Amy Shojai's Blog, page 133
June 4, 2012
Monday Mentions: Writer-icity, Pets & Fiddling Around
Rehearsal for Sabbath Prayer . . .
Some of y’all know that in another life I’m an actor/singer. I find that any sort of creativity feeds the muse on multiple levels. For the past six weeks I’ve been in rehearsal with a company of incredibly talented performers to mount a production of Fiddler On The Roof.
Tech week rehearsals (first time with the orchestra, makeup, costumes and lights) began last night. This Thursday the house opens for our first audience, and we’ll perform every Thurs-Sun during June. I hope those in the N. Texas area will attend the show–information is here. And yes, the hair likely will get it’s own curtain call!
Maurice, my Dragon-Muse, has been kicking my ass-ets to get the fiction done!
Meanwhile, I’ve also been struggling to finish the thriller edits and my editor has been incredibly patient with me. This week is THE week! We’re already working on the cover and of course we want it to be special. I’ll have some news shortly about how you–yes the readers!–can get in on the thriller-icity and have a bit of a say in what goes in the book. Stay tuned.
Monday Mentions is the mash-up-day of all the neato-torpedo links and videos, pet schtuff and bling and writer-icity crappiocca collected over the past week. Some of this “schtuff” can be hard to categorize and may fit more than one topic so I urge you to at least scan them all.
WRITER-ICITY SCHTUFF
Free Sites to Promote Your Book
Deep Cuts Horror Anthology especially looking for work from women
Going To BEA? Navigate the Crowd with Free App
The Amazon Effect interesting background and insight into the giant
Publishers Weekly Moves Into Self-Pub’ing from the Writer Beware blog
Writing Persuasive Content–48 Tips Here
PET SCHTUFF
The Secret World of Cat Slang, a hilarious translation of felinese from Angie Holland Baily of Catladyland
Feral Cats Blamed For Typhus cooler heads prevailed, and now education about fleas is in the works, yay!
Can You Love Your Dog Too Much?
Curiosity Nearly Kills the Cat from Dr. Rayya’s Blog (graphic photos, gang…but you’ll be rooting for this kitty!)
Punishment Training–Does It Work? What’s the Fallout?
Cat Safe Sunblock? from Paws & Effect awesome blog!
Dog Follows Cyclist 1000 Miles
New Book on Nutritional Supplements–for Pets from my colleague Shawn Messonnier, DVM (it’s for vets but pet owners probably would like this, too!)
Are generic drugs safe/as effective for pets? Answers in this VIN Video!
I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered? Do you have a new kitten and need answers? Stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, “like” me on Facebook, listen to the weekly radio show, check out weekly FREE PUPPY CARE newsletter, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter with excerpts from the forthcoming THRILLER, LOST & FOUND, and pet book give-aways!
Filed under: Cat Behavior & Care, Dog Training & Care, Theater & Performance, Writing Advice & More Tagged: Amy Shojai, cats, dogs, Fiddler On the Roof, generic medicine for pets, pet books, pets, theater, Thrillers, www.amyshojai.com
June 1, 2012
Furry Friday: Spay & Neuter
It has been quite a week–and I’ve gotten snowed under with a number of challenging issues both professional and personal. So today’s post is a bit late because (confession time!) I took the day off and went for a LONG walk with the Magical-Dawg and then took a nap with Seren-Kitty.
June is Adopt-A-Cat Month and all the kittens “littering” shelters need your love and care. But don’t neglect the adults and older felines–or the dogs, either. Today’s “Ask Amy” offer some basics you already know about spaying and neutering pets and here’s more details for fixing puppies.
Are you in the market for a new furry friend? Will you adopt this month? How did you find your special cat friend? How do you feel about adopting “older” pets?
I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered? Do you have a new kitten and need answers? Stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, “like” me on Facebook, listen to the weekly radio show, check out weekly FREE PUPPY CARE newsletter, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter with excerpts from the forthcoming THRILLER, LOST & FOUND, and pet book give-aways!
Filed under: Ask Amy Videos, Cat Behavior & Care, Dog Training & Care Tagged: Amy Shojai, cats, dogs, kittens, neuter, pet books, puppies, spay, www.amyshojai.com
May 30, 2012
Woof Wednesday: Awful Abscess!
Lop sided dog!
The first year we had Magic, something stung him–fire ant, wasp, bee–who knows? His whole muzzle swelled up, he developed itchy hives, and cried for three nights. So this past Saturday afternoon when he suddenly had a lop-sided face at first I suspected allergic reaction. But it wasn’t an all-over swelling but only at the jaw line, and he didn’t itch and had no problems breathing.
I feared he’d been bitten by a copperhead or rattle snake, which can cause severe pain and necrosis (death) of the tissue. However, he wasn’t sore and there didn’t seem to be any bite marks or injury. And the swelling was solid, firm, not soft. Of course it happened on a long holiday weekend when our regular veterinary office was closed.
I emailed a veterinarian friend (thanks Amanda!) with pictures and she also guessed 1) allergy or 2) abscess but of course could not give a “crystal ball” diagnosis over the Internet. Yesterday morning I took the Magical-Dawg for the required hands on exam. My lumpy doggy still acted fine, had an appetite, the swelling remained firm and not tender. The doctor also said he was puzzled and suggested a needle aspirate to see just what was going on.
Sure enough, after some “needling” he found a small amount of pus. Magic has an abscess.
WHAT IS AN ABSCESS?
Abscesses are pockets of infection that develop when germs become trapped beneath the skin and fester. Anything that breaks the skin can cause an abscess. Dogs aren’t affected nearly as often as cats–wouldn’t you know that my dog would be the exception!
Cats are perfectly designed to develop abscesses because their skin heals so quickly, and cat teeth and claws can leave tiny punctures. Cat abscesses almost always develop on the head, rump or paw–you can often tell by the location of the sore which cat won the fight. As with Magic, most times you won’t notice the sore until it’s healed and the area swells. The cat might limp, or you’ll notice a hot, red swollen area.
Abscesses usually are very painful. Pets can develop fevers of 104 to 106 degrees from an abscess. Once it ruptures, an abscess drains bloody, yellow or even green smelly pus. Don’t count on seeing all these signs, though. Even though Magic looked goofy with a lopsided head, he didn’t act uncomfortable at all. This is the second time he’s had this happen. When he was about a year old, one side of his muzzle swelled and I could handle the area and it didn’t appear to be tender, and didn’t feel hot, and I assumed a bee nailed him until the spot came to a head and drained.
Shaved Magic…
The lance opening allows drainage.
This time he needed to be shaved and the spot lanced and cleaned out for it to drain. The veterinarian found no wound. It was apparently a “sterile abscess” which means the underlying tissue became inflamed (from a bruise? who knows!) and began to swell with infection. Even after lancing and drainage the swelling remains because there’s not much infection there–yet–and it’s simply the soft tissue that’s swollen.
Abscesses typically are not dangerous but when painful, they can be very difficult to treat at home. If your pet allows it, apply a warm wet compress twice a day for five minutes on, five minutes off, until it cools. Drainage makes the fur wet and smelly, and the hair can hold the bacteria in place and slow healing. That’s another reason to clip the long fur away.
Turns out Magic did have a temperature (104) even though he didn’t seem to feel bad. Magic received an antibiotic injection (Cefazolin) and Cephalin capsules (antibiotic) for twice daily for 10 days to fight infection. While he was sedated he also got his nails trimmed (yay!). Hey, after a hefty bill, the “no charge” on the nail trim is a great perk…but honestly, he’s my buddy and you don’t question when your friend needs help.
It’s frustrating that there was no injury, and we can only guess what prompted the abscess. I hope it doesn’t happen again, or we may need to change his name to Lumpy.
I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered? Do you have a new kitten and need answers? Stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, “like” me on Facebook, listen to the weekly radio show, check out weekly FREE PUPPY CARE newsletter, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter with excerpts from the forthcoming THRILLER, LOST & FOUND, and pet book give-aways!
Filed under: Dog Training & Care Tagged: abscess, allergic reaction, Amy Shojai, dog care, dogs, first aid, infection, sting, www.amyshojai.com
May 28, 2012
Monday Mentions: Turtles, Snakes & Writer-icty
Ah…to be a turtle…
I hope your Memorial Day is restful, positive, and brings you all that you wish. Those lost and the causes for which they fought for our sake is indeed something to remember.
I also have to share that the Magical-Dawg, roughneck that he is, has managed to injure himself in some way. Oh, he’s clueless. Apparently it doesn’t hurt but the lop-sided swelling on his right jaw turns him into a bizarre hamster-esque creature with a pseudo cheek pouch. Y’all may remember he has in the past turned into hippopotamus head due to insect stings–but this isn’t itchy, painful, or soft. It’s a goose-egg hard lump under his right jaw/ear. Maybe the Seren-kitty finally nailed him SCORE! I feared it might be a snake bite (we have copperheads and rattlers) which inspired me to share the video, below. It’ll come in handy if any of y’all ever need to dodge cobras!
But since there’s no pain, more likely it’s a simmering abscess or another allergic reaction. I’ll keep you posted. Of course, it happens the first day of a long holiday weekend. Sheesh.
This week I’m channeling my inner turtle–or trying to do so. A hard shell impervious to slings and arrows, a safe retreat in which to hide my head and eyes, soothing water to cleanse myself–ah that is peace! I’ve someone cleared my calendar to work on final edits of LOST & FOUND thriller. Evenings I’ll be at rehearsal — yes, my friends, I’m in another show and we’re closing in on tech week followed by performances every weekend in June. Maybe I’ll have pictures at some point to share.
Monday Mentions is the mash-up-day of all the neato-torpedo links and videos, pet schtuff and bling and writer-icity crappiocca collected over the past week. Some of this “schtuff” can be hard to categorize and may fit more than one topic so I urge you to at least scan them all.
WRITING SCHTUFF
Buzz Your Book, an awesome how-to from Doug Clegg and MJ Rose (they really know their stuff!)
Bob Mayer Chat on PubIt! I had to miss this in person but thankfully it’s still available, some GREAT info! (he’s my publisher for the fiction, woot!)
Interesting Survey Results from self-published authors (thanks to Jillian Dodd for pointing out the link).
Writers Digest Self Pub Book Contest Deadline Extended to June 15
Houghton Mifflin Publisher Bankruptcy
DON’T Pay for Online Ad…Until You Read This great post from Jane Friedman
SoonerCon in Oklahoma City June 15-17 looks like a great session!
Augmenting Your Twitter Audience posted over at Piper Bayard’s awesome blog.
PET SCTHUFF
Great Video Why ‘Alpha/Beta’ Wolf Terms Ain’t Accurate
Cat Being Vacuumed Oh–my–gosh, my Seren-Kitty would sooooo be out of there! Is kitty on drugs? Learned helplessness? Too pudgy to escape?
Pain Therapy for Dogs from the awesome Morris Animal Foundation
Cat Pain Therapy also from Morris Animal Foundation–they rock!
CatLandia Spoof Video for TNR this will make you smile!
Cesar Milan Feedback (don’t watch if you’re a fan…just saying, the scientist may hiss you off)
Soldier Trades Cigarettes To Save Dog
Poison Ivy & Pets Great info from The Creative Cat blog (thanks Bernadette!) ew, hate this stuff! and while pets aren’t as susceptible they can spread it to YOU
I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered? Do you have a new kitten and need answers? Stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, “like” me on Facebook, listen to the weekly radio show, check out weekly FREE PUPPY CARE newsletter, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter with excerpts from the forthcoming THRILLER, LOST & FOUND, and pet book give-aways!
Filed under: Cat Behavior & Care, Dog Training & Care, Writing Advice & More Tagged: Amy Shojai, Bob Mayer, cat books, Cesar Milan, cobras, dog books, Morris Animal Foundation, pet books, publishing, snakes, writing advice, www.amyshojai.com
May 25, 2012
Feline Friday: Outdoor Cat Safety
Seren loves exploring the roses–but only when on leash.
This Memorial Day it’s vitally important that you stay safe over the holiday–your fur kids are counting on you! Of course, it’s equally important that you keep the cats safe. In the best of all possible worlds, cats could roam back gardens and chase butterflies, enjoy sniffing the roses and have a wonderful time being cats–as they were meant to be. But the reality of the situation is that dangers lurk even in the back garden.
In my neck of the woods, coyotes venture right onto the back patio ready and willing to make a snack of Seren-kitty. Strays also may expose a pet cat to dangerous viruses, and cars can’t swerve every time to save the pet’s life at the risk of their own safety. You can train your cats–purrsuade them–to stop door dashing behavior to protect them from accidental escape. You’ll find a number of additional cat management solutions in the Competability: Cat-to-Cat book as well.
There are fence products available for cats to help you create less dangerous outdoor sanctuaries. Cat containment systems like Cat Fence-In attaches fine webbing to existing outdoor fences to keep cats safely inside while allowing them to enjoy the outdoors. Purr…fect Fence also offers a complete backyard fence enclosure. Affordable Cat Fence receives positive marks as well. All three offer do-it-yourself kits. Here are some more tips on how to keep outdoor cats safe.
Do your cats have outside playgrounds? How do you keep cats safe when they’re outside? Have you trained your kitty to a leash for safe exploration? Please share!
And in the spirit of fun, here’s the latest Simon’s Cat video on the subject, enjoy!
I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered? Do you have a new kitten and need answers? Stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, “like” me on Facebook, listen to the weekly radio show, check out weekly FREE PUPPY CARE newsletter, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter with excerpts from the forthcoming THRILLER, LOST & FOUND, and pet book give-aways!
Filed under: Cat Behavior & Care Tagged: Amy Shojai, cat behavior, cat books, cat fence, cat leash training, cat safety, cats, cats outdoors, pet books, Simons Cat, training cats, www.amyshojai.com
May 23, 2012
Woof Wednesday: Dealing With Deaf Dogs
My first shepherd at about 13 years old, began to lose his hearing.
Last week’s Woof Wednesday covered hearing sense and ear problems. I’ve slowly worked through various ear conditions in a new series on the puppies.about.com site, and the latest deals with deaf puppies.
Yes, some puppies can be born deaf, or develop hearing impairment from infections or injury. More dogs, though, simply lose their hearing as they age. In either case, a deaf puppy or dog has more challenges as far as communication, but with care, can still become wonderful companions.
Have you ever met a deaf dog, or had a beloved older canine lose his hearing? How did you manage? The article on deaf puppies has a number of tips for managing the issue. But have you ever thought about a hearing aid?
Here’s an excerpt from Complete Care for Your Aging Dog that describes how to create a hearing aid for a dog and train the pet to accept it. Would you consider doing this? How would your dog react to a hearing aid?
GOLDEN MOMENTS: TAZZY’S REAWAKENING
When Carol Kjellsen of Cumming, Georgia, adopted Tazzy, the Shetland Sheepdog/Yorkshire Terrier mix pup was five weeks old and weighed less than 12 ounces. “She looked like a Tasmanian devil!” says Carol. The orphan had no fur, couldn’t stand on her own, and wasn’t able to nurse properly because her Yorkie mom had died shortly after giving birth.
In the beginning, she was so tiny, nobody was sure the pup would survive. For their first month together, Tazzy lived in a little fleece sack Carol carried around in her pocket. Today, Tazzy is fourteen years old, 17 inches tall and weighs 17 pounds. After more than a decade together, the dog and her surrogate “mom” remain closer than ever.
That’s why two years ago, Carol immediately noticed something wasn’t quite right. Tazzy wasn’t barking as much as usual. “Shelties bark a lot, and she always barked at every noise,” says Carol. But Tazzy started sleeping through the doorbell. Then even the sound of the garage door wouldn’t rouse her. Touching the dog to wake her up made Tazzy nearly jump out of her skin. Carol knew the hearing loss was impacting her dog’s quality of life.
“We travel with our three dogs a lot, and that was fine when she could hear me,” says Carol. If the dogs saw and chased something, they were trained to come when called. “When Tazzy’s hearing went, that became a problem.” Cataract surgery had saved the eyesight of her cousin’s dog, and Carol wondered if hearing aids were also possible. “Everybody thought I was crazy,” she says, but she asked her veterinarian anyway.
“Ms. Kjellsen is a very special client,” says Dr. Mike McLaughlin of Animal Medical Center in Cumming. “Somebody who considers putting a hearing aid in a dog is up there at the top of the list!” Dr. McLaughlin remembered that while he was in school at Auburn, Dr. Arvle Marshall conducted a research study putting hearing aids in dogs. He called and asked if a hearing aid might help Tazzy.
The first step was to determine if she was deaf or hard of hearing. A test called the brain stem auditory evoked response (BAER test) conducted at Auburn would cost about $500. Another option worked just as well in this situation, though, and cost nothing. Dr. McLaughlin told Carol to wait until Tazzy was awake, make sure the dog couldn’t see her, and then whistle. “If you whistle and the ears twitch, the dog can hear to some capacity and is a candidate for a hearing aid,” says Dr. McLaughlin. The ear-twitch reflex does not work if the dog is deaf.
Tazzy’s ear twitched. She was hard of hearing, and therefore a candidate for an aid. The next step was training her to accept wearing the foam earplug, says Carol. She was told this training typically took a couple of weeks, and that some dogs never accepted the sensation. But because of their special relationship, Carol never had any doubt that Tazzy would trust her and accept the earplug. “I showed her the earplug, held her really close, and put it in,” says Carol.
Tazzy wore it for two minutes the first time. When shook her head, Carol gave her a break and took it out. The next time, Tazzy wore it for 15 minutes before asking for a break. “The third time she left it in for two hours. And the fourth time, Tazzy left it in for six hours. So I called Mike and said wearing the aid wouldn’t be a problem.”
The final step was putting together the hearing aid system for Tazzy. The original Auburn research project was long finished, and no canine hearing aids were left. Recycling a human hearing aid was the best and least expensive option. Carol’s father-in-law donated one of his old hearing aids to the project.
The hearing aid was attached to Tazzy’s collar with Velcro. Then a small piece of IV tubing connected the hearing aid to the foam earplug, and the foam plug was inserted into Tazzy’s ear. “Then I put the batteries in, and Tazzy immediately reacted!” says Carol. “It was very obvious she was hearing. She’d go outside and her little head would go up. The barking started again and I thought, ‘oh gee, I forgot that!’”
Suddenly, Tazzy could hear crickets and birds–and other dogs again. Patti the Pekingese rattles the walls with her snores, says Carol, and it used to disturb Tazzy so much she’d bark to be rescued. “One of the first things I noticed was Tazzy looking at Patti snoring as if to say, ‘Why am I hearing this again?!’”
There are times when the dog prefers not to hear everything. She’s learned to tell Carol when the batteries go dead, or if the hearing aid whistles with feedback–Tazzy simply paws out the aid. “Her ears get sore if she wears it every single day, so we just put it in when we need to, such as when we travel,” says Carol. The hearing aid has re-awakened the close connection the pair share, and opened the world back up for Tazzy.
I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered? Do you have a new kitten and need answers? Stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, “like” me on Facebook, listen to the weekly radio show, check out weekly FREE PUPPY CARE newsletter, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter with excerpts from the forthcoming THRILLER, LOST & FOUND, and pet book give-aways!
Filed under: Dog Training & Care Tagged: Amy Shojai, Complete Care for Your Aging Dog, deaf dogs, dog behavior, dog books, dog training, dogs, old dogs, puppies, senior dogs, www.amyshojai.com
May 21, 2012
Monday Mentions: Sniper Cats & Writing Tips
Self protection can get ugly…what happened to the sparkles? Image Copr. Karla Spence/Flickr
I am this close to having my edits on the LOST AND FOUND thriller completed to send back to the editor. And I am THIS CLOSE to having all my lines learned in the current theater project we rehearse nearly every night. Also, there have been some challenges in one of my membership organizations that have me (and many others) concerned and so overtime dealing with that has created unexpected deadlines. So I’m putting on my flame-retardant sparkles for the duration.
In between times, the usual writer-icity deadlines continue to flog and dog my calendar, and I’ve been a wee bit remiss keeping up with my Sweet Tweets over at the Twitter-verse. I hope y’all will forgive me…very soon I’ll be back up to speed on everything.
Monday Mentions is the mash-up-day of all the neato-torpedo links and videos, pet schtuff and bling and writer-icity crappiocca collected over the past week. Some of this “schtuff” can be hard to categorize and may fit more than one topic so I urge you to at least scan them all.
WRITER-ICITY TIPS
Editing Clauses In Book Contracts, from the awesome Writer Beware blog. Just so’s ya know, this is an award-winning blog, too! Check out this awesome honor!
How to Get Self Pub’d Books Into Bookstores lots of info and tips in these articles
Twitter Lessons via Helmet Hair Heroine from the awesome blog of Jenny Hansen
UC-Davis Pet Tox Screening, Authors, you could really use this info in your thrillers!
Sharpen Your Blogging, lots of tips in this series from Kristin Nador
89 Book Marketing Ideas That Will Change Your Life, thanks to awesome blogger Jillian Dodd for the suggestion. And here are 4 more marketing tips from the awesome Jane Friedman
Deciphering Book Sales Rank from Theresa Ragan
Tracking Sales How do you know if your book sales are average or need a kick in the ass-ets? Some ballpark ranges for indie authors here.
Facebook Your Way to Audience Engagement plus some warnings about how scammers use Facebook
PET SCHTUFF
ACE Awards, nominate your canine hero
Kitty Trick Training a fun video of a feline that’s earned DOG titles
Blog Paws Conference for anyone who blogs about critters (or who has critters that blog).
Nominations For Petties for the best “pet bloggers” out there!
$60,000 Doggy Custody Battle, what lengths would you go to for your pet?
Missing Dog Returns Home After 3 Years
I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered? Do you have a new kitten and need answers? Stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, “like” me on Facebook, listen to the weekly radio show, check out weekly FREE PUPPY CARE newsletter, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter with excerpts from the forthcoming THRILLER, LOST & FOUND, and pet book give-aways!
Filed under: Cat Behavior & Care, Dog Training & Care, Writing Advice & More Tagged: Amy Shojai, books, cats, dogs, pet books, publishing tips, writing tips, www.amyshojai.com
May 18, 2012
Furry Friday: Pet Grief
When pets come into our lives, we celebrate their joyful life and never think about the hole their absence will cause.
One of my FaceBook friends recently sent me a note, asking for resources for another friend who’s pet (after a year) still struggled with grief over the loss of a companion pet. How very sad! Some of those resources are linked in this blog, but I wanted to also address the very real issue of our own grief–and share an awesome resource.
I’m often sent books to review, judge for contests, or offer pre-publication promotional comments. My current “to-read” stack measures nearly three feet tall. No joke. And while I love funny or thrill-a-minute fiction, my nonfiction tastes run more toward prescriptive how-to rather than inspirational. So I surprised myself by absolutely falling in love with a self-published “small” book called, “Why We Love Them So; Surviving the Loss of an Animal Friend” by Father Paul A. Keenan (iUniverse, $14.95). All proceeds from sale of the book go to the nonprofit Perseus Foundation, which funds cancer research to benefit dogs and cats.
Father Paul, a popular author and inspirational columnist, also hosted a radio show and served as a parish priest in various places in New York City for more than thirty-one years. The bio-note on the book says, “He was foster parent, friend, and humble slave to six kitties and two dogs, six for whom he grieved.” The author wrote the book to work through his own feelings of loss. Then when Father Paul unexpectedly passed away just before the book went to press, caring friends ensured that it was published. What a wonderful legacy!
Seren is 14. I can’t imagine life without her–don’t WANT to imagine the inevitable…
I’ve written before about pet loss, the grieving process for both owners and for grieving pets, and even whether we can expect our animal friends to be with us in heaven. Whatever your personal belief system, the universal commonality is if you love pets, it hurts to lose them.
I suspect most readers are familiar with the Kubler-Ross stages of grief: denial, anger, depression, bargaining, and acceptance. The author agrees that those grieving for a pet experience similar stages but has an alternate interpretation. He suggests the grief process is a soul journey of seven stages, progressing from lost soul to becoming re-enchanted with everyday life. He writes that the soul is the deepest, most precious part of us, and where we encounter God, and that, “…if we listen to our soul, it can move us through seven stages of development which, in the end, leave our hearts singing again. The prerequisite is that we turn within and listen…and the soul can do the rest.”
How absolutely lovely!
Father Paul’s seven stages, as with Kubler-Ross, can be experienced in any order and various lengths of time, depending on the individual. They are: feeling alone after the death; dealing with “why me?” learning to receive and offer compassion; realizing an overall purpose; sorting through past life experiences; returning to daily life; and committing to a new level of aliveness and reality.
All of us who love and care for dogs and cats understand that we will outlive our pet, and ultimately have to say goodbye. But knowing that doesn’t make the reality any easier. Quality care for aging or ill pets can prolong their lives only for so long, and not all pets die in their sleep. When the joy of living is gone, when pain replaces pleasure, and when your dog or cat is ready to leap forward into the next adventure beyond your side, you can grant her the greatest gift of all – a merciful death.
Grief is normal, and a testament to the many years of love you shared. When a beloved animal friend nears the end of life and ultimately dies, grief can be overwhelming and paralyzing. This moving book offers essays and guidance how to understand deep sorrow, move through it, and eventually use the power of that emotion to transform lives.
How have you managed your pet losses? What has helped you–or a friend–work through the grief? Are there certain things that have eased the pain for your pets when they’ve lost a loved one? Please share!
I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered? Do you have a new kitten and need answers? Stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, “like” me on Facebook, listen to the weekly radio show, check out weekly FREE PUPPY CARE newsletter, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter with excerpts from the forthcoming THRILLER, LOST & FOUND, and pet book give-aways!
Filed under: Cat Behavior & Care, Dog Training & Care Tagged: Amy Shojai. www.amyshojai.com, cat behavior, cat books, dog behavior, dog books, grief, mourning the loss of a pet, pet books, pet loss
May 15, 2012
Woof Wednesday: Canine Sound Sense & Ear Problems
Magic at 17 days old.
Did you know that puppies are born deaf? With their ears sealed and folded over? They don’t start to really “hear” until the ears open at about two weeks of age (some differences between breeds, but that’s a ballpark number). Yep, that’s Magic in all the pictures. He hadn’t been hearing stuff for very long in the first picture, and his ears are still firmly flopped to his head.
“Say, what?”
Ain’t he a cuty? That’s the Magical-Dawg shortly after he came home at about 9-and-a-half weeks. Yes, he’s a German Shepherd, but you wouldn’t know it based on those ears. Canine ears help give our dogs their fine looks, breed characteristics (in some cases), and of course their acute sense of hearing. With Magic, his ears furled and unfurled for a couple of weeks, getting droopy when he was tired–that was a great puppy barometer of mood, too!
“I heard that!”
But finally, his ears went from half mast to fully at attention. Yay! That’s Magical-Dawg the first day his ears went UP.
“I used to be cute…what happened?”
Seems like in some dogs the ears outgrow the rest of the body for a period of time. Magic’s ears took on giNORmous proportions. Scary picture here–if he grows into those airplane wings, he’ll be a monster-dawg!
My canine hero in my LOST & FOUND thriller is about this age–right around 9 months old–so still a wee bit growing into big paws and dumbo ears. Those ears, though, help Shadow (the hero pup) stay several paw-steps ahead of the bad guys. 
Thankfully Magic grew into those bat-ears to become that handsome fellow above. Today he has the auditory acuity of a high-flying bat. Like the famous Snoopy, he can hear you munch marshmallow and detect the stirrings of an imminent kitty hairball in time to “help.” (urk).
All these fun pictures serve as introduction to the topic, really. Doggy hearing is extraordinary, and it can serve them well or get them in trouble–and even cause doggy angst when the thunder rumbles. Dogs hear with the same mechanisms that people have, and can suffer from some of the same ear problems as people. You wouldn’t want to be prone to ear mites, though, I promise! Ew! I’ve just posted some new articles about how dogs hear, and a second article listing the signs of the most common ear infections.
What are some of the extraordinary things your dog can detect with his/her hearing? If you have an older pet, has the hearing faded over the years? (that’s normal, actually). Has your dog ever had ear problems? I have to be careful with Magic because he loves water so much he could develop “swimmers ears.” How do you keep your pets’ ears healthy? Do you have to groom them? I know some cockers and poodles need to be “plucked” (poor dears!). Please share your tips and experiences!
I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered? Do you have a new kitten and need answers? Stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, “like” me on Facebook, listen to the weekly radio show, check out weekly FREE PUPPY CARE newsletter, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter with excerpts from the forthcoming THRILLER, LOST & FOUND, and pet book give-aways!
Filed under: Dog Training & Care Tagged: about.com, Amy Shojai, cute puppy pictures, dog books, dog ear problems, dog pictures, German shepherd, how dogs hear, puppies, puppy development, Thrillers, www.amyshojai.com
May 14, 2012
Monday Mentions: Blogs, Pet Food & Summer Colds
Pets make us feel better just by being there…
I’m sick today, urk. No voice. Stuffy head. Feel exhausted. So that’s my excuse for the brevity. I’ve had folks suggest a number of remedies–eat marshmallows to coat the throat and my personal favorite, sip “Hot Damn” (cinnamon flavored schnapps). Need to snuggle with my Seren-kitty and have the Magical-Dawg deliver some chicken soup (but he’ll want to share…). Colds suck anytime, but summer colds are particularly aggravating. Hope y’all stay healthy and I promise, I’ve sanitized the links and suchlike so germ-icity won’t infect you today on the blog.
Do your cats and dogs know when you’re under the weather? How do they act? Do tell.
Monday Mentions is the mash-up-day of all the neato-torpedo links and videos, pet schtuff and bling and writer-icity crappiocca collected over the past week. Some of this “schtuff” can be hard to categorize and may fit more than one topic so I urge you to at least scan them all.
WRITER-ICITY SCHTUFF
New Writerly Production? book a year or more? Is acceleration of content a good thing?
Love Is Murder, check out Sandra Brown’s edited anthology of romantic suspense (pre-orders now available)
Blogging Tips for Writers–FOCUS FOCUS FOCUS!
More Blogging Tips–make it EASY to comment plus all about moderation
Author Facebook Pages, why have them?
New Anthology Opps from Margie Yee Webb the co-creator with Dahlynn McKowen for Not Your Mother’s Book . . . On Cats. And Ken McKowen and Kathy Baker are co-creators for Not Your Mother’s Book . . . On Dogs.
Meredith Bernstein Literary Agency has new website with value-added for writers. Meredith was my agent for many years and I can’t recommend her highly enough.
Hyperthymesia and Marilu Henner’s Brain from the awesome Writer’s Forensics Blog of Dr. Lyle
Authors On the Air, a new radio show might be worth a look, suggested by author CJ West
PET SCHTUFF
Cat Food Recalls and Dog Food Recalls expanding. Here’s further info from the FDA.
Small Vet Practices On Way Out? IBISWorld reports veterinarians appear to be gravitating toward working in larger multi-doctor practices. What will this mean for your furry wonder?
Pit Bull Saves Owner, Loses Leg awesome story about a hero dog pulling owner from train tracks
New Hyperthyroid Diet for Cats–miracle or disaster waiting to happen? A veterinarian weighs in.
Dogs Feel Your Pain, fascinating read from ScienceNOW thanks to great pet author Cheryl Smith
Bad Journalism How-To on Cat Declaw from Sally Bahner. Let’s be responsible, folks!
Is Innovative Vet Care Too Expensive? Great post by my colleague Jo Singer. I have to say, the only “hate mail” I ever got about a book took issue with my cutting-edge title and the expense involved. Hmnnn.
SAR Dog Organizations Receive $258,000 In Grants from the AKC Companion Animal Recovery Canine Support & Relief Fund, bow-WOW!
Hogzilla–Feral vs Domestic Pig Brains for those who are really into “this little piggy.” Hmnn, wonder what would happen if people brains took that turn (can you say “weird plot idea?”)
This how-to video is on my new must-do list, since Magical-Dawg loves getting dirty and we have white carpet.
I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered? Do you have a new kitten and need answers? Stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, “like” me on Facebook, listen to the weekly radio show, check out weekly FREE PUPPY CARE newsletter, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter with excerpts from the forthcoming THRILLER, LOST & FOUND, and pet book give-aways!
Filed under: Cat Behavior & Care, Dog Training & Care, Writing Advice & More Tagged: Amy Shojai, blogs, cat behavior, cat health, dog health, dog training, summer colds, writing advice, www.amyshojai.com
