CMDART and Other Animal News

Methods taught for saving livestock - Group learns about rescuing animals

(06-01-08) UXBRIDGE— A lone horse might as well be a dead horse.
A lone horse needs to be rescued, and it wants to be led, Glenn R. Rhone explained at an animal disaster training session yesterday...Read More

Pet emergency training held

(03-31-08) WORCESTER-The days of leaving Fido and Fluffy behind when evacuating because of an emergency are gone. Instead, emergency responders are advising evacuees to take their pets with them whenever they need to leave their home because of an emergency. To respond to the displaced pets, the Central Massachusetts Disaster Animal Response Team sponsored a two-day training program... Read more

New recall: Company pulls food for humans and pets both.

(07-21-07) The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expanding its July 18 warning to consumers. This expansion is for consumers and pet owners regarding canned food products and dog food produced by Castleberry's Food Company of Augusta, Ga., due to the risk of botulinum toxin. Castleberry's is expanding the recall to include all of the following canned products with all "best by" and code dates, and FDA is warning consumers not to purchase or eat any of the canned products listed in the table below... Read the FDA update.

Poison For Profit

(07-12-07) In November 2006, America's dogs and cats started dying painful, mysterious and sometimes gruesome deaths--canaries in the coal mine of a food safety system on the verge of collapse. Previously healthy pets would suddenly vomit blood and bile, produce bloody diarrhea and lose control of bladder and bowel. Some animals displayed unquenchable thirst, while others refused to eat or drink at all. Victims became lethargic and withdrawn, their limbs wobbly, eyes cloudy and stomachs painfully distended. Then the seizures set in... Read a disturbing look at the recall.

The Fix is in for pet control.

(07-05-07) In Mooresville, Ind., Tonja Robertson works the crowd at the bustling little farmers market every Saturday. She sets up near the honeybee-farm booth, arranges the muffins she baked at 4:30 that morning, and speaks of her passion — the millions of unwanted puppies and kittens born every year and the simple way to end that. On a good day, six or seven people accept vouchers she offers for low-cost pet sterilizations... Read this encouraging article.

Toxic Algae Can Kill

(06-29-07) Pond scum can kill your dog. That’s the bottom line on blue-green algae, microscopic organisms that under the perfect storm of proper conditions can produce a neurotoxin that can kill your dog (or you child, for that matter) in minutes.... Read the full article here.

Chemical used in plastics found in recalled pet food.

(03-30-07) U.S. Food and Drug Administration testing found a chemical commonly used in plastics, but no rat poison, in the recalled pet food that has killed and sickened cats and dogs nationwide, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review learned Thursday. Read the full article here.

Bird Flu Could Reach Americas in 6 Months

(03-09-06) The virulent H5N1 strain of bird flu could reach the Americas in six to 12 months or even sooner as infected wild birds migrate toward the Arctic and Alaska, the U.N. bird flu chief said. Read the article

Bird Flu Fears and New Rules Rattle German Pet Lovers

(03-02-06) Bird flu's rapid march from Asia to Europe and Africa has created waves of anxiety and economic disruption. Read the article

What if? Drill evacuates people with pets.

(02-19-06) CMDART held a drill to practice procedures such as sheltering, feeding and registration that would be required in the event of a bona fide crisis. Read the article • PDF

Disaster preparedness involves animals, too.

(01-23-06) The Douglas Community Emergency Response Team and its affiliate, the Central Massachusetts Disaster Animal Response Team, held an open house for the public and area emergency responders. Read the article

Although we had a smaller-than-wished turnout to our Open House, we met several of our goals, including:

Networking and collaboration of team members with various functions
Practiced and provided public education
Promoting and offering volunteerism for several organizations.
Outlining emergency response functions.
Sharing some experience, strength and hope about disaster service work.
Developed marketing and educational resources.
Increased public awareness via the media.
Educated the public about local as well as national response systems.
Offered personal preparedness literature.
Signed up new volunteers for training.
Practiced a small version of Incident Command.

Many thanks to all those who participated in the event. Special thanks to our entertainers and educators Sam Bowen and Debi Willoughby who provided a nice draw to the event.

Thanks to Karen Marzelli and the ARC for supplying our food! Thanks to Kathy Cederberg and Karen for having the awesome task of helping the public understand the difference between all the teams and their functions.

Thanks to those who gave small and large efforts, no matter the size. We all came together for a well-done presentation.

Debi Willoughby talks about the dangers of handling exotic animals in an emergency situation. She is holding a Patag onian cavy named Mara. The cavies are considered the second largest rodents in South America, surpassed only by the capybara. (T&G Staff Photos/ CHRISTINE PETERSON )