Rotarians come a caroling and gifting at HIFCM
The Rotary Club of St. Johns delivered gifts for the residents of Hazel I. Findley Country Manor.
They were good sports about walking around outside as they caroled outdoors and in an alcove.
County Prosecutor plays Santa for Safe Center families
at The SafeCenter in Saint Johns.
This week Santa Tony Spagnuolo and his elf helpers Kasey and Penelope delivered bundles of presents to some wonderful kids at The SafeCenter in Saint Johns. The children enjoyed pizza, cupcakes, and holiday cheer along with some great toys and books to take home.
Tony, victims advocate Kasey Heckman, and our friend Penelope filled three shopping carts worth of toys and goodies for the kids.
Thank you to the following for donating cash, gift cards, and food to make the event a success:
– Linda Humphreys
– Kathleen Johnson
– Lisa Spagnuolo
– Peter and Ruth Spagnuolo
– Tina Schafer
– Angie Pifer
– Clinton County Prosecutor’s Office staff
– Target
– Walmart
– Main Street Pizza, St. Johns
This holiday season, please consider making a financial contribution or in-kind donation to Safe Center or another worthy organization of your choosing!
Remember When – Fill a Cop Car in 2014
On Saturday December 6 from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. Law Enforcement officers throughout Clinton County will be asking for your help. Our goal is to fill our cop cars with groceries. Officers will be at your local grocery stores and police departments with the purpose of helping to fill our local food banks with non-perishable food items.
Police Officers chose their profession so that they can help others. During this time of year we often experience families in need, but don’t have the ability to help directly. By filling our cop cars, we can see to it that those who need a helping hand can get it. We are asking that you purchase an extra item or two and help us help those that are less fortunate.
The back seats of the patrol vehicles are usually used to transport people that have run afoul of the law. Help us put them to good use.
Officers will be at the following locations in Clinton County:
– Kroger, 900 S. Business 127, St. Johns
– Wal-Mart, 1165 Superior Drive, St. Johns
– DeWitt Township Hall, 1401 W. Herbison Road, DeWitt
– Bath Township Hall, 14480 Webster Road, Bath
– Montecello’s Market, 16912 Marsh Road, Bath
All food collected at these locations will be donated to the food banks at Capital Area Community Services and Redeemer United Methodist Church in DeWitt.
The officers of the St. Johns Police Department, Clinton County Sheriff’s Department, DeWitt Township Police Department, DeWitt City Police Department, and Bath Township Police Department appreciate your generosity during this holiday season.
Letters – Remembering the Durkees and thanks to cemetery volunteers
I’m looking for information on Durkee’s hat shop. I would really love a picture.
My mother did both Mable and Sue Durkee’s hair. We bought our Easter hats there for years.
Thanks in advance,
– Dorella Page-Hunter
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I am taking time to salute the volunteers and the workers that have kept our Mt. Rest Cemetery so trim and clean this past year.
It has been taken care of more this year than in the past. I don’t know if there are just more volunteers this year or what.
It looks so much better with the trimming around grave stones. And the mowing being done more often.
I also want to thank the volunteers that take the time to put the American flags around the roads in the cemetery during our holidays. It looks so nice.
Also I want to thank the honor guard for doing your part for our fallen soldiers when it’s time to put them to rest.
I know our community that has loved ones that have put to rest here at Mt. Rest do also appreciate all that you do.
Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, from just one of the volunteers, and community members that care.
– Jim Price
Maralyn’s Pet Corner – Holiday Pet Safety Hazard: Tinsel
courtesy of Dr. Sandra Mitchell, DVM
It is Christmastime, and the clinic is decked out with seasonal decorations, Christmas cards are displayed on the walls, and carols are playing in the waiting room. However, one couple that’s waiting looks anything but happy, and their cat looks downright depressed. Socks was a 12-week-old kitten who had been vomiting for several days and was then lethargic and unable to keep even water down. Socks had indeed eaten some tinsel which had become stuck throughout his intestinal track.
Sadly, this is a very common holiday experience for most veterinarians. Cats and dogs—particularly younger animals—are inquisitive, and the holiday season brings all kinds of new things into the household, from trees and decorations to packaging and new foods. All of these have their own inherent dangers, but none are as common of a pet safety risk as tinsel.
What Is Tinsel?
Tinsel refers to the strands of shiny plastic or metallic decorations that mimic bits of ice that many of us love to use on our trees and wreaths. Sometimes it comes as individual strands, and other times, it comes in longer ropes.
Silver used to be the “standard” color, but in recent years, gold, blue, red and green tinsel has become increasingly popular. These strands are difficult to chew and do not break down in the intestinal tract. They are surprisingly strong and can become lodged in places such as under the tongue or within the stomach or intestine.
How Is This Dangerous?
Tinsel is incredibly dangerous to both dogs and cats—as well as other household pets who might see fit to play with it. Often, the animal starts out playing with the shiny tinsel, which shimmers and moves with the lightest touch.
This exploration then involves the mouth—and then the animal winds up actually eating it. For some, it will head down the “wrong pipe”—causing them to choke and cough. With luck, they are able to actually cough it up and out—eliminating the problem. For others, though, the tinsel is actually swallowed and heads down into the intestinal tract.
What If Your Pet Swallows Tinsel?
So, what happens after it is swallowed? If we are really lucky, nothing—and your pet simply has some shiny poop a few days later. However, if the tinsel gets hung up anywhere along the way—under the tongue, balled up within the stomach, or strung out in the intestinal tract—we have a problem, Houston.
This is a situation referred to by veterinarians as a “foreign body”—something stuck in the intestinal tract that doesn’t belong there. Many times, this triggers vomiting and a reduced appetite. Because it can occur a few hours to a few days after the tinsel was ingested, owners often no longer remember what the pet ate that may be causing a problem. Once the tinsel has been swallowed, we really don’t have a lot of choice except to wait and watch for any signs of illness. Some animals will only have mild signs, making the owners thing that she just ate something that didn’t sit quite right. Other pets will be markedly ill.
My Pet Is Sick. Now What?
The sooner we see your pet after they have become ill, the better we can help—so don’t waste any time if you think your animal may have eaten tinsel.
Once they are showing signs of illness, we will usually do some testing, including an exam, radiographs and sometimes an ultrasound. If we confirm or strongly suspect a foreign body, most times, surgery is required.
Our goal is to go in and find and remove the tinsel as quickly as possible, before it can cause more mischief—and repair any damage that it did while moving through the intestines, which sometimes can be quite severe.
How Do I Keep My Pet Safe?
The whole process of removing tinsel sounds horrible—how do you prevent this from happening to your pet? Personally, I simply do not include tinsel in my Christmas decorations. My animals are not able to eat something that isn’t even in my house.
However, if this decoration is an important part of your holiday rituals, consider using the rope-like tinsel, which is harder for the animals to eat in any quantity. Placing any tinsel you use—whether the rope form or the strand form—up quite high and out of the reach of your pets is helpful.
Keep in mind that cats will enjoy climbing the Christmas tree, so you may not even be able to place it high enough in the tree to avoid those curious paws!
So, what happened with Socks, the sick kitten at the start of our story? After an extensive surgery, tinsel was removed from his stomach and three different places in his intestine. Fortunately, however, he was able to make a full recovery and was back home with his owners in time to celebrate the New Year!