Mass. woman seeking donations for turkey's eye surgery

As most Americans prepare to shove turkeys into ovens today, a woman from Rehoboth, Mass., is trying to pay for her turkey's surgery.

Lyndsey Medeiros and her husband adopted two turkeys from a Rhode Island farm. One was Jerry, a 3-year-old with cataracts.

The eye debilitation prevents Jerry from eating on his own and frolicking with his female counterpart, the Associated Press reports.

Medeiros placed a free ad on Craigslist seeking donations for the surgery. She estimated the procedure could cost as much as $2,600.

It's a shame that this turkey is plagued with blurry vision, but Jerry should probably be thankful he's not sitting on a dinner plate with celery stuffed up his bum.

-- Mark Milian (Follow on Twitter @markmilian)

Photo: A White Holland turkey (Jerry is not pictured). Credit: Associated Press

After the death of Uga VII, PETA asks University of Georgia to stop using bulldog mascots

The death last week of Uga VII, the bulldog mascot for the University of Georgia's football team, hit a number of fans like a ton of bricks. (Perhaps fittingly, Uga VII himself rather resembled a ton of bricks, tipping the scales at 56 pounds.) Uga VII, like his father Uga VI, apparently died as a result of a heart condition.

Over the weekend, Uga VII was memorialized at a ceremony held at the university's football facility, Sanford Stadium, before being laid to rest along with his six Uga predecessors at a mausoleum for deceased team mascots near the stadium's entrance.

"Everyone has been so kind. Everybody loves that dog," Swann Seiler, the daughter of Frank "Sonny" Seiler, who has owned each of the seven Ugas, told the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Reportedly, the elder Seiler is on the lookout for the next bulldog in the long line of Ugas. 

But if PETA has anything to say about it, there won't be one. Today, the animal-rights group's animals in entertainment specialist, Desiree Acholla, fired off a letter to University of Georgia athletic director Damon Evans, asking him to "honor Uga VII by choosing an animatronic or solely use a costumed mascot to represent the Georgia Bulldogs in the future."

Ask a Vet: Is 4 months too young to have my pet spayed or neutered?

Last week, we introduced a new feature here at Unleashed: Ask a Vet.  We're delighted to have Dr. Heather Oxford, of L.A. veterinary hospital California Animal Rehabilitation (CARE), on board to answer your questions about your pet's health and well-being. Got a question for Dr. Oxford? Leave a comment on this post, and look for her answer in an upcoming installment of Ask a Vet.

Unleashed: L.A.'s recent spay/neuter law mandates that pet dogs and cats be sterilized by the time they’re 4 months old.  Is that an appropriate age for my pet to have surgery?

Heather Oxford, DVM: This is an incredibly complex issue.  My opinion is that the city took the right step in creating a spay/neuter law that is enforceable; however, 4 months might be too young according to new scientific studies. 

The first problem is that animals that are neutered (gender-neutral term) before their growth plates close grow significantly taller than those who are neutered after their growth plates close.  The extra growth can be unevenly distributed through the different bones of the body since the age of each growth plate closure is different for each bone, which can be up to 14 months for larger breeds.  For example, this means that the tibia (shin bone) could grow longer than the femur (thigh bone) and cause an abnormal angle of the knee which could cause ligament tears.  Therefore, we may see an increase in orthopedic diseases in the future.

Ask a Vet: Should I seek a pharmaceutical solution to my pet's anxiety problem?

Allow us to introduce a new feature here at Unleashed: Ask a Vet. We're excited to have Dr. Heather Oxford of L.A. veterinary hospital California Animal Rehabilitation (CARE) on board to answer your burning questions about your pet's health and well-being. Got a question for Dr. Oxford? Leave a comment on this post, and look for her answer in an upcoming installment of Ask a Vet.

Unleashed: Under what circumstances, if any, would you prescribe medication to deal with a pet's anxiety? Do you recommend any herbal remedies? 

Heather Oxford, DVM: Great question, because anxiety is the second most common reason pets are brought to veterinary behavior specialty practices today! Mild forms of anxiety do occur and are usually easy enough to correct if the cause of anxiety is identified early and the veterinarian and owner work together to help modify the behavior and the environment. 

Behavioral modification, involving teaching the owner the proper way to leave and return without creating anxiety in the pet and teaching the pet to be calm and independent, is key. Managing the environment, such as taking the pet in the car, hiring a pet sitter, confining the pet during the day or even sending the dog to daycare, are good ways to help avoid the situation that makes the pet anxious in the first place. If the anxiety is due to an unavoidable noise phobia like car alarms, smoke detectors, fireworks or thunderstorms, I recommend distracting the pet with music, or games that will divert his/her attention. 

Santa Monica, San Francisco ban cat declawing; L.A., Beverly Hills, Berkeley to have final votes this week

With a state-imposed deadline drawing closer, California cities are in the midst of making final decisions on whether to ban cat declawing within their borders.

The Los Angeles, Beverly Hills and Berkeley city councils are scheduled to have final votes at their Tuesday meetings on ordinances that would ban animal declawing. All three had voted unanimously in favor of bans on first readings of the measures.

The Santa Monica City Council voted last week 5 to 1 to adopt an ordinance banning cat declawing. Under the new ordinance, which takes effect Dec. 10, onychectomy (declawing) or flexor tendonectomy may be performed only to address a medical condition of the cat. Violations would be a misdemeanor punishable by a $500 fine, six months in jail, or both.

Santa Monica City Councilman Kevin McKeown, in an earlier interview, said there had been an "outpouring of support" in favor of the ban, and added, "I think it's important that the council try to make our laws reflect the values of our community."

In the Bay Area, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors last Tuesday gave its final approval to a similar ban. The Berkeley City Council had its first vote Tuesday to ban animal declawing except for therapeutic purposes. 

Los Angeles, Beverly Hills city councils take big steps toward enacting bans on cat declawing

Call it a victory for scratching-post manufacturers: In preliminary actions, the Los Angeles City Council and the Beverly Hills City Council have voted unanimously to approve a ban on cat declawing in their respective cities. 

As we've reported previously, the issue of declawing -- though long a controversial one -- has come to a head in California in recent months because of a pending law that gives the state authority over medical scope-of-practice issues. That law, which goes into effect Jan. 1, will prevent cities and counties from banning procedures like declawing. 

So, if a city in California wishes to ban the practice, as West Hollywood did a few years back, it needs to act fast. A number of California cities are attempting to do just that; beyond L.A. and Beverly Hills, the Santa Monica City Council took a big step toward banning declawing late last month and is expected to revisit the issue next week. Up north, San Francisco and Berkeley are weighing similar actions.

Swine flu infects teenage cat in Iowa and ferrets in Nebraska and Oregon

A 13-year-old Iowa cat has been infected with swine flu, veterinary and federal officials said Wednesday, and it is believed to be the first case of the H1N1 virus in a feline.

The domestic shorthaired cat was treated last week at Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine in Ames and has recovered, officials said. The virus also has been confirmed in two ferrets -- one in Oregon and the other in Nebraska -- but they died.

"We've known certainly it's possible this could happen," said Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  spokesman Tom Skinner. "This may be the first instance where we have documentation that transmission occurred involving cats or dogs."

The veterinarian who treated the cat, Dr. Brett Sponseller, said two of the three people in the cat's Iowa home had flu-like symptoms before the cat became ill. The case was confirmed at both Iowa State and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Other influenza strains have been known to crossspecies, but Sponseller cautioned against drawing too many conclusions from the cat including whether other pets could also get the swine flu.

San Francisco supervisors support cat declawing ban

San Francisco's Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday in favor of an ordinance to ban cat declawing within the city and county. Supervisors are due to have a final vote on the issue next week, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

The measure had been introduced by Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, who called the practice torture and a form of animal cruelty.

Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier, who voted against the measure, told the San Francisco Examiner: "I don't support the board making those types of medical decisions."

In Southern California, the Beverly Hills City Council will look at the issue at its meeting Thursday night. Los Angeles also is considering an ordinance banning cat declawing within city limits. 

Starting Jan. 1, a state law will prevent municipalities from banning such procedures.

RELATED:
L.A. Council committee favors law against declawing cats
Several California cities to look at cat declawing bans this week
Santa Monica moves closer to cat declawing ban

-- Anne Colby

Photo: Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times

L.A. City Council committee asks for ordinance banning cat declawing

The Los Angeles City Council's Public Safety Committee voted unanimously Monday to recommend that City Atty. Carmen Trutanich draft an ordinance banning cat declawing within city limits. 

The proposal was put forth by Councilmen Bill Rosendahl and Paul Koretz, who said the procedure caused "unnecessary pain, anguish and permanent disability" to cats, according to the report from the L.A. Times' David Zahniser. 

The California Veterinary Medical Assn. is opposed to local cat declawing bans and says they could lead to increases in owners relinquishing, abandoning and euthanizing their cats.

Read Zahniser's post on the L.A. Now blog, and check back at L.A. Unleashed for more updates on the issue.

-- Anne Colby

Photo: Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times

Several California cities to look at cat declawing bans this week

The next couple of weeks will be busy for those interested in the issue of cat declawing in California. Several cities are weighing proposals that would ban declawing or affirm opposition to the practice within their city limits.

• The city of Los Angeles' Public Safety Committee will look at the issue Monday at its 9:30 a.m. meeting.
• On Tuesday afternoon, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors will consider an ordinance that would prohibit onychectomy (declawing) and flexor tendonectomy procedures on cats except when necessary for a therapeutic purpose.
• The Beverly Hills City Council is slated to discuss a ban on nontherapeutic animal declawing at its meeting Thursday night.
• The Malibu City Council will consider a resolution opposing cat declawing in the city at its Nov. 9 meeting.
• On Nov. 10, the Santa Monica City Council is expected to have a second reading of a measure that would ban onychectomy and tendonectomy except for the medical necessity of the cat.

The issue has gained urgency because of a pending California law that gives the state authority over medical scope-of-practice issues and prevents cities and counties from passing ordinances banning medical procedures starting Jan. 1.

-- Anne Colby

Photo: Al Seib / Los Angeles Times