Now and Then – Where do old people vacation?
by Jean Martin
A week or so ago some of the family took a trip through Michigan’s Upper Penninsula. When we started out, the temperature was about 90 degrees.
First we stopped at a couple of lighthouses including 40 Mile Point and Seul Choix.
The next day we set out for Big Springs, Kitch-iti-kipi. If you are looking for this attraction, forget looking for signs. The signs point to Palms Book State Park now.
By the time we reached Fayette on the Garden Peninsula, one of us was running out of oxygen. While the rest of the family explored the restoration in progress, I sat on the porch of the old hotel and enjoyed a warm breeze and the incomparable scenery. It was then that I first noticed that I was by far the oldest person there.
In Iron Mountain we visited the Iron Mine. The outside temperature was hot and humid, but inside the mine it was a refreshing 45 degrees. Again I noticed that I was the lone elder, but the guide did mention that one time an older woman had pitched a stroke inside the mine.
In Munising the weather had turned, and we decided to take the only boat tour of the day that was venturing out to view the Pictured Rocks. Before we left the dock the captain announced that we could expect 3-5 foot waves on Lake Superior, so he was offering refunds to anyone who didn’t think they could handle that. The crew was nearly trampled by the old people heading to the ticket office for their refunds.
And so I ask, Where do old people vacation? I know they go on vacation; I see them in the restaurants and hotels. But where do they go; what do they do?
This week’s Mystery Photo
Where is this?
Can you tell us where this is located? Drop us a line at mail@sjindy.com.
109 N. Lansing St.
Julie Peters writes: That house is located on the south west corner of Lansing and Walker.
The current ownersare Sarah Roberts and Nathenial Oswald. Previous ownersinclude Audley Lucas, Elton Hoffer, and Michael Ballheim and Kelly Kentfield. The Robert Wood family lived there for a number of years.
A Look Back – Musical Family
Barry Clark Bauer
It takes a little coordination of times when you’ve got four daughters who play in the band and they all have to practice at home. Mrs. Norman C. Peterson says it isn’t too much of a problem. Occasions where they practice together are rare, though. Pat, 11, plays the flute, while Jean, 15, is playing the clarinet, Diane, 14, the sax, and Kristy, 13, the cornet.
Walter Cole, band director for the St. Johns Public Schools, said it is not too often that a family will have four of their children in band at the same time. If that’s the case, next year the Petersons might reach another milestone, their 10-year-old son, Wayne, is considering starting musical instrument training next summer.
The Peterson family lived at 211 W. Sturgis Street. Norman was a sintering line foreman at Federal-Mogul.
Benny and Jessie’s Pet Info – Increased Urination and Thirst in Dogs
Polydipsia and Polyuria in Dogs
Polydipsia refers to an increased level of thirst in dogs, while polyuria refers to an abnormally high urine production. While serious medical consequences are rare, your pet should be evaluated to ensure that these conditions are not symptoms of a more serious underlying medical condition. Your veterinarian will want to either confirm or rule out renal failure, or hepatic diseases.
Polyuria and polydipsia can affect both dogs and cats, and can be brought on by a variety of factors. If you would like to learn more about how these diseases affect cats, please visit this page in the PetMD health library.
Symptoms
The most common symptoms of these medical conditions are an increase in urination, and drinking much more water than usual. There are generally no other behavioral changes.
Causes
The primary causes of polydipsia and polyuria include congenital abnormalities, and those associated with renal failure. Congenital diseases can include diabetes, a decrease in steroid production by the adrenal glands, and some rare psychological disorders. Kidney diseases, meanwhile, can be congenitally based, or can be linked to tumors, increased steroid production, increased thyroid hormone levels, and electrolyte or hormonal disorders.
Other potential factors behind polydipsia and polyuria are low protein diets, medications that are prescribed for removing excess fluid from the body (diuretics), and age. The younger and more active a dog is, the more likely it is that it will have intermittent increases in thirst and urination.
Diagnosis
Your veterinarian will examine your dog to determine the true levels of thirst and urination by measuring water intake and urination output. A baseline of normal fluid levels (hydration) and normal urination will be established for comparison, and an evaluation will be performed to ensure that the increased thirst and urination are not signs of a more serious medical condition.
Standard tests will include a complete blood count (CBC), a urinalysis, and X-ray imaging to rule out or confirm any issues with the kidney (renal) system, the adrenal system, and the reproductive systems.
Any other symptoms accompanying the increased levels of thirst or urination, even when appearing unrelated, will be taken into consideration during the final diagnosis.
Treatment
Treatment will most likely be on an outpatient basis. The primary concern is that renal or hepatic failure can be causing increased water consumption or increased urination. If both of these concerns have been ruled out, and there are no other serious medical conditions associated with either of these conditions, no treatment or behavior modification will be necessary.
Your doctor may recommend water limitation, while cautioning you to observe that your dog is adequately hydrated. Hydration levels should be monitored during and following treatment, since dehydration can also bring about serious medical complications. If the dog is dehydrated, electrolytes may also be prescribed.
Living and Management
Observation and comparison against the determined baseline levels are recommended for judging progress.
Prevention
There are currently no known preventative measures for either polydipsia or polyuria.
Letters – Reader remembers Bill Richards
Rhonda Dedyne’s tribute to Bill Richards was beautiful. To support some of what she was saying, I have copied below a letter our daughter Courtney McCampbell sent when I told her that Bill was near death and asked her to write what he meant to her for me to read it to him. Unfortunately he died the next day before I got to read it to him.
Here it is in case others are as moved by it, as I am.
I don’t even know where to begin when it comes to Mr. Richards. After every adventure I went on, he liked to ask me what I learned, and now I sit here pondering what I learned from him.
The list is too long to go through, but there is one thing he taught me that I will never forget: What did I learn? I think about that after a big adventure, and after small ones. By asking such a simple question he helped me become a more reflective teacher and adult. That simple question helped build a great appreciation for learning and the knowledge that learning doesn’t come just from a book, but from the many and various experiences life throws at us. Please let him know that the impact he has had will go on and on for many generations.
I think of him and all of my wonderful science adventures every time I look up at the stars.
I think of him every time a student tells me science is cool.
I think of him when I go to the amusement park and see it all as one giant physics experiment. I think of him when I read the Little Prince.
I think of him when art and science combine into creations.
I think of him when I look back at the most amazing childhood a kid could ask for.
I think of him as I strive every day to give my students a glimpse of what he gave all of us.
And I think of him every time I feel tired, and like I have given enough, only to remember there is an 89-year-old man who has given more and then I push a little harder to make this world what he knew it could be.
Jenny McCampbell
[Editor’s Note: A Memorial Service will be held on Sunday, September 25, 2016 at 2:00 P.M. at the St. Johns High School Auditorium, 501 W. Sickles Street.]
Maralyn’s Pet Corner – Urinary Tract Infections in Cats
Idiopathic Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (IFLUTD) is a general term for disorders characterized by blood in the urine, difficult or painful urination, abnormal, frequent passage of urine, urinating in inappropriate locations (ie., bath tub), and partial or complete blockage of the urethra. Also known as Feline Idiopathic Cystitis (FIC), Feline Urologic Syndrome (FUS), or Interstitial Cystitis, this treatable condition occurs in the bladder and urethra of the lower urinary tract; that is, the tube from the bladder to the outside, through which urine flows out of the body.
Idiopathic feline urinary tract disease, and inflammation of the bladder for unknown reasons, are diagnosed only after known causes such as kidney stones or urinary tract infection have been eliminated. Any of the above symptoms or combination of these symptoms may be associated with feline lower urinary tract disease. The same symptoms may apply to diversely different infections, and pinpointing the exact cause for the condition can be complicated, since the feline urinary tract responds to various outside influences in a limited and predictable fashion.
This disease occurs in both male and female cats. The incidence of blood in the urine, difficult or painful urination, and/or blockage of the urethra in domestic cats in the U.S. and U.K. has been reported at approximately 0.5 percent to 1 percent per year. While it can occur at any age, it is found most commonly cats between the ages of one and four-years-old. It is uncommon in cats less than one year of age and in cats greater than 10 years of age.
Symptoms and Types
– Difficult or painful urination
– Blood in the urine
– Abnormal, frequent passage of urine
– Urinating in inappropriate locations
– Blockage of urine flow through the urethra to outside the body
– Thickened, firm, contracted bladder wall, felt by the veterinarian during physical examination
– Some cats with lower urinary tract diseases exhibit similar symptoms to those observed in humans with interstitial – cystitis (painful bladder syndrome)
Causes
By definition, this is a disease that arises spontaneously, or for which the cause is unknown. There are many possible causes, including noninfectious diseases like interstitial cystitis (painful bladder syndrome); viruses, such as a calicivirus, a feline syncytium-forming virus, or a gamma herpesvirus can be some of the potential causes for an infection. Frequently, idiopathic lower urinary tract diseases will occur without the presence of a significant amount of bacteria or white blood cells in the urine (white blood cells spilling into the urine would show that an infection is being fought off by the body); studies of male and female cats with and without blockage of the urethra found bacterial urinary tract infections in less than three percent of young-to-middle-age adult cats, and approximately ten percent of senior cats. Stress may play a role in the cause of the condition (due to lowered resistance), or in making the condition worse, but it is unlikely to be a primary cause of the urinary infection.
Diagnosis
Your veterinarian will rule out a range of disorders in arriving at a diagnosis. Some possibilities are metabolic disorders including various types of kidney stones and obstructions. A urinalysis will be ordered, as well as blood tests to determine whether a bacterial, fungal, or parasitic disease is causing the symptoms. A detailed physical examination will determine whether physical trauma, disorders of the nervous system, anatomical abnormalities, or something as simple as constipation, could be the factors behind the symptoms.
X-rays are useful in locating kidney stones if they are suspected, and your veterinarian may want to conduct a cystocopy to determine whether there might be cysts, stones, or polyps in the urinary tract.
Treatment
If your cat does not have blockage of the urethra, it will probably be managed on an outpatient basis, although diagnostic evaluation may require brief hospitalization. If your cat does have blockage of the urethra, it will most likely be hospitalized for diagnosis and management.
For cats with persistent presence of crystals in the urine associated with plugs in the urethra that are causing blockage of the urethra, appropriate dietary management will be recommended. Observations suggest that feeding moist rather than dry foods may minimize recurrence of signs. The goal is to promote flushing of the bladder and urethra by increasing urine volume, thereby diluting the concentrations of toxins, chemical irritants, and substances that can add to the components that produce urinary tract stones and lead to inflammation of the bladder and urinary tract. Whether prescriptions medications are used will depend upon the diagnosis.
Living and Management
Your veterinarian will want to continue to monitor blood in the urine by urinalysis, and will recommend a diet that will help with healing and prevent recurrence. It is wise to keep stress as low as possible for your cat, and you will need to be diligent in giving medications on the schedule prescribed by your veterinarian.
If catheters have been used to retrieve urine from the bladders, there may be some trauma that could lead to infection. You will need to be aware of this possibility and watch for symptoms. Surgery can sometimes also increase the likelihood of infection, and scarring from surgery may narrow the urethra, making urination more difficult. Signs of urinary tract infection generally subside within four to seven days following treatment. If they do not subside, you will need to return to your veterinarian for further treatment.
Prevention
The means of preventing recurrence will depend upon diagnosis. If there is something in your pet’s environment that is found to have brought the condition on, you will, of course, be advised to make changes.