Animals Abused by China's Fur Industry Need Your Help

I'm going to post exactly what was emailed to me. It's from PETA. You may like what PETA does or disagree with them, but read this. Read it and think about it. Use this info to really think about the items you purchase and what industry and country and value system you support when you make a purchase. Just think about it.

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With the fall fashion season just around the corner, we need to do everything we can to make sure designers, retailers, and consumers know the horrific extent of the animal suffering that takes place on fur farms in China and around the world.

Every year, millions of individual animals, including more than 2 million cats and hundreds of thousands of dogs, are killed for their fur in China. Some are strays, and countless others are companions who once shared homes with people who loved and cared for them before the animals were rounded up—often with metal tongs around their necks—and tossed, screaming, into a crate.

China is one of the world's largest fur suppliers, and more than 95 percent of the country's finished garments are exported—with many ending up in North America. And as we now know, Chinese companies have been known to deliberately mislabel cat and dog fur as "Asian jackal," "rabbit," or "raccoon" to fool consumers. Every fur-trimmed collar or other fur item from China, regardless of the kind of animal slaughtered to manufacture it, is the product of cruelty on a truly massive scale.

The suffering on Chinese fur farms involves all sorts of animals, all of whom are deeply frightened. Powerful video footage taken during a PETA Asia-Pacific undercover investigation documents the misery of rabbits condemned to a short, miserable life and painful death at the hands of grubby fur-farm operators. The investigator saw rabbits who were crammed into filthy cages covered with urine and feces, where they could only wait, petrified, as workers made their way along the tiers of cages.

The rabbits were yanked out of their cages by their ears or legs. The workers aimed at their heads with handheld electrical devices—often multiple times—as the animals kicked and screamed. The rabbits were then hung upside down and were crudely decapitated. The farm that the investigator visited has 11,000 cages and will be responsible for the slaughter of more than 600,000 animals this year alone in the quest to satisfy the demand for their skins.

Through difficult investigations similar to this one and through decades of relentless campaigning, PETA has saved many thousands of rabbits, dogs, cats, and other animals by convincing consumers and corporations to reject all fur. We've successfully persuaded some of the world's leading designers and retailers—including Ann Taylor, Calvin Klein, Polo Ralph Lauren, and Tommy Hilfiger—to adopt permanent no-fur policies, and we've made fur so synonymous with suffering that furs are no longer considered "luxury goods," and fur prices have seen record lows. While we've accomplished much, the wholesale slaughter of so many animals for their fur in China is an urgent matter. To help these animals, we must educate consumers, corporations, and even governments about the pain that goes into every piece of fur trim and every fur cat toy produced in China. That is only part of the work, but it is a vital part.

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Horizon Organics, Whole Foods .... and Puppy Mills?

A recent story that ran in NEWSWEEK entitled A (Designer) Dog’s Life, highlighted the efforts of Bill Smith, of Main Line Animal Rescue. Smith has dedicated his life to fighting puppy mills. You can read the whole story here, but the gist of it is that John Stoltzfus, farmer and owner of B&R Puppies had a puppy mill yet was also a supplier of milk to Horizon. Horizon fired him when they learned about the puppy mill, Stoltzfus then dismantled his mill, and now Horizon has taken him back.

Horizon has a large presence in Whole Foods stores—which maintains a stringent stance on animal welfare. With all the publicity from Newsweek, Whole Foods has come out with a statement: vendors should not 'supply any products to our stores that have been sourced from farmers…who breed or raise dogs inhumanely'.

Encourage Whole Foods to enforce their standards and hold vendors responsible for the humane treatment of animals.

• Click here to read the original NEWSWEEK article, A Designer Dog’s Life.

• Click here to read the follow up NEWSWEEK article, Animal Instinct.

Source: BestFriends.org
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Garden Mulch Containing COCOA - Fair Warning

Back in 2003 an email started circulating about a particular garden mulch that was potentially bad for pets because it contained theobromine (found in chocolates). Depending on the weight of the pet, the type of chocolate, and the amount ingested, theobromine can cause seizures, arrhythmia, increased urination, and tremors. Death could occur in 12-24 hours. An internet search shows one death of a dog from eating 'cocoa mulch' and upon further investigation, there are another 3 confirmed dog deaths in the UK from cocoa shell ingestion.

Sunshine Garden Products produces a cocoa mulch made from cocoa shells. This is a commonly found product in popular stores such as Target, Home Depot, etc. We decided to contact Sunshine Garden Products directly and get their response. We just received a reply from managing director, Justin Brooking. Here is what he put together for us:

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Information relating to ‘Dogs & Cocoa Shell’

Cocoa shell contains the naturally occurring substance Theobromine. It is an inherent part of most chocolate products. Being a natural plant material, concentrations of Theobromine vary. The highest concentration is found in the 'nib', which is the inner part of the cocoa bean and therefore the darker chocolates tend to contain the highest levels of Theobromine as they use the highest concentration of cocoa bean extracts. Cocoa shells, which are the outer part of the cocoa bean, contain varying amounts of Theobromine, this depends on the growing season, the variety of bean and the country of origin. Sunshine of Africa cocoa shell is sourced from a U.K. based chocolate manufacturer who in turn source their cocoa beans from growers and co-operatives all over the world.

It is fair to say that cocoa shell when freshly spread on the garden does often smell of chocolate (for many customers this is part of the appeal of the product). This can be attractive to dogs and many dogs will have eaten cocoa shell. However the vast majority of dogs do not find cocoa shell at all palatable, it is very dry and has an abrasive texture, it also contains natural mucilage that makes it very slimy and hard to swallow. Because of these factors, dogs tend not to eat very much, if any at all. Our experience shows that very few dogs will actually eat cocoa shell and of those that do, the vast majority have no adverse reaction whatsoever. However some may get an upset stomach and it can cause hyperactivity for a short period. In very, very rare occasions dogs have died from eating cocoa shell. The smell of chocolate disappears very quickly after the shell has been spread and watered as per the instructions on the bag. Cocoa shell begins its natural composting processes as soon as it becomes wet. This changes the smell to one of an earthy compost smell which is not at all attractive to dogs.

Sunshine Garden Products have supplied the retail garden market for 17 years with cocoa shell. Over this time there have been three reported incidents of dogs that have allegedly died from eating cocoa shell in the U.K. The most recent was in September 2002 when it was confirmed that a pedigree Weimaraner sadly died from eating cocoa shell. We take this very seriously indeed and have taken advice from the Trading Standards office over this issue. We first printed a warning on our bags in 1999 and have recently strengthened it to read as follows: N.B. Please note that cocoa shell contains the naturally occurring substance Theobromine. If eaten by dogs, this can be very harmful. Please keep your dog away from the treated area until the mulch has settled i.e. a couple of weeks. If concerned contact your local vet.

This warning was printed because we felt our customers should be aware of the potential danger, albeit very small. Our decision to print this warning was endorsed by Trading Standards, however we were, and still are, under no obligation to do so. The warning can found on the back of the bag in clear purple print on a white background. It is interesting to note that no chocolate manufacturers place any kind of warning on their products to keep them away from dogs.

Most vets will be familiar with the effects of Theobromine on dogs. There are numerous cases of dogs suffering from stealing chocolate bars and cakes etc each year. Most other animals are largely unaffected by Theobromine and in fact many cocoa bean processors in the U.K. supply the animal feeds market with ground cocoa shell for inclusion as a ruminant filler in livestock feeds.

It is worth noting that Sunshine Garden Products have sold several million bags of cocoa shell over the past 17 years. The product has not changed in any way during this time. If the product posed a serious threat to dogs it would have been withdrawn from the market. Trading standards have been aware of our products and its potential danger to dogs for many years. They would not hesitate to insist we withdraw cocoa shell form the market if they felt it posed a real threat to dogs.

Cocoa Shell & Cats. We at Sunshine Garden Products have never heard that cats are at all interested in eating cocoa shell and indeed a great many of our customers have reported that cats are often deterred from walking on gardens mulched with cocoa shell. This has proved to be very popular over the years by customers wishing to prevent cats from fouling their borders. We have had so many comments and letters from satisfied customers that we print "Helps to keep cats off your garden" on the bag and other promotional literature. We have never heard of any cat being ill or dying from eating cocoa shell.

Updated - 1^st January 2008"[end quote]

So that's the info folks - cocoa mulch is apparently a fantastic garden product, but please be very careful using it around animals, particularly curious dogs . If you suspect that your pet has eaten cocoa bean mulch (or any chocolate for that matter), immediately contact your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (1-888-426-4435). Recommended care may include placing your dog under veterinary observation, inducing vomiting, and/or controlling a rapid heart beat or seizures.
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What Vaccines Are Safe & Neccessary?

Are vaccines safe and necessary on a yearly basis? Should our pets have all vaccines on the same day or should it be split into 2-3 visits? Should all pets have the same vaccines year after year? These are serious questions in every pet owner's mind and the answers are not always clear or comforting. Let's look at the pros and cons: A search on Google for pet vaccination dangers will return tens of thousands of links on this topic reported by veterinarians and ordinary pet owners..... and show all kinds of facts, answers and experiences. So who do we trust, who do we believe? Are yearly "booster" vaccines really necessary or are they just a part of the "veterinary money maker machine"?

Let's not forget some facts: In dogs these days, we rarely see a distemper case. But 40 years ago many dogs died miserable deaths or had to be euthanized due to this disease. “Parvo” (parvovirus) can be a deadly killer to dogs, but the vaccine to help protect dogs from this disease is very effective and has prevented innumerable deaths. Cats – we rarely see cats with feline distemper anymore (also called panleukopenia) thanks to effective vaccines. But are vaccines giving 100% protection against these diseases? “No”, according to Dr. Foster (of Foster & Smiths), "If a veterinarian had ten dogs in front of him to vaccinate, there would be ten different immune systems that would accept the vaccine each in a unique way. Pet owners should keep in mind that no vaccine for humans or pets is 100% protective, 100% safe, in 100% of the recipients of the vaccine."

Dr. W. Jean Dodds, a noted researcher and immunologist in Santa Monica, CA, suggests that when giving a rabies vaccine, not to administer it at the same time as other vaccines. She suggests waiting 3 to 4 weeks before giving additional vaccines. Dr. Dodds believes that, “after ten years of age, booster vaccines are generally not needed and may even be unwise”. She states, "For animals previously experiencing adverse vaccine reactions or breeds at higher risk for such reactions (Weimaraners, Akitas, Harlequin Great Danes etc.), alternatives to booster vaccinations should be considered”. These include avoiding boosters except those required by law such as the rabies vaccine. Measuring serum titers annually for specific diseases and considering homeopathic alternatives to vaccinating are another alternative. “Some homeopathic approaches are considered "unconventional" by some so the pet owner should be provided with an appropriate disclaimer and should give informed consent to this approach."

Although vaccines are researched, tested, and perfected year after year, every pet owner needs to be educated about them. Look to your veterinarian, the veterinary associations (conventional and holistic), books, magazine articles and via the internet. You need to find your comfort zone so you have peace of mind about these issues. At the same time, give your pet the maximum protection against these diseases. If you have the means to split the vaccinations into 2-3 visits, please definitely do so - it is much easier on your pet's immune system. If your pet is allergic to anything in the vaccine dose including stabilizers, preservatives, or antibiotics, please seek conventional AND holistic veterinary advise about future vaccination possibilities.

If you live in areas where you are not in the middle of an epidemic (such as the east coast's Lyme Disease), the vaccine against the disease is less likely necessary. If your cat never leaves your house, the danger is very slim he/she will contract diseases such as feline leukemia. Use your knowledge and judgment about vaccines for your pet and don't be afraid to ask questions! Never let your pet relapse on rabies vaccine (it's a law) - even if your area hasn't had any reported rabies cases in the past decade.

Working 11 years in the veterinary field I've seen both sides of the aisle and have my own opinion. One product that I've found helpful and highly recommend (recommended and used by many holistic veterinarians), is a homeopathic liquid called “Vaccination Detox” manufactured by Nature Sunshine. It is made for humans and works very well in pets to take away harmful side affects of vaccines and to help your pet's immune system bounce back quickly. We use it after every vaccination for our pets. Keeping your pet's immune system healthy is not just a great preventative measure against horrible diseases such as cancer, auto-immune disease etc., but also helps with allergies, skin and ear problems and other "annoying" chronic diseases. Read more!