Thank You for Making PoppyMart a Success!

The volunteers of Pit Bull Rescue Central (PBRC) would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of you who participated in PBRC's PoppyMart! This year's auction raised an awe-inspiring $10,000!
Please be patient with us as we sort through and process the over 600 donated items. We do have a first round of paid-for items going out the end of this week and we hope to have all items paid for via paypal shipped by the end of next week.

If you are paying by personal check, your item(s) will ship once the check has cleared. If you choose to pay by personal check, please send us an e-mail to let us know that the check is on its way.

All of the funds raised will go directly towards helping needy pit bull and pit bull mixes throughout the US and Canada. PBRC receives no government funding, and is staffed solely by volunteers. Our support comes directly from you, and it goes directly to the dogs.

Again, thank you for helping us help the dogs.

Pit Bull Rescue Central
Fundraising Committee

P.S. PBRC's 2008 Happy Endings Calendar featuring rescued pit bulls is almost here! Look for an announcement regarding its availability soon.

PoppyMart 2007 is Here!

Let the bidding begin!

PBRC's on-line auction, Poppy Mart 2007 is finally here. From today, September 11 through September 18, you can bid on well over 600 exciting items for auction! Dog stuff, people stuff, gifts, jewelry and collectibles. There is something for every taste and wallet.

Please visit our sponsor page to support our generous donors. PoppyMart would not be possible without the many retail vendors, volunteers, and friends who donated to PBRC’s auction. Starting at 12:00 midnight PST, on September 11th, 2007, Pit Bull Rescue Central, Inc. (PBRC), a 501(c)3 organization, will be holding its fourth annual on-line auction.

Since last years was such a success we are once again using eBay as our venue. All proceeds from Poppy Mart will go directly to PBRC's Fund - which finances Pit Bull Spay/Neuter; assists with medical procedures beyond the financial reach of rescuers, caretakers, owners and shelters; and supports the website that enables us to list dogs for adoption and provide educational resources. PBRC is staffed entirely by unpaid volunteers.

Before you bid, we ask that you review our Auction Guidelines page, before you bid, which you can find here: http://www.pbrc.net/auction_2007/rules.html To register for the auction click here. (Note: Everyone bidding needs to register with eBay.)

If you are already registered with eBay, all you need to do is start bidding! Click the link to go directly to PoppyMart! http://stores.ebay.com/PBRC-Poppy-Mart

Please note that the auction ends at 11:59, September 18 – Pacific Standard Time. For those in other time zones – it begins at the following times:

Mountain – 12:59 am
Central – 1:59 am
Eastern – 2:59 am

Feel free to contact us at fundraising@pitbullinfo.net with any questions!

Poppy Mart 2007 Coming Soon!

Can you believe a whole year has passed! PBRC's on-line auction, Poppy Mart 2007, is just about here! Starting September 11th, 2007, Pit Bull Rescue Central, Inc. (PBRC), a 501(c)3 organization, will be holding its fourth on-line auction--Poppy Mart 2007. Since last years was such a success we are once again using eBay as our venue.

All proceeds from Poppy Mart will go directly to PBRC's Fund - which finances Pit Bull Spay/Neuter; assists with medical procedures beyond the financial reach of rescuers, caretakers, owners and shelters; and supports the website that enables us to list dogs for adoption and provide educational resources. PBRC is staffed entirely by unpaid volunteers.

Through the generosity of many retail vendors, volunteers, and friends we will once again be offering lots of exciting items for auction! Dog stuff, people stuff, gifts, jewelry and collectibles. There is something for every taste and wallet.

We encourage you to register now, so you will be ready to bid early and often! To register for the auction click here.

(Note: Everyone bidding needs to register with eBay.) You will be sent a link directly to our store once the auction starts. If you have any questions please feel free to contact us at fundraising@pitbullinfo.net

The Trials and Tribulations of "Troubles"

(Note: Along with PBRC's News and Views, we'd like to present The Pit Bull Experience as seen through the eyes of our volunteers. Below is the first such story from Nely about her "Troubles.")

The background to the super cage:

Troubles has broken out of 3 crates. One of them was said to be a super strong crate. The manager at the dog supply place assured me it was just the thing for a strong, separation anxiety dog like Troubles. I had it specially ordered and.... about a couple months or so later, she was out of it. *SIGH*

She has either pulled the bars apart (she's so good about finding a "weak" spot) and in one case, she chewed up the pan and then somehow was able to open a space at the bottom (since the pan wasn't there). She has hurt herself numerous times. It's embarrassing - it looks like I have an abused dog or like she has been in a fight. She even broke a tooth.

She drooled and whined and shook and panted and panted. But if she were out, she would be destructive. Not every time but we had lost enough couches, window blinds, etc, etc to take chances! Not to mention how much safer it is for a dog to be in a crate in case someone breaks in or for some reason... you have a boyfriend who doesn't always close the door all the way and then you would worry about the dog getting out.... but I digress...

I was flipping through the PetEdge catalog and saw a crate that was advertised as "the Alcatraz of dog crates" and the picture showed a pit bull inside a crate that looked like you could keep a tiger in -- PERFECT!

It was expensive, but it was SO WORTH IT. If I had only found that before the other crates she destroyed, it would have been much more affordable! This Hannibal Lecter crate is so well built. Super strong and the bars are thick and rounded (Troubles can't hurt herself!). The pan is steel so she can't chew it and it's UNDER another set of rounded bars on the bottom! There are 2 sizes only. The smaller size is appropriate for a pit bull but I had a sneaking suspicion that Troubles was claustrophobic... she was OK in the other crates UNTIL you shut the door. So I got her the bigger size, so it's nice and roomy. She has blankets in there and she can pace and spread out.

It's my fault for waiting until she was an adult to crate train her and I tried for so long that I gave up a couple times and then started again later. It seemed like she would NEVER be crate trained. She is so difficult and anxious. She just freaks out.

But it happened! With time and patience, of course. I went through all the normal crate training and calming routines. The separation anxiety things that I usually do. I also incorporated more training sessions which even though have nothing to do with the crate, helps. More NFL-type of things in normal life. More ignoring the crying and barking. More walks and me getting in the crate non-chalantly to get her interested. Eventually she got to the point that she is today. She will sometimes pant and cry and shake and drool.... only while we are still in the house. And if she can hear us outside. But when she doesn't see or hear us anymore, she is fine. We have snuck back to the house (we leave the radio on for her so she couldn't hear us) and peeked in the window to see her perfectly fine. Sometimes laying down and sleeping, sometimes just sitting there. But fine. No anxiety behavior. Lots of the time, if it's during a normal routine time like me going to work, she's OK when she can still see me. She goes into the crate willingly. She actually seems to like it and she goes to it expectantly because I always put a "surprise" in there for her ( a treat). She goes into it regularly just to get a "good girl" or a treat.

Guest Blogger - In Whose Yard the Dog Sits

Animal lover or not, it would take someone with a heart of stone to read the details of the crimes Michael Vick committed against the pit bull dogs in his “care” and not feel sick. While the media talk about how much “time he’ll do” and whether or not he’ll ever play in the NFL again, there is one vital piece of information missing from the equation…this isn’t about Michael Vick, it’s about the dogs.

Michael Vick is not the only dog fighter in the United States, not the only man who has made money off the dog' backs while feeding his own warped ego. Not the only one who has tortured and killed innocent dogs on a regular basis. Michael Vick is just symptom, a blip on the radar screen, of a cancer in desperate need of a cure. While the Pundits debate and the NFL Public Relations Machine wrings its hands, thousands of other "Michael Vicks," black and white, rich and poor, in neighborhoods urban and rural, are committing the same crimes against pit bull dogs that Vick did. The question remains, will the Feds come for them too or will the presently very public fight against the crime of dog fighting end with Vick? And if they do continue, who will speak for victims who can not speak for themselves, the dogs? What will become of them? Will their lives be better for our intervening on their behalf or will it be more of the same. Death, not death in the pit, but death on the end of a snare pole perhaps, death without compassion, death just the same. Will all of the dogs continue to be victimized twice? Killed by their masters because they wouldn't fight, killed by those who rescued them because they might? The dogs are left with nowhere to stand, pawns in a cruel game of guilt by association.

So I ask you, when does the dog in the fight, the innocent pit bull dog who has not asked for any of this, when does he finally get to win? When does he get the same care and compassion as any other pet? When does the pit bull dog, get be to be viewed as simply what he is, a dog, who like all canines, desires a warm hearth, plenty of food and a person to call his own?

Michael Vick’s story and the tragic story of his dogs will reach its not-so-fairy tale ending in due course. But what of the stories of all of the nameless, faceless victims of the crime of dog fighting whose masters don’t play in the NFL? What of those dogs? Who will say this doesn’t end here? Who will ensure that their stories have a happier ending than that of the Vick dogs?

I look at both of my pit bull dogs, but particularly my dog Isaac who was left to die in a dumpster, and think there but for the grace of god go they. It occurs to me that the only difference between their lives and the thousands of pet pit bulls like them and the lives of all of the pit bulls suffering in dire circumstances, is the hands into which they fell. A cruel twist of fate or a blessing from above, depending on in whose yard the dog sits.

Best regards,

Kate Fraser
Foundation Director
Animal Farm Foundation
www.animalfarmfoundation.org

Adopt A Senior Dog

There is nothing more heart-wrenching for me than seeing a senior dog in a shelter. The cloudy eyes and gray muzzle are telltale signs of a judicious past and the inevitable end. The odds of a senior pit bull being adopted are zero in a shelter over-crowded with much younger dogs. But, no senior dog should have to die in a shelter filled with stress and surrounded by unfamiliar faces.

Folks pass up the old dog because, "We want a playmate for our kids, other dogs, etc.," or "We want a puppy so we can raise her right," and "We just lost our dog of 12 years, we don't want to adopt a new dog only to have it die in 2 years." I understand the rationale for adopting a young dog over an old one, but want to put down some thoughts on the benefits of adopting a senior.

In my experience, senior dogs are nice dogs and make wonderful companions. A dog doesn't live to be a senior if he's mean or nasty. Senior dogs are calm and well-mannered and are often obedience and house trained. Senior dogs are unassuming and demand nothing; they are content with a soft bed, one square meal a day and an occasional pat. Seniors are often deaf, so they sleep soundly and rarely bark. Seniors require very little exercise and are never destructive. Senior dogs express their gratitude daily with loyalty and devotion, regardless of how they were treated in the past. They are wise beyond their years.

Senior dogs can require more veterinary care than younger dogs, and may bring a history of neglect with them. However, they embrace the future, graciously, and have earned the right to a healthy, comfortable, peaceful existence. We may only have a few months or a few years with a senior dog, but I believe they are the best years of that dog's life. And, our life is made better with them in it.

Bring a senior dog into your heart and home...you won't regret it!

~ Sanya

Author's acknowledgement: I thank Mia, Amey, Joey, Granny, Debbie Dog and Thor for their contributions to this entry. They were 6 senior dogs I had the pleasure of adopting over the last 12 years and, though they've all passed on, each left life lessons and indelible paw prints on my heart.

PBRC Medical Tip

Pit Bull type dogs are more prone to become infected with Babesia gibsoni than any other breed and are more likely to suffer clinical infections of Babesia canis than other breeds. Here's what you should know.....

What is Babesia and what is it doing to your dog?

There are many species of Babesia, but those of most concern to Pit Bull owners are Babesia canis and Babesia gibsoni. While any dog can become infected Babesia organisms, infections are most commonly found in Greyhounds and Pit Bulls. Although there are Babesia species found all over the world, in the United States B. canis and gibsoni are more prevalent in southern states. However, the transient nature of families and the transfer of dog ownership due to rescue from natural or manmade disasters, there is no state that is unaffected. Some countries do require pre export negative Babesia canis and/or gibsoni test results prior to allowing entry.

How does this happen?

An infected tick must feed on a dog for 2-3 days to transfer the babesia organism. Once this transfer occurs, the babesia organism continues to develop as it moves from the blood stream into red blood cells (rbc). When the organism matures in the rbc, that cell will rupture and release the organism in the blood stream to infect additional rbcs. The body’s own immune system will also detect the infected red blood cells and destroy them. Although Babesia is considered a tick bourne disease it can also be transmitted by dog bites, blood transfusions, contaminated needles or surgical instruments and from mother to pup.

What Babesia does?

The destruction of red blood cells can result in anemia (lack of red blood cells). Lab results may show this anemia (low rbc count), low platelet count, and other values suggestive of liver disease (hypoalbuminemia, and bilirubinuria). Initially, the anemia appears to be nonregenerative, but later is regenerative anemia. Clinical symptoms such as weakness, pale color, fever, anorexia, enlarged lymphnodes, depression, enlarged spleen, rapid pulse may be exhibited by some dogs. In dogs that have had a spleenectomy (spleens removed) or have an auto immune disorder the disease can be devastating. While many normal healthy dogs will have no outward symptoms at all, these dogs are carriers and will spread the disease to other dogs via dog bites and infecting ticks. During times of stress, due to other disease process or mental situations these dogs may also have a relapse of the disease and exhibit clinical symptoms. Dogs diagnosed with Auto Immune Hemolytic Anemia should have babesia on the list of rule outs as to the cause. Also dogs that are having liver issues and/or undiagnosed liver disease should have babesia on the list of rule outs.

How is Babesia diagnosed?

Babesia organisms can be seen on a blood smear, especially a freshly drawn blood taken from a capillary source (ear, toenail). If Babesia organisms are found, the patient is definitely infected. However, the organism can be hard to find and may rarely be found in samples from chronically infected dogs or carrier dogs that aren't showing symptoms of the disease. Due to this there are other, more ideal methods for testing. Indirect fluorescent antibody
(IFA) testing is performed on serum or plasma and is used to establish antibody titers to B. canis and gibsoni. However, if it is early in the disease process or in an animal that is immune suppressed, antibodies may not be present. A titer is a measurement of the amount or concentration of antibodies in a blood sample and can be helpful in determining medical
treatment. Generally the higher the titer, the greater the infection. IFA testing is available through specialized diagnostic laboratories, such as Protatek Reference Laboratory.

http://www.protatek.com/RefLab/index2.htm

Molecular diagnosis of Babesia spp. infection in dogs and cats via polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of whole blood has become available. This is an extremely sensitive test that can be used to diagnose Babesia and distinguish between the different species. However, it does not help establish the level of infection and there have been issues with false positive/negative results. To avoid this, blood samples should be collected early in the course of clinical disease,
before medications have been started and submitted to an experienced, quality lab.

When to test?

Food for thought is routinely screening Pit Bulls. One of my own dogs was negative for B. canis several years ago. Recently she tested positive. No tick exposure, no contaminated needles/ instruments, no blood transfusion. What did happen in the time in-between was an accidental fight with another of my dogs (who is positive for B. canis). Neither of my positive dogs (I also have 1 dog that has tested negative, who also has had accidental fights...) have clinical or laboratory results that indicate they have the disease. But I know that it is there and if they do have other medical or stress issues that could allow the Babesia to become a problem I know to watch for it. Any dog blood donor should be tested prior to joining a donor program and periodically during their blood donor career. Any dog intended for breeding should be tested prior to entering into a breeding relationship (both male and female) any dog with liver disease. Dogs with AIHA. Dogs exhibiting clinical signs.

How to treat?

Treatable but not necessarily curable (meaning can reduce eliminate symptoms, but may still test positive and should always be considered a permanent carrier). B. canis is easier to treat than B. gibsoni. *note* there are other treatment options available in different areas of the country and currently under development in the US

Doxycycline (DO NOT GIVE WITH DAIRY PRODUCTS)and Clindamycin are affordable,
generally well tolerated treatment option for dogs with low to moderate titers and no or little symptoms.

In the US the "big gun" treatment is Imidocarb Dipropionate A single dose is usually effective for Babesia canis but 2 injections (given 2 weeks apart) are needed for Babesia gibsoni and depending on the infection of Babesia canis may be given. Side effects can include, but are not limited to: muscle tremors, drooling, elevated heart rate, shivering, and fever, facial swelling, tearing of the eyes, and restlessness. The injection is expensive, painful, should be given deep into the muscle, given with supportive care and only by doctors experienced with it. Pre-treatment with an injection of atropine helps palliate these side effects. In dogs that are
asymptomatic, this treatment is not worth the risks and side effects.

Prevention:

• Tick control. Carefully remove ticks asap.
• If blood transfusion is needed confirm that blood is from a babesia negative dog. (as well as other tick bourne diseases).
• Avoid dog to dog bites, fights.
• Avoid situations that involve contaminated needles/surgicalinstruments

Other things to consider:

• First evident within rbcs on blood smears in approximately 1 to 3 weeks post initial infection.
• Although clinical disease may resolve, infections often become chronic. Even after appropriate therapy, infection can persist forthe life of the dog.
• Babesia canis and B. gibsoni are not known to infect people.
• People can become infected with other Babesia species, dogs are not involved in the transmission.
• A babesia vaccine exists, although it is not currently available in the US.
  

Educate yourself and talk to your veterinarian!