Plight of Stranded Animals Worsening Daily

[leftchick]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/07/AR2005090702267.html

Animal lovers here and across the country are mobilizing in an urgent effort to help thousands of pets and farm animals still stranded or left homeless by Hurricane Katrina and the floods that followed.

Wayne Pacelle, president and chief executive of the Humane Society of the United States, appealed yesterday for immediate federal, state and local assistance in the Gulf Coast area to save animals he said will die in the next few days if they aren't found, fed and sheltered.

"Animals are trapped by the thousands in their homes, and the clock is ticking," he said. "We need the government to help us, not with money but with rescuers. We need the Coast Guard, firemen and the National Guard. . . . We'll take care of the animals after they are pulled out."

Pacelle, noting that about 60 percent of households have pets, estimated that more than 50,000 animals might be in peril. His organization has received more than 2,000 calls from people who fled Katrina. Other organizations, including the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, also have been getting pleas for help. Many people left behind pets, especially cats, because they thought they would be gone only a couple of days.


.... If you would like to help here is a one stop website with links to all of the animal rescue groups working in the area. I donated as much as I could to three of the groups this morning.

http://www.petfinder.com/disaster/

[mike_c]

1. god, I wish I hadn't read this post....

:cry:

[leftchick]

2. you know what?

I couldn't read it either I just posted it. They need donations badly and people to help physically. A lot more lives can be saved.

[Radio_Lady]

23. That blonde cocker spaniel looks just like one we used to own.

I wish I could reach out and get this one dog. Maybe (hopefully) somebody did...

[Teaser]

3. God be with them...

but I don't want people diverted from human rescues for this.

[leftchick]

6. They are supposed to be recovering dead bodies today

I would like to think live, suffering animals came before dead bodies.

[barb162]

7. agreed

[AtomicKitten]

20. hell yes.

For the first time in my life, I acknowledge humans come first.
But now it's time to help these poor creatures left behind. I can't even imagine leaving my guys behind. I'd probably be one of the hold-outs.

[iamjoy]

24. Saving Animals Helps People

Imagine you have lost everything. Your home, your furniture, etc. They are not just material possessions, our familiar things give structure to our lives and provide comfort. Now, these people are being relocated to cities across the country, far from extended family and friends. They often have no say in where they end up.

I can only imagine how traumatic that can be. A friend of mine had her house all but destroyed by Charley. She was able to save a lot of her things, and had a nephew with an investment property he'd just gotten a few miles away that was undamaged - he allowed her to live there with her husband and two sons. Thing is, her younger son (13) started getting sick a lot. There was nothing specifically wrong with him, headaches, stomachaches, etc. Medical tests showed nothing. But they figured out it was stress of his routine being upset. And he was in the same city, going to the same school, etc. So imagine what it is like for these people from NOLA. That pet could be the one bit of familiar comfort that literally keeps some one sane. Or, even if they have to find a foster home for their pet, they were already traumatized by the wind and rising waters and suffering waiting for assistance. Don't let them be haunted by the thought of their beloved pet suffering.

[leftchick]

27. I mourn my dog who died two years ago to this day!

And she was terminal. I had a few weeks of extra time with her that I cherish. I can't imagine how this affects all of those who had their animals ripped from their hands. Especially the children and elderly. God this is so awful.

fuckbushfuckbushfuckbush!!!!

:cry:

[iamjoy]

29. I Know, It Is So Traumatic

:hug:

People who don't love animals can't understand why we feel the way we do. They don't need to understand it, just recognize it.


When we say save people's pets, it is not because we care more about animals than humans. We are recognizing the human/animal bond and how having a beloved pet can help a person recover from trauma.

[leftchick]

54. exactly

:hug:

[AtomicKitten]

56. God, me too.

I held my 16-year-old cat in my arms when she was euthanized after a year of intensive treatment for kidney failure and they finally went kaput. Same with my 11-year-old dog who died of cancer. To this day, I am traumatized.

Oprah's clip of the black man and his 14-year-old dog still has me in tears. He wept and hugged the guy who took the dog. It was joyful in the setting of heartbreak. But what happened to all the pets that were ripped from the people's hands after saving them along with themselves?
I am so pissed that that wasn't taken into consideration. I've sent money but feel helpless being too far away and not having the means to be of more help.

I fucking hate BushCo. I hope those bastards rot in hell, oh and do some jail time first.

[Robeson]

35. Agreed.

[disconnected]

9. we can accomplish rescues of humans and pets without conflict

I think the rescues of humans and animals can both be done.
& yes, getting these animals rescued will benefit the humans as well, healthwise as diseases and the possibility of hungry feral animals becoming a problem for humans are a reality.
The people there are rescuing the animals are trained in rescuing animals not humans anyway, so no manpower will be pulled from human rescues.

[The Stranger]

4. Kicked and recommended.

Help.

[Sweet Freedom]

5. I couldn't read this, but

thanks for the link. I'll visit today and donate.

[dryan]

8. This problem is just...

another log on the fire folks. Hungry animals can become feral and start to attack people.

[meow2u3]

10. I wonder if the cats would be let out to kill the rats

Especially if they become feral or semiferal. The rats seem to have taken over and only the cats can keep down the rat population and thus, prevent further disease either once the flood waters recede or in the already dry portions of the city.

This may sound cruel, but if the cats trapped in the homes become too wild to be kept as a pet, kitties can be used for vermin control.

[shanti]

16. i doubt that many cats

survived the flooding. dogs, maybe, but cats....no.

[Captain Hilts]

25. I think cats would survive longer than dogs.

They can go longer without water and can climb far better than dogs.

[iamjoy]

28. Cats Can Swim

they may hate it, but they can do it.

Cats are going to be harder to rescue, they just don't naturally like or trust people as much as dogs do.


The other thing that could work against cats more than dogs is the cat gets out of the toxic soup and will instantly start grooming itself, so there is a potential for it to be poisoned.

But cats can swim

[GoddessOfGuinness]

19. Send them to Washington DC first.

Huge vermin problem in the White House and the Capitol buildings.

[Oreegone]

11. Petition to allow people to take their animals with them.

Saw this at the Best Friends website. Don't know how effective it will be
but I thought I'd forward it to the animal people I know. (You can have your
name listed as "anonymous" for public viewing)

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/840979272?ltl=1126076428

[Kashka-Kat]

22. YES-- why not?????

If I choose to take my cat and leave behind my inanimate possessions, why not? And it would alleviate a lot of people's STRESS.

[Oreegone]

12. A good fund to donate to.

This from a friend who has worked for years with this organization.

Max and I are on the Disaster Relief volunteer staff for United Animal Nations and just wanted to forward the link for you (or anyone else) who might be interested in donating to the Katrina rescue efforts for pets. The URL is http://www.uan.org. Obviously, no obligation. We just know lots of people worry about the four-legged people in these situations and we thought we’d forward the info. UAN is usually the first-response team, working along side the Red Cross in pet rescues.

[Jon8503]

13. Thanks for posting this. I wish I could go down there myself but I can

at least donate if that will help. You know i can't help but think if they had not been arguing with the people about taking their pets in the first place, would have helped some.

Did anyone see on CNN last night with Anderson, they were trying to keep a legally blind lady from taking her dog but finally relented.

Just poor organization.

[SomewhereOutThere424]

14. This is more than sad, it's morally outrageous

Even the victims want the pets to be taken, the government is going about this all wrong. We don't need to force people out of their homes, just take the damn pets! A lot of people will leave if they know their pet is taken care of, and the rich people got to take them! People forget that dogs will start to form packs and ATTACK survivors if they're not helped, and these idiots will have caused more death, animal AND human, by neglecting the animals in need.

I on a personal note see animals like children, and in the waters of new orleans are the bodies of children and animals together. This is sick and wrong, and if the government wants to show a shred of compassion they'd help the animals too. I love and cherish the people who are heroes in this, the people who care about both people and animals, but I have to say I'm outright disguisted by my country right now. I am ashamed by it, because the greater majority shows dissent to both human and animal life. Prejaduism shouldn't exist in rescues, not even towards animals.

[iverglas]

32. guilt of the survivor

People who survived the disaster are likely going to suffer survivor guilt, to varying degrees. Those who actually saw or knew people in situations similar to theirs who died will certainly feel it.

No matter how urgently someone had to leave his/her situation in order to save his/her own life, that person is going to feel horrible guilt about leaving a pet behind, too.

When the duplex I was living in as a student caught fire and we had no time to gather anything before leaving -- it went from "I smell smoke" to "the house is on fire, get out!" in 10 seconds flat -- I actually forgot about my cat. And I didn't think about her as we stood on the street watching the firefighters. Fortunately, the fire was mainly contained to the outer structure of the building, and after a while one of the firefighters came out and asked whether someone had a cat. He'd dropped her out a second floor window into an alley, and there she was, wet and terrified and unharmed.

My family revolves around bloody cats, and I'd left mine behind in a house fire. Nice guilt there, I can tell you -- even though what we'd been doing instead was getting the downstairs neighbours' kid out of the building.

Many pets will not have survived, and it won't matter how desperate their owners' situation was and how unable they were to save the pets and themselves both, they'll feel guilt with their grief. It's an unavoidable side-effect of pet ownership at the best of times. But it's an additional source of major stress that every possible effort should be made to spare them -- plus, of course, knowing that a pet has survived and been rescued will be a positive among all the negatives.

[ET Awful]

15. That dog in the picture looks so trusting . . . he looks like he's

saying THANKS! Thanks for getting me out of this sludgehole!

He almost looks like he's smiling in relief.

[leftchick]

21. I have looked at so many photos on Yahoo

of these poor animals. The ones in trees and porches, their eyes are screaming save me. I can't even look any more.

:cry:

[SheilaT]

17. Like most of us here

I'm fond of animals and have two cats myself. I can't really imagine betraying their trust by abandoning them. Of course, most of the evacuees who left on Sunday thought they'd be back in a day or two.

Like humans, they will do whatever they can to survive. The fancy breeds most dependent on humans won't last long, but the tough ones will. I expect that no matter what happens in terms of animal rescue, the eventual rebuilding of New Orleans, whatever, there will be a feral cat and dog problem for years to come.

[iamjoy]

26. I Don't Understand That

"Of course, most of the evacuees who left on Sunday thought they'd be back in a day or two."

If people think it is dangerous enough for them to leave, why would they think it safe for their pet to stay? Didn't they read the reports that said the city would be uninhabitable for weeks or months?

I am not judging these people (I know it seems this way), but can some one help me understand this logic?

I for one, have two kitties I would never leave. They would come with me or I would stay. Of course, if flood waters were rising in my home at inches a minute, I wouldn't spend too much time looking for them.

[LisaL]

38. No, I don't understand that either.

Considering the authorities were asking people to look around and remember the monuments, cause they wouldn't be there no more. So, sorry, cant' see how people thought they would be back in a day or two and their cats would be o'key.
If you have a car, load the darn cat into it!
Of course they make it impossible for people without transportation to save their pets, but for people with cars-they should have known better!

[Lorien]

31. The problem WILL exist for years

the birth rate of feral dogs and cats skyrocketed here in Florida after last year's hurricanes. Relief efforts will be needed for many months to come!

[Megahurtz]

18. ......

:cry:

[Lorien]

30. Doe ANYONE here have direct contact with a rescue group rep in that area?

If so, please HELP! Our Orlando based rescue has been accepting food and monetary donations for Katrina aid. We're driving a few vans up tomorrow, but we'll have a MAJOR convoy effort ready on the 24th of this month (after our adopt-a-thon; we'd go up sooner but we need to adopt out more of our animals first). We have TONS of food donations, hundreds of carriers, and more. If there is a MAJOR shelter in the southeast portion of the area effected by Katrina that you know of who will accept the pet supply donations and send us home with as many animals as we can transport to Orlando, please PM me! My attempts to reach the HSUS have failed. :-(

[leftchick]

33. I don't have a direct contact

But here are some links. There are many more at the link in the OP with with phone numbers locally in LA. Just an examle here...

http://www.humanela.org/

http://www.americanhumane.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pa_disaster_relief

http://www.vetmed.lsu.edu/


I would try phone calls. Some are being just overwhelmed. I wish you luck and you are a great animal lover! :loveya:

[MasonJar]

34. Yesterday on Countdown the cameras showed two beautiful

horses, wandering around, drinking the water, and then two adorable dogs, obviously pets, playing with each other in the street. I have not drawn a happy breath since. It is not that I am not upset about the people, but animals depend on us.

[roguevalley]

36. animals, children and the old are innocent. they deserve our

protection first. I am distraught over this in a way I could never had imagined feeling. As I sit here, animals are dying. Its terrible. Beyond terrible.

[aikoaiko]

37. I've been thinking about what I would do I had to leave my pets to die

I think I might have to put them down rather than let them starve to death. I know thats not a choice for everyone, but if I really had to leave my pet for almost certain suffering -- I think I feel compelled to do it.
;( ;( ;( ;( ;( ;( ;(;(;(;(;(;(;( ;(

[Oreegone]

48. The problem is there wouldn't be enough time

Unless of course you chose to do it yourself.

[aikoaiko]

50. thats what I'm saying. ;((((((

I wonder if I would have the guts -- I cried at the end of old yellow.

[Sterling]

39. I sent $50

I feel so bad for these little guys.

[castiron]

40. Please read this reassuring thing on the gentleness of death by dehydratio

Experts Say Ending Feeding Can Lead to a Gentle Death

To many people, death by removing a feeding tube brings to mind the agony of starvation. But medical experts say that the process of dying that begins when food and fluids cease is relatively straightforward, and can cause little discomfort.

"From the data that is available, it is not a horrific thing at all," said Dr. Linda Emanuel, the founder of the Education for Physicians in End-of-Life Care Project at Northwestern University.

In fact, declining food and water is a common way that terminally ill patients end their lives, because it is less painful than violent suicide and requires no help from doctors.

...Once food and water stop, death usually comes in about two weeks, and is caused by effects of dehydration, not the loss of nutrition, said Dr. Sean Morrison, a professor of geriatrics and palliative care at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. "They generally slip into a peaceful coma," he said. "It's very quiet, it's very dignified - it's very gentle."

The process of dying begins in the kidneys, which filter toxins from the body's fluids. Without new fluids entering the body, the kidneys produce less and less urine, and the urine becomes darker and more concentrated until production stops entirely.

Toxins build up in the body, and the delicate balance of chemicals like potassium, sodium and calcium is disrupted, said Deborah Volker, an assistant professor of nursing at the University of Texas who has written extensively on end-of-life issues.

This electrolyte imbalance disrupts the electrical system that triggers the action of muscles, including the heart, and eventually the heart stops beating.

[LisaL]

41. WTF does a feeding tube has to do with pets dying from dehydration?

Were they terminal and on feeding tubes before this?
They are talking about terminally ill people, not healthy pets that will die a horrible death.

[iverglas]

42. I don't think that was called for

I think the point of the post was that for pets trapped inside houses, for instance (where their owners had undoubtedly thought they would be safe, for the few days they might be gone), will die of dehydration not horribly, but painlessly. I thought that the post was meant to offer some small comfort to anyone feeling guilt and grief.

[LisaL]

43. Painlessly? Do you really think death from dehydration and

starvation is painless? I mean, how ridiculous can it get? What's next?
Death by gassing is painless? Death by burning is painless?

[castiron]

44. I didn't write the shit!

I'm a pet lover, I have given money, signed the fucking petitions. Are you gonna tell me that you haven't had the thought that there are pets in N.O. who are kinda hungry right now? And how do you feel about that? I'd like to remind you that bodies have ways of blocking the pain of that in case you care about animals being in pain. I do.

[LisaL]

46. Maybe you should have read it before posting.

That article is talking about terminally ill people on feeding tubes.

[iverglas]

49. maybe you should learn the concept

"distinction without a difference".

If death by dehydration is peaceful, then it makes absolutely no difference whose or what's death it is.

No one was suggesting that pets should be intentionally starved to death, or allowed to starve to death if they could be rescued -- and I don't think anyone would deny that the distress that people or animals who die that way, not by choice, suffer before the last stage of the dying process would be rather horrible.

I do think it would comfort some people to know that at the end their pets weren't in pain. Isn't that what the vet tells us when we euthanize a suffering pet? If the people have no chance to prevent their pet from dying now, what is so dreadful about offering them this perfectly sound information?

Sheesh.

[LisaL]

51. Again, the article doesn't deal with either healthy pets or

healthy people. It talks about terminally ill patients having their feeding tube removed. It has nothing to do with death by dehydration being peaceful for everyone and all. And if people think their pets weren't in pain when they died from dehydration, they are going to be fooling themselves.

[TankLV]

55. Oh, for christsake! Please give it a rest!

Take the information the way the author and poster intended it - as a comfort. You might not realize it, but you both are ON THE SAME SIDE!

The poster DID NOT do it to cause anguish. He did it to try to comfort.

Just as you would wish otherwise.

I also cannot let myself think about this situation, either.

Please - you are both caring and loving individuals. I know we are all hurting and devestated and shell-shocked because of the obvious and blatent corruption and uncaring of those fucking REPUKES who CONTROL every fucking facet of OUR government and have srewed up bigtime!

Let us all please keep the hatred and anger focused on the REPUKES! - and not on each other!

[castiron]

45. Yes, thank you, it was. and it was also deleted by some rabid

ass in another forum.

[Coventina]

52. I understand your good intentions in posting this.

But I do have to say that I watched my mother die of dehydration and it was NOT peaceful OR painless.
She went into convulsions several times. It was horrible.

I have therefore made it clear in my own medical directive that I can be starved to death, but not dehydrated to death. (If I am unable to make my wishes known, and I'm in a hospital/hospice situation).

[glugglug]

57. That article is full of shit

Dehydration, even in the early stages, is like a really bad fucking hangover.

How would you like a hangover that lasts 2 weeks until you die?

Starvation without dehydration would not be peaceful either. In fact, the state of mind which low sugar levels from hypoglycemia can bring (which would be similar), have been used as a murder defense. Plus, to starve if you are getting water would take a month or 2.

[applegrove]

47. It is horrible. I hope - if people are safe - they do a few runs and

collect the pets. As long as the water is there, they cannot do part of the cleanup.

Those pets, who can get water (?) but no food, they will heal many a child. Isn't that important.

I hate to think of the starving of pets. Or the wounds. If the people are safe - I say - send the rescuers out to do that job.

They'll have to collect them anyway once they die tragic deaths. Easier if you can get them to walk into your boat. And less disease.

[leftchick]

53. Kick for these poor voiceless babies...

:kick:

[leftchick]

58. IFAW one of the BEST Animal Welfare Org. Is On The JOB!

http://www.ifaw.org/ifaw/general/default.aspx?oid=3

This really makes me feel better. This is one great organization I have donated to for at least a decade...




IFAW's Emergency Relief Team rescued a 300-pound pot-bellied pig, cats, dogs, an iguana and even a hamster from New Orleans on Tuesday.

Thousands of Hurricane Katrina victims are depending on us to help their animals be rescued. Please give what you can now to our Hurricane Katrina Animal Rescue emergency campaign.

IFAW is working with United Animal Nations' Emergency Animal Rescue Service and Code 3 Associates to find and reunite missing pets using its 78-foot disaster-relief and animal rescue response unit.

[leftchick]

59. And They rescued people too....

Animals were not the only ones saved today. Lead through streets and allyways by following a Black Hawk helicopter - listen to the audio report to hear more - the ER team arrived to find a number of people up on a balcony. When inquiring whether they needed assistance with their animals, the team learned that one of the individuals inside had suffered a stroke and was paralyzed on one side. Seeing the urgent need to get these people out - an IFAW team member carried the older gentleman out of the flooded house and into the rescue boat. Once back on dry land, the four hurricane victims were given to medics for further assistance.

:cry: These are wonderful people!