Welcome to ASPCA News Alert

Mercedes Flett, President of the nonprofit animal welfare
>> organization, United Animal Nations (UAN), explains, "With the
>> country on heightened alert for terrorism, hurricane season on its
>> way, and low rainfall in the West raising fears of another record
>> fire season, now is the time to prepare."
>>
>> The usual animal care facilities can not be counted on either.
>> Boarding
>> kennels, veterinarians, and animal shelters are usually filled beyond
>> capacity to meet the needs of displaced animals. BringYourPet.com
>> allows pet owners to prepare a list of pet-friendly properties to
>> keep on hand in the event that an unforeseen disaster occurs.
>>
>> In addition to finding pet-friendly accommodations, Mercedes Flett of
>> UAN also stressed that people need to, "prepare a disaster kit for
>> their animals today." She suggests including a week's supply of food,
>> two weeks' worth of water, and to make sure that their animals are
>> always wearing a collar and tag. Owners should also include current
>> photos of their animals, a week's supply of any long-term medication
>> and a first aid kit

FELINE HEALTH ALERT: LILIES CAN BE LETHAL

With Easter just around the corner, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control
Center (APCC) has partnered with the Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA)
in a campaign to educate companion animal caretakers about the
potential dangers of some of the most popular springtime plants. Many
kinds of lilies--including Easter lily, tiger lily, rubrum lily,
Japanese show lily and some species of the day lily--can cause kidney
failure in cats if ingested. Last year alone, the center handled more
than 125 cases of cats ingesting a lilium species. Signs of toxicosis,
such as vomiting, lethargy and loss of appetite, may appear within a
few hours, and will continue to worsen as damage to the kidneys
progresses. Without prompt and proper treatment, kidney failure can
develop in 36-72 hours. "Unfortunately, all parts of the lily are
considered toxic to cats," says APCC veterinary toxicologist Dr.
Sharon Gwaltney-Brant. "Consuming even small amounts can be
life-threatening."

You can keep your feline family members safe and sound by simply
removing all dangerous plants from their access. We also encourage you
to consider safer but beautiful alternatives to lilies, such as Easter
orchids, Easter daisies and violets. To help you identify potentially
harmful members of the lily family, the APCC and CFA have developed
online informational materials that include photos of dangerous
species and a list of nontoxic plants. Please visit APCC or CFA to
take a look.

For more information, please visit:
ASPCA Animal Poison Control
Center - http://www.aspca.org/site/R?i=CTc0POakZNMXSXLRAGHJvQ..

Cat Fanciers' Association - http://www.aspca.org/site/R?i=fEyfAVMb-CEXSXLRAGHJvQ..
With Easter just around the corner, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control
Center (APCC) has partnered with the Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA)
in a campaign to educate companion animal caretakers about the
potential dangers of some of the most popular springtime plants. Many
kinds of lilies--including Easter lily, tiger lily, rubrum lily,
Japanese show lily and some species of the day lily--can cause kidney
failure in cats if ingested. Last year alone, the center handled more
than 125 cases of cats ingesting a lilium species. Signs of toxicosis,
such as vomiting, lethargy and loss of appetite, may appear within a
few hours, and will continue to worsen as damage to the kidneys
progresses. Without prompt and proper treatment, kidney failure can
develop in 36-72 hours. "Unfortunately, all parts of the lily are
considered toxic to cats," says APCC veterinary toxicologist Dr.
Sharon Gwaltney-Brant. "Consuming even small amounts can be
life-threatening."

You can keep your feline family members safe and sound by simply
removing all dangerous plants from their access. We also encourage you
to consider safer but beautiful alternatives to lilies, such as Easter
orchids, Easter daisies and violets. To help you identify potentially
harmful members of the lily family, the APCC and CFA have developed
online informational materials that include photos of dangerous
species and a list of nontoxic plants. Please visit APCC or CFA to
take a look.

For more information, please visit:
ASPCA Animal Poison Control
Center - http://www.aspca.org/site/R?i=CTc0POakZNMXSXLRAGHJvQ..

Cat Fanciers' Association - http://www.aspca.org/site/R?i=fEyfAVMb-CEXSXLRAGHJvQ..

NO SCAREDY CATS THIS HALLOWEEN: SAFETY TIPS FOR PET PARENTS
Attention, companion animal caretakers. The ASPCA offers these common-sense cautions to keep your pets safe and sound during this time of the year:

All but the most social dogs and cats should be kept in a separate room during peak trick-or-treat visiting hours. Too many strangers in unusual garb can be scary and stressful for pets.
When opening the door for trick-or-treaters, take care that Max or Mittens doesn't dart outside. Make sure all your pets are wearing current identification, just in case.
No tricks or treats: Keep all Halloween candy out of your pet's reach. Chocolate can be poisonous to animals, and tinfoil and cellophane candy wrappers can be hazardous if swallowed.
It's not a bright idea to keep lit pumpkins around companion animals. Pets can knock them over, and curious kittens especially run the risk of being burned.
Don't leave your pet in the yard on Halloween. There have been reports of vicious pranksters who have teased, injured, stolen and even killed pets on this night.
Although the ASPCA recommends that cats remain indoors at all times, it is especially important to keep your feline inside for several days before and after Halloween. Black cats in particular may be at risk from children's pranks or other cruelty-related incidents. As a safety precaution, many shelters will not adopt out black cats around Halloween.
Don't dress up your dog or cat unless you know he or she loves it. If you decide to do so, make sure the costume isn't annoying or unsafe, and doesn't restrict her movement, vision, hearing or ability to breathe or bark. Avoid costumes with small or dangling accessories that she could chew off and possibly choke on. Make sure an adult supervises pets in costume at all times.

CELEBRATE ADOPT-A-SHELTER DOG MONTH--SPONSOR A CANINE ONLINE!

Meet Helen, one of our virtual adoption shelter dogs.

Yes, October is Adopt-A-Shelter Dog Month here at the ASPCA. And if you can't bring a shelter dog into your home, then please consider sponsoring one online through our Virtual Adoption program. There you'll meet Toby, a beagle mix who will be staying in foster care at the ASPCA while he undergoes treatment for heartworms, and get to know Helen, a blind and deaf fox terrier who was rescued, along with 48 other fox terriers, from a backyard breeder. (We know we're slightly biased this month, but yes, there are great shelter cats in need of sponsorship as well!)

P.S. If you live in the New York-metro area and are interested in adding a real live dog to your clan, visit the ASPCA's Manhattan headquarters on 424 East 92nd St. this Saturday, October 25, for our special dog adoption event. In addition to treats, clowns and all-family fun, there will be a special appearance by Lassie. We'll be there from 11 A.M. to 8 P.M.

Welcome to ASPCA News Alert, a weekly e-mail newsletter from The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

PLANNING TO FERTILIZE YOUR LAWN? READ THIS FIRST
How does your garden grow? Not with cocoa bean mulch, please. A retrospective study just released by the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) confirms that this commonly used fertilizer may deter slugs and snails, but it also attracts companion canines, who can be poisoned by eating it.

Made from spent cocoa beans used in the production of chocolate, cocoa bean mulch contains caffeine and theobromine, both of which are toxic to dogs. Depending on the amount ingested, symptoms range from vomiting and diarrhea (as exhibited by a 50-pound dog who had eaten about two ounces of the mulch) to tremors, seizures and death.

The study, which included six cases received and managed by veterinarians at the APCC between January 2002 and April 2003, was presented at last month's 2003 North American Congress of Clinical Toxicology. Comments Dr. Steven Hansen, the APCC's Senior Vice President, "Since the updated data confirms that dogs can exhibit certain clinical effects after consuming cocoa bean shell mulch fertilizer, the ASPCA advises pet owners that they should avoid using this fertilizer around unsupervised dogs, and dogs with indiscriminate eating habits."

If you suspect that your dog has ingested this organic fertilizer--or any other potentially toxic substance--immediately contact your veterinarian or the APCC at (888) 426-4435 for 24-hour emergency assistance. For more information on cocoa bean mulch, visit APCC online.

KUDOS TO SENATOR LIZ KRUEGER FOR SPONSORING DOWNED ANIMAL BILL
This past weekend, New York State Senator Liz Krueger and the Watkins Glen, NY-based Farm Sanctuary announced the senator's sponsorship of S. 5735, known as the Downed Animal Bill. At the Saturday press conference held in New York City, the legislator also proposed the formation of a nonpartisan coalition that would promote a humane agenda. "Creating a more humane and healthier New York is not an issue of partisanship," said Senator Krueger. "The Downed Animal Bill is a perfect example of legislation that we should work together to pass. It is a common-sense bill that both deals with the humane treatment of farm animals and issues of public health. Animals too sick to stand, often a direct result of inhumane farming practices, are commonly slaughtered and sold for human consumption in the United States."

Adds ASPCA President, Edwin J. Sayres, "The promotion of humane legislation in New York State is an important priority for the ASPCA, and we support Senator Krueger's sponsorship of the downed animal legislation."

PETFINDER HAPPY TAIL OF THE WEEK:THREE-PEAT PERFORMANCE
"We didn't plan to have three dogs," says New Jersey's Diane Vodola. "It just sort of happened."

She and her family already had a 15 1/2-year-old Lab/Dobie mix named Magnum, when they decided to adopt Fritz. Diane found the collie/terrier mix in question on Petfinder.com, the ASPCA's online partner and searchable database of homeless pets. And when Diane logged onto the site once again to sign Fritz up for two months of ShelterCare Pet Insurance--a gift offered to qualifying dogs and cats adopted from Petfinder--she couldn't help but look at the available pets in her area. As you can probably guess, one in particular caught her eye.

"We had to have her," recalls Diane. The object of her affection was Tawny, a young female American Eskimo mix at the Ledgewood, NJ-based Noah's Ark Animal Welfare Association who looked uncannily like a dog the Vodolas had lost to cancer. After contacting the shelter, Diane set out with her daughter, Jennifer, to check the little pooch out.

But when they arrived at Noah's Ark, Tawny had just been adopted. As her "new" family led her away, Diane overheard someone complaining about the dog's hair. Just on the outside chance that Tawny would be returned, Diane left her name with the shelter. But she never really expected the family to return the sweet dog, and so they went home with "their tails between their legs."

Four days later, the Vodolas got a message from Noah's Ark. Tawny had indeed been returned! "We knew then that this was meant to be!" Diane says. "We went right over and adopted her, and we are all living happily ever after."

AND DON'T FORGET HOWL-O-WEEN! IT'S WOLF AWARENESS WEEK, OCTOBER 19-26
Did you know that a wolf's sense of smell is 100,000 times greater than a human's? And that their powerful jaws are able to exert 1,500 pounds of pressure per inch? Or that alpha males and females mate for life? The wolf, one of our country's most magnificent and misunderstood wild animal residents, is being celebrated all across the country, as animal-welfare and environmental groups sponsor events for National Wolf Awareness Week. To find out if anything is happening in your state--there'll be a special fundraiser at the California Wolf Center, for example, and the Milwaukee County Zoo is holding a wolf howling contest--visit http://www.defenders.org/waw. While there, you can test your knowledge of Canis lupus by taking an interactive wolf trivia quiz.

JUST LAUNCHED: ONLINE FERAL CAT RESOURCES
In recognition of the third annual National Feral Cat Day (that's today, October 16th) and to promote Trap/Neuter/Return (TNR) as the only proven humane and effective method of managing feral cats, the ASPCA has launched online resources to help feral cat colony caretakers implement TNR in their communities. Explains Sandra Sebastian, Program Manager, ASPCA Cares, "TNR entails the trapping of feral cats, spaying and neutering them, and then returning the cats to their territory, enabling them to live out their lives in the environment that suits them best. It is the universally recognized, nonlethal method of stabilizing the population growth of feral cats."

To learn more, visit ASPCA online.

A BEAUTIFUL ARRANGEMENT! GIVE SOMEONE SPECIAL, SOMETHING SPECIAL^sm AND HELP SUPPORT THE ASPCA
Choose from an exciting array of thoughtful gift products, including delicious gourmet baskets, scrumptious desserts, fine novelties and, of course, beautiful fresh flowers and plants, and 1-800-FLOWERS.COM^® will donate ten percent of the net proceeds from your purchase to the ASPCA. Simply use promotion code ASPCA when checking out.

To order, please visit ASPCA's online store or 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, or call 1-800-FLOWERS^®

NOW PLAYING: SHELTER DOGS DOCUMENTARY
No job in the humane world is as emotionally demanding as a shelter worker's. How can staff members cure the disease of pet overpopulation with limited funding, crowded facilities and the growing controversy over euthanasia? These ethical dilemmas are explored in Shelter Dogs, an award-winning documentary by Cynthia Wade. The work will be screened at the following upcoming film festivals:

Friday, October 17, 7 P.M., and Thursday, October 23, 5 P.M., New York City, HBO Frame by Frame Series
Wednesday, November 5, through Monday, November 10, Northampton, MA, Northampton Independent Film Festival
Saturday, November 8, 10:40 A.M., and Sunday, November 9, 3:20 P.M., Colorado Springs, CO, Rocky Mountain Women's Film Festival
Saturday, November 15, 5 P.M., Forest Hills, NY, Queens International Film Festival

For more information on the film and the venues listed above, please visit www.shelterdogs.org.

HELP SPREAD THE WORD--PLEASE FORWARD THIS NEWSLETTER TO ONE PERSON!
Know someone who cares about animals as much as you do? Please forward this issue of ASPCA News Alert to them. Anyone with an e-mail address can register directly at our website. And please tell teachers and humane educators about Animaland, the ASPCA's interactive website for kids.

If you'd like to help us even more, you can find out how to become a member of the ASPCA or contribute to our special funds. To help pass humane legislation in your state, visit the ASPCA Advocacy Center.