[Loch-Ruadh] Fwd: Debunking the Swiffer Wet Jet Myth/Help Ban Bear Bile Farms

[Connie Nurmi]

This is for all concerned about the e-mail last week concerning Swifter Wet Jet/Animals
Constance

ASPCA <news-alert at aspca.org> wrote:
Date: Thu, 13 May 2004 02:37:00 -0500
From: ASPCA 
To: cnurmi at sbcglobal.net
Subject: Debunking the Swiffer Wet Jet Myth/Help Ban Bear Bile Farms




Welcome to ASPCA News Alert, the weekly newsletter of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

1. The Verdict’s In on Swiffer Wet Jet 
2. Action Alert: Help Ban Bear Bile Farms in China
3. Petfinder Happy Tail of the Week: My, My, My Delilah!
4. Special Thanks to Artist Lori Faye Bock
5. Soft Sell: Get Your Puppy Care Kit from ASPCA/Cottonelle
6. Coming Up: Youth Pet Conference, June 19 & 20

THE VERDICT’S IN ON SWIFFER WET JET RUMOR
Last week at the ASPCA, we received an influx of calls and letters from concerned pet owners regarding a widely distributed e-mail claiming that the chemicals in the Swiffer Wet Jet cleaning product caused liver failure in a dog and two cats. We immediately checked with our experts at the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC), and are relieved to be able to set the record straight. 

The Swiffer Wet Jet System contains water, propylene glycol n-butyl and isopropyl alcohol. According to APCC veterinary toxicologists, the ingredients in Swiffer Wet Jet are safe to use around pets when used according to label directions and would NOT cause liver damage at product concentrations. Propylene glycol n-butyl differs from ethylene glycol, the potentially toxic ingredient present in most antifreeze products that causes kidney, not liver, failure.

The APCC will continue to monitor this situation, and we will post any updates in ASPCA News Alert as necessary. For more information on how to protect your pet from potentially dangerous substances, please visit APCC online.

ACTION ALERT! HELP BAN BEAR BILE FARMS IN CHINA
As part of an ongoing investigation into China’s bear bile industry--in which bears are confined in cramped cages and milked daily for their bile--the UK-based World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) found bears suffering in deplorable conditions at all 10 farms visited. “And at one farm in Yingina,” reads the report, “bears that were obviously sick lay recumbent without movement. A constant stream of bile seeped from the stomachs of other bears, where an opening had been made into their gall bladders.” 

ASPCA News Alert readers, letters are needed to help find relief for the 9,000 bears currently suffering in China. Please visit WSPA online today, where you can send a letter to President Hu Jintao of the People’s Republic of China, urging him to use his influence to ban bear bile farming. 

PETFINDER HAPPY TAIL OF THE WEEK: MY, MY, MY DELILAH!
Mary Portus logged on to her computer in search of a Great Dane. She’d lost her beloved harlequin Great Dane to cancer a few months earlier, and it was now time to fill the void that Sierra’s death had left.

Like many potential adopters who begin their search on the Web, Mary found herself at Petfinder.com, the ASPCA’s online partner and virtual database of homeless pets. She entered her search criteria, and up popped a list of Danes looking for new families. “The one at the top of the list was a beautiful girl named Delilah,” she says. 

Mary then contacted Texas’s Big Spring Animal Control, where Delilah was being cared for, and made arrangements to visit. Next, she and her husband had to take care of one slight technicality—to find out just exactly where Big Spring was located. 

It turned out to be a formidable 6 1/2-hour drive, but the determined dog lovers certainly weren’t going to let that stand in their way. On a Friday evening, they dropped off their kids at Grandma’s and started out. 

“Saturday morning, we paged the animal control warden,” recalls Mary, “and he graciously met us at the motel and took us to the shelter at 7 A.M., so we could begin our trip back home.” And so Delilah went on to meet her new brothers and sisters, including four dogs, six horses and a flock of chickens.

But, Mary tells us, that’s not quite the end of the story. The Portuses had spotted a male harlequin Dane pup at the shelter who was not yet available for adoption. “My husband told the warden to let us know when he was ready,” says Mary. Two weeks later, they picked him up. 

So make that five dogs, six horses and a flock of chickens….

ARTIST LORI FAYE BOCK IS RED, WHITE & TRUE BLUE TO THE ASPCA
A big, big thank you goes to New Mexico artist Lori Faye Bock, who has donated posters of her humane-themed artwork, “As Long As We’re Together,” to the ASPCA. Says the artist of the image, “It’s my way of visibly reinforcing what most of us with companion pets already know—that the humane and kind treatment of animals is important both for the acts themselves and for the positive impact they have on the present and future of our society. This, too, is patriotic.”

The 22 by 23 1/2 inch poster has been printed on a combination of kenaf, a tree-free fiber from the hibiscus plant, and recycled paper, and is available at the ASPCA Store.

PUPPY LOVE—IS YOUR FAMILY READY?
The kids have their hearts set on a puppy, but Mom and Dad must determine if the family is indeed prepared for the responsibility. To help teach children exactly what it takes to care for a canine of the youngest, most rambunctious kind, the ASPCA and Cottonelle have teamed up to offer a special Puppy Care Kit. Kids get a plush puppy with his own “adoption papers,” bowl and bone, and parents will appreciate the booklet with care information and tips on how to address the issue with eager little ones.

The kit can be ordered for $4.99 at Cottonelle online. But please don’t delay--they’ll be available only through the end of this month. 

COMING UP: YOUTH PET CONFERENCE, JUNE 19-20
Pet Therapy Associates, Inc. (PTA) will host its annual educational conference at Tallahassee Community College’s Economic and Workforce Development Center on June 19 & 20. Featured speakers include child development psychology professor Dr. Gail Melson, whose program will cover children with pets versus children without pets, and the ASPCA’s own Dr. Bill Samuels, director of Humane Education, who will discuss the benefits of pet ownership. Early registration is encouraged, and tickets are $10 for adults; under 12 free. For more information, please visit PTA online or e-mail PTA president Colm McAindriu at colm3 at earthlink.net.

GOOD DEED FOR THE DAY: HELP SPREAD THE ASPCA MESSAGE
Know someone who cares about animals as much as you do? Please forward this issue of ASPCA News Alert to them. Anyone with an e-mail address can register directly at our website. And please tell teachers and humane educators about Animaland, the ASPCA's interactive website for kids.

If you'd like to help us even more, you can find out how to become a member of the ASPCA or contribute to our special funds. To help pass humane legislation in your state, visit the ASPCA Advocacy Center.
 

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