2008 Onward: For Animals, Earth and People!

10 Reasons to Go Vegetarian in 2008

Many people's New Year's resolutions include losing weight, eating better, getting healthier, and doing more to make the world a better place. You can accomplish all these goals by switching to a vegetarian diet, and you'll enjoy delicious, satisfying meals as well. Here are our top 10 reasons to go vegetarian in 2008:

1. Slim Down While Feeling Good
Is shedding some extra pounds first on your list of goals for the new year? Vegetarians are, on average, up to 20 pounds lighter than meat-eaters. And unlike unhealthy fad diets, which leave you feeling tired (and gaining all the weight back eventually), going vegetarian is the healthy way to keep the excess fat off for good while feeling full of energy.

2. It's the Best Way to Help Animals
Every vegetarian saves more than 100 animals a year from horrible abuse. There is simply no other way that you can easily help so many animals and prevent so much suffering than by choosing vegetarian foods over meat, eggs, and dairy products.

3. A Healthier, Happier You
A vegetarian diet is great for your health! According to the American Dietetic Association, vegetarians are less likely to develop heart disease, cancer, diabetes, or high blood pressure than meat-eaters. Vegetarians get all the nutrients they need to be healthy (e.g., plant protein, fiber, minerals, etc.) without all the nasty stuff in meat that slows you down and makes you sick, like cholesterol and saturated animal fat.

4. Vegetarian Food Is Delicious
So you're worried that if you go vegetarian, you'll have to give up hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, and ice cream? You won't. As the demand for vegetarian food skyrockets, companies are coming out with more and more delicious meat and dairy product alternatives that taste like the real thing but are much healthier and don't hurt any animals. Plus, we have thousands of tasty kitchen-tested recipes to help you get started!

5. Meat Is Gross
It's disgusting but true: Meat is often contaminated with feces, blood, and other bodily fluids, all of which make animal products the top source of food poisoning in the United States. Scientists at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health tested supermarket chicken flesh and found that 96 percent of Tyson chicken was contaminated with campylobacter, a dangerous bacteria that causes 2.4 million cases of food poisoning each year, resulting in diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain, and fever. Learn more.

6. Help Feed the World
Eating meat doesn't just hurt animals; it hurts people too. It takes tons of crops and water to raise farmed animals-in fact, it takes up to 16 pounds of grain to produce just 1 pound of animal flesh! All that plant food could be used much more efficiently if it was fed to people directly. The more people who go vegetarian, the more we can feed the hungry.

7. Save the Planet
Eating meat is one of the worst things that you can do for the Earth; it's wasteful, it causes enormous amounts of pollution, and the meat industry is one of the biggest causes of global warming. Adopting a vegetarian diet is more important than switching to a "greener" car in the fight against global warming.

8. All the Cool Kids Are Doing It
The list of stars who shun animal flesh is basically a "who's who" of today's hottest celebs. Joaquin Phoenix, Natalie Portman, Tobey McGuire, Shania Twain, Alicia Silverstone, Anthony Kiedis, Casey Affleck, Kristen Bell, INXS lead singer J.D. Fortune, Benji Madden, Alyssa Milano, Common, Joss Stone, and Carrie Underwood are just a handful of the super-sexy vegetarians who regularly appear in People magazine. Check out our recent "World's Sexiest Vegetarians" poll for more hot, compassionate celebs.

9. Look Sexy and Be Sexy
Vegetarians tend to be thinner than meat-eaters and have more energy, which is perfect for late-night romps with your special someone. (Guys: The cholesterol and saturated animal fat in meat, eggs, and dairy products don't just clog the arteries to your heart; over time, they impede blood flow to other vital organs as well.) Plus, what's sexier than someone who is not only mega-hot, but also compassionate?

10. Pigs Are Smarter Than Your Dog
While most people are less familiar with pigs, chickens, fish, and cows than they are with dogs and cats, animals used for food are every bit as intelligent and able to suffer as the animals who share our homes are. Pigs can learn to play video games, and chickens are so smart that their intelligence has been compared by scientists to that of monkeys. Read more about these amazing animals.

Ready to get started? Make 'Go vegetarian' your resolution for 2008 and we'll help you every step of the way. Have a happy, healthy, and humane new year!

I have copied and pasted above in its entirety from GoVeg.com and it is made available by PETA, People of Ethical Treatment of Animals. On it, you'll find many valuable information and resources.

Marley's and My Best Hanukkah Gift!

The four medications I had for Marley -- lactulose, metrondiazle, denosyl and amoxillin. Lactulose has almost run out during my November 9th visit. I asked the vet about a refill. She said according to the bloodwork, Marley does not need lactulose. A week later or so after that appointment, metrondiazle has run out and I called vet about a refill and the office said no refill needed. Denosyl has run out a day or so before the next vet appointment on December 3rd, so I thought it's no harm to wait until then to find out if any refill is needed.

On December 3rd, I had an appointment with Marley's vet, who I have begun taking her to near my home since November 9th on my blog after I pulled her out from this hospital, for her another bloodwork. While there, I waited for Marley's turn to be taken in, there was 5 rescued cats roaming around at the vet office. One of the cats climbed onto my shoulder and sat comfortably on my back while I was holding Marley in my arms. I had to chuckle when Marley squinted her eyes and moved away her head in fear, thinking the cat would claw her when the cat only swung its tail. Marley can learn to tolerate cats but not my other dog, Murray, who is a true hunter. Marley would join him as a pack if she saw him go after an animal. They have killed a possum in my yard and since then, I have added a wind chime under my storm door to alert critters to run for their lives when I open the door. No dead animals found again.

Did you just talk briefly about me on this blog?

Marley demands to get closer to the dogs at the vet office and sniff them or else she'll bark up the storm! She is loud, considering that she can't hear herself and has given the wrong impression to people that she's mean and vicious -- actually she's quite the opposite and harmless! :) She does the same with people she is unable to get closer.

When it was Marley's turn, they had her blood drawn to be sent for testing and have the result back the following day. I had to call the next day to find out the result. The assistant took her to be weighed and said Marley has gained to 11 lbs and 4 ounces from 10 lbs and 7 ounces. I was relieved to know she was gaining albeit slow.

I called through relay and was nervous to learn about the result. The vet picked up the phone and I asked her about the result, being tempted not to hear it. She responded with the news that Marley's bloodwork has returned to almost normal. I couldn't believe what I was reading and asked her if she was serious. She said yes and she was very happy about the result. She said I can go back to Marley's regular food. I was afraid to jinx it and continued feeding Marley her special food while slowly changing the food that's proper for her diet. The news was my best Hanukkah gift and that one gift is enough for the whole 8 days! I do not know if Marley thinks it's enough and probably wants more :)

Don't stop feeding me special food just because I am well!

P.S. I just heard back from this person from the liver support group for dogs that I should be cautious in spite of the bloodwork result. Here is what she said:

"My opinion is that she's only "near normal", I wouldn't change food just yet. Do you have the most recent blood work results you can share with us so we can take a look at them? It's very possible she could have had an acute attack from an outside toxin. If Marley is eating the food you have her on now, which I think is lower protein, I would probably wait until you run the next set of blood work and BATs to know for sure that she's completely leveled out blood-wise. Why rock the boat or make a quick decision that might interfere with her progress? Also, I would look at her previous food and examine ALL the ingredients to ensure there's nothing in that particular food that she may be adverse to long term, cumulatively speaking.

Maria"

While remaining cautious and taking Maria's advice to continue feeding Marley bland diet with low protein, M&M and I truly, truly want to extend our appreciation for your kindness and support through the difficult time. The donation some have offered will help pay down Marley's medical bill and those who have donated will be contacted individually to show my gratitude. I have been overwhelmed since Marley became ill and didn't have much time for anything else.

To maintain this blog's integrity for the sake of deaf animals, I will scan the medical bill with the breakdown of the costs that accumulated to 2k and post it on here.

A hard lesson I have learned is to get pet insurance for both of my dogs. This topic will be discussed in the future blog.

Here's a wink to mommy for taking care of Marley!

Marlowe Finds Home with Another Deaf Cat

Hi,

I just wanted to send an update your way on a cat, Marlowe, you had posted on Deaf Animal Row way back in July. I know that you already have him listed as "adopted," but I thought you might like a follow-up to know how he's doing. I'm a sucker for sappy cat stories, anyway!

I am so grateful to your website! I am hearing but had a deaf cat already in my home. He is seven years old and came from my aunt; it was always a family joke that as soon as I graduated from college and moved out of student housing, I would be given WC (short for "White Cat"; a lot of other names were tried out and they just didn't fit!). My aunt didn't feel like she could give WC enough attention because he's a very affectionate, clingy cat and she had a lot of other cats around. Her home is animal rescue central! Also, WC never really got along well with the other cats. They discovered that they could sneak up on him and were a little vicious about it, so when I took WC in July he became an only cat for the first time in his life. He and I latched onto each other 4 years ago when I moved to Kansas, and now we got to live together! Fantastic! He enjoyed the extra attention from me but would stand at the door and cry every morning when I left for work. So sad!

This is WC as an only cat.

I decided that WC needed a companion, and that it might be a good idea to look for another deaf cat. I figured that even if they didn't understand their similarities, at least they'd be equally matched in stealth ability :) I found Marlowe on your website and didn't pursue it at first. After all, I live in Kansas and Marlowe was all the way in Tennessee! Still, Marlowe caught my eye because he looked so much like WC; even their eyes are the same color, on both sides! I eventually emailed Bruce Wilson, Marlowe's original rescuer, and was soon making plans to take a 3-day weekend to make the 900 mile drive to Tennessee to pick up Marlowe. I had to wait about a month for this to come up, but it was worth it! Marlowe has been nicknamed as Moe.

Moe makes himself at home

Moe still acts like a kitten!

I was skeptical at first about how the two cats would get along. WC has never been close with any of the cats he's lived with. They usually tolerated each other but never played together, slept in the same area, etc, etc. It took some adjusting, but I am amazed at how well Moe and WC get along! It took about a week for them to get to know each other but now they play together, eat together, sleep in the same bed, and act like they have know each other their whole lives.

Best buddies :) In seven years, WC has *never* been this close with another cat! I am amazed.

I have noticed that both are considerably less vocal than they were prior to Moe coming to the house. WC used to meow constantly, mostly to get my attention and the attention of other animals, and I had heard from Moe's rescuer that he was quite the talker. My theory on this is that these two guys really do understand that they have to communicate with each other using body language.

WC and Moe will meow at me to get my attention, but never at each other. I have also noticed that neither sneaks up on the other one, which is exactly what I was hoping for! Amazing! Moe has also had to do some adjusting of his own. He was pretty touchy when I brought him home after spending all two years of his life in a kennel. While he was well taken care of and definitely loved, he never got to play or explore. He is still very kitten-like and runs almost everywhere! He is starting to handle human affection much better and even lets me pick him up and hold him now. He's also a bathroom cat...ugh! I don't know ASL but WC and I do know the sign for "come" and use it regularly.

We have developed our own language that works for us, and Moe is starting to get used to it and respond. I'm very interested in learning more about name sign, as I'm sure both WC and Moe would respond very positively to it. Anyway, here are some pictures. Again, I really appreciate your website and all you do for deaf animals! I'm glad that there are still people in this world who understand that differences aren't necessarily "disabilities" and that every one of God's creatures deserves to be loved.

Stephanie Schmid

Laser chasing is a favorite activity around here.
Scroll Down...

Get it, Moe, get it!

An Audist Got Peed on by a Deaf Cat!

This was supposed to be posted last October but with the emergency of my dog, it was put on hold. I appreciate the understanding and patience of these people, Lisa, Phillip and Veronica, involved in the rescue of this deaf cat and now he's adopted. Read on...

First, allow me to explain how I ended up knowing about this deaf cat. A deaf woman, Lisa Ramey, from Phoenix, AZ, stumbled upon this 1.5 year old deaf cat on craigslist where this hearing owner was in hurry to get rid of him and contacted Deaf Animal Row. There was never a picture shown of the cat at all. In his own words, his deaf cat won't stop playing when his hearing cat hissed. What's the crime of having a playful cat? He just wants his deaf cat out without the consideration nor sensitivity when it comes to accomodating and training a deaf cat. Interesting how a deaf cat has to be the one to go. Doesn't it sound familiar that being deaf is used as a scapegoat for everything that goes wrong? He has never and do not want to name the deaf cat because he can't hear his own name. Oh, does it mean we, deaf people, ought be nameless as well? Wasn't he aware about name sign that's prevalent in the Deaf community? When one uses the sign name daily to a deaf cat or dog, some deaf cats and dogs will associate that with their name being called.

Love me or love me not...

The goal of Deaf Animal Row is to encourage as many members of the Deaf community in every state across the country to adopt or foster or help get a deaf animal to somewhere safe within that state where the animal is. I asked Lisa to share with people in her group to see if anyone can help. She kept me posted that no one from her group has come forward with interest.

Better view of me and a big cat I am!

The next thing I knew is that the owner said the deaf cat peed on him on the morning of 10/24/07 when he was asleep and he's fed up. He dumped this cat in front of his porch on that morning before he left. He said he is going to take him to the humane society by 2 pm if no one takes him. I was frantic and the quick thinking self remembered that Phillip Mecham from was originally from Arizona even though he is currently on the East coast. I pled him for his assistance as time was running out and he sent an email to his group of people he knew to see if one can foster him.

I'm overwhelmed with toys, toys, toys!!!

Veronica Kozlowski responded to me after reading Phillip's email, offering to foster with an exception that she has no means of transportation to get the deaf cat. I then informed Lisa about what the owner said to her disbelief and asked if she could help transport the deaf cat from him to the foster home. She was happy to do this for the deaf cat's own safety as she has helped rescue 3 deaf cats in the past.

It is funny how the owner said Veronica can't have him if she doesn't have a car and talked about responsibility when I told him I found someone to foster the deaf cat. He would only give the cat to Lisa. To get an idea of owner's arrogance, here it is,

"I don't have the medical records. He's been fixed and is up to date on his shots. I simply won't give anything to someone who can't even deal with the simplicity of owning a car. It's just like owning an animal. You have to take care of it, and feed it regardless of anyone else's feelings. Those are mine."

Veronica was kind enough to offer a safe haven! Lisa and I agreed not to say anything to the guy that the deaf cat would still go to Veronica as a foster mom. I was stratching my head because the owner is the last person to be talking about responsibility when he was about to take him to the humane society, let alone dumping him outside. Lisa arranged with the guy for her to pick up the deaf cat and drive him to Tempe, Arizona -- about 45 minutes away. Upon Lisa's arrival to owner's home, she saw the deaf cat on the front porch and he was all dirty from being thrown out since the morning. No carrier or anything. Lisa was disheartened by this and didn't understand all of this. She told the owner how could he endanger his life and vulnerability by leaving him outside all day. Lisa told me scary stories about how a hawk have snatched a small animal, including dog and cat, in her area. She said the cat was calm and very friendly.

I am all dirty

Lisa drove all the way to Veronica's home to drop off the deaf cat. Veronica had everything set up with litter box, food/water and toys. They chatted in American Sign Language and spent time with the cat before Lisa left for home. The deaf cat is slowly adjusting and gaining trust in Veronica. In her words,

"The deaf cat is doing fiiiine. He's sleeping. I just walked in to check to see if he ate, drank and pooped. All checked on list! Yay. He didn't even feel me when I went in the room. I also flipped the light on and off few times to see if he noticed it thru his closed lids, but he's too out cold sleeping! He needs it! After a crazy day for him yesterday. I'm glad he's all rested. Brave soul that he is and an inspiration to us all to thrive for life."

Wake me up for a picture huh!?!?

So, my take is that this deaf cat sensed how cruel the owner is, mistreated him and not give him attention that the cat needs. According to Veronica, the deaf cat isn't used to being petted or touched, but with time and right owner, he will blossom and flourish. Owner has neglected him to a point that the deaf cat is fed up and peed on him that morning before he went to a foster home :) Payback time!

Veronica has gotten tired of calling him a deaf cat ever since he arrived that she has named him Chase due to the cat's love for shadow chasing. Veronica spent a few weeks getting Chase trained that he never was since kittyhood, obviously, and has done a wonderful job. After Veronica emailed to a group of people in search of a good home for Chase, one of the people she knows has come forward to adopt him. Go to the very end of this blog to view her flyer about Chase. He was adopted around Thanksgiving. I believe the new family will post here at a later time.

Deaf Animal Row wants to thank Lisa, Phillip and Veronica, whom all are deaf, for their extraordinary hear and their effort in saving the deaf cat's life.

I am glad to be in Veronica's home where I feel safe

Surely but slowly, Deaf Animal Row is growing with deaf volunteers. Hope it expands with more volunteers down the road in every state where each deaf animal will have a safe haven to go to.

Flyer reads:

"Deaf Cat seeking a good-natured Deaf home!!!

Name: Chase

Beautiful 1 ½ years old male, white, long-haired cat with green eyes.

Must stay indoors; already litter-trained; fixed; recent vet exam shows great heart and good health, negative for FIV/FELV, 12 lbs.

Energetic, friendly, knows the difference between gentle and rough play, loves chasing shadows and flash lights, can meow and purr; don’t know if he is good with children because I have not seen him around any yet.

Screening preferences:

A financially responsible Deaf home, philosophy of no physical discipline, prefers human and feline companionship, may rebel if left alone too long; someone with patience for him when training since he came from a neglected home; no older cats please but I believe that he will do better with younger or same aged cats.

Goal is to have Chase adopted by end of this month, November, due to a new roommate & his dog moving in my apartment & also, my 2 adult cats are having a hard time with Chase frequently playing with them.

Please contact Veronica Kozlowski, the foster mommy, for more info & pictures and to schedule a visit with Chase.

Hope to hear from you!"

A reminder for Dog Owners on Thanksgiving Day...

Please refrain, as tempting as it can be not to resist a sad face, from giving your dog turkey. The trytophan that turkey contains can cause neurological symptoms for any dogs and especially not good for dogs with liver disease. The turkey skin can cause severe pancreatitis for dogs. I learned about this from the support group for dogs with liver disease. Instead, give them chicken if you have to give them something.

Marley is doing ok and really enjoys her bland diet as they consist of real food. Who can blame her! :) It's hard when she looks at me for more but I have to give her a limited amount for liver's sake. She is still on medication and will take her back to vet in a week and half for her check up and more tests. I remain hopeful.

Marley's November 16th Update

Emergency Room VS. Home for Marley

In my other post, I talked about obstruction and shunt that the ER had tested for, which came negative. Her tummy and neck area were shaven for the purpose of applying ultrasound to detect a problem if any.

Shaved neck

Shaved tummy

When she was first brought to ER, the thought of possibly losing her struck me as I wasn't ready not to have Marley in my life anymore. Marley hated being in the ER for a couple of days. She has separation anxiety and hates kennel. She was barking loud while inside the small kennel except when she is in someone's arms. She was on an IV with swivel that allows her to move around in circles and had a cone collar on because she would pull out the IV even after the nurse had put apple bitter on her arm.

Shaved arm for the IV

It broke my heart and I decided that she has to come home with me while putting her on medication therapy. Marley wants nothing more than to be at home and I hope that home will be the best treatment. On her first night home, she rubbed herself and rolled on the blanket before going under blanket with me.

I have learned to try to go by one day at a time to maintain my sanity. When I first brought her home, she was resting and slept a lot. I have been feeding her a small portion 4 times a day so not to put strain on her liver. I still pray that she continues to improve and will get good news about her to a point that biospy or surgery will not be needed. Vet is still figuring out how she got a liver disease.

For all the animals I have saved and spent on those many, many years, I really hope Marley's life will be spared.

Thanks to those of you who have contributed! For anyone else, if you want to help contribute, it will be greatly appreciated.

Don't have a PayPal account? No problem. Donate money using your credit card! Click on the Chipin Button above... and look at the bottom left of the screen and you'll see this:

Or

1) Write a check to: Raychelle Harris with Katherine/Marley in memo line. Mailing address: 1101 W. Virginia Ave. Apt. 204 Washington DC 20002

2) Give cash to Raychelle in person if you are in DC metro area. Contact her at: raleha@tmail.com

Please make sure you include your contact information because after receiving the money, email will be sent to Katherine and you and list the amount so you both know the transaction was successful and all parties knows where your money went!

Latest Update on Marley's Prognosis

Here is the latest:

Marley got another bloodwork last Wednesday to see if there's any significant change in her liver. The vet said the bloodwork shows that her liver is improving however the results are still not normal and her values are still high so it is recommended that Marley continues her medications and bland diet. Other than the medications, she will be given milk thistle vitamin to help her liver. Marley will be monitored every 2-3 weeks with new bloodwork before any decision for biospy is made.

Click to enlarge me

My T-Giving Sweater with scarf and boots to stay warm

As posted about Marley a few days ago, ER has been trying to find out what contributed to her liver not functioning properly as it shows she has infectious liver. Ultrasound for obstruction and shunt have been ruled out. I was just informed that leptospira titers are not consistent with active infection, however, a convalescent titer is recommended in 2 weeks as sometimes acute titers are not high. Because ultrasound is not 100%, ER said liver biospy through surgery is needed to really know what is causing Marley's liver disease.

October 31st, on her 4th birthday, they did bloodwork again. Marley's fasting ammonia was normal and is likely responding to the antibiotic and lactulose therapy. The bilirubin is improved slightly from 8.4 to 6.2. The liver enzymes are not significantly changed. Marley'll need another bloodwork in 5 days for a follow up. Now, she is on medications therapy and she is still not out of the wood, unfortunately. Keep praying and thank you all for your kind words and support here and via email. To remind us of what kind of dog, Marley, is, go to: What a Great Deaf Dog I Am.

Please help contribute!

Don't have a PayPal account? No problem. Donate money using your credit card! Click on the Chipin Button above... and look at the bottom left of the screen and you'll see this:

For those who don't want to have anything to do with computers...

Write a check to: Raychelle Harris with Katherine/Marley in memo line. Mailing address: 1101 W. Virginia Ave. Apt. 204 Washington DC 20002

OR give cash to Raychelle in person if you are in DC metro area. Contact her at: raleha@tmail.com

Please make sure you include your contact information because after receiving the money, I will e-mail Katherine and you and list the amount so you both know the transaction was successful and all parties knows where your money went!