Chippewa Herald-Telegram from Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin • 5

I 1 1 THE CHIPPEWA HERALD SATURDAY, MARCH 24, 2007 A5 COMMUNITY Be smart about dealing with pet food recall zFungus the root cause Irish Potato Famine weight loss, decreased appetite and increased vomiting. As far as severity, I have heard many reports of deaths in cats, a few in dogs. Many of these unfortunate pets are getting intravenous fluids By CHRISTOPHER BENNETT C- Special to the Herald )f One reader asks, "What is the p'rish Potato Famine?" Is there a simple Lives, which my cat eats) and per their message they are receiving high volumes of calls but none of their food is not on the recall list. Please be patient if you contact the veterinarian or the food companies. We are all receiving high numbers of calls.

If your pet has eaten any of the recalled food items, or you've lost the products but suspect it, bring them in for blood and urine testing. If the tests show awful pastime. Who wants to watch two roosters kick each other to death? Unbelievably, Louisiana has not yet banned cock- Jahnke and supportive care in veterinary hospitals. I have heard that hinswer to this question? I was a little LStunned when this rquestion came ia I rfiope teachers still fighting. The practice of cockfighting is a tradition that goes back many centuries, and is difficult to com Keep in mind that kidney problems are fairly common and that if your pet happens to become sick, it might not be due to food but some other cause.

up normal, we have a baseline to compare with if problems persist or show up later on. Keep in mind that kidney problems are fairly common and that if your pet happens to become sick, it might not be due to food but some other cause. This problem is heartbreaking but we should not panic or blame all kidney problems on this food recall. Hopefully in the these very ill patients do have a good chance of recovery. It just takes some time.

I don't know what the long term effects will be on the kidneys. Or on the lifespan of the pet. My recommendation is to carefully watch your pets' eating habits. If you see increased vomiting, lethargy, loss of appetite or weakness, keep the canspouches and even dry food as a possible source of the problem. By DEBBIE JAHNKE Special to the Herald I'm sure most of you have heard of the Menu Foods pet food recall.

Information is still coming in, and this is what I have heard so far. The suspected foods are "cuts and gravy" The recall dates are from Dec. 3, 2006 to March 6, 2007. There are many brands involved in the recall, including both dog and cat foods. The recall only effects soft foods in cans and pouches.

It does not include dry foods. The problem is apparently national and international. The actual cause of the illnesses we are seeing in dogs and cats is still unknown. Menu Foods suspects a problem with gluten from a source that they have now eliminated. However, no toxin has been discovered.

This is scary to me, as I am still unsure if the recalled foods include the correct source of the outbreak. Signs include vomiting soon after eating an affected food product. Usually within 1-12 hours. The cat or dog may become lethargic and stop eating. In some cases excessive salivation or mouth ulcers occur.

Weakness and blood in the urine has also been reported. The unknown toxincause leads to severe kidney damage. Since this is such a new problem, no one is quite sure what all the symptoms may be. The most severe cases are being seen now. Most cases are with cats but dogs are affected too.

It may be that in the coming weeks and months dogs and cats who have eaten the food may have signs of slower onset kidney disease. The signs would probably be things like increased drinking and urination, pletely stamp out. The event is held surreptitiously at shady venues worldwide. The birds are raised for nothing more than to fight, are tormented to be more aggressive and are pumped full of drugs to increase their endurance. Stimulants, hormones and blood-clotting drugs are just a few of the additives used to induce the birds into blood lust.

One, or both, of the birds usually dies in a cockfight. The roosters have knives or sharp steel projections called gaffs attached to their legs, near their spurs. The birds peck and maim one another with their beaks and weapons, and fights are held in a pit, offering no chance for escape. Birds in a flock will battle to determine pecking order, but rarely to the death. Only birds provoked to fight will provoke the serious injuries seen in cockfighting.

As in all endeavors, money upcoming weeks and months the cause of this outbreak will be discovered and eliminated. In the meantime, stay alert and report any suspected problems to your veterinarian or to the food company. Dr. Debbie Jahnke is a small animal relief veterinarian living in Hastings, Minn. She works in clinics in Wisconsin and Minnesota filling in for other veterinarians.

She is originally from Cadott, and continues to work at clinics in Chippewa County. Send pet questions to Jahnke at drdebjahnkedvmyahoo.com. If you keep it, and bring it to the vet, we may be able to send it in for analysis to see if there is a toxin. Check with the manufacturer to see if they have recalled the food. You can either call the phone number on the product or check at or call Menu Foods at (866) 895-2708.

Treat any suspect foods as if they are a poison. You may be able to get a refund for recalled foods. I tried calling Menu Foods and their line is busy. I called Del Monte Foods (manufacturer of Nine touch on the Irish "Potato Famine in lessons on immigration in grade and high school. Like the Peloponnesian War, the Irish Potato Famine is an event in history not discussed nearly enough.

What follows is the simple explanation. There are numerous political, cultural and social drivers surrounding the famine I'm not going to touch on them all. The population of Ireland in 1841 numbered 8.2 million. It numbered 6.5 million by 1851, and famine is the reason. The famine began with a blight of the potato crop that left acre upon acre of Irish farmland covered with black rot.

The 'potato blight fungus -Phytophthora infestans -attacked potatoes and made them rotten and inedible. The blight struck in 1845. The Irish planted more potatoes than ever in the spring of 1 846, figuring the blight would not strike again. But there was worse failure in 1 846 and even worse still in 1847, when the suffering reached its climax. The year is sometimes referred to as Black '47.

There also was famine in Scotland and Belgium, but nothing like in Ireland. And as harvests across Europe failed, the price of food soared. Subsistence-level Irish farmers found their food stores rotting in their cellars. The crops they relied on to pay the rent to their British and Irish Protestant landlords were destroyed. Peasants, who ate the rotten produce because they had no t.

grew sick, and entire villages were consumed with cholera and typhus. Parish priests, desperate to provide for their congregations, were forced to forsake buying coffins in order to feed starving families, with the dead going unburied or buried only in the clothes they wore when they died. HEARD ABOUT TOWN drives the wheel. Spectators at Film to educate about plight of North Koreans cock fights bet large sums, and Family-style chicken dinner, 4 benefit the refugees seeking freedom. From each ticket sale, $3 goes to help North Korean refugees.

"Seoul Train" will show at 5 and 7 p.m. on Sunday, March 25 at Micon Cinemas in Chippewa Falls. For more information visit www.seoultrain.com or call 5(715)827-0218. Free weight-management hypnosis session, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Monday, April 9, Unity Health and Fitness Center, Eau Claire. Free.

With Richard Marano of The Hypnosis Center of Eau Claire. French toast and sausage breakfast, 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Sunday, April 1, Masonic Center, 650 Bridgewater Chippewa Falls. Soup, sandwich and dessert supper, 4:30 to 6 p.m., Thursday, March 29, Chippewa Falls Area Senior Center, 1000 E. Grand Chippewa Falls.

Homemade chicken soup, sandwiches, desserts. Info: 720-1666. Chippewa Valley Retired Educators meeting, noon, Monday, April 2, St. John's Lutheran Church, Cadott. Cadott Music Department will entertain.

Reservations by Wednesday, March 28: Cora at 382-4200. McDonell Class of 1952 lunch, 1 1 :30 a.m., Monday, April 2, Higher Grounds Coffee House and Eatery, 2 Bay Chippewa Falls. Special to the Herald A documentary about North Korean's attempting to flee their country through China because of tremendous suffering and oppression will show on Sunday in Chippewa Falls. "Seoul Train" examines the life and death of North Koreans as they try to escape -their homeland and China. It 3 shows an underground rail- --joad that helps the refugees reach freedom.

North Korea is very much in the news lately but little is known about its people and their plight. In addition to educating the public, the film will raise money, through a non-profit, that will directly to 7 p.m., Wednesday, April 25, St. Peter's Catholic Church, Tilden.Adults$7.50, age preschoolfree. Carryouts: 288-6250. Breakfast with the Easter bunny, 8 to 1 1 a.m., Saturday, April 7, Hallie Town Hall.

under 12free. Easter egg hunt if weather permitting. Open drawing group, 6 to 8 p.m., every Monday, First Presbyterian Church, Chippewa Falls. Hosted by Valley Art Association Member Don Henton. Free, donations appreciated.

Bring paper and pencil. Info: Ray at in (715) 723-4970. Three-week workshop on infant massage, 6 to 8 p.m., Tuesdays, April 10-24, River Source Family Center in Chippewa Falls. Learn great techniques for soothing, relaxing, and bonding with your child through simple touches from certified infant massage instructors. Free.

Registration required, on-site childcare available. Info or register: 720-184t or (888) 413-3400. Indlanhead Chapter of the American Sewing Guild meeting, 7 p.m., Saturday, March 31, First Presbyterian Church, 2112 Rudolph Road, Chippewa Falls. Potluck lunch. Program by Kay Kaduce and Judy Jacobs, "Felted flowers." Info: 834-3780.

90Birthday Party for Evelvn Meincn NOW the owner of a winning rooster often reaps a huge profit. Why do we get the hiccups? How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll The world may never know, according" to the old commercial, and the same is true for hiccups. Sort through your memory and try to remember what your diaphragm is and what it does. It's a dome-shaped muscle that separates the chest cavity from the abdomen, and plays an important role in breathing. Your diaphragm involuntarily contracts when you hiccup.

The contraction causes a brief, immediate closure of the vocal cords, which makes that distinctive "hiccup" sound. As for what causes those hiccups? Well, like I said the world may never know, but that won't keep us from wild speculation. Eating or drinking too fast, being nervous or excited or suffering from an irritated stomach or throat are prime culprits. In rare cases, pleurisy inflammation of thelncmbrane lining of the lungs and chest cavity pneumonia, certain stomach or esophagus disorders, pancreatitis, alcoholism or hepatitis might also caught hiccups. Hiccups, though, are likely the least of your worries if you suffer great pain and discomfort as a result of any those maladies.

"Glad You Asked "finds answers to the questions that keep you up at night. It is written by Christopher Bennett, the assistant city editor and columnist for The Journal Times in Racine. Send your questions to askjoumaltimes.com or call (262) 631-1758. Where: OPEN tsioomer ivic center (, Date Time: April from 2:00 5:00 CHIPPEWA DAIRY QUEEN ON SOUTHSIDES PARK AVENUE 723-7911 Everyone Wecome tin starts nr vlzzpa Oddly enough, massive quantities of food were still exported from Ireland to England, in beef, mutton and other meats. Those who weren't evicted and didn't die often emigrated to the United States, Britain and Australia, often on board rotting, overcrowded "coffin ships," in which almost a third of the passengers died before reaching their final port.

There's so much more we could say about the Irish Potato Eamine, but space doesn't allow more of an explanation. As always, check your local library and local bookstore for more information on the Irish Potato Famine. You won't be disappointed. Is cockfighting still legal anywhere In the United States? JJ)o you really want to know? This just sounds like an awful, APRIL EVENTS. FIRST ANNUAL INDOOR 1 Aaes 13 and ud Sign up by March 28th mi 2 it, A EASTER EGG HUNT ATTHE YMCA 9:30 A.M.

Sharp! SPRING REGISTRATION BEGINS for Swimming and Gymnastics classes MOTHER SON DANCE Call for details suldolku 13 7q FATHER DAUGHTER ny One Call for details 31 1 I I 6 15 1 9J 7Q 4 I 3 7 19 3 5 9 1 4, 2141 6 1 1 1 13 SWING NIGHT AT THEYMCA FROM P.M. One Free Get Dance to Big Band music of the Moonlight Serenaders. Tickets can be purchased in advance or at the door. Ticket includes refreshments and door prizes. Music sponsored by the YMCA Endowmentl Valid until 4-07-07 with this coupon mm mm) mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mi Puzzles by Pappocom 1 Difficulty Complete the flrki so that every row, column and 3x3 box contains every digit from 1 to 9 Inclusively.

Solution, tip nd oomputw program tt www.tudoku.oom Answer to today's puzzle can be found on Page A2. 224 N. Bridge St. Hours: Wed. Fri.

Sat. 9-3 Sun. Closed 723-9177 a.