I found a dead bird in the front yard where my ground feeder and window feeder was.  First off, I live in the desert, in a new community, where there aren’t many birds.  I’m mainly feeding Sparrows, Finches and Doves.  When I went to dispose of the dead bird, I noticed his eyes were….. diseased looking.  I simply thought it was a decaying issue.

Lately we’ve been getting a lot of crickets, which eat the leftover bird food, thus bringing scorpions.  I told my brother I was going to wean the birds off of the food and stop feeding them.  He insisted it wasn’t a bird food problem and advised me a baby bird was relying on the food supply I had been putting out.  So I continued to feed them.

A few days after he told me about the baby bird, I saw it eating from the small, decorative feeder I placed out in the yard.  The bird looked like a Finch.  Several baby Doves had been born as well, so I was glad I decided to keep the feeder out (see feeder below with a healthy adult Dove).

The “baby” bird, I noticed, started to flop around when it walked. It sat in the feeder, eating, but I noticed it having difficulty. I walked over to it and noticed it had only, what appeared to be, one eye. At first I thought it was simply learning to fly. Then I thought it may have been attacked. It didn’t see very well because I could walk up right to it and pick it. I didn’t, of course. When it did happen to see me, it rolled around in the yard in the rocks trying to find safety. It flapped its wings, but couldn’t fly.

This devistated me. I couldn’t sleep during and after all of this. This bird was a fighter. I didn’t know what to do for it; so I kept feeding it. It struggled for about two days before it died. I still haven’t stopped thinking about how horrible it was for this bird to try and survive in the desert, one, and two, half blinded, looking for food.

First of all, here is a link regarding Avian Conjuctivitis (or Finch Disease). There is much more information on the web.

Like I said, I am not an expert, but it seemed so coincidental, the one bird I found dead, and the second bird I witnessed having problems. Here is a picture of the second bird I found dead (notice the crusty eye):

My point is, clean your feeders! I obviously didn’t clean my feeders enough. All websites say to stop feeding for a week (even to the injured bird). They say healthy birds will find food, while diseased birds will die out. I took the feeders away, but fed my injured bird on the ground, like I said above (I felt bad not feeding it)! I also didn’t go a week without feeding my other birds; I went two days. I cleaned the yard and moved my feeders to prevent a buildup of droppings on the ground. I place my ground feeder in a different spot every morning.

For a bird bath here in Arizona, I use a simple house plant water tray.

If several birds feed at one station, this could be a cause of disease. In the years I have been feeding birds, I have never had this problem, but for birds in desperate need of food and water (like the desert), several birds may flock to feeders. What I do now is (and this seems like a pain), I bring in my water “bowl” and tray/ground feeders every night and clean them with antibacterial dish soap. Once a week I use a bleach solution to really clean them. I have a hose nearby and safely tuck them into the garage at night to, one, clean them. Two, keep the crickets out of them. And three, keep mosquitoes at bay.

For this bird’s sake, and all others, please clean your feeders! Those books aren’t lying when they say so! For more information, please visit Avian Web. Some birds are genetically inclined to eye disease, but please, to be safe, clean your feeders.

I started at the shelter 4/2/2010. I was there four to five times a week! I got to know the kitties pretty well. I came to love them, since I worked with the same ones day in, day out. Monday, May 17th we had four new arrivals, since we had a few empty cages: two kittens, one cat under a year and another 5 year old cat.

Wednesday, 4/21st, was my first day back since the arrival of new kitties. I was excited to play with the new arrivals! I went ahead and cleaned three cat cages before letting the new cat out, namedVan. Van was meowing, expressing how badly he wanted out of his cage. I felt bad for him; he really wanted attention, so I decided to clean his cage next and let him out to play. As soon as I let him out, he was rubbing up against my leg, meowing, loving up against me. I pet him once or twice while I was working on cleaning his cage. Next thing I know, while I was standing up, he comes over, stands up on his back feet, stretching his front paws up to my knees for me to pet him. I reach down to pet him and the next thing I know he’s biting my arm. Hard! As he’s biting my arm, near my wrist, I realize he wasn’t letting go. I started to freak out, imagining him clamping down on the veins in my wrist. “I’m going to bleed to death when he lets go!” I thought.

As fast as this all was happening, my life was flashing before my eyes because I had no idea why this cat was biting me so hard – and I had no idea why he wouldn’t let go. I screamed as loud as I could, but Van bites down harder. I feel my left arm go numb and then my thumb and index finger begin to tingle. Now I’m in shock, I believe. The animal shelter is located inside PetSmart (PetSmart is legally separate from the shelter and simply allow animals to be adopted at their store). If one has been to a PetSmart, the cat room is usually a small room with glass and is soundproof. I know this because when I screamed, the customers outside didn’t even look over at me.

At some point, Van lets go and runs underneath the cages. I immediately go to the manager’s office and tell them I’ve been bitten by a cat. They instruct me to call the shelter and report what has happened, while suggesting I go to the ER. My arm begins to bleed pretty badly and I’ve got four holes in my arm the sizes of erasers, as well as scratches from where he apparently reached around when he was clamping down on my arm. My arm is still numb and tingling, so of course I begin crying hysterically. A PetSmart employee tells me that he probably hit a nerve and I need to go to the ER. I call the shelter to let them know what happened. While I’m on the phone, the manager cleans my arm up and wraps it so I am able to rush to the doctor.

I call my doctor, but they can not get me in until the end of the day. My arm is in intense pain. The shelter approves me to go to a Walgreens walk-in clinic. By approve, I mean cleared for insurance purposes. As a volunteer, I will be treated as a workman’s comp case. Walgreens instructed me that my wound was beyond their expertise and referred me to an urgent care. Urgent care then referred me to the ER, since I needed X-rays and had possible nerve damage. I called my doctor to cancel my appointment and to let them know I needed to go to the ER.

So I end up at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center, which I should have known NOT to go to, but it was the closest hospital. I was scared beyond belief, could not use my left arm or hand (it was swollen and I couldn’t move my fingers) and could barely drive. I used to work at Fort Sanders. The surgical techs from 2005-2006 were the most incompetent group of people. That is another story. However, like I said, I was in pain, I could barely drive, I was bleeding and I knew some of the well trusted pathologists there. If I had to, I’d give them a call.

Dr. _______ was nice enough, but apparently a cat bite wasn’t considered an emergency to him. I had an X-ray, which came back fine, given a tetnis shot and sent on my way. No one asked me about rabies, no one cleaned my wounds (well, eventually someone did), no one gave me an antibiotic, animal control didn’t contact me and no one contacted the animal shelter to discuss a workman’s comp case. One girl (I don’t think I’d call her a nurse) put a splint on me, since the doctor mentioned nerve damage. He wanted to keep my fingers straight so the nerve could at least heal. But before placing the splint, she did not even clean my arm. The ONLY respectable person out of that entire place was the nurse that checked me out. She answered my questions, she made that “girl” come back and clean my arm properly and she, at least, showed some compassion. The doctor told me to come back if signs of infection appeared. Signs of infection had already appeared! Redness, swelling, joint stiffness, fluid under the wounds…. and not to mention it was a horrible cat bite that went into my nerves and muscle tissue!

After leaving the ER, I called the shelter to let them know I left the cat room a mess. I was told that no one else could make it back there to clean up. I hadn’t even given the cats water after cleaning three of their cages. So what do I do? I go back to PetSmart, one handed, to clean up the mess that was left. If someone would have told me that PetSmart would have helped me out, I would have gone home and rested. I was hungry, had a headache from crying, tired. I was still a bit scared because the ER hadn’t given me an antibiotic. Go figure, though. I signed a paper that all doctors were privately contracted with the hospital and would get bills from the doctor, the hospital, x-ray and something else. Of course they wanted me to come back. Anyway, I talked to the shelter and they didn’t feel comfortable with the ER not giving me an antibiotic and told me to call my doctor.

Back at PetSmart, I called my doctor to see if I could come in the next day for a checkup of my arm. Long story short, some of the phone people at Interfaith are assholes. They are so rude. Not all of them, but a few are ALWAYS rude and don’t listen. I wish I remembered her name, but she said “Your appointment wasn’t canceled. You have an appointment at 5:30pm.”

“No, my appointment was at 3:30pm today and I canceled it. Are you sure?” I asked her. This wasn’t the first time they have told me the wrong thing, so I wanted to be sure.

“Today is Wednesday the 21st. Your appointment is at 5:30pm!”

I go home, let the dog out that I’m fostering, and head back over to my doctor’s office. What happens? I get there and they tell me I do not have an appointment! I explain what happened and told them I called at 2:30pm and the lady who answered told me my appointment was at 5:30pm. Then I look over and the bitch is talking shit about me, saying that wasn’t what happened.  Pardon my language – I was pretty pissed at my doctor.

“EXCUSE ME?!!!”, I shout at her. Then I start crying to the guy up front, explaining it all over again and ask him to just make me an appointment for the next day. He whispered to me that he’d get me in.

I finally see the doctor and, of course, she puts me on an antibiotic. She couldn’t believe the ER doctor didn’t give me an antibiotic. The next day, a red streak started tracking up my arm. I couldn’t get a clear shot of it. The redness increased the next day and the fluid under the bites were so painful. I couldn’t move my wrist or my fingers for about three days. Within 48 hours, the red streak disappeared.

By Friday, the 23rd, my arm began to pus. I had a major panic attack at the doctor with my second checkup. My heart rate jumped up to 142. I feared the antibiotic or the infection was causing my increased heart rate, but the doctor reassured me that it was simply the stress of it all.

A week and a half later, it’s healed pretty well. The doctor said she wasn’t sure how long I’d have nerve damage, but hopefully it will heal. The bite that hit a nerve, if touched, still sends a tingle/shock down my thumb and into my finger. And if I use my arm a certain way, it’s painful.  About a month and a half later is when the numbness and tingling in the cat bite area begins to stop.

The reason I am posting this blog now (I have it posted at my anxiety journal), is because the Workman’s Comp part has yet to be taken care of.  So if this ever happens to someone you know, of yourself, stand up for yourself.  Here’s why:

1.)  Robin, the person in charge, at Animal Works never returned any of the calls to The Hartford where my Workman’s Comp is filed (their own insurance)!  In most cases, one has so many days to file a claim, submit paperwork, etc., or it will be denied.  I submitted my paperwork to Animal Works and they never submitted it to Hartford.  Luckily, before AND after we arrived in Arizona, I faxed all of my paperwork to them.  Robin was suppose to submit legal paperwork to Hartford and she never did.  She also avoided phone calls from them.  My claim was DENIED.

2.)  Never, ever, ever go to Fort Sanders/Coventant Health Hospital in Knoxville, TN go to UT or St. Mary’s).  Absolutely no one was waiting in the ER waiting room when I showed up and now I know why.  First of all, Hartford told me that this Workman’s Comp case should have never been put in my name.  It is illegal to have bills in the patient’s name when under a Workman’s Comp case.  Get this:  the hospital didn’t know how to bill such a case, so they just decided to put it in my name!  They didn’t get ahold of anyone at Animal Works.  They didn’t care enough to find out how to bill it to Animal Works.  I don’t know medical billing, so I did what I needed to do in order to check out of the place.  Animal Control was suppose to contact me regarding the cat bite and no one gave them my information.

How this particular hospital bills is, you get a bill from the doctor, from radiology and from the hospital.  Three separate bills were sent to me, totally $1000 for a tetnis shot and an x-ray.  I called Vista Radiology and they said they would submit my claim to Hartford.  Called the billing office from the doctor; they would also submit my claim to Hartford.  Finally, I called medical billing at the hospital; they also said they would submit my claim.  A month later, I get three bills in the mail.  No one had my new address, which I gave to ALL three places.  So I called Hartford (this is such a mess) and they advised me that again, legally, NO ONE is suppose to be billing me under a Workman’s Comp case.  It is illegal!  Two claims have been paid (Vista and the doctor bill), so I had to call them back and give them a check number.  The $700 hospital bill – not paid.  Hartford doesn’t even have the claim.  DENIED. 

So I call back the hospital and they rudely say “we don’t submit to 3rd parties”.  Okay, now I start to get a little pissed off.  They told me a MONTH ago that they did and they would, this is all taking place with MY credit history, my claim was denied and now they are saying they don’t submit to Workman’s Comp insurances?  So David, from the Hartford advises me that THIS IS INCORRECT.  He feels terrible for me, so he calls the hospital.  Just this week (and this is now the second week of July), I receive a medical release from Fort Sanders to submit my medical records to Hartford.  Now I am allowed to leave a nasty phone call to whoever sent me that letter.  And I do.  I also, finally, got an email from Robin, telling me she was never contacted from The Hartford.  David has been trying to get ahold of her for a month!  Doesn’t a professional business WANT to take care of a Workman’s Comp case that happened at their establishment?  NEVER, ever, ever would I volunteer at that place again.  In fact, I really want to call the BBB regarding policies concerning Workman’s Comp cases and employees’ health rights.

3.)  I still have not been paid for out of pocket expenses:  two more doctor’s visits, medicine and hospital parking.

I can not even believe the incompetence of these two businesses:  Animal Works and Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center (downtown Knoxville – not West).   I do appreciate one person at Animal Works, though, and it’s Sue.  She helped me a lot and did comfort me when I was scared and confused.  And I greatly appreciate David, at The Hartford, who has been a lifesaver with this entire mess.

PetSmart demanded that the cat that bit me be taken out of PetSmart immediately.  So where is the cat now?  At a different PetSmart location located in Alcoa, TN – NOT at the Animal Works shelter located on Alcoa Highway. 

Volunteering is a wonderful thing to do. It’s rewarding and it’s so incredible to help others, but if doing so, please make sure before hand, the injury policy.  Still a fan of cats, though. Just not that one.

These were made for a June 19th birthday party – at a bar. Perfect fit!

Stout (Guiness) Cupcakes
Makes 28

Ingredients
3 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1 and 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 and 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 and 1/4 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg (I used regular)
1 and 1/4 cups vegetable oil
1 and 1/4 cups unsulfured molasses
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon packed light-brown sugar
2 large whole eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1 and 1/4 cups (10 ounces) stout beer, such as Guinness, poured and settled
Stout Glaze (see below)

Stout Glaze
2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1/4 cup stout beer, such as Guiness, poured and settled

Whisk together ingredients until combined.  Use immediately.

Directions
1.)  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line standard muffin tins with paper liners.  Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.

2.)  With an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat oil, molasses, brown sugar, whole eggs, yolk, zest and stout until combined.  Reduce speed to low.  Gradually add flour mixture, beating until just combined. 

3.)  Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three quarters full.  Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean (I use a knife), about 20 minutes.  Turn out cupcakes onto wire racks to cool completely.  Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.

4.)  To finish, place cupcakes on  a wire rack set over a baking sheet (or wax paper); spoon glaze over cupcakes and let set.  Cupcakes are best eaten the day they are glazed (but I have witnesses who beg to differ after eating them a few days later); keep at room temperature until ready to serve.

Photo by Tiffany. Recipe from Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes

Ingredients

Makes 12 Jumbo

Directions

Photos by Karen (mom) and Tiffany
Watching: Julie & Julia
From http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/cream-filled-chocolate-cupcakes

Click Photos to Englarge

These are a major hit. I made these for my mom’s birthday party. Here’s the recipe:

1.) Prepare your favorite white cake mix (18.25 ounce box), then divide the batter evenly among six small bowls. I measured out approximately 3/4 cup for each bowl. Following the above color chart (see photo), dye each bowl a rainbow color (I accidentally did my [first batch] rainbow backwards. Oops!)

2.) Line 16 muffin pan wells with baking cups. Evenly distribute the purple batter among the cups, then the blue, and so forth, referring to the rainbow color chart. As you go, gently spread each batter layer to cover the color underneath. I used a spoon (about a teaspoon’s worth) of batter for each layer.

3.) Bake according to box directions. Top with a whipped cream or icing cloud and enjoy!

Photos by Tiffany
Recipe FamilyFun.com/Magazine
Soundtrack: Silent Drive / Banana Rejection

I sent several photos and continuously received several “likes”, but never was sent a release form.  Months went by and people started accusing Colleen of stealing and using photos, so a few of us “fans” got a little nervous.  First of all, emails were never responded to, release forms never sent, fans now needed to become paying members of her website to have first choice of their photos to be used in the coffee table series and then the PPOA Facebook page was dismantled (as well as her personal facebook page).  So I emailed Pet Photographers of America, never heard back and then emailed again, telling them NOT to use my photos.  Sales of the book are suppose to help shelters – “we” aren’t sure what sales go towards because, again, we never received full information regarding the project and emails were never responded to after asking about details.

 Membership at Colleen’s website is $45 for a “regular member”.  Where this money goes, I am not positive either; but if it goes towards shelters like she says, I would rather support my local shelter, rather than support someone who doesn’t email back, deletes and constantly changes her website & email addresses and then dismantles a facebook page where several hundreds of photos were submitted.    I would have been honored to have my cats in a legitimate coffee table book series, but I am even more honored to post MY photos at my very own wesbite (and not be out $45+).

All photos (c) Tiffany 2005-2010.  Do not use photos without permission.

BFF’s!

A few days after her surgery, she started to develop a hard lump underneath her incision, which caused great concern. I called Fix-a-Pet and they said it was normal, but if her condition changed to call my regular vet. Gee, thanks. I’ve had my share of female kittens spayed, and I’ve also seen surgeries done when I worked as a vet tech; I’ve never seen any lump of the sort. Notice above, Vega has no lump. Below shows the firm, non-painful swelling under her incision.

I called my regular vet, just to pre-warn them that I may be rushing her in at any moment, should she become listless or stop eating, etc. In the meantime, I looked this lump subject up on the internet, in which I found the best (and re-assuring) advice:

Question: Is this post abdominal surgery (i.e. spay) lump “normal”?

Surgical closure of the incision
For traditional abdominal surgeries, most vets do what is called a 3-layer closure. The first (inner-most) layer is the strength layer. This closure is sutures up the body wall. The second layer is the subcutaneous layer; the connective tissue (and fat) between the body wall and skin. The final layer, the one everyone sees, is the skin closure.

Pets will often lick or chew at the suture line. Some animals just a few times, other animals will be obsessive about it; possibly removing sutures in the process. Cats are particularly adept at removing sutures prematurely (before the recommended 10-14 day time).

It is important to note that many vets bury the sutures with suture material that dissolves, so there are no sutures to remove. Additionally, some vets use surgical skin glue to speed closure and healing. Your vet will give specific post-surgery instructions upon discharge.

What is “normal” for post-surgical healing?
This varies of course, with the suture materials used, the doctor’s technique, and the patient. It is very important to keep your pet from licking and chewing and to keep your pet physically quiet (no vigorous activity) while healing during the 10 – 14 days post surgery time. Any redness, painful swelling, and drainage should be mentioned to your veterinarian right away, especially if your pet is listless and not eating.

A lump can be “normal,” sometimes
A firm, non-painful swelling under the incision that appears a few days or a week after surgery is fairly common, particularly in cats. This the body’s way of working on the sutures, called a suture reaction. Some animals “react”, most don’t at all. These types of lumps can take several days or weeks to shrink to normal. If you notice a lump, call your veterinarian. They may want to check it out and make note of it.

When a post-surgery lump is not OK
If you see any redness, swelling, pain, or drainage from the incision, or your pet is listless and not eating, this may be serious – call your veterinarian as soon as possible.

From about.com

In Vega’s case, she turned out to be okay. Her lump went away about a week after I noticed it. Just wanted to post about this, just in case fellow kitty momma’s were concerned with the same issue.

Eastern Towhee

I dug out several of my backyard birding books looking for what particular foods these “new” birds ate; I wanted to keep them around! One bird in specific, I noticed the Carolina Wren constantly hopping around my main feeder. The wren’s diet is mainly made up of insects, but they will eat seeds and berries, although rather infrequently. Reading that many birds love suet – and I figured it being winter - what a perfect time to try a homemade version!

There are several suet recipes readily available online as well as cheap suet blocks for sale in almost every local grocery store; however, I simply used whatever I could find around the house, since I didn’t want to wait to go to market. Plus, I was iced in and couldn’t drive for the day.

Easy, Simple Peanut Butter Suet

1.)  Place 1/2 cup Criso (or shortening of your choice) and 1/2 cup peanut butter in a saucepan and melt on low heat, stirring occasionally.

2.)  Add 1 & 1/2 cups plain cornmeal.  I used the Jiffy Cornbread from the box.  Stir until combined.

3.)  Next I added a handful of Quaker Oatmeal, sunflower seeds, craisins and some dried blueberries.  You may also add raisins, apple chunks, bread crumbs, bird seed, mixed fruit, nuts, grated orange peels or any other bird friendly foods.  Stir again until combined.

4.)  Pour into a plastic container lined with aluminum foil (I used a cool whip container).  Place in the fridge to cool.  It won’t take long to harden.

5.)  Once cooled, cut into squares and place directly into your suet basket or cage.   Refrigerate any leftovers.  Double recipe for an extra winter supply.

Melted Homemade Suet

Hardened Homemade Suet 

Not only did this recipe attract Carolina Wrens, but the Downy Woodpecker, Tufted Titmouse and several chickadees enjoyed snacking on it as well!  Not only was it a treat for them, but a treat for me to watch!

I’ve posted a short (not so great quality) video of a Carolina Wren happily enjoying some sunflower seeds, as well as the homemade peanut butter suet.  So fun!

(c) 2009 BMGN . Boston. Winter 2009