 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 Make A Donation |
 |
| Adoptions |
|
| SAGA News |
|
| About SAGA |
|
| Nurse Melly |
|
| Contact Us |
|
| Home |
|
|
|
 
Nurse Melly is Ambergris Caye's one and only canine nurse assisting Dr. Heather in educating the island population on the importance of proper veterinary care, spaying and neutering, and how to properly care for a loving pet. Nurse Melly is also a rescued dog who understands the horrors of living life homeless and sick and has vowed to help all other animals in need of Dr. Heather's care. Read about the life of Nurse Melly in her on-line blog: www.nursemelly.blogspot.com. ASK NURSE MELLY is a newspaper feature where people can write in and ask pet related questions to be answered by Nurse Melly herself. Questions and answers are published in the San Pedro Sun and below! Email Nurse Melly at saga@btl.net or write to
My dog has been coughing a lot lately, and someone told me that he could have some worms in his heart. That sounds kind of silly to me - how would worms in his heart make him cough? Where would the worms come from? Are they real, or is my neighbor just pulling my leg? What do you think? Signed,
Unfortunately, your neighbor is telling you the truth. Heartworms are very real, and they can make your pets cough, but the worst part is that they actually kill your pets. Heartworms are passed by mosquitoes. Every time a mosquito bites your dog or cat, it may be passing tiny little worms (these are called microfilaria, but that's more interesting to the scientists and doctors!) into the blood of your fuzzy friend. These tiny baby worms travel in your pet's bloodstream all the way to the heart. When the worms get to your fuzzy friend's heart, they settle down for the long term. They grow up into adult worms, and start having families of their own – right there in your best friend's heart! Once the heart gets filled up with worms, it can't do a very good job of pumping blood anymore, and that is when your fuzzy friend will start feeling sick. Lots of times, he will have a cough because when the heart can't pump blood the right way, liquids can get "backed-up"in the lungs. Sometimes, when the heart gets crowded, worms can even get shot out of the heart and into a lung, and that is another way they can make your friend cough. Once your fuzzy friend's heart is crowded with heartworms, sadly, there is not much you can do. That's why we have to prevent heartworms from the start! It is something that is so easy to do, and it can save your friend's life! All you have to do is give your best friend heartworm medicine once a month. It is that easy. You just need to know about how much your fuzzy friend weighs to get them heartworm medicine. If your fuzzy friend is older than six months and has never had heartworm medicine, you should talk to your veterinarian about heartworm testing and what you should do. One of the great parts about having your dog on monthly heartworm medicine is, the heartworm medicine prevents most other kinds of worms that your fuzzy friend can get. That will keep your best friend feeling good, and will keep them from carrying other kinds of worms that they can pass to people and other animals. Giving your best fuzzy friend their heartworm medicine once a month is one of the best ways to show them how much you love them, and it will help to ensure that they are around to love you for a long time! Every time I get my monthly heartworm medicine, I know that someone loves me! Talk to you soon!
I am really glad that the last two hurricanes managed to pass us by, especially because I realized just how unprepared I am for a real emergency. I have two dogs and three cats that I love very much, and while I was getting my family ready to evacuate, I realized that I don't have any idea of what to do with my four legged children! The shelter that we were going to doesn't allow animals, but my house isn't safe for a hurricane, either. Can you give me some advice on what I can do to protect my furry family?!? Signed,
The best way to deal with any emergency is to have a plan ahead of time and stick with it! Here are some things that you can do to get prepared for any other hurricanes heading our way: All pet owners should have a kit for their pets, which should include:
It is also recommended that you:
If you are planning to take your pets with you if you need to evacuate, make sure that you have their rabies vaccination certificate. If you plan to leave the country with your pets, you must also have a health certificate issued by a veterinarian within 10 days of traveling. Keep in mind that if you plan to evacuate with your pets you must do so early. Once emergency evacuation begins, animals are no longer able to travel on public transportation because the space is reserved for two-legged types. There is some very good news for San Pedranos, though. Here in San Pedro some very generous two-legged types have organized a hurricane shelter for your fuzzy family! The shelter is located in the Barefoot Iguana. If you plan to bring your animal to the San Pedro Animal Hurricane Shelter you must have the following supplies:
If you don't have a kennel or carrier for your pet, and you can't find one that is the right size, you can build one yourself from wood and fencing material. If you plan to bring your animal to the San Pedro Animal Hurricane Shelter, make sure that you call my non-fuzzy two-legged friend Laura Raye Marlow in advance. She can be reached at 226-4079 or 625 4551. Remember - be prepared in advance so that you and all your loved ones will be safe! Wags, winks, and a big wet Melly kiss!
I have seen all of the new signs on the beach about scooping dog poop. I like to take my dog for a walk on the beach, but I never even thought of picking up his poops – I mean, we are outside, right? So, why should I pick up after my dog on the beach? It all seems a little silly to me, and kind of gross. What do you think? Sincerely,
New laws and regulations often seem a little bothersome, but this new regulation is actually a very important one. Something that a lot of people don’t know is that dog poop can harbor lots and lots of parasites’ eggs that are invisible to the naked eye. When a dog poops these eggs will get into the sand or dirt, and over time, the parasites can infect people. One way that people can be infected is when parasite larvae crawl under their skin and cause an itchy painful rash. This is especially common in sandy areas like the beach. A more serious parasite infection is when parasites find their way into the eyes. This is common in children and can cause blindness. So, the next time your dog poops on the beach, or anywhere else in public, a good question to ask yourself is whether you want to be responsible for causing someone to go blind just because you didn’t want to scoop your dog’s poop. My people always have a Melly Poo bag handy, just in case I get the urge to go in a public place. It’s the only way to be a responsible animal caretaker! Until next time,
|
Dear Nurse Melly, 
Dear Fooled, 