Date with your dog: the groomer

Glenn holds Phil while he has his locks trimmed. Neither are massive fans of the groomer.

This post is inspired by my dear friend and world renowned herpetologist Glenn Shea. Unlike many people, Glenn is comfortable cohabiting with reptiles, has been known to cook and eat tripe curry and has discovered new species in some of the harshest terrain in the world. The man is fearless.

Almost. Turns out that a trip to the barber makes him anxious. In fact, on the way there he made the bold and startling claim that he'd rather have a colonoscopy than a haircut.

Fellow herpetologist and friend Carrie B, Phil and myself accompanied Glenn to the Demon Barber, an establishment that offers "one hell of a haircut". They were lovely enough to let Phil sit with Glenn (it was my hope that this might help counter any barber-induced hypertension). I'm not sure that the Phil effect was strong enough. Glenn did not look at all comfortable during the procedure.

I had to leave halfway but pannicked several hours later when I hadn't heard from Glenn or Carrie B. Had Glenn succumbed to the stress and suffered a caridac arrest or stroke? Were they in ICU somewhere? Was the Demon Barber really Sweeney Todd?

Thankfully it transpired that Glenn had survived and gone to work. By the time he popped in to say g'day, the colour had returned to his skin and he was rocking a new 'do. Much like Phil, Glenn loves the feeling of a new hair cut - just hates the process of getting it.

Coincidentally, Phil's groomer Amanda had that very day invited colleagues to sacrifice 8 inches of hair for the Pantene Beautiful Lengths initiative which creates free human hair wigs for women suffering from cancer and treatment associated hair loss. I told Glenn I'd signed up. 

"Eight INCHES???" he exclaimed, the colour once again draining from his face. I felt like I'd just handed Indiana Jones a rattle snake. 

We won't be inviting Glenn to that event! But Phil will be coming along, and will be thrilled when he realises that for once it will be the groomer getting the chop, and not him!

Phil attempts to take advantage of Amanda's semi distracted state to make an escape.

Why do good people let bad things happen? The study of denial

You find two sickly looking kittens on the street. Do you a) hope they are owned and walk past? b) check them for a tag or doorknock to see if they are being looked after? c) take them to a vet or shelter to be scanned for a microchip? d) hesitate, convince yourself you're being silly and go to work?

There is sadly little room for venturing into the humanities in the veterinary curriculum, but its an area we shouldn't ignore. Peer-reviewed journal articles on diagnostic and treatment modalities are important reading, but they're highly specific and often fail to ask the bigger questions.

Through the multidisciplinary Human Animal Research Network at Sydney University I was introduced to the work of sociologist Stanley Cohen, who wrote a fascinating book on denial. How is it that people seem to overlook human rights abuses? What exactly IS denial - an uncomfortable recognition of something awful followed by a turning away? Or true ignorance?

Anyone who works in the field of animal welfare knows the importance of this question:

...what do we do with our knowledge about the suffering of others, and what does this knowledge do to us?

Cohen goes on to discuss types of denial: active (rejection, negation) and passive (withdrawal of attention, averting one's gaze).

People living in the midst of political horrors may do some active denying, but mostly they can just ignore and forget, going on with their daily lives...Denial as ‘the need to be innocent of a troubling recognition’ exactly fits the reading of this tragedy: ‘we seem to have access to this reality, but choose to ignore it because it proves convenient to do so’. The phrase ‘turning a blind eye’ also conveys ‘the right degree of ambiguity as to how conscious or unconscious the knowledge is.’(p32-33).

Denial is not inherently terrible. He discusses the possibility that it can be essential to our mental health - obsession with the terrible isn't a permanently functional state. But Cohen's writing on denial is thought-provoking. For example, I find it difficult to listen to or watch stories about animal cruelty. Yet how can we address it if we don't want to see it? And how to animal welfare groups get the right balance between raising awareness and not scaring everyone away?

And then there is the concept of selective denial, of which Cohen - exquisitely sensitive to human suffering - is guilty of himself. He writes:

I know that the treatment of animals in cruel experiments and factory farming is difficult to defend. I can even see the case for becoming a vegetarian. But in the end, much like people throwing away an Amnesty leaflet, my filters go into automatic drive: this is not my responsibility; there are worse problems; there are plenty of other people looking after this. What do you mean, I’m in denial everytime I eat a hamburger? (p289).

It is almost as if, in Cohen’s view, paying attention to animal suffering may detract from attention paid to human suffering – that perhaps these activities are mutually exclusive. Is it the other way around for those who devote their time for caring for animals? Are we less sensitive to the plight of our fellow humans? 

We're all capable of denial on a scary scale, but its not because we intend to cause harm.

The more frightening possibility is that they really saw nothing wrong at the time and behaved, like everyone else, without reflection. This, I believe, is the meaning of Arendt’s much misunderstood concept of ‘the banality of evil’. Far from minimising the evil, she warns that unimaginable evil can result from a constellation of ordinary human qualities: not fully realising the immorality of what you are doing; being as normal as all your peers doing the same things; having motives that are dull, unimaginative and commonplace (going along with others, professional ambission, job security), and retaining long afterwards the façade of pseudo-stupidity, not grasping what the fuss was about. (p100)

So what is the solution? It takes a lot of awareness to override the autopilot and be aware of what we are avoiding or refusing to see - when we change the channel on the news, what we don't read, what we're sick of hearing about. 

It also takes some creative thinking not to be overwhelmed by the tide of suffering in the world. Somewhere between recognition and overthinking is the path to action, but we need to be committed to finding it first.

Reference:

Stanley Cohen (2001) States of Denial: Knowing About Atrocities and Suffering Polity:Cambridge.

Food and other dog dangers: what to avoid when you invite your best mate to a BBQ

Louis waits desperately for a piece of steak to fall from above.

Downunder it is summer, the season for entertaining. The Aussie BBQ is something of an institution, and the nice thing is it is one dining event where dogs are usually welcome. But there's a down side to everything, and the humble barbie isn't an exception to the rule. If you do invite your dog (which we're all in favour of) here are a few hazards you should be aware of.

1. Hot meat

There's nothing wrong with a vegetarian BBQ, but most Aussie barbie's involve the cooking of at least some meat, and quite often obscenely large quantities. It tends to be cooked in batches which are then left in very tempting piles on plates or platters to cool down. If a dog can reach it, the temptation can be just too great to wait for the meat to cool. But eating a hot sausage or steak can cause burns to the mouth and oesophagus. I've treated several dogs for oesophagitis following ingestion of flaming hot meat just off (or even from) the barbie. Moral of the story: don't leave the BBQ or hot meat unattended.

2. Fat

Snags and steaks are often fatty, which is one reason they're so popular. Its just that dogs don't tolerate fat as well as we do. Yet they are often willing to eat anything from the BBQ - including the gristle and fat we won't touch. This can result in gastrointestinal upsets and may in some cases trigger pancreatitis, which is life threatening. A single sausage may not send you running for the toilet, but it can lead to spectacular vomiting and diarrhoea in dogs. Remember too that dogs tend to circulate at parties, asking anyone who will look at them for a tidbit. If three or four guests are succumbing to your dog's begging (usually multiple times) that is a lot of unauthorised food being ingested. If you must feed your dog, scrap the fat (double bag it - see point 7 on Garbage) and share a small amount of the lean meat on offer. Politely ask others not to feed your dog - no matter how politely he or she asks for treats.

Dogs will do tricks to tempt guests into sharing their meal.

3. Onions

Onions are a popular accompaniment to whatever is on the barbie, but they're toxic to dogs. Onions, when eaten, release compounds that cause oxidative damage to red blood cells leading to anaemia. I've seen several cases now where a smaller dog was fed an onion bhaji and suffered from toxic effects. Onset of clinical signs is usually within 12 days but may be delayed, and signs include pallor, jaundice, weakness, fatigue, lethargy, depression, onion-breath, onion-smelling brown tinged urine, tachypnoea, inappetence, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and collapse. It can be life-threatening. Keep your dog well away from onions.

4. Kebab sticks

We know not to eat these, but dogs don't. Kebab sticks are pointy, flimsy, easy-to-swallow and ready-to-wreak-havoc in intestines. They can penetrate the gut leading to peritonitis but they're also known for migrating. I examined a dog who came in for a cutaneous lump on her shoulder which turned out to be the tip of a kebab stick. Lesson learned? If its covered in meat, they'll eat it. Kebab sticks (loaded or empty) are a temptation to dogs and must be kept out of reach. They have a way of penetrating and migrating their way out of the trash - dispose of them carefully.

The tip of a kebab stick which had migrated from the gut into subcutaneous tissue.

5. Alcohol

Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant which is rapidly absorbed into the blood stream. Some animals love the taste and there is usually loads of it in reasonably easily accessible locations at BBQs. Onset of clinical signs can be within 30 to 60 minutes of ingestion (depends on the type of alcoholic beverage and the amount ingested) and clinical signs can range from the seemingly harmless (an uncoordinated gait) to vomiting, diarrhoea, tetraparesis, disorientation, vocalisation, tremors, seizures, dyspnoea, unconsciousness and death (it can do this to people too!). Sadly, the odd idiot feels the need to deliberately offer alcohol to dogs, usually in human quantities with no concept of how dangerous this is. That's a dealbreaker - you don't need this kind of person at any of your parties, ever.

Note the proximity of Louis to alcohol. There is NO suggestion that he drank it - in fact his parents watched him carefully (it was just an unfortunately timed photo where he happened to lick his looks and look slightly tipsy) - but if he were unsupervised and wanted to walk on over and tip one of those beer bottles on the side he could lap up the contents.

6. Macadamia nuts

They're not a feature of every party but macadamia nuts cause a bizarre toxicity syndrome in dogs and the last dog I treated sat next to a bucket of them on the back step at a barbie and just ate her way through it. The toxicity isn't well understood, but it varies from dog to dog - some show signs after ingesting a few kernels, others need to eat a bucketful or around 40 kernels before things go wrong.

Clinically it can look a lot like snake bit or tick paralysis - animals present with paresis/paralysis (especially the hindlimbs), stiffness, ataxia and reluctance to stand. Other signs include joint pain, fever, abdominal pain, vomiting, pallor, blindness and tremors. All dogs make a full recovery, but that doesn't mean this is harmless...we don't know the long term effects and the sudden blindess is very distressing. They don't need nuts, so keep them out of reach.

7. Garbage

Gatherings generate a lot of rubbish - grease and oil from the BBQ, gristle people won't eat, odds and ends of vegies, fruit stones, wrappers, kebab sticks, plastic cutlery - you name it. Most has some sort of food residue on it which makes it extremely attractive to dogs. If its within reach they may try to scavenge from the trash. This typically leads to gastrointestinal upsets but in severe cases it can lead to pancreatitis or a gastrointestinal foreign body (some of the worst cases I've seen involved stones from stonefruit). Double-bag the BBQ trash, whack it in a secure bin with a lid on it and keep it well away from any curious canine noses.

Louis made it through the BBQ unscathed.

Don't get me wrong, here at SAT we love a social gathering...we just know that accidents can happen at BBQs, and if you're aware you can take steps to prevent your dog getting into strife. 

Animals in sculpture: interview with artists Gillie & Marc

Gillie and Marc with a sculpture of dogman, a dog/human hybrid (Photo courtesy Gillie and Marc)

Here at SAT we don't pretend to be experts on art, but we know what we like and the sculptures and artwork of Gillie and Marc are up there. We were introduced to their work at Sculptures by the Sea, and have been intrigued ever since. After reading their new book and learning about their passion for animals we had to chat. Happily, they were up for it!

Who are you and what do you do?

We are contemporary artists, husband and wife team. We have been collaborating to create art as one for the last 20 years applying the iconic imagery of the dog/human and rabbit/human hybrid to celebrate the powerful spiritual relationship that exists between man and animal.

Your sculptures and artwork are often theriocephalic (an animal’s head is placed on a human body). Why do you use this technique?

In Ancient Egyptian times theriocephaly was used in art with the intention of giving humans the quality of an animal. By giving our human sculptures the head of a dog we give it the qualities of a dog and make ourselves better humans.

The hybrid also signifies embracing diversity and celebrating our differences.

You’ve said that dogs are the humans we’d like to be. What is it about dogs that we love so much?

Like people, dogs are pack animals. They’re good at reading faces, moods, emotions. Dogs want to be part of our lives, and they’re responsive to our moods; that’s why they make excellent companions for children, the sick, the elderly. The company of dogs is good for our health and our souls. Perhaps this is why 42% of Australians are dog owners.

The emotional lives of dogs are simpler than ours. Dogs show love and loyalty, affection and trust. They adore us, protect us, and always want to be with us. Dogs seem like a version of ourselves, our better selves: joyous, spontaneous, living in the moment, dedicated to pleasure, but never an entirely selfish pleasure, because at heart they crave our love. And their love for us is unconditional.

We love our dogs because they bring out our humanity. We recognise in them the qualities we most admire in ourselves. Dogs are the people we want to be.

You are both professed animal lovers. Can you tell us about any companion animals you share your lives with right now?

We have a fourteen year-old Golden Retriever called ‘Moby’. He is a watchdog, a loving companion, and our best friend.   We also have a tabby cat called ‘Izzie’ who has been with us for 17 years and is a treasured member of our family. We would have more pets if we could but we also have 2 children so…

Have you ever taken them to the vet? Can you tell us a bit about the experience?

We have taken the pets to the vet for regular check ups and injections but so far they have both been healthy (touch wood). We know the day is going to come when we will loose them and that is so hard to even imagine that they will no longer be in our lives.  They have become as quirky as we are and are truly a part of this family in every way.

How would you describe your bond?

Our love for each other is the cornerstone of what we are and what we create. After meeting in Asia we realized we had both found our soul mate with the same passion for art, animals, travel and adventure . Seven days after that first meeting, we took the road to Pokhara, Nepal, at the foot of Everest, and got married.

We have an amazing friendship and respect for one another, we barely spend a day apart - our family life and art life all blends wonderfully into one.

You dedicated Gillie and Marc: 20 Years of Marriage and Art to all the rhinos whose lives have been taken from them. Can you tell us a bit more about the plight of rhinos and the work you have done to increase awareness?

Nearly 700 rhinos have been killed in South Africa in 2013 making it the bloodiest year yet for rhino poaching.  The black rhinos numbers are down to only 3,600 in the wild and these beautiful creatures could be two years away from extinction. Now critically endangered, rhinos desperately need the active involvement of everyone to save their lives.

We have created a HUGE bronze rhino stampede in the centre of Melbourne’s Federation Square. These life-size rhinos are a public artwork called “RUN FOR YOUR LIFE.”

The work features three magnificent rhino sculptures that invite the public to be part of their run for freedom and life. This remarkable installation brings the call of the wild to the city and to the people of Melbourne who already have a strong moral and environmental concern. The first rhino has our dogman and rabbitgirl hybrids riding it. The next two rhinos have saddles and the public are invited to ride them to save rhino LIVES. When people ride the rhinos the sounds of a rhino stampede plays, so people actually feel they are part of the run.

We were expecting a positive response but nothing like the response we have received so far. Hundreds of thousands of people want to climb, touch, cuddle and ride the rhinos.

With these sculptures we hope to raise public awareness of the plight of rhino species in the wild. Now critically endangered, rhinos desperately need the active involvement of everyone to save their lives. We hope everyone who sets foot in Fed Square can feel a connection to the three sculptures that spell out the rhino’s future.

How can artists, and art, help animals?

We believe that is it the duty of the artist to push boundaries and believe in the power of art to change opinions, attitudes and finally actions.

In 2005 we believed that art could save lives with their exhibition ‘Life Can’t Wait.’ We used our art to change the lives of 12 Australians who urgently needed an organ donation.

The exhibition saved lives. It toured around Australia raising awareness. When we did ‘Life Can’t Wait’ we saw what we could do for the welfare of others through art and we became attracted to becoming a voice for others again. We’d drawn all this attention and we wanted to do something good with it.

Now with our Rhino installation at Federation Square our goal is to affect people so they’re inspired to do as much as they can to help save these endangered species. In essence, here we have turned our sculpture into public activism.

Wow! We hope to get down to Melbourne and see it. Meantime if you need a portable fix of Gillie and Marc, we recommend the book - its definitely readable, even for the non-artistically informed, and the pictures are stunning.

Helping older people keep their pets: interview with Karen Schlieper

Karen with the late Pokemon aka Pokey, a rescued Spitz cross. Karen reared him from the age of four weeks and couldn't bear to part with him when he was old enough to be adopted. So he moved in and lived for 13 wonderful years.

Karen Schlieper has been working at the RSPCA since I can remember, she has a soft spot for animals and she is particularly passionate about helping older people maintain the bond with their pets. She took time out of her busy schedule to chat to SAT about what she does and how she finds the energy to do it.

Tell us a bit about yourself – who are you, what do you do?

I have been with RSPCA NSW for close to 30 years. I started off as an Animal Attendant, have worked in all areas of the Yagoona shelter as well as several regional shelters throughout NSW and also some time at Darwin, NT shelter. I have also worked within the clinic, finance, payroll and workers compensation areas so have a broad knowledge of RSPCA operations. I now work with the 4 clinics (Sydney, Rutherford, Tighes Hill & Broken Hill) and Community Outreach Programs. RSPCA NSW runs several programs to assist people and their pets including the Community Animal Welfare Scheme (CAWS), Indigenous Dogs, Living Ruff, Pets Of Older Persons(POOPs) and Safe Beds For Pets.

Pets & people are incredibly important to me and it gives me great satisfaction to be able to assist people with their pets.

POOPs is the RSPCA program I started with and I am also on the ACT Steering group which is aimed at promoting the government to assist with Home Care etc that includes pets so people can stay in their own homes longer. There is also another group that I have regular contact with, RealAnimals, Pets and People, they are based in Victoria and this is made up of a whole lot of small community groups that assist mainly elderly or financially compromised people with pets in their own homes.

Do you have any pets at the moment? Can you tell us a bit about them?

I have 3 dogs and 3 cats, all from the RSPCA. My dogs are: “Pixie” a Cavalier Spaniel x who is now 11yrs old. “Angel” a Tibetan Spaniel x who is 12yrs old and “Pookie” a Pomeranian, 4yrs old (the newest recruit, adopted in May 2013). The cats are: “Bumble” Domestic Shorthair, 12yrs old, “Jamaica” Exotic Shorthair, 12yrs old and “Poppy Buttonfield” Persian, 4yrs old. I grew up with animals, dogs, cats and birds and have since had fish and a goat and cannot imagine not having any!

Jamaica.

Angel.

How important are your pets to you?

My ‘kids’ are incredibly important. My partner and I have had numerous between us and I could not imagine a life that didn’t include a companion animal. They live with us, sleep in their beds in our room, sit on the lounge, play, exercise and generally fit into all aspects of our lives. They are the comic relief and joy in our lives and although when the time comes and they pass away it is terribly distressing I am incredibly thankful for the love and joy they bring while they are with us.

Pixie catches some z's.

How did you become interested in the area of helping older people with their pets?

I have always been a social person who enjoys talking to others about their pets and hearing stories about their life in general. Being able to interact and assist other people to do the best for their pets has always been a passion and I grew up with my grandmother and nana as next door neighbours so had lots of contact with older people and enjoy their company. Work now gives me the opportunity to combine things that I love to do!

Can you tell us a bit about the bond that older pet owners have with their pets?

Older people, particularly those that live alone, depend on their pet for love and companionship. It gives them a focus and a common expression I hear is “I wouldn’t even get out of bed if it wasn’t for...” Pets give a sense of purpose and make people feel they are worthwhile. Your pet is never going to criticise you or give you a hard time about your cooking, your looks or anything else. Pets are completely accepting and devoted to their people and will protect and love you. For an older person (and not just the older population!) this is often the only regular companionship they have and the human/animal bond is incredibly strong.

Bumble gets up close and personal with the camera.

How does POOPs work, and how does it benefit humans and animals?

POOPs assists elderly pet owners with care of their pets and also allows them to take care of their own needs. We have lots of clients that delay dealing with their own health issues because they have no one to look after their companions. POOPs aims to assist older pet owners to stay in their own home for as long as possible, we work with human services to ensure a holistic approach to both people and animal care. We provide regular in-home services to ensure parasite control, monthly flea control, intestinal worming etc. as well as grooming and bathing of pets for people who may have difficulty in doing so themselves. We also provide boarding or foster care for pets if the person needs to go into hospital or respite. They can then concentrate on their own health without having to worry about their pet who will be very excited to see them when they come home again!

Pookie.

Why is it important to keep people in their homes longer?

With an ageing population there is more strain being put on health and aged care services. There is limited availability in nursing homes (and they are not everyone’s choice of accommodation) and quite a number of these are not animal friendly which means that people have to give up a loved companion – devastating for both the person and the pet! If people are supported to stay in their own homes then they are in familiar surroundings and are able to continue to live in a manner to which they are accustomed and also content. If these people had to go into care facilities they would have to make a choice about their companion animal too and unfortunately these are generally quite limited – surrender to a shelter or rescue group, rehoming or euthanasia. By supporting people in their own homes we can also reduce the number animals that end up in these situations.

How can other members of the community support older pet owners?

Take the time to check! If you know of an elderly pet owner it can be as simple as talking to them. Sometimes they are socially isolated and the only company they have is their pet and the offer of a chat or to assist with walking a dog or even to give them a lift to a local vet would be very much appreciated. POOPs has volunteers and foster carers that assist with these sorts of tasks (see RSPCA NSW website). Also donating things like old blankets, food, heated pet beds, dog coats, flea treatments, shampoos etc and monetary donations to POOPs helps us to provide ongoing services to our clients. If you see someone that you think needs help, offer it, they may not need it but will very likely appreciate that you have asked. If you don’t feel able to do so, contact POOPs and we can send out some brochures, you can pop one in a letterbox and maybe we can help.

Poppy the persian.

How can veterinarians and vet students support older pet owners?

Vets and vet students can help by providing guidance and assistance to older pet owners. If possible discounted vet treatment will help ease a financial burden as these clients are generally living on a pension and although they want to be able to provide the best for their pet, financial constraints sometimes prevent this from happening. Even the ability to pay off an account or setup a ‘savings’ acct with a local vet will give peace of mind to a client. We have clients that have $5 from each pension put into a ‘savings’ account for their pet so that when annual checks etc come up they don’t have the worry of paying a bulk amount at once. There are also opportunities for vets and vet students to attend events like Million Paws Walk, Northcott Pet Day and Pets in the Park. Some of these are targeted at those pet owners that may be doing it tough and help both the animal and the owner with their health and welfare.