Cairo came home from the hospital recovering from Acute- Pancreatitis

Cairo came home from his hospital stay on Friday 3/2/07 YEA!
His pancreas enzymes are back to normal
He is on Pepcid AC 10 mg. 1 tab twice daily
Amoxicillin 500 mg (antiobiotic) 1 tab twice daily for 7 days
& Flagyl 500 mg (antibiotic) one tab twice daily for 7 days.
He is not himself but so far has not thrown up and the recommendations: NO TABLE FOOD! (Honestly I did feed him table scraps) Especially cheese! NO MORE ALL THE DOGS ARE NOW ON STRICT DIETS! THIS WAS QUITE A SCARE!!!
That probably was the reason he came down with this!
He needs to loose 10 lbs by summer and is on a low fat diet.
Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers!

Oh no now you have acute Pancreatitis 2/28/07

Well Cairo, guess you wanted to end the month of February with a bang!

Late last night, Cairo kept throwing up about 10 times actually.
He also had diarrhea.
Cairo didn't look good this morning so off mommy took him to the emergency vets at Warwick Animal Hospital where he is so well know :(
The nice vet ordered lab work and x-rays and came back with a diagnosis of acute pancreatitis!
So, poor Cairo has to spend a few days as a patient at Warwick once again!
Please keep our little man in your thoughts and prayers!
Kindest Regards,
Sue
Cairo's mom!

Warwick Beacon Kong Story 6/9/05

http://www.warwickonline.com/news/searchnews.asp?ID=8350

WARWICK
06/09/2005
Pet owner discovers hard way dog toy not indestructible
By KELLY SMITH
Dog owner Susan Parker wants to warn fellow dog lovers about what she says could be a dangerous toy for some canines.

Last month, Parker noticed her dog Cairo, an American Staffordshire terrier, was sick and vomiting violently. Concerned, she took the dog to Oaklawn Animal Hospital, and after x-rays showed nothing in his stomach he was sent home under the assumption he was sick from eating too many “Greenies,” a dog treat.

However, the vomiting continued, and when Parker returned to the veterinarians at Oaklawn, they sent her to Warwick Animal Hospital on Elmwood Avenue, telling her it had more advanced equipment to better determine what was causing the problem.

Long story short, after several x-rays, a barium swallow and an EGD (an examination of the lining of the esophagus, stomach and upper duodenum with a small camera, a flexible endoscope) showed nothing in the dog’s stomach but the vomiting persisted, Dr. Seychelle Ricard decided to perform an emergency operation on Cairo. A few minutes into the surgery, the four-year veteran veterinarian discovered a large, hard lump in Cairo’s small intestine.

“I didn’t know what it was at first,” said Ricard, adding it wasn’t until Parker told her it was part of the dog’s chew toy, a Dental Kong, that nearly killed him.

“I took one look at it and I knew right away what it was,” said Parker. “I couldn’t believe it. I never thought it could’ve been the Kong. I always thought they were indestructible.”

Kong toys have been around since 1976 after Joe Markham, desperate to keep his German shepherd from chewing on rocks while he was working on his van, tossed the dog a suspension part. After the dog showed an interest in it, Markham refined the rubber design into a strong chew toy for large dogs. Since then, the company has created several different toys for dogs and other animals as well. Based in Colorado, Kong products are sold worldwide.

An active advocate for sheltered dogs, specifically pit bulls, Parker said the Kong toys are commonly used and known by many dog owners as virtually indestructible chew toys. However, the Kong Company does not claim the toys are indestructible.

“No dog toy is indestructible,” says the company’s Web site at www.kongcompany.com. “Supervise your dog’s use of Kongs until you are confident they can be used safely without supervision.”

The site goes on to say dog owners should check and inspect Kong toys frequently.

“Look for cracks, separations and/or missing pieces,” it says. “Flex your dry Kong and inspect it from all angles. Loose pieces larger than a food nugget can be harmful if swallowed. Worn and damaged Kongs must be replaced immediately. Your dog’s safety is your responsibility. If you think your dog has swallowed a toy fragment (for example, if the toy was damaged and you cannot find every piece larger than a food nugget), promptly inform your veterinarian.”

Having read this herself, Parker said although it’s good the company has this disclaimer on their Web site, the toys are known by dogowners everywhere to be “one of the safest toys you can give your dog.” Saying she did inspect Cairo’s toys often, Parker is now concerned for other dogs out there. Expressing how grateful she was to Ricard and the staff at the Warwick Animal Hospital, Parker said Cairo would’ve died were it not for them, and she wants other dogowners to know that not only did the hospital do a “phenomenal job saving Cairo’s life,” this danger does exist.

“I want people to realize the Kongs are not as indestructible as they think there are,” said Parker. “I’m sure the average person doesn’t know this, and I want them to know.”

Ricard feels the original Kong toy or Extreme Kong are good chew toys for even the largest of dogs and most aggressive chewers, but said she would not recommend the one Cairo swallowed for larger dogs.

“I think the important distinction is what Cairo ate is one of the Dental Kongs and one of their newer products,” said Ricard. “The material it’s made out of is squishy. I’ve never seen a dog that was able to chew [apart] a regular Kong.”

Ricard said Cairo’s dilemma was her first encounter with the Dental Kong, which has paste squirted in it and is meant for dogs to “brush” their teeth as they are chewing on it, and had she seen one sooner she “definitely would’ve been concerned.”

“And not because there’s anything inherently wrong with the toy, but strong dogs, strong chewers – and a pit bull is at the top of that list – can chew apart just about anything that isn’t nail-bound,” she said, emphasizing she believes the regular Kongs are pretty sturdy.

Aside from Kongs, Ricard suggested rawhides, which are digestible if swallowed, as chew toys and even said she’s known of people giving their pit bulls truck tires to chew on, saying, “That’s how tough they have to be.”

Ricard said dogs investigate with their mouths and noses and as puppies they develop chewing habits when teething. Providing them with safe chew toys is very important, and the stronger and more aggressive a chewer the dog is, the more careful owners must be when choosing toys.

The bottom line, said Ricard, is to not use the Dental Kong on dogs who are aggressive chewers and take care to inspect your dog’s toys regularly.

As for Parker, $3,600 later, she said she’s not giving Cairo any more Kongs, regular, Dental or Extreme.

“He misses his toys,” she said, “and he eats a lot of cheese.”

The KONG THAT ALMOST KILLED

Today I added a pic of the type of Kong that almost killed Cairo.
It was a dental Kong.
Please any of you that own bully breed dogs, beware, Kongs are NOT at all INDESTRUCTABLE like we are thought to believe.

Cairo is coming home tonight.
This has been a very long ordeal.
I can't wait to kiss him!!!
NO MORE KONGS FOR CAIRO!!!

The amazing results all you KONG LOVERS!!

Well, I just got back from visiting Cairo at the vets. He is doing very well and is acting like his old goofy self again. Thank God!

The vet tech told me that she was actually in the operating room and his surgery took about 1 hour and 15 min. from start to finish.

The amazing results all you KONG LOVERS!!
What they took out of Cairo's small intestines was a big piece of
Kong Dental Stick!!!!!

Kong Dental Stick's unique is shaped to clean your dog’s back teeth. Made of soft, durable Kong rubber, fill with Stuff N Paste for a real treat.

I recognized it right away!!!
So, the Kong was the real CULPRIT! GO FIGURE!!!

Yesterday, the vet told me that she thought that because he was a pit bull that the only toys he should really have is KONGS!
BOY WAS SHE SURPRISED WHEN I IDENTIFIED THE OBJECT!!!


I know right away because my daughter who works for Pet Smart just bought our pit bulls a bunch of dental Kong’s one was an aqua color with grooves and that was what was inside Cairo's stomach!!!

Cairo and Greenies What actually happened?

just got off the phone with the vet, I hope this info helps you understand the greenies:

The vet thought the problem with Cairo's esophagus was "probably" caused because he had gotten into a large bag of greenies. He was sharing some with my other dog Katie and I did not know how many were actually in the bag from the start.
He had vomited so much and the greenies were the large size. They feel that because he kept vomiting and the greenies were going up and down his esophagus and in the vets words "Banging and scratching the esophagus" The ulcers in his stomach probably were caused by all the significant vomiting that he did. I was told that they do normally break down but it was a problem in this case because something else was obstructing the small intestines complicating the problem.

I just got off the phone a minute ago with the vet and asked about greenies in general. My answer was they are not a bad thing and actually are helpful in cleaning dogs teeth.
He said when a dog gets into such a large quantity as Cairo did they sometimes are not highly digestible and can act as a foreign body and sometimes cause a partial obstruction because large pieces will not break down all the way and make the bowel move very slowly.
This is what they thought had happen with Cairo but when he was not turning around they decided to do an exploratory lap and then they found the true problem a 6 inch rubber toy that was wedged deep inside his small intestines.
So the greenies presented as a "red herring" as it actually was a phony issue or false clue"
I hope this helps.
I hope I explained it correctly too!
My head has been spinning around with all the info they have been throwing at me.

Sue & Cairo


If Pit Bulls are outlawed, then only outlaws will own Pit Bulls.

Cairo's surgery today 5/16/05

Today, Cairo made it thru his long surgery. The poor little guy has been extremely sick for one week.

His symptoms began last Monday 5/9/05.

He was vomiting (sometimes projectile) and could not even hold down water.


He got into a bag of "greenies" and kept on vomiting. The following day, I took him to my own vets who did x-rays and lab work. The x-rays were inconclusive and the lab work was normal.

She sent him home with instructions on keeping him NPO (nothing by mouth) X 24 hours and then if he did not vomit again, we were to begin giving him small feedings and start him on pepcid ac.

He woke up at 4am and vomited in extremely large amounts X3.

The next day I took him to the emergency vets office and he was then admitted.

More x-rays were taken as well as extensive lab work. The same results: Inconclusive. Again, they kept him NPO and started IV fluids.

They sent him home the next day with a diagnosis of: Gastroenteritis.

They began him on Carafate and Pepcid, & Hamburg and rice for 7 days.

Again, he woke up in the middle night with projectile vomiting.

We rushed him back to the vets the next day yesterday 5/15/05 and this time the emergency vet decided that he needed a barium test to see how his stomach was actually emptying.

After the test was completed, it was decided that an EGD Esophagogastroduodenoscopy which is an examination of the lining of the esophagus, stomach, and upper duodenum with a small camera (flexible endoscope) which is inserted down the throat

Should be done to rule out an intestinal blockage. He was placed under anesthesia for this test. When the test was completed, the results showed large amounts of hair (human) as well as dog built up around his entire stomach lining that could not pass thru the intestines. He apparently has had a SEVERE case of ulcers all throughout his esophagus and entire stomach. The doctor said his esophagus was SEVER LY bruised and scraped up due to the greenies, the doctor began giving IV pepcid and IV fluids and it was thought that he would make a complete but long recovery.

Today 5/16/05, I called the emergency vets office to check up on Cairo. Another vet came to the phone and asked if I was Cairo's owner? I said yes and she then went on to say that he vomited a large amount this morning and they need permission (as well as a large amount of cash) to do exploratory surgery because she felt that he had a blockage that the EGD did not see.

Without the surgery, if it were an intestinal blockage, he would die.

My family called each other immediately and we all rushed to the vets to sign the consent form (and give them a large sum of cash) and to see Cairo.

Believe it or not, his spirits were good and although he looked very thin, he was still smiling at us! (He has this very cute smile)

We all cried and gave him a kiss. My husband (Harry) actually cried more than I did. (They have this awesome bond).

Cairo was taken to surgery (for almost 2 hours) and YES INDEED he did have a 6-inch rubber (probable toy) wedged deep into his small intestines!

The vet was very optimistic that he NOW will make a FULL recovery.

Cairo still has to spend 2-5 days in the hospital for monitoring and IV meds but all I can say is THANK GOD he is going to be OK.

We love this little guy more than you can imagine!

It has been an extremely emotional and long week for all of us!



Sue Parker

Happy Birthday Cairo story (This is a few years old)

CRANSTON
11/27/2003
Story of a pit bull, a noble breed
To the Editor:
November 16 was my dog Cairo’s fifth birthday. Actually, we don’t know his exact birthday because he was a shelter dog that we adopted. My family and I celebrate his adoption date as his birthday. We were told when we went to see him that he was around 2½ years old. My daughter and I actually went to the shelter to see a litter of puppies that the facility had for adoption.

My daughter went around to the other side of the dog kennels as I was checking out the puppies and happened to see “Monte” renamed by us “Cairo.” He was an American pit bull terrier, quite large and somewhat intimidating to look at.

My daughter decided to put her hands inside his kennel and pet him. He licked her graciously and then bowed his head low to the ground. It was as if he was saying to her, “Thank you for petting me but I know that you are just going to pass me by like everyone else has done for the last 5½ months.”

The Warwick Animal Shelter must have seen something special in Monte/Cairo because he was brought in during the month of June and my family did not adopt him until the month of November. He was scheduled to be euthanized later during the same week that we had come in to see him due to the fact that he was beginning to deteriorate quickly and no homes were in sight.

My daughter called me over to see Cairo and I immediately thought, “Oh my, he looks so sad.” I, too, went over to pet him. Our eyes met and it was love at first sight. He was so noble and kind.

My family and I are no strangers to owning American pit bull terriers. Actually, that is the type of puppy that we had come to the shelter to see.

Our precious dog, Jasmine, was an American Staffordshire terrier. She had passed away earlier that summer of kidney failure. She was only three years old. Our vet came to our home to put her to sleep in our bed where she was the most comfortable with her loving family surrounding her. We took her death extremely hard.

I had purchased Jasmine from a breeder and had decided after her death to get a shelter dog that needed a loving family. I had originally wanted to adopt a puppy that I could mold and train to my liking, however, there was something special about Cairo.

I inquired about him and asked if we could walk him. It was like water skiing. He was terrible on a leash. Still there was just something special about him that neither my daughter nor I could shake. I called my husband and asked if he would mind an older dog instead of a puppy and told him about Cairo. I told him I needed to move fast because he did not have much time left. He had bought all the time he had. My husband agreed to our family adopting him, so we set forth and began the paperwork process. Cairo was now on his way to a new family and new beginning.

It was obvious to us that he had never had any type of obedience training, so we decided to set him up with a trainer that specializes in training “bully breeds.” My husband took an interest in the training classes. Soon, Cairo and my husband had a very special bond in progress. Cairo and my husband had extreme fun and also progressed at a fast rate. They both looked forward to Wednesday night classes. They made friends dog and human alike. On graduation day I cried just like I would have if one of my children were graduating.

My son is great with a camera. He had taken some pictures of my husband and Cairo. They came out so well that I decided to enter one of them in an “Owner Look Alike Contest.” They won first place! Their picture was posted in the Newport Daily News Paper. They had won a $100 gift certificate to a local pet store. We had decided to donate the gift certificate to the shelter that Cairo was housed at since they took such good care of him and gave him a second chance on life.

On November 16 we celebrated the second year we have owned Cairo. Of course, Cairo was modest and wanted a small celebration, but we wanted to give him a birthday party to remember. We took him to PetSmart and bought him the pull toy of his choice. We then bought him a football-shaped Carvel ice cream cake (actually for us to eat but he did not mind) next, a trip to Burger King for a bag of cheese burgers for all of us to share and finally a trip to the Agility rink for Cairo and three of his doggie friends to play a few rounds of agility. He went to bed very, very happy and very, very tired.

Cairo has a zest for life and a personality and style like I have never seen before. He adores children and even sleeps with our cat. I cannot imagine life before adopting Cairo. He is such a joy. Cairo is a true ambassador to his breed. Cairo has just recently started agility classes and loves jumping and weaving. He is quite good at it for a beginner.

I hope and pray that more people will stop listening to the negative publicity about this wonderful breed of dogs and just give them a chance on life. People would be amazed at how easy it is to fall in love with them. True pit bulls in the correct hands are nothing like the media projects.

Happy birthday, Cairo!

Susan Parker

West Warwick






If Pit Bulls are outlawed, then only outlaws will own Pit Bulls.

Stop Pit Bull Ban Ordinance in Warwick RI

WARWICK
03/10/2005
Solomon would outlaw pit bulls
By MARK SILBERSTEIN
Lovers of the animals might argue they’re tame and caring protectors, while others could suggest pit bulls are vicious dangers and a threat to public safety.

Some Rhode Island communities, including Pawtucket and Providence, have already established policies requiring owners keep the dogs behind protective fencing and maintain hefty insurance policies against their attacking another animal or person. Now, Councilman Joseph J. Solomon (D-Ward 4) is suggesting a stronger measure be enacted in Warwick, outlawing pit bulls altogether.

Solomon will introduce amendments to the city’s current animal control and enforcement ordinance at Monday night’s City Council meeting.

“It shall be unlawful for any person to own, possess, keep, exercise control over, maintain, harbor, transport, or sell within the City of Warwick any pit bull,” the suggested amendment reads.

Yesterday, Solomon explained that several incidents involving pit bulls in his ward led him to research the city’s ordinance, eventually guiding him towards suggesting a number of changes.

The councilman referred to the breed’s “violent propensity” and called the amendments necessary for the “protection of the safety, health and well being of the public.”

“You have to weigh the inconvenience it may be to the pit bull owner to the potential catastrophic effect for victims of a pit bull attack,” he said.

But Animal Control Officer Nora Legault said that Solomon never consulted with her or the police department before he drafted the legislation and said that pit bulls are responsible for fewer attacks on domestic animals or humans than other breeds she’s encountered in the city.

Solomon confirmed that he had no discussion with the animal control division before suggesting the proposed amendments.

“Our group is opposed to breed-specific legislation,” said Dennis Tabella, a local animal rights activist and a founding member of Defenders of Animals, explaining that some rottweiler and other species of dogs could be potentially dangerous animals as well.

Tabella added that he never had any discussions with Solomon before the legislation was drafted. He said if enacted the legislation would likely face a challenge in the courts, as has happened in other states across the country.

The councilman’s legislation defines a pit bull as “an American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, or any dog of mixed breed displaying the majority of physical traits of any one or more of the above breeds, or any dog exhibiting those distinguishing characteristics which substantially conform to the standards established by the American Kennel Club or United Kennel Club for any of the above breeds, the characteristics being identifiable even if there are technical deficiencies in any particular dog’s conformance thereto; or any dog identifiable by a licensed veterinarian, animal control officer, director of the city’s animal shelter or any other knowledgeable person whose identification is deemed credible by the Public Safety Director or the Animal Control Officer, as having any American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier as any element of its breeding.”

There are a few exceptions to the rule.

Solomon proposes any pit bull owner who is currently registered with and licensed by the City Clerk’s office to possess the animal could continue to do so, so long as they renew the documents annually.

But City Clerk Marie Bennett on Tuesday said that her office has never been responsible for licensing animals, noting that it was the role of the police department to do so. After addressing the issue with Council President Donald Torres (D-Ward 2), Bennett said that Solomon would have to amend the language of the ordinance even further to reflect that.

According to Solomon’s proposal, pit bull owners would also be mandated to keep a $100,000 liability insurance policy active for as long as they possess a pit bull, “covering any damage or injury which may be caused by a pit bull during the 12-month period covered by the pit bull license. The policy shall contain a provision requiring the insurance company to provide written notice to the city clerk not less than 15 days prior to any termination of the policy and not less than five days subsequent to cancellation or expiration of the policy.”

And, the measure notes, once the amended ordinance takes effect no new licenses would be issued by the city and pit bull owners could not replace animals that expire naturally or may be killed.

Another exception is the showing of pit bull breeds at a “place of public exhibition, contest or show sponsored by a dog club association or similar organization. However, the sponsor of the exhibition, contest or show must receive written permission from the animal control officer and must obtain any other permits or licenses required by city ordinance and must provide protective measures adequate to prevent pit bulls from escaping or injuring the public.”

The ordinance continues, “The person who transports and holds a pit bull for showing shall, at all times when the pit bull is being transported within the city to and from the place of exhibition, contest or show, keep the pit bull confined in a secure temporary enclosure,” defined as a metal cage with a single door.

Language in Solomon’s measure also proposes the city take a tough stance on pit bulls, even if they’re being moved from one place to another within city limits.

“The owner or keeper of a pit bull without an annual pit bull license may temporarily transport through the city a pit bull only if such owner or keeper has obtained a valid transport permit from the city clerk. Upon request, the city clerk shall issue such permits only upon a showing by the owner or keeper that the pit bull is being transported either from a point outside the city to a destination outside the city, or from a point outside the city to an airport, train station or bus station within the city,” the ordinance suggests.

“In the latter case, such owner or keeper must provide evidence of an intent to send or take the pit bull outside of the city by producing an airline, train or bus ticket or other equivalent document. At all times when the pit bull is being transported within the city it must be kept confined in a [cage],” it reads on.

“In all cases before issuing a transport permit, the city clerk must find that the transport would not constitute an unnecessary or undue danger to the public health, welfare or safety and shall not authorize the permit where the city clerk cannot so find. All transport permits issued shall only be valid for the time, date and pit bull specified on the permit and shall not be construed to permit any activity otherwise prohibited,” the ordinance continues, requiring that the dog handler “must place in or on a conspicuous place a sign that complies with [these] requirements.”

Failure to comply with the terms of the ordinance could lead the city to impound the animals or even destroy them.

“The owner or keeper, at the owner’s or keeper’s own expense, shall have had the pit bull spayed or neutered and shall present to the City Clerk documentary proof from a licensed veterinarian that this sterilization has been performed,” the ordinance language reads. “This requirement shall be waived upon a written statement from a licensed veterinarian that the procedure should not or cannot be performed for reasons of the health or age of the animal.”

“The city clerk shall each maintain a file containing the license numbers, pit bull tag numbers and the names, addresses and telephone numbers of the owner or keepers. The owner or keeper shall notify the animal control officer and the city clerk in writing of any change of address and/or telephone number,” Solomon’s amendment continues.

“At all times when a pit bull is at the property of the owner or keeper, the owner or keeper shall keep the pit bull confined, either in a secure, temporary enclosure or within the premises of the owner or keeper, or within a fenced enclosure from which the dog cannot escape.”

The amendment also requires, “The owner or keeper shall not sell or otherwise transfer the pit bull to any person except a member of the owner’s or keeper’s immediate family who will then become the owner or keeper and will be subject to all of the provisions of this section.

“The owner or keeper shall notify the city clerk within five days in the event that the pit bull is lost, stolen, dies or has a litter. In the event of a litter, the owner or keeper must deliver the puppies to the director of the animal shelter for destruction or permanently remove the puppies from the City of Warwick and provide sufficient evidence of such removal by the time the puppies are weaned, but in no event shall the owner or keeper be allowed to keep in the City of Warwick a pit bull puppy born after the effective date of this section, that is more than eight weeks old. Any pit bull puppies kept contrary to the provisions of this subsection are subject to immediate impoundment and disposal.

“The owner or keeper shall have posted at each possible entrance to the owner or keeper’s property where the pit bull is kept a conspicuous and clearly legible pit bull sign. Such pit bull sign must be at least eight inches by 10 inches in rectangular dimensions and shall contain only the words “PIT BULL DOG” in lettering not less than two inches in height

“When any animal control officer or police officer has impounded any pit bull dog, and the owner or keeper of such dog disputes the classification of such dog as a pit bull, the owner or keeper of such dog may appeal the decision by filing a written petition with the director of the animal shelter for a hearing concerning such classification no later than seven days after impoundment.

“If the dog is found to be a pit bull, it shall be destroyed, unless the owner or keeper produces evidence deemed sufficient by the panel that the pit bull is to be permanently taken out of the City of Warwick and the owner or keeper pays the cost of impoundment,” according to the ordinance amendment.

“Any owner or keeper of a pit bull properly licensed, but which is found in violation of any part of this [ordinance], shall be subject on a first offense within a calendar year, to a fine not to exceed $15; on a second offense within a calendar year, to a fine not to exceed $25; and on a third or subsequent offense within a calendar year, to a fine not to exceed $50. On any offense the pit bull may be subject to impoundment and disposal,” the measure continued, adding that similar fines and conditions applied to non-licensed pit bull owners.

__________________________________________________________ __

I started a petition against the ordinance:
Please feel free to sign!! Help our breed!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.petitiononline.com/sp02886/pet ition.html

Going out 4 wheeling in the Jeep Wrangler and having fun in- the snow

On Tuesday 1/11/05 our state had gotten snow. About 10pm, we decided to take a ride in the jeep wrangler and get a coffee. Harry wanted to take Cairo "To get a donut". So, off we went. We ordered coffee and Cairo ordered a glazed donut. Then we decided to go up hills and have some fun in the jeep.
I was getting nervous climbing up large hills but Cairo and Harry seemed to have a blast.
I guess its a guy thing?