Post-Surgery Bells

October 31, 2008 | 1 Comment

By the way, Bella’s surgery went fine yesterday. The vet removed her ovaries, her uterus, three teeth, and the matted fur behind her ears. She’s got four stitches on her tummy and one in heer mouth. She’s on pain meds and she’s not supposed to jump or go for any strenuous walks. She was really sleepy last night and urinated indoors for the first time since we’ve had her. This morning she’s perked up a ton. She’s in a playful mood right now. I’m guessing tomorrow she’ll be virtually back to normal.

Here she is with Floyd sleeping next to her:

Posted by Elaine Vigneault | Filed Under Miscellaneous
1 Comment to "Post-Surgery Bells"

We Can Do Both: Creative Nonviolent Vegan Education & Animal Welfare Reform

October 31, 2008 | 1 Comment

Gary Francione wrote:

“Creative, nonviolent vegan education is anything but ‘passive.’ It is the most effective way of decreasing demand for animal products. It is the most effective way of effecting a cultural shift from the notion that animals are things that we can exploit as long as we do so ‘humanely’ to beings who are members of the moral community with a right not to be brought into existence and killed just because we enjoy the taste of their flesh and the products that we derive from their suffering.”

While I agree that vegan education is worthwhile and effective, I have serious reservations about the thought that vegan education alone will “reduce the demand for animal products” thus reduce the consumption of animal products. Certainly, veganism is on the rise and more vegans means fewer meat-eaters. But the stats tell us the people who continue to eat meat are eating MORE meat, not the same or less, so “demand” for animal products is NOT decreasing. During my lifetime, meat consumption in the US has nearly doubled (source).

Moreover, vegans tend to reproduce at a lower rate than meat-eaters. We tend to postpone having children and many vegans won’t ever reproduce out of a concern for over-population. (see the Veg News article “To Breed of Not to Breed“. ) So long as we focus ONLY on vegan education we’re severely limiting our movement. That is, so long as we work only to reduce demand, and don’t work to reduce supply, we’re never going to have a true vegan revolution.

The US does not have a truly “free” market. Just look at the recent Wall Street bailout to see for yourself how government intervenes and “rescues” businesses that have made poor decisions. Animal agriculture is supported by government through subsidies and buyouts. Our public schools buy cheap, left-over meat and dairy, not only to save costs, but also to support “the farmers.” (source) The Canadian government buys “surplus” pigs and simply destroys them. All in the name of supporting the economy. (source)

Our nation’s children are indoctrinated and coerced into eating animal products because that’s what’s served in school lunches and in family dinners. They become animal product consumers as adults. And then nonviolent vegan education is supposed to undo this lifelong indoctrination? Yeah right. Even the kids who are exposed to vegan education don’t experience nearly the information saturation as kids who are exposed to animal industry marketing. For example, McDonald’s targets their advertising at young children (source).

That’s why it takes a certain character to be a vegan these days. Certainly, it’s easier than it was ten or twenty years ago. But it’s still a bit of a challenge. It’s still swimming against the current. The people who just do what they’re told, the ones who don’t question authority, the “sheeple” are not vegan and won’t go vegan until veganism is as commonplace as omnivorism. That’s why people who like uneven power structures (aka dominance) tend to prefer the taste of things they think are meat (source). And this is why animal advocates lean to the left in the US political system.

The animal industries have more money and more power than the animal rights movement. Animal exploiters have politicians in their back-pockets and TV executives in their front pockets. Animal advocates have the moral high ground and a stronger motivation: we’re motivated by justice and ethics, they’re motivated by money and aggression. But animal advocates will NEVER go away. We will ALWAYS exist. The animal exploiting industries, however, will simply disappear when something else more profitable comes along.

The pro-animal movement MUST take a two-pronged approach (to working within the system): we must not only reduce demand, we must reduce supply. Anything that makes animal agriculture less profitable or more cumbersome is good for animals. Thus, Prop 2, even though it will only increase the cost of “egg production” by one penny per egg (source), it STILL pro-animal. And this is one reason we ought to vote YES on Prop 2.

PS - here’s some vegan education: Veg News has a new vegan starter kit available for free online >>

Posted by Elaine Vigneault | Filed Under Miscellaneous
1 Comment to "We Can Do Both: Creative Nonviolent Vegan Education & Animal Welfare Reform"

Beer Origin

October 31, 2008 | 2 Comments

Gossip from “the beer guy” at Whole Foods: France food labeling laws don’t require beer makers to list ingredients used. Therefore, if you’re vegan or Kosher or have food allergies, it’s not a good idea to drink French beers.

According to Ed, German beers, on the otherhand, are required to only have four ingredients: water, yeast, hops, and barley malt. (Wheat beers can have wheat.) Thus, German beers are vegan.

Thought I’d share :)

Posted by Elaine Vigneault | Filed Under Miscellaneous
2 Comments to "Beer Origin"

LUSH Staff Go Vegan For A Day

October 31, 2008 | 2 Comments

“Though LUSH sells nothing but vegetarian and vegan products, the company estimates about 80 percent of its 824 employees are meat-eaters. Still, the company’s shop assistants, managers, directors and owners have agreed to go meatless for a day, as well as dropping dairy and evading the edible egg.” (source)

Now that’s a good idea.

PS - I like LUSH products and luckily there’s a LUSH store in the Mandalay Bay.

Posted by Elaine Vigneault | Filed Under Miscellaneous
2 Comments to "LUSH Staff Go Vegan For A Day"

Bella, Buster, Genetics, and Grooming

October 30, 2008 | 1 Comment

Bella is getting spayed today. She’s also having her broken and loose teeth pulled. She’s got two such teeth. And she’s having that matted fur behind her ears shaved off. She’ll come home practically a new dog! (Not that the matted fur or broken teeth slow her down any. She’s been happy and healthy otherwise.)

We checked with the vet to make sure he’s not using any of the drugs listed here, because Bella might be sensitive to those drugs:

Some breeds of dogs are more sensitive to certain drugs compared to other breeds. For example, Collies, Australian Shepherds and other breeds are often more sensitive to the antiparasitic drug, ivermectin.

Ivermectin is a heartworm medicine. This is called the “Buster Alert” for aussies because an aussie named Buster died from this genetic mutation and the effects of pet medications to treat kennel cough.

The list of drugs also includes heart medications. Bacall, our oldest cat, is on these heart meds. So we need to be extra careful that Bella never eats Bacall’s medicines. Obviously, that’s a no-brainer. None of our pets should eat Bacall’s meds. But this is more serious for Bella. If she has the MDR1 gene, she could die from some common pet medicines.

Affected dogs include:

Approximately 3 of every 4 Collies in the United States have the mutant MDR1 gene. The frequency is about the same in France and Australia, so it is likely that most Collies worldwide have the mutation. The MDR1 mutation has also been found in Shetland Sheepdogs (Shelties). Australian Shepherds [Bella's primary breed], Old English Sheepdogs, English Shepherds, German Shepherds, Long-haired Whippets, Silken Windhounds, and a variety of mixed breed dogs.

What does this tell me? It tells me breeders need to knock it off. The genetic problems from “pure” blood lines are too many to count, from hip dysplasia to this drug sensitivity that can kill them.

It makes me VERY angry to think about all the breeders who continue, not only to produce baby animals when there are plenty available at shelters, but who produce these genetically deformed creatures who MUST rely on humans for survival. Floyd, for example, our little poodle, MUST be groomed regularly. He simply cannot live with that fur without a human to maintain it. And he HATES getting groomed. (He’s getting better, though.) The poor baby was abandoned not once, but at least twice. Fickle, fickle people who don’t give a shit about anything but themselves. First there was whoever dumped him at the pound un-neutered and un-groomed. Then, the people who “adopted” him, never groomed him, and dumped him again.

It makes me VERY angry to think about how many other dogs are bred to be dependent on people and then those people screw them over by neglecting them, abusing them, or abandoning them.

Sigh.

Anyway, that’s the news. Bella is getting spayed. This way she can go to dog parks and doggy daycare and other places where she can hang out with her own species. And she’ll never produce puppies who won’t find homes.

(PS - We’re going to test Bella for this gene. It’s a simple cheek swab test that costs about $75.)

Posted by Elaine Vigneault | Filed Under Miscellaneous
1 Comment to "Bella, Buster, Genetics, and Grooming"