Around Town With Barry – at the parade
An album by Barry Bauer
Now and Then – Class of 1942 celebrates 75 years
by Jean Martin
Former Clinton County Register of Deeds Bonnie Wickerham wrote the other day to remind us that June 2 would mark the Diamond or 75th anniversary of the the Class of 1942’s graduation from Rodney B. Wilson High School.
“There were 86 in our class, and approximately 15 plus are still living,” she said. “Our last Class Reunion, our 70th, was held on June 16, 2012 at Main Street Café.” See the photos.
“We are not having a reunion this year. There are too few of us left, and several are in other states,” she added.
And so we send our best wishes to the Class of 1942 and our thanks to Bonnie Dawn Westmoreland Wickerham for the reminder.
A Look Back – Clinton Ave. 200 Block
by Barry Clark Bauer
The west side of the 200 block of N. Clinton Ave. at an early time. Hitching post lined the streets back then to accommodate the horse and buggies.
The very first building on the left side was nick-named Baggs Corner but most of us know it as Parr’s Pharmacy. The third building down was the Masonic Temple and the top two floors were demolished to make way for the D & C Store.
In the background in the 300 block sits the majestic Steel Hotel that we lost to fire in 1975.
Remembering local Veteran Roger Fitzpatrick
courtesy of Patrick Fitzpatrick via Facebook
I hope you will indulge me this walk down memory lane. This photograph is of my father, Dr. Roger E. Fitzpatrick (1939-1990), graduate of St. John’s High School, pharmacy degree from Ferris State University, and Medical Degree from Wayne State University.
He and my mom had three of their four children during his undergraduate and doctoral program. A few years into med school my father underwent his first open heart surgery to repair a congenital heart defect. After graduating from Wayne State University, he did a medical internship in Spokane, Washington. During this year of internship he learned that despite his heart defect he would be drafted to serve during the Vietnam War. When he learned of this, he initiated a conversation with the Navy and enlisted. He served for three and a half years at Yokosuka Naval Hospital in Yokosuka, Japan and three and a half years at San Diego Balboa Naval Hospital during which time he also did his residency in anesthesiology.
Some may think that the heart defect and subsequent surgery kept him from enjoying life. Quite the opposite. He was an avid hunter and fisherman, loved to hike and ride horses, and earned a brown belt in jujitsu while living in Yokohama, Japan.
After an honorable medical discharge from the navy my parents made their way back to St. Johns, Michigan in December of 1973 where my father set up a family practice and became the anesthesiologist for St. Johns Memorial Hospital. My parents lived in St. Johns from 1973-1990 before moving to Bakersfield, CA where he briefly served as chief of anesthesia for a large county hospital before dying of a massive heart attack.
While most of his time in St. Johns was spent working as an anesthesiologist, he had the opportunity to deliver numerous babies during his time as a family doctor. We couldn’t walk down the streets of St. Johns, it seemed, without at least one woman coming up to us to thank my father for safe delivery and to show off her growing child, and the one time I was stopped for a speeding violation at the age of sixteen; I am pretty sure I got off with just a warning because the police officer had been a recipient of my father’s care and he was “paying it forward.”
Benny and Jessie’s Pet Info – Understanding Noise Phobia in Dogs
Do you have a dog who jumps at the sound of thunder or starts shaking every time you turn the vacuum on or there are fireworks in the distance? He might be suffering from noise phobia.
A poorly understood condition, noise phobia can actually develop in dogs of all ages, although dogs over a year of age are more likely to suffer from it, according to Kristen Collins, a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB) and the director of the newly opened ASPCA’s rehab center, which specializes in treating fearful and undersocialized dogs.
“Some dogs simply seem more sensitive and susceptible to developing a fear of noises, and this susceptibility may indicate a genetic predisposition toward the problem,” Collins explains.
Other dogs learn to fear certain sounds. “A dog who isn’t initially afraid of a sound can become fearful when an unpleasant event is linked with that noise,” Collins adds.
What Noise Phobia Really Is – And Isn’t
Although they might all sound the same, fear, anxiety, and phobia are actually quite different.
“Fear is a physiologic, emotional, and behavioral response to animate or inanimate things that pose a threat of harm,” explains Stephanie Borns-Weil, DVM, and clinical instructor at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, where she’s part of the Animal Behavior Clinic. Fear is a normal reaction because it enables animals to respond to situations that could be potentially dangerous.
Anxiety, on the other hand, is what Borns-Weil defines as a persistent fear or apprehension of something that is not present or imminent. And finally, there are phobias: extreme, persistent fears of a stimulus, such as a thunderstorm, that is entirely out of proportion to the level of threat it poses.
“Noise phobia is an extreme, persistent fear of auditory stimuli that is out of proportion to the real danger, if any, associated with the noise,” says Borns-Weil. “There is no survival advantage conferred on an animal that panics in response to things that are not truly threatening or dangerous.”
Symptoms and Behaviors Associated With Noise Phobias
The symptoms of noise phobia are usually extreme. A dog who’s experiencing a phobia episode is panicking, so he’ll pace, pant, tremble, and hypersalivate.
“Frightened dogs may cower, ears flat against their skulls, eyes wide, muscles tensed, and tails tucked,” explains Collins. “Some dogs become restless and move around anxiously with no apparent purpose, while others become immobile, shutting down and unable to move.”
Some fearful dogs cling to their owners, seeking comfort, while others prefer to hunker down on their own, away from people and preferably somewhere dark and quiet. “I knew one very friendly, loving dog who feared the sound of thunder and only seemed comforted by lying down on a dog bed, alone in a bathtub, until the sound stopped,” Collins says.
It’s also not uncommon for dogs with noise phobia to engage in destructive behavior like chewing, digging, scratching, and tearing up objects in the home.
“At worst, noise phobias can trigger frantic attempts to escape,” says Collins. “Panicked dogs may scratch and dig frantically at doors or even jump out of windows.”
What’s Behind Noise Phobia?
Fireworks, gunshots, and vacuum cleaners are common causes of noise phobia, according to Borns-Weil. “Dogs may also become phobic of fire alarms and even cooking because they associate it with accidental triggering of the alarm,” Borns-Weil adds.
There are also less common fear triggers, such as crying babies, people sneezing and/or coughing, snow sliding off the roof, and even the clicking of the furnace when it turns on, according to Borns-Weil.
“I also meet dogs that are fearful of electronic tones,” Borns-Weil says. “Dogs that have been trained using electronic collars that give a beep before emitting a painful electric shock may become generally fearful of electronic tones, including message alerts on cell phones.”
Although thunderstorms are also a common cause of canine phobia, Borns-Weil says it’s important to understand the difference between noise phobia and thunderstorm phobia.
“Storm phobia is multisensory,” Borns-Weil says. “While it certainly includes very loud noise produced by thunder, other aspects of the storm (flashes of lightning, heavy wind, rain battering the roof, changes in air pressure, etc.) may be either independent fear triggers or become anxiety-inducing predictors of impending thunder.” Thunderstorm phobia and other noise phobias may co-occur but they also occur separately, Borns-Weil adds.
Trying to understand what caused the phobia to develop can be tricky. For example, lack of socialization is often behind the issue.
“Puppies that have insufficient exposure to a variety of normal stimuli during their first four months of life are at higher risk of being overly fearful as adults,” according to Borns-Weil.
Older dogs can also develop phobias following an exposure to an extremely frightening situation. “Recently, I saw a dog that was extremely frightened of the sound of wind after having been in a home when it was hit by a tornado,” says Borns-Weil.
And here’s something you might not have expected to hear: Your dog’s noise phobia could be related to his health. “Any illness, pain or itching may lower a dog’s threshold for anxiety and fearfulness,” according to Borns-Weil.
Dealing with the Problem
For discrete sounds such as the vacuum cleaner, Borns-Weil says systematic desensitization and counterconditioning can be a very effective treatment.
“It involves the presentation of the frightening sound at a gradually increasing intensity, always making sure to stay below the threshold of intensity that would cause a fear response,” Borns-Weil explains. “The presentation of the sound is paired with a high value reward such as food, play, or petting.”
A clear example of this is the story of a dog named Nugget, who became extremely anxious when she heard any large vehicle pass by on the street outside her house. “She and her mom had recently relocated to a busier part of town, so the sounds were new to her,” says Collins. “To help with this, I asked her to buy a CD with traffic noises.”
From then on, Nugget’s mom would play the CD at a very low volume. “Then she gave Nugget a frozen Kong toy, stuffed full of boiled chicken bits and other tasty things that Nugget never got at any other time.” Collins explains. “After a few sessions, Nugget would notice the quiet traffic sounds when her mom turned on the CD and start looking excited, knowing that her goodie was coming next.” By the time Nugget’s mom started to increase the volume of the CD, Nugget was already doing much better and was able to deal with the sound.
Desensitization and counterconditioning don’t work well for certain noise phobias, such as thunderstorm phobia, since storms are multisensory.
“A dog may be desensitized to the sound of thunder with the help of a recording but still will be nervous about the sound of wind, the flashes of light, the rain, the pressure change, the static electricity in the air,” Borns-Weil says.
For thunderstorm phobia, she says a dog can be taught to go to a “safe place” in the home. Or you can try using sights and sounds—white noise, relaxing music, light blocking shades—to shut out the storm as much as possible.
Anything else you can do? It depends on your dog. If you have a dog who approaches you for company and comfort when scared, don’t ignore him. “In fact, ignoring and avoiding him may make him feel confused and more fearful,” Borns-Weil says. So let your boy sit on your lap if that makes him feel better, but keep in mind that providing comfort will not address the underlying problem. You’ll still have to work on helping your dog overcome his fear.
Whatever you do, never punish or reprimand your dog for being scared.
“Punishing a dog for destructiveness, barking, or soiling that is done out of panic will only increase anxiety and make the problem worse,” Borns-Weil says.
There are many other options if desensitization and counterconditioning are not helping a pet, says Dr. Katie Grzyb, DVM. She recommends using cotton balls or rolled gauze sponges to place in the ear canals, which can lessen the noise during storms and fireworks displays. Just make certain to remove them after the inciting event.
There are also natural calming agents which can help some pets, says Dr. Grzyb. Composure chews, rescue remedy, and Adaptil collars are options that have worked for some dogs.
Finally, if all else fails, the use of medications, such as sedatives, can be helpful in severely affected pets.
Fourth graders visit the farm
Mrs. Parker and Mrs. Berkhousen and their fourth grade classes at Gateway visited Truth or Dairy farm the other day.
Gateway, an Ag-STEM school, adopts a farmer for each grade. Truth or Dairy are the class farmers for fourth grade at the ag-focused Gateway, which was recently featured in the article – Connecting the classroom to the farm improves mathematics test scores: St. Johns Schools-CMU partnership focuses on Ag-STEM. In the past Truth or Dairy has visited their classrooms and answered many questions by email. But today was the big day – the day students went to see the calf barn, the free stall barn, and the milking parlor.
As usual, the calves were adorable, the cows were curious, and everyone had lots of good questions.
A new question was “Does it always smell like this?” They were told yes, but the host told him to wait a few minutes and he wouldn’t be able to smell it any more. Like magic, this olfactory sense.
A new statement was “I would like to be born from a cow but still look like this.” All agreed that would be really interesting to see.
Part of the reason farmers do this is to enjoy delicious dairy products, so we ended with GoGurts.
For more go to http://truthordairy.blogspot.com/2017/05/welcome-gateway-elementary-fourth-grades.html
Maralyn’s Pet Corner – Low Blood Sugar in Cats
Hypoglycemia in Cats
The blood sugar, or glucose, is a main energy of source in an animal’s body, so a low amount will result in a severe decrease in energy levels, possibly to the point of loss of consciousness. The medical term for critically low levels of sugar in the blood is hypoglycemia, and it is often linked to diabetes and an overdose of insulin.
However there are different conditions, other than diabetes, that can also cause blood sugar levels to drop to dangerous levels in cats. In most animals, hypoglycemia is actually not a disease in and of itself, but is only an indication of another underlying health problem.
The brain actually needs a steady supply of glucose in order to function properly, as it does not store and create glucose itself. When glucose levels drop to a dangerously low level, a condition of hypoglycemia takes place. This is a dangerous health condition and needs to be treated quickly and appropriately. If you suspect hypoglycemia, especially if your cat is disposed to this condition, you will need to treat the condition quickly before it becomes life threatening.
Symptoms
– Loss of appetite (anorexia)
– Increased hunger
– Visual instability, such as blurred vision
– Disorientation and confusion — may show an apparent inability to complete basic routine tasks
– Weakness, low energy, loss of consciousness
– Seizures (rare)
– Anxiety, restlessness
– Tremor/shivering
– Heart palpitations
These symptoms may not be specific to hypoglycemia, there can be other possible underlying medical causes. The best way to determine hypoglycemia if by having the blood sugar level measured while the symptoms are apparent.
Causes
There may be several causes for hypoglycemia, but the most common is the side effects caused by drugs that are being used to treat diabetes. Cats with diabetes are given insulin to help control the condition, but an overdose of insulin, or higher does of insulin given when blood glucose levels are higher than normal can cause the body to process too much glucose, bringing the levels of glucose in the blood to levels that are too low for the body’s needs. This is when a state of hypoglycemia may occur, and if it is not treated quickly, the brain may be damaged irreparably, leading to death.
Diagnosis
If you notice any of the symptoms of hypoglycemia in your cat, it is advisable to see a veterinarian immediately. If your cat has already lost consciousness, or is visibly at the point of collapsing, you will need to call your veterinarian for instructions on immediate at-home treatment, followed by a visit with the doctor.
Even if you are able to treat your cat at home during the episode of hypoglycemia, you will still need to see your veterinarian so that blood work can be done. Your veterinarian will need to do a complete blood profile, a chemical blood profile, a complete blood count, and a urinalysis. You will need to give your veterinarian a thorough history of your cat’s health, onset of symptoms, recent diet and any medications you have been giving to your cat.
Treatment
There are two types of treatments for hypoglycemia, one of which is given when the episode is occurring, to raise blood sugar levels immediately, and the other to treat the underlying condition, to prevent hypoglycemia from recurring.
The initial treatment for hypoglycemia would largely depend on the symptoms. Some of the early symptoms can be treated by consuming glucose or sugar in any form. However, for serious symptoms that impair the ability to take sugar through the mouth, you will need to inject glucagons or give intravenous glucose. Your veterinarian will need to identify the underlying cause and treat it in order to prevent recurrent hypoglycemia. According to the underlying conditions that are found to be causing your cat’s blood glucose levels to drop, the treatments could include medications or tumor treatment. Your doctor will only know which treatment plan to pursue once the laboratory tests have returned and have been analyzed.
Living and Management
Diet and management are the only way to control hypoglycemia and prevent recurrences. Prevention, and being prepared should the condition arise, are the best steps you can take in maintaining your cat’s health status.