Everyone Uses Bleach Wrong: A PSA with BONUS! Super Hero Analogy

I worked in an animal shelter once upon a time, and as you can imagine it was both rewarding and stressful; there were high highs, and low lows of all kinds, but there was one area that never failed to suck me into a twilight zone of misery: catching a volunteer or co-worker in the act of -- and then correcting on -- the improper use of chlorine bleach.

Bleach is our friend. It is the most effective, cheapest, most environmentally-friendly option for killing most of the terrible germs out there. And everyone seems to use it incorrectly. Too many people treat bleach more like a magic talisman than a disinfectant, filling a spray bottle and spritzing it on everything in the style of Windex Mom in My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

Bleach is like a comic book hero who has super strength only under the right circumstances. If the "bad guys" are hanging out somewhere wide open and clean, bleach is unstoppable. Other disinfectants like QAC's are more like stealthy assassins, sneaking in through the air ducts to get to the center of the bad guys' hideouts. The bad guys can learn to stop the assassins by simply blocking the air ducts, but they have no defense against the brute-force of bleach. (This is also why germs are not likely to develop resistance to chlorine bleach the way they can to the QAC's).

Except... like all good super heroes, bleach has a major weakness: dirt (all organic material, actually). The moment bleach touches dirt, it loses all its power. The bad guys can hide inside a microscopic ball of organic matter all day long. It's like a giant, multi-room mansion to them, and all bleach can do is peek in the windows.

Chlorine bleach does not work on:

Wood 
Carpet
Plush toys 
Most furniture
Fabric* (gray area, see below)
Dirty dishes
Dirty concrete
Dirty anything

Dirt

Let me repeat this, because I've talked to a lot of people about this, from all walks of life, and it's always a hard sell: I swear to you, no matter what you've heard (or who you've heard it from): Bleach will not work on porous or dirty things. I'm sorry, you can't disinfect that cutting board you bought from the thrift store. Or the second-hand drift wood for your lizard's terrarium. We've all done it at one time or another. You're not the first one to dump bleach onto the slobbery dog toys, or litter-encrusted cat box, or into your parvo-contaminated lawn, or spritz it on your ringworm-covered clothes, and think that you killed a few germs. It really doesn't do anything except sometimes change the object's color.

And I have more bad news: the same is true for all the other disinfectants out there; there is no such thing as a magic disinfectant that will solve all your organic material problems, no matter what certain brands' marketing implies. (With the possible exception of accelerated hydrogen peroxide and potassium peroxymonosulfate, but even those are only slightly better in the presence of organic matter. Plus they're much more expensive, and have higher health risks to users, than bleach).

But do not despair! Microorganisms don't always need to be killed, they can be PHYSICALLY removed from their hideouts. Washing with detergent, tons of rinsing, hot dry cycles. Don't forget about that overlooked hero, Heat. The most important disinfection process of all, autoclaving surgical instruments, doesn't use any special chemicals at all, just heat.

And sometimes you have to just bite the bullet and throw contaminated things away. If that thing is your yard, digging out the contaminated soil and throwing it away, or burying it in a thick layer of mulch may be a better answer than trying to clean it. Speaking of...

Soiled soil
Yes, it's tough when an outdoor area is contaminated by something nasty and contagious. The most porous and dirt-laden place of all is the same place most likely to be contaminated when you have a sick pet. Most of our worst enemies like parvo, panleukopenia, crypto, and ringworm can live for a long time in the soil. Many pet websites (and a lot of veterinarians) recommend, in addition to other protocols, at least giving a chemical disinfectant a try on your yard if you've had for example, parvo dogs pooping there. I could probably get on board with the idea of giving it a try, just in case it kills a few baddies, except for one problem: if it doesn't work, (and the science tells us it probably doesn't) you won't be able to tell, and you risk getting complacent.

Fabric
Dealing with contaminated clothing is almost as fraught as a contaminated yard. Yes, some bleach products are labeled to disinfect clothing - but in a very limited way: Adding the correct amount to a load of laundry in a washing machine run with cold water that doesn't contain very much organic material. In which case, the action of the detergent and water alone may physically remove more germs than the bleach will kill.

The problem is, I've seen way more people using bleach incorrectly with clothing than any other application. I've observed multiple professionals (veterinarians, certified vet techs, nurses) recommend spraying contaminated clothing with a bleach solution (or other disinfectant, like a quat, usually). This isn't doing jack sh*t. I totally understand you want to feel like you're doing something, but using it this way isn't just useless, it may make things worse by encouraging less caution with the (still contaminated) clothing.

Proper use of bleach: an original mnemomic, just for you!

If you have a non-porous thingy to disinfect, remember to S.W.A.P.

Stay cool! Heat kills bleach (aka, it accelerates the loss of the chlorine ions before they can do their work). Mix with cold water only; if you're going to use in a washing machine, set it to cold; don't use bleach on something hot, like recently washed dishes.

Wash First! -- always pre-clean before disinfecting.

Alone! -- Bleach works best alone. Don't mix it with anything besides water. Unless you're experimenting with re-creating mustard gas, and want to burn your lungs out, then by all means.

Yes, I know they make "cleaner and disinfectant in one" products that had to have passed some efficacy tests before being sold. Buy them if you can afford it, but please, please, don't try to mix your own. Don't try to mix in an essential oil because you don't like the smell of bleach (yes, I once had to stop a volunteer from doing this at the shelter).

Proper dilution! more is not always better. Believe it or not, for some germs, more concentrated bleach doesn't work as well as properly diluted bleach - I suppose it would be as if Super Bleach were all hopped up on Angry Acid and screamed the whole time he ran down the street before attacking the bad guys' hideout - announcing his presence so forcefully would give the bad guys a chance to run away (non-enveloped bacteria link). The perfect dilution of Bleach allows it to punch through the bad guy's defenses with exactly the right amount of force and speed to complete demolish them it before they know what's happening.

OK, that's one of the worst mnemonics I've ever heard, but you get it.

Now, go forth and kill some parvo!

References:
Bleach factsheet from the NIH
Bleach factsheet from the CDC
Cleaning and disinfecting in shelters
UW FAQ on killing parvo
UC Davis FAQ on killing parvo in yards
Resistance mechanisms of bacteria to antimicrobial compounds (PDF)
Antiseptics and Disinfectants: Activity, Action, and Resistance
Bacterial resistance to disinfectants containing quaternary ammonium compounds
How long can different germs survive on surfaces?
Air temperature greatly affects how long crypto can live on the ground: one day vs. 73 days

Image description: a crude cartoon drawing of a anthropomorphized bottle of bleach, labeled "super bleach" and wearing a mask and cape, as it faces off against a blob of brown substance containing anthropomorphized microorganisms, who are frowning at the hero.

Double hind dew claws on a mixed breed dog

Her mama was a rotty, and her daddy was a great pyranean.

The tale of two dogs (not a happy one)

EDITED 3/3/2015 since this post was written, the shelter in question has undergone many positive changes, including change in management, hiring of more staff, and better organizing in general. It's a much better shelter than it was back when this was written, and I am happy to work closely with them on a weekly basis.

I hesitated to write this story because it involves me being pissed off at the largest, most-well-functioning animal rescue in the region (not that that's saying much), and I don't want to do that. Let me make that clear up front: if you know which shelter I'm talking about, I actually do want you to donate/voluteer at it/support it. It is the best we have, and the people running it at least love animals.

But. It is far from a perfect organization. And this incident is something that keeps waking me up in the middle of the night. And if I don't write it down, no one else will know the stories of these two dogs.

It started with an email from a woman who's very active in the animal rescue community. Let's call her Beth. She volunteers for several rescues in the area, and often sends out pleas through the grapevine for "emergency cases". In this case, it was for a 8-month old mixed breed puppy and a 2 year old pit bull. They were both being surrendered from two separate abuse/neglectful homes and needed foster homes ASAP because the shelter (all four cages of it) was full. They had spent the night under the same roof (which becomes important later), but needed to be gone the next day.

One person offered to foster the pit bull, but only if it was vaccinated for parvo. Many people could foster a cute puppy, of course.

The next day was a busy day at the vet clinic. The kind of day where all the techs are running around like the proverbial decapitated chickens. Beth calls and asks for me. I happened to have a moment so I talked to her. "I'm driving over to pick up the dogs right now, but they say the puppy's sick," she said. "They said she's been throwing up and being really lethargic and won't eat." Uh oh. I told her it's probably parvo. She said she and another woman, we'll call her Sandy, could be there soon, could they bring them in. I said yes, we'd fit them in.

I should also mention that Sandy is on the board of directors for this shelter I still refuse to name.

I also happened to be the tech to help them when they arrived. The receptionist, warned about possible parvo, hurried them into a room to isolate them from other clients. Beth had named the pit bull, so let's call him Max. He was a big, galumpy sort of dog with a large head and out-going personality. He was a bit unsure about what was happening to him, but very friendly and happy to be around people, slurping at my hands instead of just sniffing them, and looking around at all the new sights with bright interest.

The puppy was lethargic, with that mopey, down look of one who just doesn't feel good. But her color and hydration was still good, surprisingly didn't have a fever, and she didn't yet have that "parvo smell", or the glassy-eyed look of a puppy in the process of dying from parvo.

I discussed different scenarios with them. That we needed to do a parvo test, but that it's possible she didn't have parvo, or if so, it may be a mild case and because she was a bit older, she might pull through quicker and easier than most.

Sandy asked if it was too early to test the pit bull. I explained he'd only been exposed to the puppy in the last 24 hours, so even if he had contracted the virus, it was far too soon for the test to work. I said, if it were my dog, I'd vaccinate him now, and then quarantine him for 7 days, he'd show symptoms by then and you could work from there. If he didn't catch the virus, he would already be vaccinated, and if he did start showing symptoms, well, you wouldn't really need a test to assume it was parvo (dogs will often test positive if they've been recently vaccinated).

They agreed to have the puppy parvo tested before making any other decisions. It was positive, of course. It's always positive. Around here, a puppy who comes in with those symptoms is almost always positive.

I wasn't in the room while the vet discussed this with them. I was running around the clinic doing other things. All I know is, the vet came out a few minutes later and told me they had decided to euthanize both dogs. Right now.

I didn't have time to think. Well, I had a little time to think: I thought, maybe I could... but no, I can't. My garage was full of cages of feral cats infected with ringworm, and I had no where else to quarantine a large dog or a sick puppy. I couldn't afford more medical expenses, as I still had hundreds of dollars to pay off from Jenga's surgery.

My mind was reeling with all of the things I couldn't do for these dogs. I didn't think to ask what Sandy hadn't done for them until days later. Then I got mad.

I don't know for sure, but I highly doubt she called anyone after the diagnoses was given. Sure, most people wouldn't agree to foster a parvo-puppy and give it SQ fluids three to four times a day, plus daily anti-nausea and antibiotic injections... but she didn't even call around. She certainly didn't try Facebook or any other social media. She didn't call other board members and ask, hey, could we maybe set up a quarentine cage in the corner or in the bathroom or something at the shelter for the healthy dog? It's only for 7 days, after all. Or, hey, let's call around to different vet hospitals and find one that will give us a deal on hospitalizing this puppy, because she's readily treatable and will be quickly adopted once she's better. Or maybe there's even a vet tech at one of the hospitals who would foster her at home. Or, hey, we're at a vet right now, maybe if I ask real nice they'll let us keep them both here for just the rest of the day so we can have some time to make phone calls. Maybe there's another shelter/rescue we could transport her to... maybe...maybe...

Instead a board memeber on the largest, most-well-organized shelter in the WHOLE REGION,  decided that it wasn't worth the time or money for either of these dogs and made a quick decision. And, I'm sure, was thinking how awful the previous owners were for putting her in such a position, and, wow funding is low because the damn public won't donate enough, and if only the PUBLIC would vaccinate and yadda yadda... I know she thought these things because I've seen the posts that this shelter makes on Facebook. I've seen the quotes in newspaper articles. It's very blamey: you damn people need to start being responsible and vaccinating your pets, and spay/neuter and stop abusing them/ letting them roam/ etc. and also you need to give us more money, otherwise we can't fix up the shelter, also you need to adopt this puppy/kitten or we'll have to kill it. It's YOUR fault when anything bad happens, but WE are the martyrs, WE make all the hard decisions, look at US being such heroes in the face of an ocean of neglect, abuse, and indifference.

I went into that room and held the puppy while the vet killed it, then I held the pit bull, who thought that was just fine sat there wagging his tail and gave me a few more licks on the hand while Beth petted his head and sobbed and told him she was sorry, so sorry that his life had been so short and full of pain. And when his body relaxed on the floor I burst into tears (and I never cry at euthanasias), thinking, why the hell is this happening, why are we killing a healthy, friendly dog who we supposedly just "rescued"? What the hell was the point?

And then the vet left the room and it was just us three women, all sobbing, and two dead dogs that I later had the pleasure of throwing into the dumpster.

Fucking fantastic.

I don't feel like blaming the former owners for this one. It certainly doesn't make me want to help this shelter anymore. All this makes me want to do is move away. Back to civilization, where the shelter system functions and the buildings have quarantine cages and huge, well-functioning networks of foster homes and private rescues and communication with them works well. Where it's well-organized, well-oiled machine, and there's clarity of vision and policies that are clear, and in writing and available for the public to see, along with financial information and animal intake/adoption statistics. Where there are donation collection jars in every store in town, and well-publisized fundraising events (where donators are never guilt-tripped into paying up) every month, and there are low-income spay/neuter/vaccs clinics put on by the shelter.

See, I use to live in THAT community. And guess what, THAT shelter got the majority of its funding from donations as well, AND took in THOUSANDS of animals yearly, and adopted out over 90% of them, AND was also the open admission city and county "pound".

 So, I don't want to hear that conditions are so "different" here on this side of the state that that sort of animal rescue community isn't possible. It very much is, and it starts with leadership that is willing to put its foot down and refuse to give up on a healthy, friendly dog because it may have been exposed to a treatable disease.

(This is a graphic the shelter posted not that long ago. Obviously the irony is lost on them.)

Updates are sometimes boring

Hello out there!

Things:

1) Kozmo was adopted! He now lives with two little girls and they love him. He has been renamed Jean Ralfeo Buster. Which I think is what happens when a 6 and an 8 year old are forced to come up with, and agree on, a name.

2) I picked up another foster cat, an adult this time. Mr. Whiskers was apparently abandoned in a neighborhood here in town. He showed up one day about three months ago at someone's house and there have been no responses to ads in the local classifieds, CL, or the local shelter. The Good Samaritan brought him in to the clinic to treat a small facial abcess and we got to talking and, well, one thing led to another. He loves people and was already neutered, and uses a litter box like a pro. All I have is this video because, damn, black cats are difficult to photograph! Especially ones that try to cuddle with you every time you try to get at their level with a camera. I already have a family interested. Thank doG, because Tom and I like him so much we talked about keeping him.



3) Today Tom and I went and helped with some chores at my favorite local dog rescue, and accidentally came home with a foster dog.

Holly is one of those dogs that is so extremely adoptable everyone is scratching their heads as to why we still have her. She has it all: good with adults, kids, dogs, cats. Crate trained, house trained, playful without being crazy, quiet but not shy, not too big or too small, very cute with striking markings. She looks like an over sized Basenji.

You are sad that you don't have her. Get in line to adopt her now before the list gets too long.

This dog intrigues me

I went out with a doctor to a rancher's house to check a horse with an injured foot. He'd called us ahead of time to let us know no one would be home but that the mare was easy to catch. We drove up and parked near the house and two dogs trotted out to greet us.



Terrible guard dogs, both of them. They each let out a few cursory barks, then came over to sniff us, tails wagging in a friendly manner. Then they both flopped down to supervise as we took a look at the mare.



They have the confident, laid-back demeanor of true farm dogs. They have a hundred acres to run on, yet even though they're both unaltered they stay near the house. They rarely see a kennel or a leash. They're both fit and trim. They've been well-socialized to people and other dogs and animals by the constant stream of workers that come through to work with the cows.



I don't know what mix of breeds created this guy, but those eyes catch your attention, don't they? I don't know where the rancher got him, or what he uses him for or if he's just a pet.



He looks like he could be a street dog from just about anywhere in the world.

A pattern emerges

Gimpy puppy + seconds from euthanasia = goes home with me.

Meet Flipper. Yes I named him that because of his leg. Yes I may be a bad person. He's orphaned and two weeks old and I have no idea what he'll look like as his mother was described as "medium sized mixed breed". I've never bottle raised a puppy. It'll be a good learning experience.

Anecdotal Pit Bull #21, 22, 23

A 4 year old, neutered male "pit bull mix". He stayed over night after a lump removal surgery and I was the one who took him out in the morning to potty and get medicated. Completely unremarkable experience. Mellow, not terribly cuddly. That's about all I remember. Didn't do anything remotely aggressive when I shoved pills down his throat.

From this angle, this 3 year old "pit bull mix" looks like a black Labrador retriever. Her face is more pit-ish, though.



She cuddles, she leans into legs, she DOES NOT WANT to go into kennel runs, thank you very much. But other than STRONGLY DISAGREEING with us on that subject, she wasn't too difficult to treat. She certainly wasn't aggressive.



She's a family pet. She had a kid at home, and she's perfect for it.

This 5 year old female boxer/pit bull mix's ears really do stand up like that all the time. They are ridiculous. In this photos she's waking up from sedation after removing embedded cheat grass from between her toes, but she was pretty mellow the whole time, anyway. Her feet were extremely painful when she came in, and though she cried out and struggled during the initial exam, she never showed aggression. Like the black dog above, she also has a kid to go home to.

another unreported dog bite

Yesterday I was mauled by a pit bull.

OK, not really, but that's probably what a news article would say.

What really happened was a family brought in their 8 month old mixed breed dog. He had kind of a big head, so the shelter they adopted him from called him a 'pit bull mix'. I see a lot more lab, personally; his body shape and coat are pure labrador retriever, but that's hardly matters: most people would indeed call him a pit mix.

As is common, I came around the counter and, after asking permission, squished his big face for a minute, then went back to work. He was very friendly and lick-y and completely untrained and unruly. A few minutes later, another dog and their person entered the waiting room, and both large dogs immediately started barking at each other.

As is often the case with dogs bites, it was my fault. The 'pit' mix was lunging against his leash and the kid holding him looked like he was about to fall down, so I ran over and reached out to grab his collar. My fingers ended up in the dog's mouth instead, and teeth closed down on them, but then quickly released, I assume because my fingers were getting in the way of his barking. It didn't hurt, it certainly didn't pierce skin, it barely counts as a "nip". Life immediately continued on. We separated the dogs into different rooms, things quieted down, I washed the slobber off my hands. I don't think anyone except me noticed I'd been bitten.

But there you have it. In the interests of full disclosure, I've been bitten by a "pit bull".

my story from today in which no one died

You know that nonchalant way a loose dog has of walking along the side of a busy road, sniffing here and there, unconcerned as a few feet away cars whiz by at 50 miles an hour?

Perhaps the only time the image of a happy, relaxed dog can send spikes of cortisol and adrenaline through the blood.

The front office window has a lovely view of the four lane highway located right outside. Interesting fact: it only takes about 5 seconds to run from the office to the center lane of the highway if you're properly motivated.

Another interesting fact: the highway that is usually full of speeding, swerving, tailgating assholes (especially during the lunch rush) will suddenly be occupied by conscientious drivers totally willing to stop for a arm-waving mad woman and confused dog. Go humanity?

Anecdotal Pit Bull #15

I forget her name. She is a 2 year old pit bull/heeler mix who came in to be spayed. She's a family pet, and has a child to play with at home. In the clinic she was nervous and kept tail tucked. Until I took her outside for a potty walk, then she relaxed and started bouncing up and wanting to play.

The Anecdotal Pit Bull #12, 13, 14, and Bonus

I forget her name. She's a 8 month old American pit bull terrier, brought in by her owner to treat some skin issues. She was very friendly, and pretty mellow. I had to hold her down while the vet painfully scraped her skin in muliple places. She struggled a little but otherwise didn't complain.

Number 13 has no photo because I was too busy to take one. I'll include it in this little series of mine because he was very clearly a "pit bull type" dog and I spent some time handling him. Teko is a white, 7 year old female spayed "pit bull mix" brought in for an annual exam and vaccines. Her owner, a local rancher, has owned her since she was a puppy. She was quite nervous, and when I came out to the waiting room and made brief eye contact with her, she ducked under the bench. When we lifted her onto the examine table, she started shaking slightly and didn't stop until we were done. Despite that, she never acted aggressive or attempted to bite.

Number 14 also has no photo for the same reasons. His owner brought him in to treat a persistent cough. He's a 6 year old, unaltered male American pit bull terrier with a ridiculously and disproportional large head. White with brindle spots. He was very happy and friendly to everyone. He obviously was untrained and not used to being forced to hold still, (and and 65 lbs of pure muscle, difficult to hold as well) but at no point did I feel unsafe holding him.



And here's the Bonus! This is a list of all the patients at this clinic that are listed in our computer records as "American pit bull terrier". The total number: 268. This does not include "American Staffordshire terrier", "Staffordshire bull terrier", "pit bull mix", any dogs whose owners didn't bother giving us a breed, nor any of the boxer, lab, and bull dog mixes that would be targeted by breed specific legislation under the right circumstances. The search program isn't used very often and seems to be buggy, also I don't have time (or permission) to do some really good digging into breed numbers. But I'd like to. But in the meantime, this should give some pretty compelling preliminary (and anecdotal) evidence that "pit bull type" dogs are popular pets.

The Anecdotal Pit Bull #11

Four-month-old intact male "pit bull type" dog. Came in for vaccinations. Acted like a friendly puppy. The end.

The Anecdotal Pit Bull #10

Being only 8 weeks old, Tiga (a "pit bull" according to his owner) hasn't had time to eat any faces yet. He's more into licking them. Owners brought him in to get vaccinated and to x-ray his front paws, which are growing funky.

That's it. Ho hum.

The Anecdotal Pit Bull #9

Gracie is owned by one of the vet techs here at work. Her breeding is unknown, but she is obviously a "pit bull type" dog. She has the most woeful looks. In this photo, she is having her anal glands expressed, so the look is justified. She seems to like all people, even after they poke their fingers in her bottom. She is always happy to come to the clinic and say hi to everyone. She shares her home with another dog, and they get along alright, despite Gracie being food and toy aggressive.

Somehow, she's managed to never kill or maul anyone, despite being a "pit bull" under adverse conditions such as those pictured above.

You might be a cowdog if...

Your collar is made from twine and a cow ear tag.

The Anecdotal Pit Bull #3

This is a 3-year-old, spayed female American Pit Bull Terrier. Her family brought her to the clinic for annual exam and vaccinations. Nothing remarkable. She acted very outgoing and happy. She didn't complain about being stuck with needles.

(An explanation).

Certain things are inevitable

It was fifteen minutes to closing time. Dr. M had been in the surgery room for 2 hours trying to set pins in the puppy's leg. It wasn't going well. An external fixator is difficult enough to set when the dog is an adult with a clean break. This was neither. Really, the owner should have taken the slightly more expensive option and taken her to a specialist to have the bones plated, but it was too late for that now.

He tried one more time to screw a pin in the tiny space of unbroken bone below the elbow joint. There was a soft but ominous crunching sound. Dr. M set down his tools, took off his gloves and left the room. I glanced at S, who had been monitoring the puppy throughout the surgery. I had just come into the room a few minutes ago to check out the surgery. All the end-of-day chores were finished a few minutes ahead of schedule and I was curious. "He going to call the owner?" I asked.

"Yep."

Dr. M returned in a few moments. "They want to euthanize."

S nodded and left to draw up the Euthasol.

"Why don't they just amputate?" I asked. "I've met quite a few perfectly happy three-legged dogs."

"So have I." He said, "in fact I even knew a three-legged working ranch dog. But this owner said he couldn't bear the sight of a crippled dog. He also said he's afraid the other dogs will pick on it."

S returned with a syringe filled with pink death, and a small body bag. She went to the end of the table and lifted the surgery drape to find the puppy's IV line. A soft, black nose appeared. Spotted around the edges, rounded in that way that 3-month-old puppy features are. Eyes shut, slow breaths fogging the tube. S started to insert the needle into the port. "Wait." I said, and turned to Dr. M. "How much would it cost to amputate?"

He raised his eyebrows. "Probably around a thousand, all told. Why? You thinking of buying yourself a dog?"

I bit my lip and looked at the spotted nose. "Yeah. Let's do it. Tom said he wanted a puppy anyway."

Dr. M grinned, "I'll call up the owner again."

An hour, eleven hundred dollars, and a bottle of Rimadyl later, and I've got myself a puppy.

I've known for a while that Tom and I would end up with another border collie. They're the kind of breed that becomes addictive. I never imagined the circumstances, though.

I gave Tom the honor of naming her. He chose "Samus", named for star character of the Metroid video game series (third most popular Nintendo franchise after Zelda, btw). In Metroid, Samus has a bionic laser canon instead instead of one of her arms.

We'll wait until Sammy is full grown before we fit her with her own laser canon. Those things are expensive. For now, she'll have to make do with her Border Collie Puppy Control Stare Of Cuteness(tm).

Celebrate Shelter Pets Day

A man came into the clinic today with his dog Rex. There's a note at the bottom of Rex's chart. "Muzzle!!" (with two exclamation marks and highlighted in orange).

The warning was hardly necessary; Rex walked in the door growling and didn't stop until his owner carried him out 15 minutes later. Eyes bugging out of his head, he shook, he cowered, he tried to climb inside his owner's jacket, he lunged when we got too close.

The owner was very patient with Rex, holding him gently but firmly so we could work on him. He told us Rex is a wonderful dog at home. He just suffered abuse when younger and is now very wary of strangers. When with those he trusts, he's a normal, happy dog.

"I wouldn't trade him for the world," he said.

I couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if Rex had ended up in a typical animal shelter instead of with this family. He probably wouldn't even have been given a chance to fail a "temperament test"; he'd have been killed after the first, fearful growl. Assuming that he'd take too much time and effort to rehab, he'd have probably been killed to make room for something considered more easily adoptable.

Luckily, Rex never had to go through the shelter system. A family gave him a chance, and that's all he needed.

I'm not sure where I'm going with this, except it seemed a good occasion for yet another endorsement of the No-Kill Movement. It's perfectly understandable why a shelter worker used to working under the old system would write off a dog like Rex, or spend time focusing on the abusers of his past instead of his prospects for the future. What I like about No-Kill is he would have a better chance to become that pet that someone wouldn't trade for the world.

EPA finally doing something about pet spot-on products?

Update: They finally put this information on their website... a whole 2 days before the event:

http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/health/spot_on_webinar.html

It's been almost a year since EPA's initial press release and they're finally giving some hints that they might be ready for some action. They're holding a webinar next week that's open for the public. I'll be watching it and I'll post an update here if anything interesting happens. This might be worthwhile to attend for anyone who uses or wants to use a spot-on product. Or it might be a boring waste of time. That's the fun part about dealing with the government, you never know!

(Note that EPA only regulates some-spot ons, like Frontline and Advantage the type that essentially stay on the surface of the skin. Any products like Advantage Multi, or Capstar, that are either given orally or that absorb through the skin into the blood stream, are considered drugs and are regulated by FDA).

I don't think EPA has posted this information anywhere online (I got the announcement from an email listserv). Below is the complete text in case anyone is interested:


"On Wednesday, March 17, 2010, from 4:00 pm - 6:00 p.m., ET, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will hold a public meeting via Webinar, entitled EPA's Evaluation of Pet Spot-On Products: Analysis and Mitigation Plan. Last spring, following a significant increase in incident reports associated with pet spot-on products in 2008, EPA requested additional information from the pet spot-on pesticide registrants and conducted an intensive evaluation of those incidents and products. During the Webinar, the public will have an opportunity to ask questions about EPA's findings and plans to protect pets. The Webinar is free and no preregistration is necessary to join the conference.

If this is your first time participating in an EPA Webinar through the EPA Portal, we recommend that you download the software prior to March 17. Go to http://hawkeye.epa.gov/imtapp/app/nuf_sys.uix and click on the icon under "Run"(on the right-hand side of the Web page). If you see a run or installation pop-up, please click Yes, Run, or Allow. This is a one-time add-on that is needed to run the Web conference software. If your screen flickers or goes black during this step, it is normal.

On March 17, participants can log in to the Webinar and conference call beginning at 3:50 pm.

1. Using Internet Explorer, go to http://portal.epa.gov/webconference. In the JOIN CONFERENCE box on the right-hand side of the Web page, enter the Conference ID 56381.

2. Leave the Conference Key blank, and enter your full name and e-mail address where requested. Press JOIN CONFERENCE. You will be able to view the presentation once the meeting begins.

3. Dial toll free into the conference on your telephone in order to hear the EPA speakers. Call the Conference number: 1-866-229-3188, then enter conference code 703 308 8059 and press the # sign.

All telephone lines will be muted during the Webinar. If you wish to ask questions, please e-mail them to syed.hamaad@epa.gov during the meeting and they will be forwarded to the presenters. We will answer as many questions as possible during the allotted time.

Please note that the Web conference tool will only work on a PC computer. Please use Internet Explorer as your browser. It is recommended that you change your screen resolution before joining the Webinar. To adjust the resolution:

1. Right-click on your Desktop

2. Go to "Properties"

3. Go to the "Settings" tab

4. Go to the highest screen resolution by pulling the tab in the lower-left corner toward "More." Click OK. 1024 x 768 is the best

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EPA distributes its Pesticide Program Updates to external stakeholders and citizens who have expressed an interest in pesticide activities and decisions. This update service is part of EPA's continuing effort to improve public access to Federal pesticide information."

Office visitor

I brought Beta-max (and his brother Bluray) to work yesterday. They got lots of treats from people and only peed on the filing cabinet once.



I also weighed them on the mail scale. Beta-max is 1.06 lbs!