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6A Daily News – Saturday, June 9, 2012 healthPetsactivities & Service dog passes exam with flying colors AKRON, Ohio (MCT) — Some people may not agree with the notion that there is a "right" person for everyone. But animal own- ers have no doubt that the maxim is true when it comes to pets. Recently, someone explained it to me this way: Every once in a while, an animal leaves a paw print on your heart. That sums up what a black Labrador retriever named Jesse means to a Hartville, Ohio, family who found the dog so intuitive that members immediately realized she was the dog for them. Make sure pets' water is fresh and clean stress how important it is to provide fresh water served in clean receptacles at all times. This is the most important thing for pets, apart from keeping them out of the sun to prevent heat stroke. One of the biggest differences between pets and wild animals is that the process of domestication has reduced pets' ability to drink dirty water without getting sick. I always find it amazing when I watch nature shows on TV and see a wild animal in Africa walk up to a mud hole full of who knows what and take a long drink from it — and walk away unscathed. If any pets drank from that, it would result in an emer- (MCT) — Now that warm weather is here, I cannot gency trip to the vet. Any bowl of water left sitting out in hot weather can grow bacteria that can be just as deadly as the water in that mud hole. My rule is: If you wouldn't drink water from that par- knew it would be difficult to find a service dog to help Bill cope with the ravages of amyotrophic lateral sclero- sis. ALS is a disease of the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control vol- untary muscle movement. Bill was diagnosed with the disease five years ago. It has robbed him of the use of his body and the ability to speak. Lakota, the first dog they received from Assistance Dogs of Toledo, based in Swanton, Ohio, failed to understand commands from a computer that gives voice to commands from Bill Speer's eyes. ta was barely a blip on the screen for Jesse. It took her 15 minutes to catch on and accept commands from the computer, rather than direct- ly from Bill. There is some advantage in accepting a "senior" dog into your home, the couple decided. Jesse, who is 8 years old, has been with the Speers for three years. But what confused Lako- Bill and Kathy Speer MCT photo Kathy, from left, Bill, and Abigail Speer, 9, are pictured with their dog Jessie at their home in Hartville, Ohio, May 30. Jessie is certified to help both Bill, who suffers from ALS and his wife, Kathy, who has an autonomic dysfunc- tion. When Kathy Speer was diagnosed with autonomic dysfunction, a malfunction of the autonomic nervous system, Jesse became certi- fied to help both her owners cope with day-to-day activi- ties. Jesse is also a pal for the couple's 9-year-old daugh- ter, Abby. "Our daughter has Down syndrome and Jesse is great with her. And (Abby) has someone to boss around," she said. gists throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico offer free eye exams during the National Service Dog Eye Exam Event each year. Each May for several years, Kathy Speer has taken advantage of an eye- care program offered to ser- vice animals by the Ameri- can College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists (ACVO). More than 200 board-certi- fied veterinary ophthalmolo- Since the Service Dog Eye Exam program started in 2008, more than 10,500 service animals have been examined, including handi- capped assistance dogs, detection dogs, search and rescue dogs, horses and even a donkey. exam last month from vet- erinary ophthalmologist Dr. Mark Bobofchak of Eye Care for Animals on Copley Road in Copley Township, Ohio, passed with flying colors. Jesse, who received her He did a complete ocular exam on Jesse, testing for redness, squinting, cloudy corneas, retinal disease, early cataracts and other abnormalities that could lead to serious health prob- lems and vision loss. Bobofchak said he per- formed about 15 free eye exams on service animals during May. He has partici- pated with the ACVO/Meri- al National Service Dog Eye Exam Event for four years. "I believe the program is ticular bowl, then don't expect your pets to drink it. ___ very valuable," he said. To qualify for free Q: I had my parakeet's cage hanging outside last week. Much to my surprise, another parakeet came down out of nowhere, landed on the cage and started to chatter to my bird through the bars. I went over to the bird with some seed in my hand and he flew to my hand and started eat- ing so voraciously that he did not even notice me grab him with my other hand. I then put him in the cage with my bird. It has been a week now and they are fine togeth- er, but I would like to find this bird's owner. I put posters out in the area, but nobody has called. I cannot imagine the bird flew here from an area much farther than a mile or so. The bird has a band on its leg with a series of num- bers. Might those numbers help me find the owner? A: Leg bands on pet birds have no central registry behind them that would allow you to trace the number. They have meaning only to the breeders, usually signify- ing in their personal record-keeping system which bird is related to whom. If you have not been able to find the owner by now, it looks like you have another pet bird! Take the bird to an avian vet to be examined and cultured in case it picked up some bacterial infection or parasites during its adventures in the wild. The right vet can treat anything the bird may have picked up before the bird spreads it to your other parakeet. ___ exams, animals must be "active working animals" that were certified by a for- mal training program or organization or enrolled in a formal training program. Obviously, good vision is imperative for a service ani- mal. "Many ocular conditions that can lead to pain or vision loss can go unnoticed for long periods of time," Bobofchak said. "Early detection can be critical to help preserve vision and allow these wonderful dogs to continue their service." Jesse, who was trained for service by inmates at the Toledo Correctional Insti- tute, opens doors, picks items up off the ground and helps with laundry. quite fit in her first two placements, she immediate- ly became an integral mem- ber of the Speer family. "She brings me things and helps me with groceries. She's the real deal," Kathy Speer said. Although Jesse didn't K W I K K U T S Family Hair Salon $200 REGULAR HAIRCUT off with coupon Not good with other offers 1064 South Main St., Red Bluff • 529-3540 Reg. $13.95 Expires 6/30/12 yellow duckling wandering back and forth along the shore. It seemed lost. We looked all over to see if there were any adult white ducks that may have been its par- ents, but all we saw were mallards and geese. So we took it home and it is in a box in our kitchen and is eating dry dog food and seems quite happy. Is there any safe place we can take it to? We could keep it as a pet in our back- yard if there is no other choice, but we are not quite sure if the dog food is an OK diet for him. A: Well, you certainly saved this little yellow duck- ling's life as most likely it was an Easter duckling or a leftover from a school hatching project that got dumped in the lake. Q: We were at the lake the other day and saw a little always starve to death in the winter when the pond or lake freezes over. White Pekin ducks like you have cannot fly and almost survive the winter, but they pollute the water quality and will cross-breed with the wild mallards and thus ruin their gene pools. If there is open water and people feed them, they can kept ducks as pets all my life. However, the dog food has way too much protein in it for him. Put him on a diet of pellets made just for ducks. ___ live out their natural lives without ending up in a dramat- ic situation, so you would be doing it a service if you built a predator-proof pen in your backyard with a small kiddie pool to splash around in and just kept it as a pet. They really are quite friendly and clever and I have There are really very few farms where these ducks can Q: We just got a kitten from the shelter, and my 7-year- old golden retriever has become quite fond of her. She shows her affection for the kitten by taking it between her paws and licking the kitten over and over again until it is wet and dripping. The kitten does not seem to mind and dries off after these sessions, but the dog does it about five times a day. When we see the dog doing it, we stop her, but many times when we come home from work we see the kitten all wet and slimy and it is obvious that this goes on all day long. The kitten just got its shots and the vet said it was perfectly fine and healthy. A: This sounds like one of those pet videos you see on YouTube. If the vet said all was OK with the kitten, then at least you do not have to worry about any health issues. I personally think that as the kitten turns into a cat, it will not tolerate this from the dog. Until then, do your best to stop the dog from doing it and dry the kitten off when you do not catch her in the act. $100 June 19th Speed Training -July 9th 3 Months 89 Strongest Man July 21st Tehama's Free to Spectators! Tehama Family Fitness Center www.tehamafamilyfitness.com 2498 South Main St Red Bluff 528-8656 Membership $ Student • Tues, Thurs 4-5pm