Articulate Animals Newsletter

Welcome to the Articulate Animals Newsletter, July 2009

Comments from Kelly

Kelly and DogsHappy summertime to you. I can't believe it is July!

 

My girl, Jezebel (sitting on the ottoman in the photo), has reminded me a few times that Valentino has had TWO significant mentions in this newsletter, and she has yet to have her 15 minutes of fame. This being Jezebel's birthday month, I dedicate this issue to you, little Jez!

 

Jezebel is 10 years old this month, going on puppy. When we meet people on the hiking trail they are shocked when they learn her age, assuming her to be in early dog adolescence. She has much the same energy and enthusiasm as when she first came to live with me nine and a half years ago.

 

My dad nicknamed her "Jailbreak" when he first met her. The name still applies today. Let me clarify: I could leave the front door open all afternoon and she wouldn't pay a bit of attention. Place me on the other side of a closed door, however, and all bets are off. She'll explore any means to find a way to reunite. A case in point - a few months ago I had securely positioned Jezebel in her travel crate in the back of my SUV. Before I'd gotten out of my driveway she securely positioned herself square in my lap, looking up at me with her giant brown eyes and her ear-to-ear grin and said "hi mom, did you miss me? I hurried as fast I could so you wouldn't miss me too much." So magnanimous of her!

 

As an animal communicator, Jezebel is a challenge, and not just for me but for some of my colleagues as well. She'll chat all day long about play and how she loves her walks, but as soon as we begin to ask her about more serious subjects like her health and well being, she shuts down immediately. If she were a human teenager she'd be saying "talk to the hand."  According to Jezebel, she's "the fun one, the healthy one, the easy one" and she doesn't want me to worry about her. With that understanding I can work with her now, explaining that not knowing what might be going on for her is probably more worrisome for me. We're making progress, but it is like pulling the proverbial teeth.

 

Happy Birthday to you, Jezebel. You are my constant joy!

 

Blessings,

Kelly

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Choking Animals - What do I do?

 

Have you been in one of those very scary circumstances when an animal begins to choke? It could be a bit of food they don't chew sufficiently; something they found - a pebble or bit of bone - in the backyard; an elder animal could lose a tooth and swallow before realizing; or it could be an excited animal swallowing their own tongue. No matter the cause, the animal is in distress. What do we do?

 

It's taken me a couple of these terrifying moments to recognize that, while I've been lucky and my sheer panic reaction has resulted in saving the animal's life, it was luck and nothing else. The scenario could have gone the other way with sad results.

 

Guardians of some species - dogs or horses for example - quite often invest in training classes to assist the human and the animal to learn appropriate behaviors and skills. Guardians of all species invest in food, toys, beds or stable accommodations, etc. But how many of us invest in life-saving classes for animals? As common sense as this sounds, very few of us take the time to learn even the basics of animal safety techniques.

 

Our veterinarian can give us the basics of the Heimlich Maneuver, or even some CPR techniques, when visiting with our pets. This is helpful as the lesson is specific to our animal, taking into account the breed, size and weight. There are classes on animal safety, including classes given by the Red Cross. I've always been a fan of the Red Cross Organization, and even more so now that I know that they value animal lives as they do human lives!

 

I was pleased to find several resources on the Web with detailed instruction on some basic CPR techniques. I like the Global Crisis Solution Center myself, with their step-by-step instruction on performing the Heimlich Maneuver on cats and dogs:

 

HEIMLICH MANEUVER FOR DOGS AND CATS IN BRIEF - for animal choking, having asthma attack, or when rescue breathing cannot go through (conscious or unconscious). See details and explanations below.
  • [1] protecting self from reflexive bite (even if animal unconscious), straighten tongue if doubled back.
  • [2] remove any visible blockage carefully (not push further in). Do not do a blind finger sweep. Look at what you are doing. Animals have a bone at the deep in the throat at the base of the tongue which is the hyoid apparatus or Adam's apple which can be mistaken for obstruction or chicken bone. Great damage can be done by pulling on this.
  • [3] if breathing, do not go further.
  • [4] with animal on all fours, or held on hind legs, or rarely lying.
  • [5] place one fist below last rib and use other arm to steady (do not use arms to squeeze).
  • [6] jerk fist in an inward-up motion just enough to push air from lungs to expel object from windpipe. Always keep in mind the size of animal.
  • [7] if breathing, stop.
  • [8] else, do mouth check for possible manual extraction.
  • [9] if animal still choking, repeat procedure.
  • [10] if animal unconscious, check for clear air passage ways using breathing-CPR procedure above.
    •

    Do not do this procedure for practice. May cause damage to animal. Only hand placement may be practiced, but not actual pushing.

    As we read the steps, it seems like common sense, right? Similar to what we learned in High School CPR classes. There are differences, though, and the differences are important. Even with instructions and recalling your last CPR class, I encourage you to look into an animal-specific safety class, or at least talk with your vet about techniques that are safely administered to your pets according to their size, weight, and constitution. Your beloved animal companions may never need you to know how to dislodge something stuck in their throat... but maybe they will!

     

     

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Can Kelly communicate with an animal that does not live with me full time?
    It is likely not appropriate for Kelly to communicate with an animal if you, the client, are not his/her full time guardian. If you do not have the ability to make changes to improve the animal's well being, Kelly will not agree to communicate with that animal. Although this intention is honorable, it is unfair to the animal to ask questions and receive their sincere response and requests if you cannot affect change. For example, asking a neighbor's dog if he would like more walks would set an unfair expectation for that animal if, in fact, you are not in a position to guarantee him more walks. If you are an occasional caretaker of an animal and have questions about the animal's well being and preferences when the animal is in your care, then Kelly will agree to communicate with that animal within guidelines.

    More Frequently Asked Questions can be found at http://articulateanimals.com/faq.asp 

    Thank you for sharing your animal companions with me, and thank you for referring your friends and family. Blessings to you and your beloved animals.

    Watch for the next Articulate Animals e-newsletter in October. Please feel free to forward this newsletter in its entirety. For permission to use portions of the newsletter, please email Kelly directly. Past issues of the Articulate Animals newsletter are available at http://articulateanimals.com/media.asp

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    Kelly Krueger, Animal Communicator
    Articulate Animals, LLC
    P.O. Box 3732
    Evergreen, CO 80437
     
    303-670-0292
    email:     Kelly@ArticulateAnimals.com

    blog: www.ArticulateAnimals.com/blog

    twitter: www.twitter.com/kellyanimals

    url: www.ArticulateAnimals.com