Archives for June 3, 2013

As yet another storm front that ravaged the Midwest with severe weather and deadly tornados moves east, the cleanup and rebuilding of communities, such as the devastated Moore, Okla., takes precedence.

A television special by Blake Shelton raised $6 million for the United Way, the Red Cross has a text-based donations system set up and there are several other local and national organizations mobilizing to help victims left homeless and injured by the lethal tornados.

The outpouring of emotion extends to pets too, such as this video that went viral after a woman found her missing dog among the rubble during a live television interview.

When it comes to helping animals impacted by the tornados however, no national organization is donating financial support or other needed supplies on a grand and prioritized scale. If you want to help support the animals displaced or injured by the series of tornados that have ravaged Oklahoma, it’s always best, as well as more efficient, to give directly to local organizations. This was true after the explosion that ripped apart the small town of West, Texas, and after other natural and manmade disasters – local organizations can put donations (money or supplies) to better ...

In my years as an undergraduate college student, struggling to make ends meet, I lived next door to a woman with an old, Labrador mix named Bubba.  By initial impression, he seemed to be a very normal, happy and well-socialized dog.  However, one day, during my daily greeting from Bubba, I noticed some blood around his mouth.  At the time, I was a biology major trying to wade through prerequisites for admission to veterinary school and I hadn’t yet been exposed to the world of clinical veterinary medicine.  So, when I saw the blood around Bubba’s mouth, I didn’t pay much attention.  I had seen blood in my own dog’s mouth on occasion after chewing on a toy or a bone and it never amounted to much.  So, my uninformed mind had little to worry itself about.  I later learned from Bubba’s owner that he had bled like this since he was young.  However, the owner had never taken Bubba to a veterinarian for a diagnosis and to this day I still don’t know what was wrong with him.  Though the memory of Bubba had ...