pet connection

Yelp, the popular service with user reviews of businesses, is being sued by a veterinarian. VIN News Service’s Jennifer Fiala reports that Long Beach, Calif., veterinarian Dr. Greg Perrault says a Yelp sales representative offered to move negative reviews of his practice lower in the result set in exchange for a $300 per month advertising subscription.

“I was told that with money, I could hide negative reviews and so forth,” Perrault says. “I never asked to be on Yelp, I never paid for anything, and yes, I’m getting some referrals. But this system is unethical. (As business owners) we’re half of the equation. We should have a voice in how this works and should be changed.”

Dr. Perrault isn’t the only one yelping about about the Web site, but  Yelp  says they haven’t done anything wrong and users just don’t understand how their system works.  They’ve already changed their policies as well.  Stay tuned, and for another take on the online reviews of veterinarians, check out Pet Connection BFF Dr. Patty Khuly’s post here.  And as my editor (hi, Gina!) likes to say (a lot): Consider the source, and Question Everything.  Never more true than when reading on Teh Interwebs.

The “A” gets a “A” for this idea: A $100,000-plus challenge put up by the ASPCA to get more pets adopted. According to the “A” :

Are you looking to make a real difference in the lives of animals? We’re searching for public and private shelter leaders and volunteers to take their town to the next level by vastly increasing pet adoptions in their community. To sweeten the deal, we’re launching a friendly competition to inspire innovation and showcase successful, life-saving programs.

Officially launched on April 8, the ASPCA $100K Challenge will award more than $125,000 in prizes, including a grand prize grant of $100,000! To qualify for the grand prize competition, shelters need to save a minimum of 300 more cats, dogs, kittens and puppies from August through October 2010, compared with the same three-month period in 2009. Beyond that, the winner will be the shelter that saves the most additional animals from August through October 2010. The ASPCA will also grant $25,000 to the shelter that most inspires and engages its community to get involved in promoting pet adoptions and reuniting lost animals with their pet parents. (And yes, the same shelter can win both big prizes!)

Hat tip to Catster for sharing. To be sure, the ASPCA’s top dog Ed Sayres is hardly my favorite person, and I’m not nominating him for sainthood or anything close to it, but that kind of money has the potential to save lives and, perhaps, to turn a community around.

Many definitions of health care for pets: Back in December, Gina featured our own Dr. Narda Robinson illustrating the use of acupuncture in veterinary care.   In the continuing efforts of alternative treatments, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune highlights the increasing use of chiropractic care for animals.  Can it work?  It not only can but it does.  Still, please be careful.  It goes without saying that a pet’s body isn’t the same as a person’s, and a chiropractor needs specialized training in the treatment of animals in order to provide proper pet care.   For me, the most important sentence in the article is the following:

“Minnesota’s law was designed to require a veterinarian’s referral to go to a chiropractor…”

Your veterinarian still needs to be consulted first.

Sago palm poisoning alert: Phyllis DeGioia, who’s also one of our Pet Connection crew, alerts readers to the dangers of the toxic Sago palm plant, which, although native to southern parts of the United States, is now seen in increasing numbers of big box stores.  The Sago is often labeled simply as “palm tree,” so buyers might not realize that what they’re buying is dangerous to their pets.  Dogs ingesting the seeds of the Sago can be seriously, and in some cases fatally, sickened. Symptoms from Sago poisoning can include vomiting, jaundice in the whites of the eyes, increased thirst and hemorrhagic gastroenteritis.

The entire plant is covered with razor-sharp spikes and sold as potted houseplants at such stores as IKEA, Target and Lowe’s. It can reach nearly 30 feet in height. Some owners believe that the spikes will deter pets from eating the plant, but that’s not always the case. [Dr. Tina] Wismer [of the ASPCA Poison Control Center and a Veterinary Information Network (VIN) toxicology consultant]
notes that some dogs will eat anything.

The plant’s appeal to pets was the topic of a recent VIN discussion, where one veterinarian writes: “I swear, it seems to me that dogs are attracted to sago palms. In the cases of toxicity I see (several each year), it seems to be the only plant in the yard the dogs chew on. … I think we need to be more proactive in trying to warn owners they should not have these plants at all.”

Another veterinarian on VIN adds: “It’s amazing how many owners are unaware just how toxic the plants in their yard or house can be. I saw a patient last year with acute liver failure 36 hours after the owner had been playing fetch with the patient using a sago palm seed pod instead of a ball. He didn’t make it. Very sad case.”

Kennel FAIL in North Carolina: YesBiscuit has the story of 98 dogs seized from Rush Kennels in Pleasant Garden, NC.   The owners have been charged with multiple counts of animal cruelty.   The kicker is that Rush Kennel owner Sheila Savage, she of the ironic name, was featured on the television show “Wife Swap” as a dog lover.  Of course, Richard Heene of Balloon Boy infamy appeared in not one but two episodes of Wife Swap….what is it with that show?

Honey, could you please feed the mayor? The new mayor of the town of Divide, Colo., a small, unincorporated town in the shadow of Pike’s Peak, is a three-legged mixed breed dog named Spright.  She beat Walter the cat by 500 votes.   According to omidog, each vote in the election raised a dollar for the Teller County Regional Animal Shelter — in all, more than $14,000.  Hey, if all elections enriched animal shelters, I’d consider running for office, any office.  There, I said it.  Who wants to manage my campaign?

Deforestation could lead to this:   Today’s editorial picture was sent to me by my uncle.  Thanks, Fred.

I always like to hear from readers, especially if you have tips, and links for interesting stories.  Give me a shout in the comments, or better yet, send me an e-mail.

Photo credits: Shelter kitten, catster.  Sago Palm, classicscapes.net. Dogs and tree, e-mail.

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