The 2012 Interceptor Shortage

We fully expect to see a shortage of our favorite heartworm medicine, Interceptor.  We have surfed cyber-paw space and have come away a little bit confused.  This all started during the summer of 2011.  We have provided links to what we have sniffed out.

The plant that makes Interceptor is in Nebraska, the state our pal Reilly used to live in.  That plant made Interceptor and Sentinel for dogs; and Excedrin, NoDoz and Gas-X for hoomans.  Well the inspection didn't go very well according to the FDA report. 

The company that made Interceptor then sent out some letters on 11 December talking of a pending disruption.  We found this out in the March 2012, Minnesota Wisconsin Collie Rescue Newsletter.  That letter also talks about possible alternatives.  Later in December the plant stops production and distribution.  A letter to vets was sent out in early January. 

On 2 February a press release from the company states the canine medicine is good and distribution of made product will happen.  Nothing in that release states production is to resume and we couldn't find anything official from the company saying that. 

20 February, we get wind something isn't right as PetMeds doesn't have Interceptor, lucky for us another place has it. 

18 March, Shiloh and Dakota ask us if what we use for heart worms as they were told the plant that made it is shut down.  We start to explore cyber-paw space.  Confused and our head hurting from trying to understand what we have read, we e-bark the Collie Health Foundation (CHF) on 19 March.

21 March, CHF responds to our email.  We hope that CHF puts something on their home page about this because a lot of us are concerned.  The word Ivermectin causes many a collie owner to worry. 
We hope the Nebraska plant comes on line soon.  There are a lot of worried collie folks in the states.  Collie owners overseas need not worry, there are plants that make Interceptor out there.  Us in the states just can't legally order it from overseas.  If anyone finds out something different let us know. 

Dog Speed,

Essex, Sherman and Dog Dad

St. Pup-tricks Day - 2012

We have a tradition in our pack of wearing the St. Pup-tricks Day hat.  If you look at previous posts you will see my Great Auntie Essex and late Uncle Deacon with this same hat on.  St. Pup-tricks day has been lots of fun. 

Sherman - 2012

I wonder how many dogs it took to make that river in Chicago green?

From our pack to yours -- Happy St. Pup-tricks Day

Sherman

Collies' Choice

A dog moon ago, late February, we were awarded the “Collie’s Choice Award” by the Collies of the Meadow.   We are truly honored and humbled to receive this award.  We admit we liked this award when we first saw it.  We liked the award more when we started reading some of their past posts.  Their Dad like ours truly loves collies.  We found the story of Niamh especially touching.  We could tell Niamh was a pawsome collie. 

The Collies of the Meadow’s Dog Dad and our Dog Dad have  things in common.  They both love Collies and baseball.  While our Dad grew up rooting for the Red Birds and the Tribe, their Dad grew up loving the Red Birds and the Yankees.  In football they both root for the Browns and the Packers.  Both enjoy watching and reading history, especially WW II.  Both the names of Sherman and our angel collie Deacon originate from the WW II time frame.  While the Essex was built during WW II, the time frame her name really references is the Korean War.    

Their Dad asked about our cookie cutter.  We are sad to say the place we got them went out of business.  We did manage to get ourselves a Collie (top), Labrador Retriever and Border Collie cookie cutters.   Wish we had extras.  However, if you search cyber-paw space you can find some collie and other dog shaped cookie cutters.

Dog Speed, 

Essex & Sherman

Liebster Award

At times Dad is slower than an Alaskan Glacier.  This is one of those times.  We received two awards many dog moons ago and we will address the "Liebster Blog" award today and the other later in the week.    
  

The received the "Liebster" from our cyber-pal Petal several Dog Moons ago, like way back in December.  Petal lives with Lassie, Ella and their wonderful Dog Mom, Marquie.  They live in Utah and they are pawsome.  Lassie was born in Oklahoma, which has a special place in Dog Dad’s heart.  Dad lived in Oklahoma for about four years, while working in the oil patch.  He has some exceptionally close friends that still live there.  Dad thinks Marquie is quite insightful for one so young.  If you get a chance stop by and say hello to them at "Two Collies and a Mutt."  

The Liebster award works as follows: 

Liebster means “dearest” in German, and the award is intended to help up-and-coming blogs get the attention they deserve. As with any award, there is a bit of ceremony involved. In order to accept the award, we must do the following:

• Copy and paste the award on our blog.
• Link back to the blogger who gave us the award.
• Pick our five favorite blogs with less than 200 followers, and leave a comment on their blog to let them know they have received the award.
• Hope that the five blogs chosen will keep spreading the love and pass it on to five more blogs.

It was a bit of challenge as a lot of blogs we follow have either over 200 followers or have no follower list.  Here are the five blogs:

Shikota~ Double Trouble Collie Tales:  This blog stars Sherman’s brudder Dakota and cousin Shiloh.  They have their own boy, Master B.  We are jealous because most every dog wants a boy and a family of humans.  Besides boys and girls are more fun than adults. 

Cowspot Dogs:  This blog stars Reilly, Denny, Jackson and their hoomans.  When we first met them, they lived in Nebraska.  Now they live in OurKansas (Arkansas).   Their Mum is originally from Oz and has a special way of writing.  They used to have a sock monster, but we haven’t read about him in quite some time.

Collies and Life:  Stars Duffy and his pawrents that live in the Great White North (Canada).  It is more a hooman blog than a collie blog, but Dad loves reading their blog.  It reminds him of a simpler, no frills time.  You can find an occasional pearl of wisdom when reading Collies and Life.

Sheltie Times:  Stars Bailey and Katie live up in New England.  Bailey just turned nine on 10 March.  They have a friendly feel to their blog.  Given the BoSox blanket sightings, we believe their Dad is a big time BoSox fan. 

Charlene and Storm:  Stars Storm the Border Collie and his Dog Mom Charlene.  They live across the pond in the United Kingdom.  We just started reading them a couple months ago, and they have a lots of pictures.  They even get to be around sheep (we are jealous, because we want to herd sheep).

Dad has lots of work to do, so the other very special award we received, will be addressed later this week. 

Essex & Sherman.

PAW ESSS:  The plant in our last post was pineapple. 

Yawn - Daylight Savings Time

Yawn, we have done the great leap forward and Dog Dad looks tired.  Come sleep with us Dad, you have willing chums.  We have been busy the last several weeks.

Sherman, decided to lick himself after Dad took off the cone.  No infection but Sherman had a red belly.  The result two more days of being a cone-head.  He did beat the heck out of the e-collar.  Dog Dad had to do emergency duct tape repair.

Another Use for Duct Tape

After two more days of the cone, I finally got rid of it for good.  It was time to roam Angel Paws as a free dog.  Every thinks grew more, but Dog Dad says it is an optical illusion.  My shaved belly makes my legs look longer. 

My Shaved Belly Makes My Legs Look Longer

Sherman & Essex

We even met a new friend.  A Blue Merle Sheltie named Bandit.  He was a visiting Key West from up north.  He sure is a swell looking Sheltie, even if he is older than Essex.

Bandit the Sheltie

Bandit a Great Looking Blue Merle

 There is a plant growing in our yard.  We wonder if any of our readers can tell Sherman what type of plant is growing?

The Strange Plant

In our next post, we will have a couple of awards that we need to post about.  We haven't forgot about them, we are just slow.

Dog Speed,

Essex & Sherman