OHS Kids and Teens

   To be provided with responsible and regular health care and qualified veterinarian treatment when necessary.

To be provided with a like-species companion if the caretaker cannot provide ample undivided daily attention.

To be provided adequate protection and shelter from severe temperatures, weather or otherwise unhealthy environmental conditions.

To be provided with an adequate and appropriate main living environment which does not constrain its natural predilictions or depress its spirit.

To be protected from an existence of chronic boredom or loneliness

To be provided with toys or other diversions which provide stimulation during those times when the animal must be left alone.

Did you know that a seemly harmless dime-size glob of oil could kill a bird? We may learn about the devastating effects of spills that occur when tankers accidentally loose their cargo, but there are thousands of small spills occurring daily around the world that go unreported and unnoticed. Millions of water birds die every year due to oil from a plethora of sources, from jet skis and motorboats, to oil washed off streets and into storm drains after rain.

When you look at a bird covered in oil it is difficult to imagine how it could ever be cleaned, much less survive. It used to be thought that washing a bird with soap would remove the natural oils from its feathers, causing the bird to loose its insulation and waterproofing, which would lead to its death. Itís true that birds have an oil producing gland, and when they preen they spread this oil on their feathers, but it is only a conditioner.

What keeps birds waterproof is the position of the feathers. What a bird is doing when it preens is carefully aligning each feather, which is made up of a shaft, veins, and tiny barbs that connect the veins into a tightly woven unit. This feather structure does not allow water or air to penetrate and provides buoyancy and insulation.The feathers overlap each other like the shingles on a roof to create an entire waterproof covering for the bird. Properly aligned feathers will not allow water or air to penetrate and ensures that the bird is buoyant and insulated from the cold. Every day birds spend considerable time preening because if their feathers are not perfectly aligned it could literally mean death.

When a bird encounters oil on the surface of the water, the oil sticks to its feathers, causing them to mat and separate, impairing the waterproofing and exposing the animal's sensitive skin to extremes in temperature. This can result in hypothermia, meaning the bird becomes cold, or hyperthermia, which results in overheating. Instinctively, the bird tries to get the oil off its feathers by preening, which results in the animal ingesting the oil. This ingestion can cause severe damage to the bird's internal organs. The focus on preening overrides all other natural behaviors; including feeding and evading predators, making the bird vulnerable to secondary health problems such as severe weight loss, anemia and dehydration. Many oil soaked birds loose their buoyancy and beach themselves in their attempt to escape the cold water. The fortunate ones are picked up by concerned citizens or capture crews.

The birds that are brought to rescue centers are often frightened, cold, emaciated, dehydrated, exhausted and suffering from the internal effects of oil. Initial procedures may involve cleaning the eyes, nasal and oral passages of oil and dirt, applying a saline eye solution, giving oral fluids and activated charcoal solution, but not washing. To wash a bird that is already highly stressed and not medically stable could mean death. Many oiled birdís die because well-meaning people, anxious to get oil off the bird, wash it immediately, resulting in death from stress. It is actually more important to give oiled birds the much needed nutrition, hydration and medical treatment they need before they are washed.

Once stable, oiled birds go through a series of tub washes alternating between baths with a one percent solution of Dawn dishwashing liquid and clean water. The wash time varies depending on the amount of oil, and the size of the bird, but on average it takes two people 45 minutes and 300 gallons of water to do a thorough washing. After being washed, the birds are put in net bottom cages with warm air dryers. The final steps are to put them in warm water pools, where they continue to preen, and finally into cold pools. Birds in rehabilitation are checked constantly to make sure that they are completely waterproofed and when their blood work and weight are in the normal range, they are banded and released.

2. One female dog and her offspring can produce 67,000 dogs in 6 years

3. An estimated 4 to 6 million cats and dogs are killed in shelters each year. Millions more are abandoned, only to suffer from illness or injury before dying

4. Approximately , 30% of the surrendered dogs in shelters are purebreds

5. 55% of surrendered dogs and 47% of surrendered cats are unaltered

6. It costs US taxpayers an estimated $2 billion each year to round up, house, kill, and dispose of homeless animals

7. Over 56% of dogs and puppies and 71% of cats and kittens entering shelters are killed based on reports from over 1,055 facilities across America

Please spay or neuter your companion animal. Neutered male cats usually stop territorial spraying. Neutered dogs and cats fight less and are less likely to stray from home. Altering animals eliminates the risk of certain diseases such as mammary and testicular cancer. Animals can be spayed or neutered when they are 6 weeks old.

Remember-when you spay or neuter your own animal, you not only help him/her, you also potentially save thousands of other animals at the same time!!!!! And don’t forget to adopt your best friend from your local shelter or humane society. They will already be spayed or neutered.