...and on the eighth day, God created the horse in perfect image, to romp, graze, gallop, play and make manure wherever it darn well pleases, in divine grace.
Notice: A raccoon tested positive for rabies last week [Note this is a rerun] in Beaver Township. Three horses were bitten by the raccoon. Two of the horses were vaccinated against rabies, one was not.
The two that were vaccinated are in quarantine for 90 days, the unvaccinated horse is quarantined for 180 days.
Folks, I know I sound like a broken record, but here it goes again:
Another reminder that animals require serious and ongoing upkeep, and that if you have money for beer and cigarettes, there better be money for animal upkeep, including worm and parasite control, flea and tick control, shots for rabies and tetanus, claw and hoof clipping for dogs and horses, and filing teeth for horses.
It is expensive and never ending, for the entire life of the animal.
Dogs require licenses every year and they should be vaccinated for rabies every year to three years.
Townships are passing their own Dog Law Ordinances, requiring that owners keep control of their dogs at all times, such as behind fencing or on a leash.
Dogs are not permitted to run loose at any time, anywhere, as per the PA State Dog Law.
Dogs are required to have licenses renewed every year, as per the law, and must have a current rabies vaccine, as indicated by rabies tags.
There are incidents of rabies being reported every month in Crawford County.
Your dogs, cats and horses deserve to be kept safe from this terrible sickness.
I know some people who were bitten by a rabid kitten, and yes, it is true about the big needle in the stomach, and every one of them has to go, who was in the vicinity, although I believe that only 3 shots are required now.
One time, one of the local Veterinarians told me that when they had gone to Vet school, they were required to watch a film about a horse infected with rabies, and it had been allowed to let the disease run its full course, no medical intervention.
The horse was screaming hideously and thrashing violently, non-stop around in the containment area; the Vet informed me that it was the most gut-wrenching, horrible thing that they had ever seen, and that if people could see that film, they would be lining up to obtain rabies vaccines for their animals. Now. Today.
Fleas and ticks will literally drain an animal of life, causing it to become anemic and eventually die.
I have spoken to people who have had this happen to their pet and I just have to wonder what is going on inside their home and with them. (And their brain; I mean what ARE you looking at?!) To let an animal die like that, shame, shame, shame.
That is, flea infestation will eventually get to you; I saw a guy one time whose cats and house were so infested that his legs looked like red pin cushions because they were on him, too.
Ticks cause Lyme Disease, and I’m sure you have read about the outbreak in Dallas, TX.
Pennsylvania is top in the nation for tick populations and Lyme Disease outbreaks.
Ticks will infest the dock of a horse’s tail, and will also infest cats, dogs, and you.
For those of you who might be interested, I keep fourteen cats, indoor and outdoor, two indoor dogs and seven horses. They all have rabies shots and treatment for fleas and ticks, all current.
That gets expensive.
That popcorn you saw me eating by the rail last weekend at the show was my meal for the day.
Products such as Bayer Advantage is easy to apply, but it does not cover ticks; Revolution covers ticks and larval stages of fleas.
The new “Brevecta” covers both fleas and ticks, and is available for both dogs and cats.
The tick problem here in Crawford County never went away over the winter.
I am appalled; they are appearing on some of the cats who like to venture into the field for a good mouse hunt. It would appear that the cats themselves are being hunted, by sneaky, little parasites.
I am going to try the “Brevecta,” and I will let you know how it works.
Ticks are so ugly, they look like something out of a horrible nightmare. Their disgusting tactics add to the nightmare.
When they are in the environment, they sit an wait for a warm-blooded mammal to pass by. This is usually in fields or at the edges of fields, near the woods.
There, they are in their “questing” mode, on the hunt, and they will spring onto the animal as it passes by.
They can also hop onto you.
The CDC recommends that you spray yourself with Deet repellents when venturing on a foray into the fields, and upon your return indoors, remove all the clothing, and go take a shower.
When my friend’s child got sick with Lyme Disease from a tick, I couldn’t believe the terrible hassle that their whole family endured.
Not only was the child stricken at age 10, she was never tested for Lyme Disease and it was allowed to progress to the point that she was completely incapacitated, sitting in the dark for years, due to sensitivity to light and sound, and weakness of limbs. No lie.
She has missed out on all of her teenage activities and dreams, and after finally finding a doctor who would listen and do the Lyme Disease test, and the family obtaining an apartment in Kansas City, where a facility exists for treatment, seven years later she is now finally able to sit up and walk around. She still suffers from light and sound sensitivity
The saga continued, with the entire family being diagnosed with Lyme Disease. It was traced to the family dog, a wonderful Golden Retriever who went romping and hunting with them.
Luckily, the rest of the family was able to get a pre-emptive treatment program and have not suffered the ill-effects of Lyme Disease.
There are vaccines against Lyme Disease available for horses and dogs.
There are pre-emptive options available to you, to prevent flea and tick outbreaks, and vaccines for animals to prevent rabies and Lyme Disease.
Your animals depend on you for their every need; they deserve fresh, clean water, good food and a nice, warm place to lay their heads at night.
In turn, they give us one of our most basic requirements as human beings, something that is free and can’t be purchased for a million dollars - - Love.
Yes, it’s all about the love, folks, but you won’t be feeling any of it if you and your house fill up with fleas or you catch Lyme disease, - or horsegods forbid, rabies.
Re-read those incidents again, I heard them first hand, you know, straight from the horse’s mouth, as they say.
Yes, I woke up once again and made a declaration. This time I said, “I think I’ll be a fortune-teller.” I think I’ll look ahead and prepare for possible scenarios, and take steps to prevent them.
Doing so to the immortal words of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, “Happy Trails to You.”