NTIWC Newsletter - North Texas Irish Wolfhound Club

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Recently a breeder shared her story about a 2 yr. IW male, who was lost to this devastating problem. The owners felt they had taken every precaution, including a litter box with a top, to keep their hound away from the ingesting the litter box contents. They spent approximately $2,000 on testing, at the veterinarian hospital tying to determine for certain if this was the cause of illness. A necropsy is pending at this printing as the end result was that the hound died. I have decided to include this information, in hopes it may help others….. KITTY LITTER DANGERS One of the biggest dangers to a cats health and a dogs (some dogs ingest kitty litter as those with cat/dog households know) - is “Litter Box Fillers”. What is not known by many are the dangers certain litter poses to pets and humans alike. If you have a multi-mixed pet household of cats and dogs you must read this. As your dog sometimes will delve into that litter box as you know – look what your pets are ingesting Clumping Clay Kitty Litters: A Deadly Convenience? Clumping clay kitty litters may be related to a wide variety of seemingly unrelated cat health problems, included diarrhea, frothy yellow vomiting, mega-bowel syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, kidney problems, respiratory problems, general failure to thrive, anemia, lethargy, and even death. Clumping litter is designed to form a hard, insoluble mass when it gets wet. It also produces a fine dust when stirred (as when a cat scratches around to bury a recent deposit). And these clumping litters absorb many times their weight in fluids. When cats or kittens use the litter box, they lick themselves clean; anything their tongues encounter gets ingested. Once the litter is inside a kitten or cat, it expands, forming a mass and coating the interior-thus, both causing dehydration by drawing fluids out of the cat or kitten, and compounding the problem by preventing any absorption of nutrients or fluids. "There has been a rise in depressed immune systems, respiratory distress, irritable bowel syndrome, and vomiting (other than hair balls) among cats that I have seen in the past two years. All had one thing in common...a clumping product in their litter box. In several cases, simply removing the litter improved the condition of the cat." ("Great Clumping Cat Litter--Is That Why Kitty is So Sick?" Lisa Newman, Healthy Pets--Naturally, April 1994.) For a veterinarian to spot this problem is unusual. A more common diagnosis would lay the blame at the door of a virus, germ, fungus or parasite. There is not a general awareness yet that the clumping litters can be harmful--even fatal--to cats. BEYOND CATS And the problem extends beyond cats. As Lisa Newman points out in her article, dogs get into the litter box for "snacks," and ingest the litter too. She reports that the autopsy of one dog revealed that his stomach was filled with the clumping litter. "Sodium bentonite, naturally swelling clay, is often added as an extremely effective clumping agent. When liquid is added, bentonite swells to approximately 15 times its original volume. But because sodium bentonite acts as expandable cement would, litters containing sodium bentonite should never be flushed; when they expand they can block plumbing." A few moments' thought is all that is needed to realize that something able to block household plumbing must be wreaking havoc on the plumbing of our pets. WHAT YOU CAN DO You may feel as horrified as I do at the thought that there must be thousands of kittens, cats and dogs ailing or even dying from clumping clay litters. What can we do to prevent such suffering? One thing is let the manufacturers know we won't buy such products. My husband called a company that makes one of the clumping litters. The woman he spoke with said that the company is aware that clumping litters may be causing health problems, but that it is the consumer's responsibility to make sure their pets don't eat the stuff. (Continued on page 7) NTIWC 6
(Continued from page 6) My husband pointed out that cats clean themselves with their mouths, so of course they're going to eat the litter every time they use their cat boxes. Unfortunately, the company's representative maintained her "buyer beware" position. Given the attitudes of such companies, we can vote with our pocketbooks by purchasing products from businesses that are more responsive to our concerns. Be sure to let the makers of the clumping litter know why you no longer purchase their product. You might even choose to boycott all products made by these companies (it isn't hard to find out who makes what--just read the labels). An even more effective move might be to show this article to the owners or managers of stores selling these products. If you suspect that an animal may be suffering an ailment caused by clumping litter, take him or her to a veterinarian or holistic practitioner immediately, and explain what you think may be happening. If you encounter resistance, it may mean that the veterinarian is unfamiliar with the problem and doesn't know how to handle it. Try to find a holistic vet--either locally or someone you can work with by phone--who has some experience with clumping litter impacting the intestines. Most importantly, replace the clumping litter right away with one of the plant-based alternatives. There are many alternatives A favorite for me is PAPURR. It’s flushable, Kills odors, and just like regular litter only dust free. Even clups pretty well! Cedar chips are great for cats but not dogs or bunnies. For an all around SAFE choice It is best to stick with paper-type, wheat, corn based litter such as Papurr, Carefresh®, Cat Country, Yesterday's News, S’Wheat etc….Cedar is very good for cat only house holds but not around dogs. See article in it’s entirety @ http://www.treshanley.com/cic/feline.html by Mariona Michaels *copyright by Canine Care.org DUENDE I was blessed with the gift of a dog I absolutely adored! Her name was Duende. She was given to me by Melanie Mercer after she retired from the show ring. She had been a club favorite because of her sweet disposition. When I joined the NTIWC it was because I had adopted a female wolfhound who had been abandoned at a friend’s farm. Cherry Rolle and Lesa Newbitt could not have been kinder to me. They educated me about the breed. I quickly fell in love with the breed and when Duende came up to be placed they recommended me. As fate would have it I was only to have Duende for a year and a half. She was diagnosed with bone cancer last august. I was absolutely devastated. She was only five and a half years old. Again I sought the counsel of Cherry and Lesa and Mel. Mel knew a Veterinarian that was specializing in cancer research in large breed dogs and having good results with fosamax. She very graciously sent me a supply and we agreed this was the route of treatment we would pursue. Unfortunately, Duende was one of the dogs that did not respond. In September I was taking a trip with a friend to Aspen, Colorado and we took Duende along. We stayed in a cabin outside of town on the Roaring Fork river. Duende had a ball! We went to gorgeous places every day with picnics. Everyone who met Duende along the way responded lovingly to her. She hiked and played and napped and ate very well. We bought her fresh meat at the meat counter for her part in the picnic. She slept in a huge feather bed which she graciously shared with me. It was a very lovely two weeks, a very good way to spend quality time knowing she would soon go on ahead. Duende passed away two weeks to the day after we returned home. I felt her looking at me as we slept. I hugged her and she just slipped away. She was the kindest, gentlest soul I have ever known and I was so blessed to have her share her life with me. Though I only had her a year and a half I must admit if I'd had her fifty years it would not have been enough. I miss her terribly but, I rest assured that she is happy and healthy just waiting on me to join her when my time comes. We will meet again. She is not gone....just gone on ahead. (See Photos on page 8) NTIWC 7 - Kim Winter 2008
Page 1 and 2: NTIWC Newsletter Annual Club Picnic
Page 3 and 4: XYLITOL (sugar substitute) can be t
Page 5: “Happy Birthday, #8 Cara!!” 5/2

NTIWC Newsletter - North Texas Irish Wolfhound Club

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