Posts by Carol Garcia2

bluerider2 said:A second point

This feels like a somewhat more serious matter to me. The general terms state that the forum exists to prohibit violation of US law. Now, I don't know anything about ornithology or breeding parrots—and frankly, I shouldn't have to, since I'm not a moderator—but when someone starts a thread titled Papers - how to get paperwork for pets not bought directly from breeders?, it doesn't exactly strike me as legitimate. Since, again, I know nothing about ornithology or parrot breeding, I simply wrote this in my report:

I am curious as to why a thread with a title suggesting a violation of the law was merely converted into a post and moved over to the thread about Eclectus parrots. There really are only two possibilities here:

(1) there actually are "papers" for parrots and the poster is trying to acquire them illegally
(2) there are no such "papers" at all, and the user is just trolling because they are bored.

In either scenario, the post shouldn't be left up—it should be sanctioned.

Thanks in advance for any insight. 🙂

I'm not sure either
Let me know if you find out; for now, it's just been moved to the Eclectus thread and will stay there indefinitely.

restlessangler said:Since I was asked about this second—thanks, ladies 🙂—I figured I should weigh in too, just so it doesn't look like I'm ignoring the rules by posting without permission..

Could the mods please clarify why this thread was closed?
Isn't the Blue Paw Association PPDF designed so that while we seek help with transport, funding, or food, we can also ask for support from other angles—like vet recommendations, medical checkups, or even raising young animals...

My specific situation isn't exactly chaotic, but if I had found newborn kittens—which is such a delicate matter where the mortality risk is incredibly high—I would need every bit of help available, not just a link to a different thread. We have older threads created with the help of forum members who successfully raised kittens, but those serve more as guidelines—much like the threads outlining what to do when you find a dog. Aside from those specific guides, aren't general help threads allowed?

Please correct me if I'm wrong.
I honestly feel my thread was closed unnecessarily..

I could post within the adoption thread I opened, but I'd just be cluttering it with irrelevant details and drowning out the actual purpose of that PPDF thread, which is strictly for adoption..

The moderator provided an explanation on the thread that was closed. And on the thread where the quote above originated, the Admin did as well.

Aaron Long2 said:Let me offer a little perspective to calm your nerves—honestly, I’ve been bitten and scratched by dogs and cats more times than anyone else here combined. Nature just does its thing, I suppose. Between running my own pet-sitting business—so I am constantly surrounded by them—and being a veterinarian by trade, it’s practically part of the job description. It’s happened plenty of times where a stray wanders into my path while I’m out walking my own animals, and things have escalated. Once, during a scrap between two terriers, I actually ended up with a punctured nail and a hole straight down to the bone in my index finger... and, well... it was bleeding everywhere, quite an ordeal, but it stopped quickly enough. Aside from the literal hole in my finger and the subsequent scarring—not to mention my nail grew back all crooked for about a year and a half before finally leveling out—I didn't have any issues after that. 🤣 As for the other minor scratches? I won't even count them; they're just "little" things...

I've actually sustained much worse injuries during vaccination drives out in rural areas. Dogs out there tend to be kept on chains and aren't exactly socialized—they're basically little werewolves. One time, I actually managed to jab myself in the thumb with a tainted rabies vaccine needle instead of hitting the dog... 😁 Don't even ask... and then there was the time a pig chased me around a yard trying to go for my leg... 🤷

To make a long story short—if you happen to get bitten by a dog, say, in the Washington, D.C. area, the chances of you catching rabies are slim to none. Most dogs are vaccinated, and from what I know, there haven't been cases or carriers among wildlife in recent years. I can't remember the last time I heard of a single case, though authorities are always out in the field investigating if there's even a hint of suspicion, but so far—all clear...
That said, if the dog is a stranger or looks suspicious, definitely contact local animal control and check in with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention! Wash the wound immediately and disinfect it with iodine or whatever you have on hand; in 99% of cases, that bite is all you'll need to deal with! Local swelling and pain subside quickly, though bruising might linger a bit longer, but at least that isn't dangerous!🙂

When it comes to cats, you really need to exercise extra caution because some of their bacteria are significantly more dangerous! Again, I've been bitten and scratched countless times—one day it's a scratch through my jeans leaving tooth marks on my leg, but that's all in the past now, just two little scabs that I'm waiting to fall off... But , I personally know a woman who was scratched by a cat while she was receiving an injection at a clinic; it was on her arm. The scratch wouldn't heal, it became severely inflamed, and the redness started spreading—she ended up hospitalized and they barely saved her arm. A colleague of mine had a similar experience with a scratch on her thumb that turned greenish and caused the skin to peel; she had to take massive doses of antibiotics... Aside from those two specific instances, I have never seen—and don't expect to see—any problems with people getting nicked by a cat, whether it's a pet or one found on the street. Infections are truly the exception, and usually, these bites and scratches go completely unnoticed and pass as quickly as they happened. 🙂

So, if a cat gives you a hard nip— there is no need to panic—but you absolutely must clean the wound thoroughly and monitor it. Watch to see if it settles down or worsens, if there are visible changes in the tissue at the injury site, or if the area feels warmer or more sensitive/painful. If the wound behaves normally, heals as expected, everything should be fine! However, if intense itching, pain, stinging, throbbing, or erythema (redness) occurs within, say, a few hours of the bite or scratch, and it keeps intensifying instead of subsiding—go to the doctor immediately!

Of course, it all depends on the severity of the wound: is it just a light scratch, or did someone sink their teeth in with full force? It isn't the same whether you get a tiny graze from a claw or a canine sunk deep to the bone. For deep bites, go to the doctor first and foremost, whereas for superficial ones, just keep a close eye on it to be safe, and you'll be fine!

Look, firstly you should approach a scratch from a dog or a cat—or even a pig, for heaven's sake...🤣 just like any other minor injury, without making a massive production out of it. If the animal—be it a dog, a cat, or a pig—is a stray or looks questionable (sick, perhaps?), well, chances are you’ll be perfectly fine, but it certainly wouldn't hurt to check in with a doctor. Especially if you're feeling anxious; in that case, just head to the local urgent care or call 911!

But then again, when you think about it... over time, if you do catch something, you might actually build up some sort of resistance because of constant exposure—I suppose that's how immunity works? After all, we are all constantly surrounded by animals—at shelters, at the vet, or just out in the yard—and we're always dealing with scratches, little nicks, or tiny bites from playing around... stuff like that.

Same here—I actually found myself back in the infectious disease ward a few days ago due to a bite (well, more of a skin puncture that wasn't even visible) that led to lymphangitis, followed by a whole course of antibiotics.
Regardless of how clean you keep the wound,

To sum it all up—if you happen to get bitten by a dog, say in the Washington, D.C. area, there's a good chance you won't contract rabies; most animals are vaccinated, and from what I know, there haven't been any active carriers or cases among wild animals in recent years... I can't recall the last instance, though authorities always go out into the field to investigate if there's any suspicion, but so far—it's all clear...
Still, if the dog is unknown or looks suspicious—definitely contact local animal control and check in with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention! Wash the wound immediately and disinfect it with iodine or whatever you have on hand—in 99% of cases, that's all you'll need to do. Local swelling and pain should subside quickly; bruising might linger longer, but that's the least of your worries.

I'm not sure about the last couple of years. But historically speaking, it's largely the same—rabies does exist. That ratio of infected animals to total cases has remained relatively steady over the years.
I can dig up the data from an article later if needed.
For more recent stats, you should probably check with the USDA.

And definitely see a doctor for those three follow-up exams. Better safe than sorry—you don't want to fall into the trap of thinking "oh, we don't have that issue here."

hollowtrucker77 said:You don't honestly think I should be happy just because a few of my posts were left up, right?
😁
Fair enough—I accept your answer. Peace.
🙂

Don't get worked up😬

I think you get the gist of it—but to be a bit more specific—the reason I mentioned the remaining posts was simply to clarify that we don't view them as trolling (provided they follow the rules), whereas the content that was removed was covered in my previous response.

hollowtrucker77 said:Look, it seems someone has decided I'm either trolling—or perhaps just expressing myself in a way that doesn't fit the current consensus.
It would be helpful to understand exactly what is wrong with my posts—why they are being removed and if there is any actual logic behind it.

Thanks in advance.

If you're referring to that thread about the poisoning incident...
The thread was wiped due to trolling, repetitive replies, and posts mentioning Hitler.
You still have plenty of other posts up, don't you?

You’ve been sent a few links to existing threads (Mixed breed or purebred???, On breeders... and Before you get a dog... - essential reading for future owners), though I might also suggest adding Comments and suggestions regarding the "Before you get a dog" thread.
You chose to post under 'Mixed breed or purebred???' and received several replies.

If you can find a thread that isn't over ten years old—one where the title actually tells me exactly what I need—I'd be incredibly grateful.

Those are all fine threads to participate in; however, since we're discussing things like guarantees and health issues, perhaps we should look into some more specialized topics?

Man, I hesitate to even write anything there because someone always ends up banning me or locking the thread!!!

Well, what's the point then?

Yesterday I started a thread about "dogs with papers" and it was locked immediately—so what's the deal? Why does that happen?

Thanks, much appreciated.

Angela Wright said:Perhaps in veterinary medicine—since practitioners often work independently in their own clinics—those hyper-specialized roles just don't exist, at least not here in the States.

I'm not entirely sure. My own approach is to lean on experts who know more than I do whenever possible—all while ensuring I don't lose that vital connection with my patient.
As for specialists, we certainly have them here in America, even if the field feels broader than human medicine; plus, with the internet, you can always reach out to colleagues abroad for a second opinion.

Medicine is an entirely different beast—especially when you consider the interpersonal dynamics and the relationships between doctors in a hospital setting. There isn't much true collaboration; instead, there's often too much ego involved. In fact, you could count the number of specialists on one hand who aren't too prideful to admit they haven't seen a specific case before. They aren't afraid to contact someone at a world-class center of excellence just to get information and help their patient. Too often, the conversation hits a wall where people say things "can't be done" or there's "no way to help"—and then, if the patient is proactive or has a strong support system, they end up doing the research themselves and discovering that those limits were actually quite arbitrary.

Believe me, that kind of thing happens everywhere.

And regarding the lack of cooperation—I think our healthcare system plays a part in that too; it sometimes feels like it exists just for its own sake, being far too fragmented. At least, that’s how it looks from my perspective.

Angela Wright said:A good doctor:
1. Someone who doesn't consider their education finished just because they graduated from medical school—say, at Johns Hopkins—but continues to actively pursue lifelong learning and specialized training.

Medicine is an evolving field, of course, and staying current is vital—though one also has to keep those foundational basics sharp. It’s surprising how quickly things can slip away if you aren't careful.

2. Someone who uses plain language to explain every detail regarding a condition, diagnosis, and treatment plan...

I think the patient's own preference plays a role here too—especially regarding communication style. I'm certainly no physician, but I notice people gravitate toward different types: some want someone strictly professional who sticks to clinical terminology, while others prefer a more "family doctor" feel—even if the actual quality of care remains identical.

4. Someone who proactively collaborates with colleagues in other specialties—which is often a prerequisite for successfully treating complex conditions.

Shouldn't that be the standard practice?

5. Someone who doesn't just follow the textbook blindly, but looks at medicine through the lens of practical experience.

To truly look outside the box, you first have to master what's inside it. In my view, one should stick to the fundamentals first, then build upon them based on the specific case at hand.

But yes, I agree with most of the points made here—this whole discussion is essentially summarized by these few key ideas.

A second opinion?

Did you end up reaching out to the doctor who prescribed those antibiotics—to actually tell them what’s going on with you?

This link feels more like a glorified advertisement for the 'zone' than an actual explanation of how the ignition works

Yes—it’s probably best to go, just to be safe.

I think there’s a shop located inside that Italunion building—somewhere tucked away in there.
There might be another one near the waterfront, though I can't say for certain where exactly.
That would be for San Francisco.

It’s hard to say for sure—it feels like they're trying to phase that option out entirely.

ehinokok?
Basically, we're talking about tapeworms—specifically, a certain species known as Echinococcus granulosus.
If my memory serves me right, they usually draw blood to run an antibody test.

There’s a little shop just a few blocks past the British pub on the left side