|
Dr. Betterton & Dr. Geyer -
First of all, thank you for the care you gave to Happy last week. I have
attached a couple of pictures of her, along with most of the rest of the
"crew". If you'd like to print either or both of these to put up at the
office, that would be fine with us.
 I had hoped that Happy would make it & was crushed she didn't. Ella & I
have kicked ourselves over & over for not picking up on any symptoms she
may have exhibited beforehand, and getting her to you sooner. She was
out all day on Tuesday, and on Wednesday was a little slow to get
around. It wasn't unusual, in that when she's out she plays hard and is
a little slow the next day. But on Thursday night she was still that way
and didn't eat well.
In addition, I've kicked myself over & over, feeling terrible about
whatever knocked open one of the crawlspace covers & maybe letting her
get to the rat bait I had under the house. I fault myself for not
putting the cover back better than I did. Or for whatever dragged out
the bait out from under my dad's house. Even though her poisoning &
death was completely accidental, it sure doesn't make it easier to deal
with. I have been terrible all week, and I miss her every day. Her dog
lot is empty, so is her house, but there are a lot more empty things
than where she lived. Everyone liked Happy.
You all only got to see her occasionally, but anyone who'd ever had a
chance to see her in action know that she was the definition of a Bull
in a China shop, and as full of life as any dog I'd ever had. To the
folks who remember record players, Happy was on 78 RPM's while everyone
else was at 33 & 1/3. She was also the most meek & humble dog I'd ever
been around, not having a mean bone in her body. She's missed terribly,
to say the least.
Ella & I don't have children, and I'm not equating our pets to someone
else's children. But, we loved Happy (as we do all our dogs), just as
much as any parent would or could love a child. Plainly & simply - they
are our family. Lots of folks may not understand how much your life can
be filled by the unconditional love a pet brings to you. Happy had that
in spades. Her place (when food & treats & chewies were given out) was
always at the first of the line - multiple times. She had a tendency to
roam - at one point I found her at Starling's Crossroads in Logtown,
about 4 miles away from our house - in 3 hours one afternoon. She would
tremble & cower when she first started coming in the house, but my wife
finally got her to give "kisses" and to get into her arms when she came
in. She had a cast-iron stomach - she ate the electrical wire out from
underneath my truck when I first got her. But she was loved, very much.
 I have also sworn that what happened to Happy will not happen to another
dog I have, ever.
I have done some reading though, on rodenticides & have come across some
"natural" ones that supposedly have nearly as high an effectiveness as
the true poisons.
One is called EradiBait
http://www.ilexorganics.com/
the other is called Natural No Rats
http://www.kiwicare.co.nz/index.cfm/1,103,0,0,html/Natural-NO-Rats
However, I've only found them in the UK & New Zealand. I've got
inquiries in to them to see if they sell in the US, or if they have
anything here. I also have calls in to a couple local pest control
places to ask if they can obtain any of this.
In the reading and material safety sheets I have read, it reads like
they have powdered corncobs & maize in a molasses bait that rats will
eat. The powdered corncobs are toxic to rats but not to other animals &
people. From what they have said in a couple places I have read, the
worst symptom of ingesting some of this is constipation. The "cure" for
it is laxatives, electrolytes and water. You don't get secondary
poisonings from this, and birds of prey who'd eat the mice & rats aren't
subject to it's toxicity.
If I find out ANYTHING on this stuff, from the local pest control places
or these companies, I will pass it on to you ASAP. It ought to be in
every hardware store in the country, in my opinion.
After what happened to Happy, I am not ever going to put out any more of
that type of stuff.
But, I wanted to again thank you for the nice things you did for Happy
in trying to help save her life. I also wanted to thank you for the nice
card you all sent to us as well. She was a special girl.
Thanks,
Steve Chatham & Ella McBride
|
