, in the car and in the shower. Music has always had the power to make me laugh and smile and cry and think. The freedom and release of singing has always given me strength.

And as for the animals, I have always loved and attempted to protect them with a fierceness that I reserve for few other things. Cats, horses, mice, birds and the occasional lizard have all passed through my life. I have told them my secrets and tried to learn theirs. And they have offered me comfort by simply being there. To feel the softness of my cat’s fur as she sits on my lap calms and centers me – petting as a meditation. The trust that she extends to me renews me. And her antics make me smile.

“We give comfort and receive comfort, sometimes at the same time.” I don’t know the author of this quote, but I love this quote for all that it encompasses: to sing and to be heard, to touch and to be calmed. To feel comforted. No small accomplishment these days, and something to be honored and acknowledged.