More on Raw Food

For this entry, I will only cover this topic as it relates to dogs and cats, but I will stress that for ANY pet, the closer you get to what would be a natural diet for them, the better! What would your rat eat in the wild, your iguana, your guinea pig? 

BENEFITS OF A RAW DIET

Firmer, smaller, better smelling stools (and biodegradable!). I mean, all poop smells really, but many of us often take for granted that poop should smell really bad. Well, it shouldn't! If it's smelling like sulfur or just plain unbearable, it is not normal! (This applies to humans too!) This was the very first change I noticed in my cats after switching them from kibble! 

Improved digestion. A raw food diet mimics our dogs' and cats' ancestral diets. Compared to a dry kibble diet, raw food is higher in protein, fat and lower in carbs. Our pets tend to wolf down their food, eliminating the time the stomach needs to properly receive it. Raw food takes more work, which gives their tummies enough time to secrete their digestive juices.

Healthier skin and coat. Cuts back on shedding! Raw food has way more moisture than kibble, and all the necessary nutrients for a silkier coat. As a double plus, watch skin allergies improve!

Better weight management. Because raw food is more wholesome, your pet will tend to get way more nutrients in way less food. I currently feed my cats about 4 tablespoons of food a day, maybe five if I'm home. 

Portion control. You simply can't leave raw food out, so your pet will learn to expect their portion and that's it. There'll be no overeating and no begging throughout the day.

Cleaner teeth. Our dogs and cats are equipped with very sharp teeth and strong jaws made for ripping through their prey. This action scrubs and flosses their teeth, which leads to healthy gums. I cannot stress how extremely important dental health is to the overall health of your pet! If you're feeding your pets kibble and canned, and you're not brushing their teeth, expect some serious health issues in the long-term! 

Better breath. Something else we take for granted. Your pet should not have pungent breath!

Mental health. It is still important to honor our dogs' and cats' inner wild side. A raw food diet will stimulate them emotionally and mentally and increase their vitality.

DOWNSIDES

Convenience. Raw food takes some degree of preparation. 

Price. I would say I spend about $30 a week on raw food for my 3 cats. This can vary depending on appetite and special needs. But if it saves me a ton of vet bills and heartache in the long-run, then it's a small sacrifice to make!

Salmonella and E. coli. Guess what! For YOU, not your pet. You always have to be careful when handling raw meat. Our dogs and cats have a more acidic stomach and their digestive tracts are way shorter, which makes infections rare. If they have a healthy immune system, this bacteria will be of no consequence. On that note, check out the FDA's list of commercial pet foods that were recalled due to traces of salmonella and E. coli.

What about fruits and veggies?

Dogs are not obligate carnivores and therefore benefit greatly from fruits and vegetables! Cats are obligate carnivores, which means they need a higher amount of protein, but it doesn't mean they can't benefit from fruits and veggies. Think of it this way. If your cat hunted down a rabbit, it would essentially it whole. That includes the muscle meat, bones, organ meats, raw eggs, and whatever it had in its tummy…grass, fruits, veggies and some grains. Same with dogs!

Precautions

DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT buy your pet's raw food at a grocery store!!! I don't care if it says free-range, cage-free, grass-fed, happy cows… This should be a whole different entry, but in short, if you think this meat comes from chickens roaming a beautiful green pasture happily greeting each other as they welcome the morning sun, you're mistaken. Cage-free means chickens aren't necessarily kept in cages. BUT they can still be enclosed in large chicken houses with barely any room to walk around. And free range? Free range only means that chickens must have access to the outdoors, but that space doesn't need to be very big. The Humane Society website has more on the terminology. And in the end, the slaughtering process can be extremely unsanitary, not to mention the chlorine and ammonia often found in "washed" meat. 

So where can you purchase your raw food? 

A lot of pet stores already sell raw pet food with all the necessary nutrients! If you're feeling adventurous and want to cook something up yourself, visit your local farmer's market. Just remember, you'll still have to throw in some very essential vitamins, such as taurine, for cats! Or just get some good probiotics or a daily supplement to mix in! Two of my favorites are Anitra's Vita-Mineral Mix for Cats and Dogs by Pet Guard and Earth Animal's Daily Health Nuggets.

~*~

A growing number of vets state that processed pet food is the main cause of illness and premature death in the modern dog and cat. In December 1995, the British Journal of Small Animal Practice published a paper contending that processed pet food suppresses the immune system and leads to liver, kidney, heart and other diseases. This research, initially conducted by Dr. Tom Lonsdale, was researched further by the Australian Veterinary Association and proven to be correct. -From the British Journal of Small Animal Practice

I don't believe it is possible for cats to be truly healthy when living on commercial foods for a long period of time. This belief came about after contrasting the condition of house cats with feral cats who have access to adequate prey. -Christina Chambrea, DVM

Survival is insured by commercial food; nothing more; not health, not the robustness for life. -William Pollak, DVM

Dogs should eat raw food -- raw meat and bones, vegetables and fruit. If they were meant to eat processed, sterilized food, they would have evolved with tin openers instead of dew claws. -Nick Thompson BSc. (Hons), BVM&S, VetMFHom, MRCVS

Dogs and cats need raw meat to be really healthy and even the best processed foods cook their good ingredients, and most commercially available foods, even the expensive ones, use the cheapest ingredients (that means dead, diseased and decaying meat & by-products). -Christina Chambreau, DVM

Nutrition

This has been bugging me for months. Animal nutrition. For years, the general public has trusted many "high end" brands to feed their dogs and cats, and many of us have fallen for it. 

MEAL BY-PODUCTS

These CORPORATIONS have very smart, highly-paid marketing teams who work everyday to convince us that crap is good for our pets. And the larger the corporation, the lower the quality of their product. 

These companies have figured out a way to get us to trust their labels without researching their ingredients. One common example is meal by-products. The Hills and Royal Canin brands are some of the largest culprits. They have convinced us that meal by-products are FOOD. Do you know what meal by-products are? If you love and care about your pet, you should know EXACTLY what you are feeding it. So why take THEIR word for it? Let me tell you something that might shock you. NO ONE CARES MORE ABOUT YOUR PET THAN YOU DO. Meal by-products are the undigestible parts of an animal, such as hooves, snouts, feet, undeveloped eggs...essentially the waste products of meat processing…what's left AFTER the edible parts have been removed (probably scraped off the slaughterhouse floor, if you ask me). 

CORN

A vet prescribed one of our family cats a Hills diet to help her lose weight. She prescribed Hills T/D Dental Health, because it was the lowest calorie food they had available. Months later, she has NOT lost a single pound. She is currently 15 pounds. I read the label, and this is what I found...

Does anything stand out? Well, I've covered some of the by-product problem. Brewers Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Whole Grain Corn. SERIOUSLY. THIS is what they prescribe an overweight cat???

You might say, well, this particular vet is an idiot. Yes, in this case, she was. Or who knows…the Wall Street Journal came out with an article earlier this year you might want to read about how the Hills corporation gives veterinary hospitals incentives and puts veterinarians through school… So who do you think is teaching nutrition at school?

But…DOES Hills make an actual low-calorie diet for cats? They do. Hills R/D Feline Weight Loss-Low Calorie. Get this. The first three ingredients are EXACTLY THE SAME, except in this order: Brewer's Rice, Chicken By-Product Meal, Corn Gluten Meal.

What is wrong with this picture? Three things.

1) The vet recommended a prescription diet. Why does ANY animal need a medicated diet for weight loss? How about play with it for a few minutes a day? Or don't leave food out. Or feed it a WHOLESOME diet so that it won't be craving food all day? Just some thoughts.

2) The vet sold the WRONG prescription diet because it is all they HAD. This means that instead of suggesting another veterinary hospital for the correct product, she recommended next best thing, because it was somehow in their best interests to have it purchased THERE.

3) CORN. CATS ARE OBLIGATE CARNIVORES. This means that their bodies are HIGHLY dependent on a high-protein diet. If this is so, WHY are the first ingredients on these foods anything but? And why would ANY low-calorie diet have CORN in it? Cats CANNOT digest corn well! They get very little nutritional value from it. It takes several hours to digest. AND cats have a short digestive tract, so food needs to be broken up quickly before it leaves their bodies. Shouldn't Hills know this? I mean, they are "soooo high-end" and all.

MONEY

It's the same reason your Doritos (crap) bag is mostly air and not enough chip! It's why Lucky Charms (crap) has way less marshmallows than it should have! It's why they always put extra ice in your soda (crap) and not enough soda!!! BECAUSE it increases the overall protein level of the food, and is thus a CHEAP FILLER. 

STAYING TRUE TO NATURE

We are learning more and more everyday about eating organic, gluten-free, hormone and antibiotic-free food. WE are NOT living off of human pellets or canned food. Why should our pets? All my cats have been eating a raw food diet for over a year now without incidence. They might not need to hunt anymore, but their digestive systems remain unchanged from that of their wild counterparts. They are eating what their bodies are designed to digest. 

IS IT SAFE?

Absolutely. But always do your research! These companies are small enough that if ANYTHING were to happen, they'd probably be at risk of shutting down. Their goal is quality. They are run by people who LOVE animals. If it is done right, salmonella and E. coli WILL NEVER be a problem. They are not so much in it for the money. Yes, like the M&Ms commercial says. THEY DO EXIST. But question everything! Ask where their meat comes from, how it's slaughtered, how it's cleaned… They'll give you an answer. Try asking Hills!

Throwing a handful of kibble into your pet's food bowl might save you a ton of time, but it is likely to cause long-term degenerative illnesses, including heart disease, diabetes, cancer and renal disease, a couple of which I have personal experience with, and in a very small way… has been a blessing in disguise.

And hey, if raw still freaks you out, cook it a little. A Little. 

If that's STILL too much, there is hydrostatic high pressure (HHP) raw food (i.e Primal pet foods and Stella and Chewy's).

And if it's just no use… at least get kibble with wholesome ingredients, ingredients you can read and understand (i.e. Blue Buffalo). Although anything that has been cooked under such high temperatures probably has very little nutrition left in it.

TRUSTED COMPANIES

I've used all of the above, and still feed Stella and Chewy's to my girls. But here are some raw food companies I whole heartedly trust and currently use:

Bioethics Pet Food - They are by far my favorite. You can find them at the Hollywood Farmer's Market every Sunday and just recently, at Tailwaggers in Hollywood. The owner ACTUALLY formulates a special diet for Sweetie to help treat her kidney disease, all achieved through natural, local ingredients. Needless to say, her BUN and Creatinine levels have been great! They make homemade cooked food too and jerky!

Small Batch Pet - Small family owned company. Sustainable sources. Organic, hormone-free and antibiotic free.

Stella and Chewy's - Products produced from start to finish at their plant. They clean and sanitize their machines at the end of every day. Every batch is tested for E. coli and Salmonella before shipping. 

Rad Food - Small, family owned and operated. Antibiotic and hormone free. Certified organic. Free-range or pasture-raised. No preservatives, by-products, or grains.

PLUS… everything is energy. You can rest assured that the meat from these companies carries a different energy than the meat from animals who have lived a tortured existence. So by feeding your animals a good quality diet from a small company, you are also supporting animal welfare. Cheers!

DON'T TAKE IT THE WRONG WAY

We live in a highly commercialized world, and sometimes we trust too often, so my intent is to inform the misinformed… not bash or insult. I'm also not a know it all, but I like to question and research. I know the "better" diets can also be pricier, and for many of us working in rescue, for example, we can't afford to feed all our fosters a raw diet. It would absolutely break the bank! But just know that if you CAN do it…there are other options.

Our food should be our medicine and our medicine should be our food. -Hippocrates

Gracie

One day, when I was in the 7th grade, I found myself in my usual Friday art class. I think we were told we could draw anything we wanted. I had made the two drawings below in order from left to right. 

The drawing was of a kitten we had at the time named Abby, who we rescued from the back alley after her mother  left her in a dump under a neighbor's deck. She was the runt of the litter and was deformed. Her back curved down and her back legs were shorter than her front legs, which made her look like a guinea pig. When she ran and tried to stop, she'd often skid and slam into the wall. But that never slowed her down. Boy did she love to run! Unfortunately she couldn't jump, so she would often hurt herself trying to get up and down furniture. At one point, she stopped eating and couldn't keep her food down. The call came late at night, unexpectedly. We lost her at about two years of age. They told us her organs had grown too big for her body.

Below is a photo I found of Abby.

So when I drew Abby, my art teacher came over. She didn't seem pleased with my work and asked me to make Abby look more "cat-like". She said she looked too sad. So I made the second drawing, and added a smile. She said, "Why don't you try a different cat? Make her more fluffy." That's when I drew the kitten I will now name Gracie. As you can see, she is IDENTICAL!!! Down to her face markings, head, neck and leg stripes!!! Again, these drawings are from 1996!

It makes me wonder if Abby came back to me...in a body that would would work for her... a body she could run with and bounce with. And she knew exactly what she wanted to look like. And she knew that our destiny together as members of the same soul group would inevitably lead us back together. Penelope Smith, author of Animals in Spirit, says animals choose the bodies they come into, down to the last spot.

And boy does Gracie like to sprint... with no apparent destination in mind...

The soul comes from without into the human body, as into a temporary abode, and it goes out of it anew and passes into other habitations, for the soul is immortal. It is the secret of the world that all things subsist and do not die, but only retire a little from sight and afterwards return again. Nothing is dead; men feign themselves dead, and endure mock funerals...and there they stand looking out of the window, sound and well, in some strange new disguise. -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Misunderstood: Breed Discrimination in the United States

For the past few months I have been volunteering for LA Animal Rescue, and I've had the pleasure of meeting some of the most wonderful dogs in Los Angeles. It was also the first time I experienced in-depth interaction with a pit bull. They are some of the sweetest most soulful dogs I have ever met. This entry is dedicated to them because we need to ban ignorance, not pit bulls.

~*~

Breed Specific Legislation (BSL)

Did you know that there are 600 cities in the United States that have BREED SPECIFIC LEGISLATION (BSL) or as I like to call it the Bull Shit Law? In California, there all 13 cities with BSL laws that mandate the neutering and spaying of pit bulls. These include Barstow, Gilroy, Gonzales, Hollister, Manteca, Ripon, San Bernadino County, San Francisco, Lancaste, Sonoma County, Ventura, and Yucaipa. I'm not against neutering and spaying, especially in a time where overpopulation, runaways and strays is such a big issue, but to target a specific breed?

In some cities, pit bulls are 100% banned! Denver does not even allow you to bury your pit bull in its county. I guess they're afraid of hauntings?

The U.S. Army and Marine Corps also have bans against these dogs on U.S. or foreign privatized housing.

In some cities pit bulls are declared either "potentially dangerous", "dangerous", "vicious" or there are special restrictions or conditions on owning a pit bull. In Cincinnati, for example, you are required to register with the police department as a "vicious dog harborer". 

The States

There are only 9 states that currently do not have BSL laws.

Here's a kicker... some state governments have outright prohibited their municipal governments from passing BSL laws, but any BSL laws in place prior to this restriction is "grandfathered" in, so they remain in effect. Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, New Jersey, NY, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, TX, Virginia, and Washington can no longer pass BSL.

I found a neat app online that helped me compose the map below. To clarify, there are cities within the red states with BSL in effect. Also, not included in the map, are Indian Reservations.

This is also happening internationally. In Australia, they've banned the import of certain breeds of dogs and mandated the neutering and spaying of all existing dogs, in an attempt to eliminate them completely through natural attrition. 

Home insurance companies employ breed discrimination too. Below are a couple of examples.

Liberty Insurance

AAA

The Breeds

BSL laws are NOT only limited to pit bulls. I combed through all of the municipality ordinances in the United States. The breeds listed below are also restricted or declared dangerous or vicious! And because I spent about two hours trying to figure out columns in HTML, albeit unsuccessfully, I composed the following table in a Word file. In alphabetical order: 

Born Vicious?

Do you think the Boston Marathon bomber was BORN a murderer? Violence is a learned behavior. It is non-factual and biased to say that ANY dog is born vicious. There are NO bad dogs; only bad owners. And unfortunately, because of their physical characteristics, many of these dogs are bred, trained and raised as fighting dogs or used for guarding, often with very poor socialization, which often results in these attacks.

Classification

One of the illogical parts about this law is that enforcement categorizes dogs according to a list of characteristics that they pulled from the American Kennel Club Association, the United Kennel Club and the American Dog Breeder's Association. However, these organizations actually DO NOT even recognize a pit bull as a breed! BSL laws pull from and combine characteristics from several different breeds, including Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers and Staffordshire Bull Terriers. Sometimes Rottweilers, Chow Chows, Mastiffs and Presa Canarios are included. This has resulted in MANY cases of misidentification.

FACT: According to several sources, the pit bull does not even come in first when it comes to strongest bite force among dogs! In a one year study, 129 breeds of dogs were responsible for dog bites in Colorado. The Golden Retriever topped the list.

The Media

68% of articles reporting pit bull or pit bull "mix" attacks mention "pit bull" in the headline. 8% of articles reporting on dog attacks by other breeds mentioned the breed in the headline. (Newslibrary.com March 2010)

The media has been a huge detriment to all of the people fighting against BSL laws. If the media persistently publicizes a particular topic, it becomes more important to the impressionable populace. People claim that the media actually contributed greatly to their opinion about pit bulls.

Have the laws worked?

No. Several studies indicate that there has been no change whatsoever in the frequency of attacks or dog bites because of these laws. It's not the breeds themselves, but the conditions that these dogs are in that make them dangerous. 

Thousands of dollars have been spent enforcing the ban and not educating people or strongly TARGETING the people abusing these dogs or using them as fighting dogs. A county in Maryland alone spends over 250k every year enforcing this law. In the end, the fact that they've become illegal makes them more exotic and desirable. Therefore, fighting rings have gone underground. 

The Good News

You've probably come across petitions for a lot of different causes. Well, let me tell you. They work! The Huffington Post published an article this past August. After receiving a petition signed by more than 30,000 people (and that's really not a lot!) Obama came out against BSL and is starting at the White House!  Here is the official White House response to BSL!

Food for Thought

1) Enforce leashing laws
2) Increase and enforce penalties for irresponsible owners
3) Prohibit the chaining of dogs for long periods of time. According to www.americanhumane.org  "Chaining and/or neglect results in anxious, lonely, bored, under-stimulated, untrained, unsocialized, isolated dogs are much more likely to react aggressively because of their fear." 
4) Supervise your dog; if your dog runs away from home, he is very likely to run into a dangerous situation.
5) Train and socialize your dog

Judging a dog by another dog's actions is like judging a person that knows a murderer. Pointless. And it makes you look like an asshole. -Heather Spivey

Sources:
Breed Specific Laws State-by-State. DogsBite.org
Breed Specific Legislation. American Humane Association
Dog Bites. American Human Association
Beyond the Myth directed by Libby Sherrill
Obama Comes Out Against Dog Breed-Specific Legistlation, Joins the Fight for Pit Bulls. Huffington Post.

Turtle Soup - Part 2: The Chinatown Bust

Dear little childhood turtles,

I'm really sorry you died such a horrible death, but I hope this sort of makes up for it. This is for you.

Love,
Ana

The Scoop

On Sunday, August 25th, I went to Chinatown to take pictures of the baby turtles. At least NINE establishments were selling newborn red eared sliders, even after recent crackdowns on bunny and turtle sales in the downtown area.

With my phone voice recorder on, I walked into Yan Gift & Souvenir, while a couple walked out with a pair they had just purchased next door! I pretended to be on a phone call with my "son", who absolutely needed me to text him photos of the turtles so he could pick out the ones he wanted. The saleswoman seemed comfortable with me under these circumstances. I went outside where the poor things were sitting under the blazing sun in small, uncovered plastic boxes and a shallow puddle of water. They were no longer than 1.5 inches. 

Two Fo Fi Dollah

At Saigon Plaza, the saleswoman became very anxious when she saw me taking pictures. "No pictuh, no pictuh," she said. "Why can't I take pictures?" "No pictuh, no pictuh." That's all I got from her. I asked the salesman. He said they don't allow pictures of anything in their store (right), but that I could go ahead. Just then, another saleswoman approached me and tried to sell me the turtles I was photographing. "Two fo fi dollah! Newbohn, newbohn!" My phone was still recording.

The Real Task - Who to Call First?

1) First, I contacted PETA. They responded the next day and asked that I contact the FDA through their criminal investigations Web form as well as my local animal control agency.

2) I submitted two forms to the FDA but haven't heard back. Hopefully they're working on it...

3) I then called LA Animal Services and left a message with Mark Salazar, Director of Field Operations. 

4) Then I Facebook messaged Acting Lieutenant Annette Ramirez, of LA Animal Services, whom I had seen in an ABC7 News report from Oct. 2012: Public warned of illegal turtle, bunny sales in LA  Annette returned my call within the week! She was wonderful. She asked that I send her names and addresses, and she'd send over an officer. Unfortunately, she said that the sellers are relentless, and they'll keep coming back, that it is up to US to call and report, since they don't have the resources to send an officer for regular enforcement. More on this below.

5) Because these vendors are breaking a U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service code, it is this organization that confiscates the turtles. I called the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service South Coast regional office and spoke to a nice woman named Sandra who interestedly asked that I email her the same info so she could forward it to enforcement.

6) I also contacted the investigative teams at ABC7 and at NBC4, who ran a great two-part investigative report last year about illegal bunny sales in the Fashion District. They are worth watching!  

Part 1: Investigation: Unhealthy Bunnies for Sale in LA's Fashion District
Part 2: Animal Traffickers Continue to Operate Illegally in Fashion District

7) Finally, as if by some mystic convergence of energies, three days after I went to Chinatown, Donna Evans published an article in the LA Downtown News, which has since been linked to by several other news sources: Illegal Turtle Sales in Chinatown Leave Some Shell-Shocked Thanks again, Donna, for spreading the word!

Where Do the Turtles Go?

An important question. I asked LA Animal Services and U.S. F&WS and have not yet received a sure answer but will update you when I get any info.

WHY is this Still Going On?

Many of these vendors are REPEAT offenders. According to NBC4, Juan Mena, the ring leader for illegal animal sales in the Fashion District, has already been arrested four times for illegal animal sales. He has also been charged with animal cruelty, assault with a firearm, and is on probation for battery. His "punishment": an unenforceable stay-away order forbidding him in that area. Good thing it's working. The cherry on top: he is in the country illegally! His wife has been arrested seven times!!!

This is not surprising. Illegal animal sales are only treated as a misdemeanor and a nifty $100 will bail ya out. 

There is evidently a HUGE gap in the law here. Risk vs. Reward??? It's no wonder they keep coming back.

Officials also passed a law that fines anyone who buys animals from these criminals up to $1,000 (if caught). Now that makes a lot of sense, given that most of the public is uninformed. Now, merchants in the Fashion District trying to protect the area have passed out flyers warning the public. There are also signs like the one on the left hung about 8 feet off the ground, with print to small too see, in obscure areas of downtown. (According to Wikipedia, there are five people over 7 ft tall still alive in the U.S. today, and none of them live in Los Angeles.) Either way, who is monitoring the buyers? 

What Now?

First, we fail to realize how much WE can do. Turtles are not the only victims. Puppies, bunnies, and birds are also in danger. If you spot illegal animal sales, just drop LA Animal Services a voicemail. It is EASY, and they WILL listen. Mark Salazar's number is 213-482-7455. 

Second, spread the word and share my blog!!!

Third, get informed.

I will continue to push on my end and keep you updated! Thank you PETA, Annette Ramirez and Sandra! Thank you NBC4 for your eye-opening reports!

I know up on the top you are seeing great sights, but down at the bottom we, too, should have rights. -Dr. Seuss, Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories



Helpful Reources
LA Animal Services website
LA Animal Services Department phone numbers
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, California Offices
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service South Coast Regional Office - 858-467-4201

Turtle Soup

Foreword 

While writing and researching this entry, I discovered that in October, 2012, there was a crackdown on the illegal sale of baby bunnies and turtles in Chinatown, Los Angeles, but I went down there to check up on them anyway. Luckily, there were no more bunnies, but at LEAST 10 establishments were STILL selling hatchlings, 5 dallah for the pair. I proceeded to carry out a successful undercover operation.

~*~ 

Turtle Soup

I was five when I got my first pets; a pair of turtles. They lived in a tank with little blue pebbles and a plastic palm tree. I don't remember naming them. They existed. And I was aware of their existence and was slightly responsible for their well-being. One day, per my daily duty, I brought them out to sun in their "palangana", a plastic wash basin for clothes, but alas a cartoon on TV kept me for longer than their poor turtle skins could take under the hot Costa Rican summer sun. My sister and I examined their stiff little bodies as they sank heavily to the bottom of their water basin. My mom made turtle soup for dinner that night.

That was a joke. There was no turtle soup. Omg.

It used to be very common to have turtles as pets. Remember how they'd be piled on top of each other in their aquariums at the pet store? You might still see them sold at fairs and on the streets even though the FDA passed a federal law in 1975 banning the sale of turtles and tortoises with a shell length of less than 4 inches. This was done to curb the high incidence of turtle-linked Salmonellosis in children and the immune compromised. Salmonella bacteria may be present in larger turtles as well, but apparently the diameter of the average child's mouth is 4 inches...?

www.freedigitalphotos.net

Code of Federal Regulations - Title 21

Breaking the "four-inch" law is punishable by a $1,000 fine and/or 1 year in prison for each violation.  Also, the turtles in question are subject to be dispatched in a humane manner by or under the supervision of an FDA officer or employee. This is a double-edge sword, of course, because we want to stop the suppliers and vendors from selling these creatures inhumanely, but if exposed, the animals we are trying to protect could potentially be killed. Although it's a very difficult stance to take, I personally think that the lives of a few turtles in the name of the greater good and awareness is a necessary sacrifice.

As with any law, however, there are exceptions, and with exceptions, there are loopholes. Exceptions include the sale or export of turtle hatchlings and viable eggs for bona fide educational or exhibition purposes, as well as the limited sale of turtles not connected with a business. This means that a store could technically give away "free" turtles with the purchase of an aquarium, or have the customer sign a disclaimer stating that the turtle will be used for educational purposes only.

One of the Biggest Loopholes of All

In some cases, the vendor or anyone with financial interest in the turtles may appeal their euthanasia. A punctual thirty-seven years after the law was passed, Petco initiated a "turtle relinquishment program". Customers could opt to bring back the turtles they had purchased (4 inches or less). Petco would then ship them off to their own supplier, Concordia Turtle Farm in Louisiana, where they were subsequently raised, treated for salmonella, and then sold again in the U.S. and abroad. PETA slammed Petco, because they claimed many of these turtles were getting shipped to China for slaughter.

Don't Blame the Turtles 

Salmonella is a naturally occurring bacteria in a turtle's digestive tract, but because they are in captivity, their enclosures perpetuate a higher risk of contamination. A good rule of thumb is to always wash your hands if you handle a turtle or a turtle's enclosure and never wash an aquarium where food is prepared.

Fortunately, this law has not only reduced the number of salmonella incidence among children, but it has also prevented the mishandling and deaths of hundreds of thousands of hatchlings. However, we still have a long way to go.

Undercover Operation

Stay tuned in my next blog for the details on how it all went down!


And the turtles, of course...all the turtles are free, as turtles and, maybe, all creatures should be. -Dr. Seuss, Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories

Sources:
www.fda.gov Code of Federal Regulations Title 21, Volume 8. 2013.
www.nbcnews.com JoNel Aleccia. Turtle take-back program aims to curb salmonella risk. 2012. 
www.examiner.com Pat Harriman. Pet Turtles Can Carry Salmonella - Be Aware of the Dangers. 2012.
www.animalpeoplenews.org What Becomes of Turtles Relinquished to Petco

For Animals and Animal Lovers Everywhere

​I have a confession to make...

​

I am an animal lover.

A TRUE animal lover.

Have you ever met one of us? Perhaps you are one yourself. In case you're wondering, these are just some of the bordering-on-obsession signs:

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1) 98% of your Facebook posts are about animals.

2) You proudly own three or more animal rescue volunteer shirts. 

3) Your dream purchase is that sweet cat tree house.

4) You jump to the rescue when a bee lands on your friend...the bee's rescue.

5) You're invited to posh pool parties only to appoint yourself lifeguard to drowning insects.

6) The vegetables you get at the Farmer's Market are for your pets.

7) All the squirrels who come to your home for nuts have names.

8) You tear up every time you see a dead animal on the road.

9) The fleas you pick off your pet are safely flicked outdoors (ok, some of them).

10) You hope to one day open your very own animal sanctuary.

Even though I've been a lifelong animal lover, it was only earlier this year that the epiphany really hit me (more on this in later posts); helping animals and being around them is my true, spiritual life fulfillment, and I want to share that passion with the world. This blog is dedicated to all animals, animal lovers and to my girls, Friskie and Sweetie, who inspired it all - see kitty header photos :)

I want to share personal stories, health tips, DIYS, photos and more. At first, I created an actual web site so the perfectionist in me could neatly categorize all the topics, but the design aspects of it overwhelmed me, and I put it aside for two months. That's when I knew I needed to go a different route. So the rhyme and reason to my posts here will be purely based on inspiration. That way, I'll be able to focus more on the content, which I really hope you find inspiring, insightful and invaluable. Please feel free to comment and share your own stories.

Enjoy!

Until one has loved an animal, part of one's soul remains unawakened. -Anatole France