Help Save the Seals
The Canadian seal hunt is underway, and the ProtectSeals team is on the ice to document the kill. This is the largest slaughter of marine mammals on Earth.
http://www.hsus.org/protectseals.html
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Urge Congress to Help End the Seal Hunt
Urge Congress to Help End the Seal Hunt
The Canadian seal hunt is the largest slaughter of marine mammals in the world.
The Canadian government is allowing fishermen to kill 280,000 harp seals in the 2009 hunt, an increase of 5,000 from 2008. Fishermen will beat and shoot to death pups—many of them little more than 12 days old—for their fur. Despite new regulations that the Canadian government claims will make the hunt "humane," sealers have already been witnessed skinning pups while alive and conscious.
The senate's Canadian seal hunt resolution (S. Res. 84), sponsored by Sens. Carl Levin (D-MI) and Susan Collins (R-ME), urges the Canadian government to end this cruel and senseless slaughter. Please ask your two U.S. senators to co-sponsor S. Res. 84.
TAKE ACTION
Please make brief, polite phone calls to your two U.S. senators to urge them to co-sponsor S. Res. 84 and join in the effort to end the cruel seal hunt in Canada. Click here to look up your senators and their office phone numbers.
For days, the ProtectSeals team has lived in a horrible limbo. Heavy ice has locked sealing boats in the harbor, keeping them from the seal pups just a few miles off the shores.
But it's only a matter of time: The ice floes are pulling apart, slowly creating paths between the sealers and their prey, and the winds have pushed some pups into the sealers' path. Watching this is devastating, but we know that documenting the cruelty of the slaughter will help shut down Canada's commercial seal hunt forever.
If you are a U.S. citizen, there is something that you can do right now to help: Ask your senators to help end the cruel and senseless seal hunt by co-sponsoring the Levin-Collins Canadian seal hunt resolution.
Canada increasingly stands alone in defending its barbaric hunt -- Russia just ended its own seal slaughter, and nations around the world are banning their trade in seal products. And in a matter of weeks, the European Union will consider a prohibition on its trade in seal products, starving sealers of one of the largest markets for seal fur fashion.
The U.S. government is Canada's most important trading partner, so it can play a key role in convincing Canada to stop the slaughter. If your senators haven't already signed on, please urge them to co-sponsor the Canadian seal hunt resolution today.
While Canada's leaders are cynically trying to convince the world that the slaughter is "humane," we are up here documenting the same kind of cruelty we bear witness to every single year. Just days ago, I saw sealers beat terrified three-week-old pups to death in front of each other, failing to check if a seal was unconscious or dead before cutting her open.
As the world condemns the slaughter, the Canadian government is allowing fishermen to kill a staggering 280,000 seals this year, up 5,000 from last year. And even if sealers exceed that quota, the government isn't likely to punish them. Sealers have killed tens of thousands of seals more than they're allowed to in recent years, and the government has stood idly by.
I say enough is enough. Ask your senators to tell Canada to end the hunt.
Thank you for speaking up for seals from home.
https://community.hsus.org/campaign/FED_2009_sealresolution/bdss3erl78i63bx?source=gabeak
Sunday, March 29, 2009
End the Use of Chimps in Research Watch Our Video, Then Take Action
A nine-month-long undercover investigation by The HSUS has exposed the mistreatment of nearly 300 chimpanzees and other primates at the New Iberia Research Center (NIRC) in Louisiana. These chimps, living lives of deprivation and misery, are among the more than 1,000 chimps languishing in laboratories across the United States. Chimps, our closet genetic relative, are complex, social, and long-lived creatures. Many chimps currently warehoused in research facilities have lived for decades behind bars. Especially heartbreaking are stories of the 26 elder chimps at NIRC, who were taken from their mothers in the wild.
The Great Ape Protection Act (H.R. 1326) has just been re-introduced in Congress. This legislation aims to end invasive research on the chimpanzees remaining in laboratories, retire the approximately 500 federally-owned chimpanzees to permanent sanctuary (including the elder chimps at NIRC), and make the recent decision by the National Center for Research Resources (part of the National Institutes of Health) to stop funding the breeding of federally-owned chimpanzees permanent.
https://community.hsus.org/campaign/FED_2009_apeprotectionact/bdss3erh7idxde6?qp_source=gabhh6
How to Recognize Cruelty
Signs That an Animal Might Be Abused
Recognizing cruelty is simple, right? Not quite, say ASPCA experts. Obvious behaviors such as aggression, timidity and fear don’t always tell the whole story. Animals may appear to be timid or frightened for many reasons other than abuse.
“It’s almost impossible to make conclusions based on a pet’s behavior alone,” says the ASPCA Animal Behavior Center’s Kristen Collins, CPDT. “The best way to tell whether a pet is being or has been abused is to examine him and his surrounding environment.”
Check out our list of signs that may alert you an animal needs help:
Physical Signs
- Collar so tight that it has caused a neck wound or has become embedded in the pet’s neck
- Open wounds, signs of multiple healed wounds or an ongoing injury or illness that isn’t being treated
- Untreated skin conditions that have caused loss of hair, scaly skin, bumps or rashes
- Extreme thinness or emaciation—bones may be visible
- Fur infested with fleas, ticks or other parasites
- Patches of bumpy, scaly skin rashes
- Signs of inadequate grooming, such as extreme matting of fur, overgrown nails and dirty coat
- Weakness, limping or the inability to stand or walk normally
- Heavy discharge from eyes or nose
- An owner striking or otherwise physically abusing an animal
- Visible signs of confusion or extreme drowsiness
Environmental Signs
- Pets are tied up alone outside for long periods of time without adequate food or water, or with food or water that is unsanitary
- Pets are kept outside in inclement weather without access to adequate shelter
- Pets are kept in an area littered with feces, garbage, broken glass or other objects that could harm them
- Animals are housed in kennels or cages (very often crowded in with other animals) that are too small to allow them to stand, turn around and make normal movements possibly with too many other animals
“Reporting suspected animal cruelty ensures that animals in jeopardy receive prompt and often lifesaving care,” says ASPCA Supervisory Special Investigator Annemarie Lucas. “By making a complaint to the police or humane society in your area—you can even do so anonymously—you help ensure that animals in need are rescued and that perpetrators of animal cruelty are brought to justice.”
If you see signs of animal abuse, don’t keep it to yourself. Call animal control or SPCA.Thursday, March 19, 2009
Video Exposes Military's Stabbing of Dogs
http://getactive.peta.org/campaign/bolivia_military
Bolivian soldiers perform barbaric military exercises in which stray dogs are kidnapped, tied down, stabbed, and killed. Watch this gruesome video now and learn how you can help stop this!
Bolivian soldiers perform barbaric military exercises in which stray dogs are kidnapped, tied down, stabbed, and killed. Watch this gruesome video now and learn how you can help stop this!
PETA has received horrific torture videos that show live dogs who scream in pain while being stabbed and killed during combat-training exercises conducted by soldiers in the Bolivian military. The soldiers state that their instructors received training from the U.S. military in how to conduct these exercises, and the training partnership is corroborated by a written agreement signed by the two countries.
The first video shows an instructor who repeatedly stabs a conscious dog in the head and chest. He then removes the dog's heart and smears it on the faces of the commandos, forcing some of them to eat the raw, bloody flesh. The second video shows soldiers at night who restrain a dog's limbs and mouth while another soldier stabs the animal in the chest. The dog struggles in pain as blood gushes from his or her body. A naked soldier then throws his face into the dog's open chest and later stands up with arms stretched high. Watch the video here to learn more about the abuses that dogs suffer at the hands of the Bolivian military.
In the U.S., the Department of Defense currently stabs, shoots, poisons, burns, and cuts the limbs off thousands of living animals each year in medical-training exercises. The U.S. exercises differ from those used by the Bolivian military, but the victims are the same—vulnerable animals.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
The Export of America's Horses
The Export of America's Horses
HSUS Investigates Horse Slaughter
The last equine slaugherhouse in the United States finally shut down, but American horses continue to go to slaughter across our southern and northern borders in record numbers.
HSUS Investigates Horse Slaughter
The last equine slaugherhouse in the United States finally shut down, but American horses continue to go to slaughter across our southern and northern borders in record numbers.
Philippine Dog Investigation
A Graphic Look at the Dog Meat Trade
Graphic: Take a behind-the-scenes look at the underground dog meat trade in the Philippines, where dealers look at man's best friend as a meal.
Graphic: Take a behind-the-scenes look at the underground dog meat trade in the Philippines, where dealers look at man's best friend as a meal.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
End the Use of Chimps in Research Watch Our Video, Then Take Action
A nine-month-long undercover investigation by The HSUS has exposed the mistreatment of nearly 300 chimpanzees and other primates at the New Iberia Research Center (NIRC) in Louisiana. These chimps, living lives of deprivation and misery, are among the more than 1,000 chimps languishing in laboratories across the United States. Chimps, our closet genetic relative, are complex, social, and long-lived creatures. Many chimps currently warehoused in research facilities have lived for decades behind bars. Especially heartbreaking are stories of the 26 elder chimps at NIRC, who were taken from their mothers in the wild.
The Great Ape Protection Act (H.R. 1326) has just been re-introduced in Congress. This legislation aims to end invasive research on the chimpanzees remaining in laboratories, retire the approximately 500 federally-owned chimpanzees to permanent sanctuary (including the elder chimps at NIRC), and make the recent decision by the National Center for Research Resources (part of the National Institutes of Health) to stop funding the breeding of federally-owned chimpanzees permanent.
https://community.hsus.org/campaign/FED_2009_apeprotectionact/bdss3e41787bb57?qp_source=gabhh6Friday, February 27, 2009
What the wool industry doesn't want you to know
No compassionate person would buy or wear fur. But what about wool? The facts often surprise people—lambs and sheep suffer greatly for the wool clothing that many people wear. 
Contrary to industry propaganda depicting happy sheep who are lovingly shorn of their "excess" fleece, the wool industry is an ugly business. No amount of fluff can hide the fact that buying wool supports a cruel industry in which lambs and sheep suffer while they're alive and often die a terrifying death. Please support PETA today to help save sheep and other animals from such abuse.
PETA's investigations of farms in Australia—the world's top wool producer—have helped to expose this industry's horrendous hidden cruelty to animals.
Helpless lambs are forced onto their backs, and chunks of skin and flesh are hacked from their rumps with gardening-type shears—often without the use of anything whatsoever to numb the pain. This crude, barbaric practice is called "mulesing." This practice is intended to stop flies from laying eggs in the sheep's wrinkled skin (although there are lots of humane ways to do so) but leaves the animals with open, bloody wounds that often become infested with maggots.
The cruelty doesn't stop there. Once some poor sheep are unable to produce enough volumes of wool to satisfy the farmers, they are shipped to slaughterhouses in the Middle East and North Africa. Each year, millions of sheep are crammed so tightly onto boats that animals who are ill or injured often collapse and are trampled to death. Some suffer exposure to the elements, including storms at sea and must stand amid their own accumulating excrement. For many, the journey is fatal. The terrified survivors are dragged from the ships and thrown into the back of trucks and cars or loaded into trucks in the heat and taken to crude slaughterhouses—only to have their throats cut while conscious.
By making a tax-deductible gift to PETA today, you will help us stand up for all the lambs, sheep and other animals whose suffering has been carefully concealed until now.
PETA's international campaign to protect abused lambs and sheep is gaining ground, and we are building the momentum that we need to win. We've already helped compel dozens of leading designers and retailers—including Abercrombie & Fitch, Liz Claiborne Inc., H&M, HUGO BOSS, Perry Ellis, Nike, and Adidas—to join our campaign against mulesing and the suffering that it causes. We've also helped bring about a sea change in public awareness of the treatment of these gentle animals and the pain that they are forced to endure.
With your help, we will have the much-needed resources to push even more designers and retailers to stop buying wool from mulesed lambs and let consumers know that animals may have suffered terribly in order to make wool sweaters, jackets, and hats. Your support is essential to ending the abuse of animals for fashion.
Together, we can take strides to reduce the abuse and slaughter of gentle lambs and sheep by ensuring that wool, like fur, goes out of fashion. Thank you for caring.
Contrary to industry propaganda depicting happy sheep who are lovingly shorn of their "excess" fleece, the wool industry is an ugly business. No amount of fluff can hide the fact that buying wool supports a cruel industry in which lambs and sheep suffer while they're alive and often die a terrifying death. Please support PETA today to help save sheep and other animals from such abuse.PETA's investigations of farms in Australia—the world's top wool producer—have helped to expose this industry's horrendous hidden cruelty to animals.
Helpless lambs are forced onto their backs, and chunks of skin and flesh are hacked from their rumps with gardening-type shears—often without the use of anything whatsoever to numb the pain. This crude, barbaric practice is called "mulesing." This practice is intended to stop flies from laying eggs in the sheep's wrinkled skin (although there are lots of humane ways to do so) but leaves the animals with open, bloody wounds that often become infested with maggots.
The cruelty doesn't stop there. Once some poor sheep are unable to produce enough volumes of wool to satisfy the farmers, they are shipped to slaughterhouses in the Middle East and North Africa. Each year, millions of sheep are crammed so tightly onto boats that animals who are ill or injured often collapse and are trampled to death. Some suffer exposure to the elements, including storms at sea and must stand amid their own accumulating excrement. For many, the journey is fatal. The terrified survivors are dragged from the ships and thrown into the back of trucks and cars or loaded into trucks in the heat and taken to crude slaughterhouses—only to have their throats cut while conscious.
By making a tax-deductible gift to PETA today, you will help us stand up for all the lambs, sheep and other animals whose suffering has been carefully concealed until now.
PETA's international campaign to protect abused lambs and sheep is gaining ground, and we are building the momentum that we need to win. We've already helped compel dozens of leading designers and retailers—including Abercrombie & Fitch, Liz Claiborne Inc., H&M, HUGO BOSS, Perry Ellis, Nike, and Adidas—to join our campaign against mulesing and the suffering that it causes. We've also helped bring about a sea change in public awareness of the treatment of these gentle animals and the pain that they are forced to endure.
With your help, we will have the much-needed resources to push even more designers and retailers to stop buying wool from mulesed lambs and let consumers know that animals may have suffered terribly in order to make wool sweaters, jackets, and hats. Your support is essential to ending the abuse of animals for fashion.
Together, we can take strides to reduce the abuse and slaughter of gentle lambs and sheep by ensuring that wool, like fur, goes out of fashion. Thank you for caring.
Friday, February 6, 2009
‘Kentucky Fried Cruelty’ with Pamela Anderson
KFC suppliers cram birds into huge waste-filled factories, breed and drug them to grow so large that they can’t even walk, and often break their wings and legs. At slaughter, the birds’ throats are slit and they are dropped into tanks of scalding-hot water—often while they are still conscious. It would be illegal for KFC to abuse dogs, cats, pigs, or cows in these ways.
KFC’s own animal welfare advisors have asked the company to take steps to eliminate these abuses, but KFC refuses to do so. Many advisors have now resigned in frustration.
Please join Pamela Anderson, Sir Paul McCartney, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, The Rev. Al Sharpton, and countless other kind people worldwide by not eating at KFC.Friday, January 30, 2009
17 Poisonous Plants
1. Lilies
Members of the Lilium spp. are considered to be highly toxic to cats. While the poisonous component has not yet been identified, it is clear that with even ingestions of very small amounts of the plant, severe kidney damage could result.
Members of the Lilium spp. are considered to be highly toxic to cats. While the poisonous component has not yet been identified, it is clear that with even ingestions of very small amounts of the plant, severe kidney damage could result.
2. Marijuana
Ingestion of Cannabis sativa by companion animals can result in depression of the central nervous system and incoordination, as well as vomiting, diarrhea, drooling, increased heart rate, and even seizures and coma.
Ingestion of Cannabis sativa by companion animals can result in depression of the central nervous system and incoordination, as well as vomiting, diarrhea, drooling, increased heart rate, and even seizures and coma.
3. Sago Palm
All parts of Cycas Revoluta are poisonous, but the seeds or “nuts” contain the largest amount of toxin. The ingestion of just one or two seeds can result in very serious effects, which include vomiting, diarrhea, depression, seizures and liver failure.
All parts of Cycas Revoluta are poisonous, but the seeds or “nuts” contain the largest amount of toxin. The ingestion of just one or two seeds can result in very serious effects, which include vomiting, diarrhea, depression, seizures and liver failure.
4. Tulip/Narcissus bulbs
The bulb portions of Tulipa/Narcissus spp. contain toxins that can cause intense gastrointestinal irritation, drooling, loss of appetite, depression of the central nervous system, convulsions and cardiac abnormalities.
The bulb portions of Tulipa/Narcissus spp. contain toxins that can cause intense gastrointestinal irritation, drooling, loss of appetite, depression of the central nervous system, convulsions and cardiac abnormalities.
5. Azalea/Rhododendron
Members of the Rhododenron spp. contain substances known as grayantoxins, which can produce vomiting, drooling, diarrhea, weakness and depression of the central nervous system in animals. Severe azalea poisoning could ultimately lead to coma and death from cardiovascular collapse.
6. Oleander
All parts of Nerium oleander are considered to be toxic, as they contain cardiac glycosides that have the potential to cause serious effects—including gastrointestinal tract irritation, abnormal heart function, hypothermia and even death.
All parts of Nerium oleander are considered to be toxic, as they contain cardiac glycosides that have the potential to cause serious effects—including gastrointestinal tract irritation, abnormal heart function, hypothermia and even death.
7. Castor Bean
The poisonous principle in Ricinus communis is ricin, a highly toxic protein that can produce severe abdominal pain, drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive thirst, weakness and loss of appetite. Severe cases of poisoning can result in dehydration, muscle twitching, tremors, seizures, coma and death.
The poisonous principle in Ricinus communis is ricin, a highly toxic protein that can produce severe abdominal pain, drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive thirst, weakness and loss of appetite. Severe cases of poisoning can result in dehydration, muscle twitching, tremors, seizures, coma and death.
8. Cyclamen
Cylamen species contain cyclamine, but the highest concentration of this toxic component is typically located in the root portion of the plant. If consumed, Cylamen can produce significant gastrointestinal irritation, including intense vomiting. Fatalities have also been reported in some cases.
Cylamen species contain cyclamine, but the highest concentration of this toxic component is typically located in the root portion of the plant. If consumed, Cylamen can produce significant gastrointestinal irritation, including intense vomiting. Fatalities have also been reported in some cases.
9. Kalanchoe
This plant contains components that can produce astrointestinal irritation, as well as those that are toxic to the heart, and can seriously affect cardiac rhythm and rate.
This plant contains components that can produce astrointestinal irritation, as well as those that are toxic to the heart, and can seriously affect cardiac rhythm and rate.
10. Yew
Taxus spp. contains a toxic component known as taxine, which causes central nervous system effects such as trembling, incoordination, and difficulty breathing. It can also cause significant gastrointestinal irritation and cardiac failure, which can result in death.
Taxus spp. contains a toxic component known as taxine, which causes central nervous system effects such as trembling, incoordination, and difficulty breathing. It can also cause significant gastrointestinal irritation and cardiac failure, which can result in death.
11. Amaryllis
Common garden plants popular around Easter, Amaryllis species contain toxins that can cause vomiting, depression, diarrhea, abdominal pain, hypersalivation, anorexia and tremors.
Common garden plants popular around Easter, Amaryllis species contain toxins that can cause vomiting, depression, diarrhea, abdominal pain, hypersalivation, anorexia and tremors.
12. Autumn Crocus
Ingestion of Colchicum autumnale by pets can result in oral irritation, bloody vomiting, diarrhea, shock, multi-organ damage and bone marrow suppression.
Ingestion of Colchicum autumnale by pets can result in oral irritation, bloody vomiting, diarrhea, shock, multi-organ damage and bone marrow suppression.
13. Chrysanthemum
These popular blooms are part of the Compositae family, which contain pyrethrins that may produce gastrointestinal upset, including drooling, vomiting and diarrhea, if eaten. In certain cases depression and loss of coordination may also develop if enough of any part of the plant is consumed.
These popular blooms are part of the Compositae family, which contain pyrethrins that may produce gastrointestinal upset, including drooling, vomiting and diarrhea, if eaten. In certain cases depression and loss of coordination may also develop if enough of any part of the plant is consumed.
14. English Ivy
Also called branching ivy, glacier ivy, needlepoint ivy, sweetheart ivy and California ivy, Hedera helix contains triterpenoid saponins that, should pets ingest, can result in vomiting, abdominal pain, hypersalivation and diarrhea.
Also called branching ivy, glacier ivy, needlepoint ivy, sweetheart ivy and California ivy, Hedera helix contains triterpenoid saponins that, should pets ingest, can result in vomiting, abdominal pain, hypersalivation and diarrhea.
15. Peace Lily (AKA Mauna Loa Peace Lily)
Spathiphyllum contains calcium oxalate crystals that can cause oral irritation, excessive drooling, vomiting, difficulty in swallowing and intense burning and irritation of the mouth, lips and tongue in pets who ingest.
Spathiphyllum contains calcium oxalate crystals that can cause oral irritation, excessive drooling, vomiting, difficulty in swallowing and intense burning and irritation of the mouth, lips and tongue in pets who ingest.
6. Pothos
Pothos (both Scindapsus and Epipremnum) belongs to the Araceae family. If chewed or ingested, this popular household plant can cause significant mechanical irritation and swelling of the oral tissues and other parts of the gastrointestinal tract.
Pothos (both Scindapsus and Epipremnum) belongs to the Araceae family. If chewed or ingested, this popular household plant can cause significant mechanical irritation and swelling of the oral tissues and other parts of the gastrointestinal tract.
17. Schefflera
Schefflera and Brassaia actinophylla contain calcium oxalate crystals that can cause oral irritation, excessive drooling, vomiting, difficulty in swallowing and intense burning and irritation of the mouth, lips and tongue in pets who ingest.
Schefflera and Brassaia actinophylla contain calcium oxalate crystals that can cause oral irritation, excessive drooling, vomiting, difficulty in swallowing and intense burning and irritation of the mouth, lips and tongue in pets who ingest.
People Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pets
Chocolate, Macadamia nuts, avocados…these foods may sound delicious to you, but are actually quite dangerous to our animal companions. Our ASPCA nutrition experts have come up with a list of top 10 people foods that you should not feed your pet. If ingestion of any of these items should occur, please note the amount ingested and contact your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 immediately.
Chocolate, Coffee, Caffeine
These products all contain substances called methylxanthines, which are found in cacao seeds, the fruit of the plant used to make coffee and in the nuts of an extract used in some sodas. When ingested by pets, methylxanthines can cause vomiting and diarrhea, panting, excessive thirst and urination, hyperactivity, abnormal heart rhythm, tremors, seizures and even death. Note that darker chocolate is more dangerous than milk chocolate. White chocolate has the lowest level of methylxanthines, while baking chocolate contains the highest.
Alcohol
Alcoholic beverages and food products containing alcohol can cause vomiting, diarrhea, decreased coordination, central nervous system depression, difficulty breathing, tremors, abnormal blood acidity, coma and even death.
Avocado
The leaves, fruit, seeds and bark of avocados contain Persin, which can cause vomiting and diarrhea in dogs. Birds and rodents are especially sensitive to avocado poisoning, and can develop congestion, difficulty breathing and fluid accumulation around the heart. Some ingestions may even be fatal.
Macadamia Nuts
Macadamia nuts are commonly used in many cookies and candies. However, they can cause problems for your canine companion. These nuts have caused weakness, depression, vomiting, tremors and hyperthermia in dogs. Signs usually appear within 12 hours of ingestion and last approximately 12 to 48 hours.
Grapes & Raisins
Although the toxic substance within grapes and raisins is unknown, these fruits can cause kidney failure. In pets who already have certain health problems, signs may be more dramatic.
Yeast Dough
Yeast dough can rise and cause gas to accumulate in your pet’s digestive system. This can be painful and can cause the stomach or intestines to rupture. Because the risk diminishes after the dough is cooked and the yeast has fully risen, pets can have small bits of bread as treats. However, these treats should not constitute more than 5 percent to 10 percent of your pet’s daily caloric intake.
Raw/Undercooked Meat, Eggs and Bones
Raw meat and raw eggs can contain bacteria such as Salmonella and E. coli that can be harmful to pets. In addition, raw eggs contain an enzyme called avidin that decreases the absorption of biotin (a B vitamin), which can lead to skin and coat problems. Feeding your pet raw bones may seem like a natural and healthy option that might occur if your pet lived in the wild. However, this can be very dangerous for a domestic pet, who might choke on bones, or sustain a grave injury should the bone splinter and become lodged in or puncture your pet’s digestive tract.
Xylitol
Xylitol is used as a sweetener in many products, including gum, candy, baked goods and toothpaste. It can cause insulin release in most species, which can lead to liver failure. The increase in insulin leads to hypoglycemia (lowered sugar levels). Initial signs of toxicosis include vomiting, lethargy and loss of coordination. Signs can progress to recumbancy and seizures. Elevated liver enzymes and liver failure can be seen within a few days.
Onions, Garlic, Chives
These vegetables and herbs can cause gastrointestinal irritation and could lead to red blood cell damage. Although cats are more susceptible, dogs are also at risk if a large enough amount is consumed. Toxicity is normally diagnosed through history, clinical signs and microscopic confirmation of Heinz bodies. An occasional low dose, such as what might be found in pet foods or treats, likely will not cause a problem, but we recommend that you do NOT give your pets large quantities of these foods.
Milk
Because pets do not possess significant amounts of lactase (the enzyme that breaks down lactose in milk), milk and other milk-based products cause them diarrhea or other digestive upset.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Fur
Help Animals on Fur Farms
SKINNED ALIVE
When undercover investigators made their way onto Chinese fur farms recently, they found that many animals are still alive and struggling desperately when workers flip them onto their backs or hang them up by their legs or tails to skin them. When workers on these farms begin to cut the skin and fur from an animal's leg, the free limbs kick and writhe. Workers stomp on the necks and heads of animals who struggle too hard to allow a clean cut. When the fur is finally peeled off over the animals' heads, their naked, bloody bodies are thrown onto a pile of those who have gone before them. Some are still alive, breathing in ragged gasps and blinking slowly. Some of the animals' hearts are still beating five to 10 minutes after they are skinned. One investigator recorded a skinned raccoon dog on the heap of carcasses who had enough strength to lift his bloodied head and stare into the camera.
Before they are skinned alive, animals are pulled from their cages and thrown to the ground; workers bludgeon them with metal rods or slam them on hard surfaces, causing broken bones and convulsions but not always immediate death. Animals watch helplessly as workers make their way down the row.
BACKGROUND
Undercover investigators from Swiss Animal Protection/EAST International recently toured fur farms in China's Hebei Province, and it quickly became clear why outsiders are banned from visiting. There are no regulations governing fur farms in China—farmers can house and slaughter animals however they see fit—meaning miserable lives and excruciating deaths. The investigators found horrors beyond their worst imaginings and concluded, "Conditions on Chinese fur farms make a mockery of the most elementary animal welfare standards. In their lives and their unspeakable deaths, these animals have been denied even the simplest acts of kindness."
LIVING HELL
On these farms, foxes, minks, rabbits, and other animals pace and shiver in outdoor wire cages, exposed to driving rain, freezing nights, and, at other times, scorching sun. Mother animals, who are driven crazy from rough handling and intense confinement and have nowhere to hide while giving birth, often kill their babies after delivering litters. Disease and injuries are widespread, and animals suffering from anxiety-induced psychosis chew on their own limbs and throw themselves repeatedly against the cage bars.
IS THERE A SKELETON IN YOUR CLOSET?
The globalization of the fur trade has made it impossible to know where fur products come from. Skins move through international auction houses and are purchased and distributed to manufacturers around the world, and finished goods are often exported. China supplies more than half of the finished fur garments imported for sale in the United States. Even if a fur garment's label says it was made in a European country, the animals were likely raised and slaughtered elsewhere—possibly on an unregulated Chinese fur farm.
Because a fur's origin can't be traced, anyone who wears any fur at all shares the blame for the horrific conditions on Chinese fur farms. The only way to prevent such unimaginable cruelty is never to wear any fur. Take PETA'S pledge to be fur-free today!
Thank you for all that you do to help animals!
Pledge to go fur-free at PETA.org.
Whether it came from an animal on a fur farm or one who was trapped in the wild, every fur coat, trinket, and bit of trim caused an animal tremendous suffering—and took away a life.
Animals on fur farms spend their entire lives confined to cramped, filthy wire cages. Fur farmers use the cheapest and cruelest killing methods available, including suffocation, electrocution, gas, and poison.
More than half the fur in the U.S. comes from China, where millions of dogs and cats are bludgeoned, hanged, bled to death, and often skinned alive for their fur. Chinese fur is often deliberately mislabeled, so if you wear any fur, there's no way of knowing for sure whose skin you're in.
Animals who are trapped in the wild can suffer for days from blood loss, shock, dehydration, frostbite, gangrene, and attacks by predators. They may be caught in steel-jaw traps that slam down on their legs, often cutting to the bone; Conibear traps, which crush their necks with 90 pounds of pressure per square inch; or water-set traps, which leave beavers, muskrats, and other animals struggling for more than nine agonizing minutes before drowning.
During the annual Canadian seal slaughter, tens of thousands of baby harp seals are shot or repeatedly bludgeoned with clubs tipped with metal hooks. Also in Canada, hundreds of black bears are shot at point-blank range or caught in traps and left to suffer for days so that their skins can be used to make the ceremonial hats worn by Queen Elizabeth II's Five Guards' Regiments.
Luckily, there is no need to be cruel to stay warm and look cool. Cruelty-free fabrics and faux furs are available in stores everywhere, and PETA continues to work with designers and clothing retailers to encourage them to use and sell only animal-friendly fabrics.
SKINNED ALIVE
When undercover investigators made their way onto Chinese fur farms recently, they found that many animals are still alive and struggling desperately when workers flip them onto their backs or hang them up by their legs or tails to skin them. When workers on these farms begin to cut the skin and fur from an animal's leg, the free limbs kick and writhe. Workers stomp on the necks and heads of animals who struggle too hard to allow a clean cut. When the fur is finally peeled off over the animals' heads, their naked, bloody bodies are thrown onto a pile of those who have gone before them. Some are still alive, breathing in ragged gasps and blinking slowly. Some of the animals' hearts are still beating five to 10 minutes after they are skinned. One investigator recorded a skinned raccoon dog on the heap of carcasses who had enough strength to lift his bloodied head and stare into the camera.
Before they are skinned alive, animals are pulled from their cages and thrown to the ground; workers bludgeon them with metal rods or slam them on hard surfaces, causing broken bones and convulsions but not always immediate death. Animals watch helplessly as workers make their way down the row.
BACKGROUND
Undercover investigators from Swiss Animal Protection/EAST International recently toured fur farms in China's Hebei Province, and it quickly became clear why outsiders are banned from visiting. There are no regulations governing fur farms in China—farmers can house and slaughter animals however they see fit—meaning miserable lives and excruciating deaths. The investigators found horrors beyond their worst imaginings and concluded, "Conditions on Chinese fur farms make a mockery of the most elementary animal welfare standards. In their lives and their unspeakable deaths, these animals have been denied even the simplest acts of kindness."
LIVING HELL
On these farms, foxes, minks, rabbits, and other animals pace and shiver in outdoor wire cages, exposed to driving rain, freezing nights, and, at other times, scorching sun. Mother animals, who are driven crazy from rough handling and intense confinement and have nowhere to hide while giving birth, often kill their babies after delivering litters. Disease and injuries are widespread, and animals suffering from anxiety-induced psychosis chew on their own limbs and throw themselves repeatedly against the cage bars.
IS THERE A SKELETON IN YOUR CLOSET?
The globalization of the fur trade has made it impossible to know where fur products come from. Skins move through international auction houses and are purchased and distributed to manufacturers around the world, and finished goods are often exported. China supplies more than half of the finished fur garments imported for sale in the United States. Even if a fur garment's label says it was made in a European country, the animals were likely raised and slaughtered elsewhere—possibly on an unregulated Chinese fur farm.
Because a fur's origin can't be traced, anyone who wears any fur at all shares the blame for the horrific conditions on Chinese fur farms. The only way to prevent such unimaginable cruelty is never to wear any fur. Take PETA'S pledge to be fur-free today!
Thank you for all that you do to help animals!
Pledge to go fur-free at PETA.org.
This animal video will inspire you. A Must see from HSUS.
Together we made history for animals.
Take a minute to see what you helped achieve for animals this year. Click here to watch our moving year-end video now -- then make a special year-end donation to achieve more victories for animals in 2009.Here are just a handful of this year's most extraordinary triumphs:
Our dedicated team of responders led a series of massive puppy mill rescue operations, and we saved thousands of breeding dogs and puppies from caged misery and neglect.
We uncovered shocking abuse of dairy cows at a California slaughter plant, triggering the largest beef recall in U.S. history, shutting down the $100-million company for good, and forcing the USDA to commit to banning the slaughter of "downed" cows.
We rescued animals from natural disasters, providing refuge for thousands of pets and farm animals in peril from Hurricanes Ike and Gustav.
We launched the most ambitious ballot measure for animals in history -- and we won a better life for millions of cows, pigs, and chickens. California's Prop 2 will usher in a new era not only for animals in California, but animals suffering in factory farms across the United States.
We busted dogfighting and cockfighting rings throughout the nation, and we passed a raft of laws at the state level and a new federal law to make animal fighting a felony everywhere in the country.
Web Link: https://community.hsus.org/humane/notice-description.tcl? newsletter_id=29856040
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