Iowa Caucuses Ignore The Needs of Our Pets!

OK, lady. Time to step away from the keyboard and take a wee break. Chelle Delaney of New Mexico has penned an opinion piece for the Clovis News Journal (woah, big name in news) lamenting the fact that no major presidential candidates are stumping with their pets, and that none of them are addressing the concerns of those of the four-legged (Or winged! Or scaled!) variety.

She calls for the formation of a new, independent political party: The Pro Pet Party.

Get real!

Don't get me wrong. I'm all for pets. Love 'em. But is this something that the Fed'ral Gummit needs to be concerned with? Do we need federal mandates and controls over local animal shelters? Just think about how many things the feds do well, and I think you'll agree that it's in the interest of all pets that Washington stays out of the micromanagement of local pet issues (as in actual dog-and-cat pet issues, not merely "pet projects").

Am I wrong, here?

Cat Indignity

I don't think if I were a cat I'd let a bird get away with this.

Oatey Vet Visit

As mentioned before, my wife took our Quaker Parakeet, Oatey, to the vet today. It appears he has an intestinal infection that may be the result of being too cold at night. Temperatures have dipped well below zero at night here in Colorado (16 below in Denver last night) and you get cold even being near a window. The vet gave him some antibiotics, so hopefully he'll get better quickly. We'll keep his heat-lamp going as long as this cold lasts.

Oatey Update

Earlier I mentioned our Quaker Parakeet, Oatey, seemed to be getting sick. He doesn't seem to be improving, so we bought him a heat lamp-style pet warmer to keep him comfortable until we can get him to the vet tomorrow. We sure hope he's okay. We'll keep you posted.

Birdy Blues

My daughter has a little Quaker Parakeet named Oatey (get it?). We've had him for almost a year, and he's been a great little bird. Quakers are about the size of a Cockatiel, but a bit leaner. On a recent visit to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (a pretty cool place with a pretty lame website) in Colorado Springs, I learned that these guys are the only parrots that are hardy enough to live in the wild in Colorado's climate (though those that do are often abandoned pets). They had a pair that had been taken in after being discovered nesting on a power pole.

Oatey isn't so tough, however. A few months after we got him, we discovered that he has a liver problem. After several visits to the vet, some medicine and lots of tender care, he seemed to recover fully.

In the past couple of days, however, we've noticed that his feathers are looking a bit rough like when he was sick and he doesn't seem to spend as much time grooming himself as he normally does. We're going to keep a close eye on him to make sure he's eating enough and getting enough attention.

(Quaker Parakeet Photo Credit: PionusParrot.com)