The INDEPENDENT, October 15, 2009
Do you know how to keep
pets safe on Halloween?
With Halloween approach-
ing, the Oregon Veterinary
Medical Association and its
member veterinarians share
the following tips for keeping
your pet safe on the spookiest
night of the year:
1. Candy and Chocolate;
keep holiday treats and can-
dies out of your pet’s reach as
they can make your pet quite
sick. If eaten, candy and candy
wrappers can cause an upset
stomach.
Chocolate, particularly un-
sweetened, dark, bittersweet
and baking chocolate, can be
toxic to pets, especially dogs,
who are more prone to eat it.
According to Dr. Kim Erbes
of the Salem Veterinary Emer-
gency Clinic, “If your dog eats
chocolate, call your veterinari-
an or an animal poison control
center at once, as treatment
may need to be rendered im-
mediately. Symptoms of toxicity
include excitement, nervous-
ness, trembling, vomiting, diar-
rhea, excessive thirst or urina-
tion, muscle spasms and
seizures.
Keep gum, candy or breath
fresheners containing the
sweetener xylitol away from
your dog. When a dog eats
even a small amount of xylitol,
it causes a surge of insulin, and
the animal’s blood sugar may
drop quickly and dangerously.
Cases of liver damage have
also been associated with in-
gestion of xylitol. If your dog in-
gests xylitol, contact your vet-
erinarian or an animal poison
control center immediately.
2. Trick-or-Treaters; if you
plan to participate in Halloween
festivities, such as answering
your door to trick-or-treaters,
keep pets in a quiet part of the
house. Pets can become
overexcited, confused or fright-
ened by trick-or-treaters in cos-
tume.
Remind your guests that
your normally friendly pet may
want to be left alone. Young
trick-or-treaters may be scared
of dogs that run excitedly to-
ward them when the owner an-
swers the door.
Watch for open doors and
make sure your pets have ID
tags and/or microchips in case
they do get out.
Outdoor pets, especially
black cats, should be kept in-
doors on Halloween.
3. Halloween Decorations;
holiday decorations such as
fake cobwebs should be kept
out of reach of pets. Light
strands, loose wires and elec-
tric cords can be serious haz-
ards to your pets, especially
puppies, who may chew them.
Never leave candles, such
as those in jack-o-lanterns, un-
attended, especially around
puppies and kittens.
Never allow your pets to eat
leftover jack-o-lanterns, as a
rotted, moldy pumpkin can
make them seriously ill.
4. Costumes; some pets
might not mind dressing up for
Halloween, but, for others, it
could be a stressful experience
best avoided.
For more pet health care
tips, visit oregonvma.org. The
Oregon Veterinary Medical As-
sociation is a nonprofit organi-
zation of veterinarians who are
dedicated to helping people
give their animals a high quali-
ty of life.
Tips given to avoid hitting deer
From page 14
• Remember that deer are
most active between 6:00 and
9:00 p.m.
• Use high beam headlamps
as much as possible at night to
illuminate the areas from which
deer will enter roadways.
• Keep in mind that deer
generally travel in herds – if
you see one, there is a strong
possibility others are nearby.
• Do not rely on car-mounted
deer whistles.
• If a deer collision seems in-
evitable, attempting to swerve
out of the way could cause you
to lose control of your vehicle
or place you in the path of an
oncoming vehicle.
Page 15
Power of the People
Guest column by Terry Flores, Executive Direc-
tor, Northwest River Partners
Salmon Improvements in the River,
the Untold Story
A revolution has taken place on the Columbia
and Snake rivers. While we wait to see what
happens in the courtroom, where the legal wran-
gling is still playing out, it’s a good time to reflect
on the past decade and our accomplishments for
salmon and steelhead. We have achieved great
results with a massive program to benefit fish
protected under the Endangered Species Act.
Yet, this story of immense investment and meas-
urable progress is all but lost as attention instead
focuses on courtroom antics and calls for dam
removal.
The eight federal dams on the Columbia and
Snake rivers have undergone major overhauls to
successfully aid fish in their journey downstream
to the ocean. Big changes have been made at
every dam, including the installation of mam-
moth spillway weirs or “fish slides” at Lower
Granite, Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little
Goose, McNary, and John Day. A highly effective
“corner collector” has been constructed at Bon-
neville Dam, attracting and moving young fish
past the dam unharmed. A new spill wall at The
Dalles Dam and spill deflectors at the dams also
make for safer travels for the young fish.
Northwest families and businesses have in-
vested over a billion dollars in these massive
modifications and young salmon and steelhead
survival rates have improved markedly. Overall,
in-river survival is three times higher than it was
30 years ago. The fish slides at the dams post
survival rates of 97 to 100 percent at most proj-
ects, and the corner collector passes fish at a
100 percent survival rate.
In addition to structural mod-
ifications, significant changes
have been made in the way the
dams are operated with fish
migration and survival taking
precedent over power genera-
tion. Substantially more river
flow is devoted to help fish
move downstream during the
spring and summer migration
months, boosting survival rates
through the dams. Other suc-
cessful programs have re-
duced predation by birds, sea
lions, and other aquatic ani-
mals which take their toll on
salmon.
Beyond the dams, habitat projects throughout
the four Northwest states have restored produc-
tive areas for salmon to spawn and rear both in
tributaries and the Columbia River estuary. In the
tributaries, government agencies, watershed
groups and landowners have teamed up to re-
store spawning and rearing grounds, open chan-
nels for fish passage, and provide more water in-
stream for fish. Estuary programs benefit multi-
ple species by protecting and restoring riparian
and off-channel zones, and reconnecting wet-
lands and floodplains. Where these improve-
ments have been made, the fish have quickly re-
sponded.
Progress also has been made to reform
hatcheries, and “safety-net” programs which ar-
tificially produce fish to prevent extinction and
preserve genetic integrity are in place. Record-
breaking runs of Snake River sockeye over the
past two years are testimony to the success of
one such safety-net effort in Idaho.
While attention has focused on the litigation
churning away in the courtroom, there has been
continued great progress in the river. Federal
agencies and their partners in fish management
have continued unabated, carrying out projects
with demonstrable benefits for the fish. The fish
don’t care about hearings and briefs, they want
improved living conditions and that’s what the re-
gion is giving them.
Northwest River Partners is an alliance of
farmers, utilities, ports and businesses that pro-
mote the economic and environmental benefits
of the Columbia and Snake Rivers and salmon
recovery policies based on sound science.
For more information, please visit
www.nwriverpartners.org
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