Maali Salmeen: The crazy turtle lady!

You read the title, it is about an awesome lady called Maali who is well, 'obsessed' with turtles!
I can't remember how I came across her profile on Instagram (where all the magic happens, obviously) but I really enjoy the pictures and information she posts about reptiles and different breeds of turtles. She was also the person I first thought of when this little cutie (pictures below) came into the clinic when I was volunteering at RAH. She invited me over before I traveled but sadly I wasn't able to make it. I can't wait to get back to K-town to meet her and her unique family!

Maali blogs as the Crazy Turtle Lady, check out her blog here. If you love turtles or reptiles, you MUST read it!

Achilles the great warrior

This morning I woke up from a terrible nightmare. I had a dream that I was walking on a sidewalk when I saw this mutt get hit by a car. It suddenly got crowded and I was trying to make my way through to the injured pup with a bone sticking out of his right hind leg. People were trying to see him and were blocking my way, so I was yelling that I am a vet and I can help him. I got to the puppy and as soon as I carried him he turned to a child (someone from the family I just can't tell who it is exactly) and I was looking for my family to help me take him to the hospital.

This was the nightmare I woke up from this morning, and today, my father arrives to Brisbane. All was great until father told me that Achilles was injured. Somehow, Achilles managed to get a chain around his right hind leg and dislocate it. He could not move at all. My heart broke. Achilles has been at Royal Animal Hospital where they tried to relocate his leg but with no success. Achilles, at almost nine years of age, had to undergo surgery. They probably pinned his leg using some metal pins, my family won't tell me details and I am still trying to contact Dr. Jill Mullen from RAH. There was a chance when they thought putting him down would be an option but hopefully it wasn't.

After the news I went to my classes and after about an hour I realized how serious this is. Achilles, the dog that had been with us for over eight years is now old and hurt. He is in a serious condition, and I'm not there for him. I want to be with him so bad. I know that it might not make any difference, and that grumpy, old mutt might hate to see my face but I just want to be there like he was there for me. I am scared of losing him, I know he is so stubborn and annoying but I love him to death. He is now recovering at RAH and will go home in a week. He might be named after a great warrior, and he lived up to his name many times, but we need all your prayers.

He loves car rides!

The day he scared me to death when he got allergic to the new rug and lost a patch of hair over night.

love his fluffy coat!

Shaved Achilles. After he was lost for a year we had to shave him and we found wound holes on his neck.

Chancey and Achilles

Achilles in his prime, at about four years old.

Achilles being groomed, he hates baths!

Achilles and Crazy Ruby.

His favorite time of the year.

He could play fetch for the whole day!

my sister handling Achilles at K's PATH Bark at the Park

Achilles and his savior, my baba<3

Achilles and my niece Susu.

Junk food for pets

Happy New Year my dear readers!

Since the topic with the highest votes in my last poll was "Junk food for pets" it is what I will try to explain here. The problem is this topic isn't easy to discuss in one post, so I'll be dividing it to several posts. In this post I will give you a few general tips and I will leave you with the brand that I chose and why I chose it. If you have any questions please leave them in the comments or email me on jameelalnakkas@gmail.com

One of the first steps of getting a pet is to decide what are you going to feed it. A few years ago, we didn't have many choices in Kuwait as there were almost no pet shops that supply different types of pet food but now it seems like there is a new pet shop opening every month! That is a good thing, we are now able to choose what is best for our animals. After all it is our responsibility to make sure they live a comfortable life and that they are healthy. Why should you feed your pet good food? Why not just anything, any brand as long as it's "food"? 

It's simple:

1. A healthy animal is a happy animal, and a happy pet means a happy owner!
2. It's better to spend more money on better food and your pet's health rather than spending hundreds of KDs on vet bills.

When you first go shopping for pet food, the first thing you should think about is the pet's species (cat, dog, bird, etc.), second is the age (young, adult, or senior), third would be the size of the food bag or can, forth would be the cost, and lastly, how often is the brand in stock (cause sudden change of food is not good for your pet). These are the basic things that you should consider when deciding what to feed your pet. There are other things to take into consideration like what the breeder used to feed the pet's mom during and after pregnancy, what the animal was fed while it's growing (or what it was fed in the shelter), and of course health problems and specific needs of your pet as instructed but its vet.

Now, is that all you need to know about your pet food? Is that all it takes for your pet to live a long healthy life? Of course not. The food you choose makes a difference. You can choose whether to feed your pet a healthy diet, or junk food for pets.

I chose to feed Chance, Achilles and Tailor a brand called Wysong (you can get Wysong at Pawsh Boutique or RAH). They have changed the way I see pet feeding. Their concept will make you realize things that are so obvious but you just never thought of. The boys love the food. Their coats are great, no allergies, no vomiting, and the transition only took four days! Also, I pick up dog poop only once or twice a day. I seriously love preparing it, seeing the raw meat and the vegetables. I will be using Wysong as my reference in this topic and I would recommend that you read about them and their 100 Pet Health Truths.

My first Wysong order from Pawsh Boutique (Epigen, UnCanny Chicken & Yogurt, Rabbit AuJus)

Chance's dinner, Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula mixed with Wysong UnCanny and sprinkled with Missing Link Ultimate Hip & Joint supplement

Tailor's beef stew in gravy (I think, not sure with all the different canned food he eats)

Chance giving me the puppy eyes, waiting for the command "you can eat"

Achilles waiting too

Stay tuned for more! I will be telling you about the first step in making sure you know all about your pets' food and that you are feeding your pet what it needs in the my next post!

Parasites in my kitty?!

Yesterday, I took Tailor my cat to see Dr. Sergio at Royal Animal Hospital. A few days ago I noticed a blotch of blood on my floor and I found out it was from Tailor. I freaked out and booked an appointment as soon as I could. Luckily, it wasn't what I feared, I was worried that he might have swallowed something and it hurt his intestine. Tailor has a habit of eating plastic doll dresses from the kids room and he might have sneaked into the kids' room and ate some. But that wasn't the case, thank God.
So after I explained to Dr. Sergio Tailor's symptoms, he took a sample of fresh feces from Tailor's anus (I know you're all grossed out now) and he diluted it in a liquid then put a drop on a test bar (image below). The barely there, thin, red line means that he has a few Gastrointestinal Parasites. Tailor has Giardia.

Here's what I found out about Feline Giardia:
1) Feline Giardia is a small parasite that lives in a cat's small intestines.
2) It causes diarrhea and sometimes blood in the stool.
3) It is treatable and can be controlled.
4) A cat can get Giardia by eating food (mostly raw meat) that have Giardia cysts.
5) Feline Giardia can infect people and other cats through cysts that are passed out in the stool.

So now we're taking precautions with cleaning the litter, cleaning Tailor himself, and his water and food bowls. With the medicine Dr. Sergio gave him, hopefully, he'll recover in no time. Here's how he looks after taking the medicine, he was furious! (The foaming and saliva is normal from the medicine, he wasn't hurt.)

"Why are you doing this to me?"

"You're so gonna pay for this!"

Trying to change the taste in his mouth!

Now, this made me think of explaining the common misunderstanding of a certain feline parasite's effect on us humans. In Kuwait, it is thought that a woman who owns, takes care of, or lives with a cat can become infertile. In other words, if you come in contact with a cat daily, you can't have children. That is a mistake most people here make that leads to families or ladies giving up their pet cats or being terrified of cats because they think cat hair causes infertility.
The truth is, there is a feline parasite that can harm the fetus, a baby, while it is still in its mother's womb. The parasite is called Toxoplasma gondi. If the mother is infected before getting pregnant, she will become immune to it and so will the fetus during pregnancy. However, if the mother is infected during pregnancy, it can cause abortion or even brain damage to the fetus.
Toxoplasma gondi, just like Giardia, is passed out in the stool. Therefore, the precautions are the same:
1) Wear gloves and mouth masks while cleaning your cats' litterbox.
2) Wash your hands thoroughly after handling the litterbox.
3) If you are pregnant and there is someone else who can clean the litterbox, let them do it.
4) Clean the litterbox more frequently.

Of course, taking your cat to the vet regularly for check-ups and as soon as you can if you suspect your cat is sick, as well as making sure that your cat always has fresh, clean food and water available will keep you and your cat safe from infections.