Disabled pet paralyse wheelchair suffer

Love knows no bounds
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A disabled pet presents unique challenges, but none deter these committed animal lovers, writes CHAI MEI LING


MARJAN Sipsma is a pet owner extraordinaire. She dotes on her five dogs, five cats and a kitten.
Not only that, she is totally committed to her paralysed terrier mix, Snoopy.

Several times a day, she has to carry all 12kg of Snoopy to the garden for exercises.
She also cleans after the dog, plays with him and turns him over.
When she walks the other dogs in the evening, Snoopy comes along in a wagon.
Snoopy in the wagon which Marjan Sipsma uses to take him out for a walk.
At night, Sipsma sets her alarm clock to ring every three hours so she can adjust his position to prevent sores.

Sipsma, an expatriate from the Netherlands who has been in the country for more than a decade, acknowledges that caring for a disabled pet is hard work.
"I am thankful to my maid for her help. There are only two options -- you make the sacrifice, or you put the dog down -- and I'm not very good with the last one."
Just a puppy when he got hit by a car eight years ago, Snoopy's entire back was smashed to a pulp.

Some children brought him to the veterinarian, where he was nursed back to health.
Adopted by Sipsma three-and-a-half years ago, Snoopy was struck by tragedy another three times.
"He became paralysed after collapsing, falling down and choking on a bone. At one point, his eyes were the only parts that could move."

Snoopy has had a vet acupuncturist and animal communicator-cum-masseuse work on him, and has just started going for a weekly swim as part of physiotherapy.
While Sipsma believes Snoopy will never walk again because of the extent of his injuries, she hopes he will one day recover enough muscle mass to turn himself over or shift his weight.

Klang Valley-based pet rescuers Joanne Low and Leigh Chen are also caring for disabled pets.
Jumaat Oktober, which has feline leukaemia, has surpassed vets’ prediction of her life expectancy.
Kiki, a stray, hurt himself when he was 3 weeks old, losing the function of his hind legs.
Low and Chen have tried almost everything under the sun to get Kiki cured -- from conventional treatments, which involve X-rays and nerve tests, to alternative medicine and acupuncture -- to no avail.

Treatments have so far set the two friends and donors back by some RM10,000.
Now 8 months old, Kiki scoots on his bottom to move around. His right hind leg was amputated three months ago after he developed a habit which saw him constantly chewing on it.
The biggest challenge for Low, who houses Kiki, is to clean up after him because of his loss of bladder and bowel control.

"I do get annoyed at times. Caring for a handicapped pet is troublesome, but when you get to know him and his funny character, it's worth it," says Low, who has another dog which needs special care.
Latte, a chihuahua, suffers from an incurable neurological problem which prevents her from standing straight and walking properly. Low bought the dog from a pet shop.
Another person who takes in unwanted animals is property manager Kathy Revi.

She keeps 12 cats in her centre, one of which is Jumaat Oktober.
The cat has feline leukaemia, an incurable viral disease.
Because of her vulnerable immune system, Jumaat has to be kept indoors all the time.
Kathy has been feeding her lingzhi tablets, made from medicinal mushrooms, for the last five years to boost her immunity.
Found seven years ago at a construction site, Jumaat was stuck in mud up to the neck.
Kathy also feeds and sterilises strays -- both cats and dogs -- which venture into the compound of the property she manages.
The animated animal lover says her family has cared for animals, including chickens and goats, and nursed injured wild foxes for as long as she can recall.

Her parents had a three-legged cat called Tripod, and Kathy, a cat with renal failure which needed dialysis.
Often, a pet's quality of life can be improved with management, says a Dr Teoh from a veterinary clinic in Kuala Lumpur.
Dr Teoh says his disabled dog Mei Mei has been happier since he bought a RM1,500 custom-made cart from the United States for her.
Similarly, Sipsma has also got Snoopy a four-wheel cart, shoes and a cooling mat from the United States.

For these pet owners, euthanasia is the last resort.
"Why put Kiki down when he's strong, healthy and playful?" asks Chen.
Kathy says she doesn't always take suggestions from vets to put animals to sleep.
"If a vet suggests it because taking care of the pet is going to cost me a lot of money and time, I'll put my foot down. But if the injury is too severe and the animal is suffering, then there's no choice."
Sipsma says she is not opposed to the idea of euthanasia, having put down sick pets before, but she believes that as long as an animal is healthy, it's unfair to terminate its life.
She recounts the time when she first saw a dog in a wheelchair on a television programme in the Netherlands years back.
"When I saw the dog wearing nappies and being brought out in a cart, I said, 'Oh c'mon! If it's time to go, it's time to go'.
"But once you're in that position, it changes your entire perception.
"On the other hand, if my dog or cat is in pain and there's no light at the end of the tunnel, I'll be the first to put it down because it's selfish to keep it alive for my sake. Loving an animal is knowing when to let go."

third day of the new lunar calendar - happy chinese new year

Happy Chinese New Year!!

Today is already the third day of the new lunar calendar.. how time flies!

Still, I'm greeting everyone out there, have a blessed year ahead, and may our good Lord turn his face upon you and shine upon you. =)

God bless!! =)

Survivor shipwreck smoke God help trouble

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, deserted island. He prayed fervently for God to rescue him. Every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none came. Exhausted, he eventually built a small hut out of driftwood as a shelter and a place to store his few remaining possessions.

One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky. Everything was lost. Stunned with grief and anger, he cried, "God, how you could do this to me!" Early the next day, however, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island. It had come to rescue him! "How did you know I was here?" the weary man asked. "We saw your smoke signal," they replied.

God is always at work in our lives, even during the most stress-filled moments. When we entrust everything we are and everything we have to God, when we depend upon his truth instead of our own understanding and choose to walk in obedience, God promises to "make our paths straight" (Proverbs 3:6 NLT). No matter how deep the valley, we can count on God for direction. In Proverbs 3:6, "make straight" means "to do right, to make smooth or to be evenly hammered".

I love that truth! I can almost see my Father going before me, the hammer of truth in his hand, flattening every fear-filled obstacle, hammering down every mountain of doubt before me so that, when he has made a way, I can cross over. He straightens out the crooked paths, improving my behavior and causing me to do the "right" things.

Valleys are best faced with a total abandonment to the Shepherd of the valley. How many times have we danced with joy on the mountain top then moaned and complained in the valley? God is Lord of the mountain and the valley. I suspect that the most powerful life is lived in the valley - not on the mountain top.

Every valley is surrounded by mountains and every valley has a shepherd, a shepherd who will walk with us through the valley, a shepherd who will go before us, leading us out of the valley. When the psalmist wrote these words, he wrote my life message, "I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand." (Psalm 40:1-2 NIV)

As a young pastor's wife, I desperately needed help. Grace Chavis, a gifted author and speaker, stepped into my life and was a friend and mentor to me for many years. I will never forget the day I heard she had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. I picked up the phone to call this precious lady, expecting to offer words of comfort and faith. The person who answered the phone could not possibly be Grace! She sounded ecstatic! But it was Grace!

I sputtered, "Grace, I must have misunderstood a message I received today saying you had been diagnosed with terminal cancer!" A laugh of pure joy rang in my ears as she said, "Yes! That's right! I am a little out of breath because I am here in my living room, dancing before Jesus and singing, "I'll be with you soon!" I have to tell you that her response blew me away and to this day still challenges my faith. Talk about trust!

No matter where you are today, your Father is there. No matter how deep or long the valley, he is with you, waiting for you to surrender all. Give him your valley, knowing that he will surely lead you out. God has ordained that valley as an altar of sacrifice, an opportunity for him to work through your broken heart and life. Keep your glance on the valley and your gaze on the Shepherd. Begin praising him for your deliverance. It will surely come.

Let's Pray

Father God, my Shepherd. I feel like a lost sheep, a broken lamb. I am desperate for You. I confess that I don't always understand how You work, and tend to doubt You in those times. But I want to trust You as a sheep trusts its shepherd. By faith, I come to You, placing my life in Your hands in total surrender. Thank You for loving me just as I am.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

Happy Chinese New Year!! - greetings!

Happy Chinese New Year!! ;-)

Warm wishes and greetings to all celebrating Chinese New Year around the globe and world! =)

This new year may you find the peace, hope, joy, wisdom and celebrate life in good health.

To all my Christian brothers and sisters out there.. this year...

may we walk closer to the Lord each day.

Learn from the lessons of a life guard - never quit, persevere, motivate

Learn from the lessons of a life guard - never quit, persevere, motivate

As I deal with people from all walks of life everyday, I get demotivated very easily. Especially in the customer service area - no matter what clients do or treat you, scorn you, you must still SMILE and give them top service. Well, superficially it's called, "Professional customer service".

But you know what? Most the the things that drain people off their desire to move on, or that push people to quit what they're doing are not things that we see from the outside, superficial. It is what's churning WITHIN a person that drives or drains the person. I have even come to a point where I thought, forget about helping or servicing these people. I've better things to focus my energy at.

But you know what? Just as I was about to give up, God miraculously (again) opened doors and gave me hope to linger on, until today I heard a message about the lessons learned from a life guard. It's not about swimming. It is, "Even when people are not nice, we must not stop doing what God has called us to do."
Drowning people are not very nice. When you try to save them, they grab, stab, slap and even drown you. Every life guard knows this. If you are drowning and I am about to save you, and you slap me, and I retreated, "Wah, you're not very nice huh, I'm not going to save you." And I swim back.

NO LIFE GUARD EVER DO THAT!!

It's the same thing with life. People are not always nice. But it must not stop us from doing what God has called us to do. Develop the inner capacity. Press on, persevere, even when you cannot go on anymore. Have the robust faith in God, just do not quit.

Stay faithful in your humble assignments, and in due time God will extend your territories.

Learn it from the mighty men of David in 2 Samuel 23 (Adino, Eleazar and Shammah).

[Partially extracted from Pastor Benny Ho's preaching on Triumphant through Tough Times.)

Fire cracker sell during chinese new year season

A common sound during chinese new year or new year celebration would be the endless shouts of the fire crackers, waking every sleeping soul at night, especially. When I was young, we used to play fire crackers of all sorts, throw it all over the road and field, and everyone else would laugh with us.

Now? A "Booommm..." would trigger some anxious look in the faces of people nearby - "Hey.. the police may hear that.." Yes.. it is now illegal, considering the con outweighing the pro here. Nevertheless, with or without fire cracker, I still love chinese new year.

I love the spring breeze.. *chun feng.

Dog skin disease requiring euthanasia (kill or put to sleep)

Dog skin disease requiring euthanasia (kill or put to sleep)


Today I had a not so good, not-so-bad experience with an owner. Apparently the owner wanted to euthanise the dog because the dog has skin problem. Looking at the dog, hey.. lots of stray dogs look like tat! Do you have to kill a dog just because they look like a stray dog?


To make things sadder, the dog is really tame, loving, wags her tail at everyone. Although she's very skinny, greasy (probably never bathe for a year or so) dirty... but the love she showed to her owner was unbelievable looking at how the owner treated her. Sometimes I wonder, how do I ever tell the doggie that, "Your owner wants to kill you because you don't look pretty enough?"
I got really disappointed, frustrated, fed-up with such people. I thank God, just in time... somebody walked in and learned of the event and offered to take care of the dog. Well, they made some agreement about certain details... but towards the end I am glad for the dog gets to live.

How do you celebrate chinese new year in your country?

Here in Malaysia most Chinese celebrating chinese new year usually have a gathering/ reunion dinner with family members the night before the first day of chinese new year.

sometimes we have yee sang... sometimes steamboat.. sometimes buffet.. sometimes home-cooked.. anyway, it's celebrated either big or small way. It is the togetherness that counts. =)

How to plant / grow orchids at home/garden

Today I'm going to talk abit about my little gardening venture. Some time ago, a dear sister of mine gave me 5 little pots of beautiful orchids, flowering, blossoming. Forgive my english errors. Anyway, ever since I took hold of the orchids, the flowering all stopped. Infact the orchids look like shrivelling each day.

How to plant or grow orchids in your garden or home?

I made sure I provided little shady sun light, enough water.. but still the condition was bad. I called my fren and she said, "You didn't talk to the orchids enough."

Oh ya? Believe it or not, I was desperate enough to talk to the orchids daily. When they did not respond to my coax.. i decided to cek for more info on orchid planting.

Eventually I found another key to sustainable living for orchids - they need light, water and air!!! Not just normal air, air with GOOD VENTILATION! Oh.. suddenly all my memories of orchids gathered and made sense to me - that's why people HANG their orchids! Because they needed ventilation!

Well, supposing this is the key I missed, we shall see my orchids producing flowers soon. Hmmm.. as you can see in the picture, this is day one. I'll keep you updated when I see the first flower.

Till then, gardening is fun!

Key to Effective management/organization

Learn this from DHL - the key to effective management/ organization. I know it's not the same subject here. but i'm talking about principles. ;-)

Get less middlemen, less paper work then you'll get more speed and total control. And your happy clients will definitely pay you cash.

Good keys to successful business, maybe? '=)

Through a Rapist's Eyes (No Joke) defense kung fu

Through a Rapist's Eyes (No Joke)

When this was sent to me, I was told to forward it to my lady friends, but I forwarded it to most everyone in my address book. My men friends have female friends and this Information is too important to miss someone.

Please pass it along and share it with your children.

A group of rapists and date rapists in prison were interviewed on what they look for in a potential victim and here are some interesting facts :

1) The first thing men look for in a potential victim is hairstyle. They are most likely to go after a woman with a ponytail, bun, braid or other hairstyle that can easily be grabbed . They are also likely to go after a woman with long hair . Women with short hair are not common targets.

2) The second thing men look for is clothing. They will look for women who's clothing is easy to remove quickly. Many of them carry scissors around specifically to cut clothing.

3) They also look for women on their cell phone, searching through their purse, or doing other activities while walking because they are off-guard and can be easily overpowered.

4) Men are most likely to attack & rape in the early morning, between 5:00a.m. and 8:30a.m.

5) The number one place women are abducted from/attacked is grocery store parking lots. The number two : office parking lots/garages. Number three : public restrooms.

6) The thing about these men is that they are looking to grab a woman and quickly move her to another location where they don't have to worry about getting caught..

7) Only 2% said they carried weapons because rape carries a 3-5 year sentence but rape with a weapon is 15-20 years.

8) If you put up any kind of a fight at all, they get discouraged because it only takes a minute or two for them to realize that going after you isn't worth it because it will be time-consuming.

9) These men said they would not pick on women who have umbrellas, or other similar objects that can be used from a distance, in their hands

Keys are NOT a deterrent because you have to get really close to the attacker to use them as a weapon. So, the idea is to convince these guys you're not worth it.

10) Several defense mechanisms he taught us are : If someone is following behind you on a street or in a garage or with you in an elevator or stairwell, look them in the face and ask them a question, like what time is it?, or make general small talk : 'I can't believe it is so cold out here,' 'We're in for a bad winter.' Now you've seen their face and could identify them in a line-up; you lose appeal as a target.

11) If someone is coming toward you, hold out your hands in front of you and yell STOP! or STAY BACK! Most of the rapists this man talked to said they'd leave a woman alone if she yelled or showed that she would not be afraid to fight back. Again, they are looking for an EASY target.

13) If someone grabs you, you can't beat them with strength but you can by outsmarting them. If you are grabbed around the waist from behind, pinch the attacker either under the Arm (between the elbow and armpit) OR in the upper inner thigh VERY VERY HARD. One woman in a class this guy taught told him she used the underarm pinch on a guy who was trying to date rape her and was so upset she broke through the skin and tore out muscle strands - the guy needed stitches. Try pinching yourself in those places as hard as you can stand it - it hurts.

14) After the initial hit, always GO for the GROIN. I know from a particularly unfortunate experience that if you slap a guy's parts it is extremely painful. You might think that you'll anger the guy and make him want to hurt you more, but the thing these rapists told our instructor is that they want a woman who will not cause a lot of trouble. Start causing trouble and he's out of there.

15) When the guy puts his hands up to you, grab his first two fingers and bend them back as far as possible with as much pressure pushing down on them as possible. The instructor did it to me without using much pressure, and I ended up on my knees and both knuckles cracked audibly.

16) Of course the things we always hear still apply. Always be aware of your surroundings, take someone with you if you can and if you see any odd behavior, don't dismiss it, go with your instincts!!!

You may feel a little silly at the time, but you'd feel much worse if the guy really was trouble.

1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do : The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough to use it, do!

2. Learned this from a tourist guide in New Orleans : If a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM. Toss it away from you....chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or purse than you, and he will go for the wallet/purse. RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!

3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car, kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy. The driver won't see you, but everybody else will. This has saved lives.

4.. Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping, eating, working, etc, and just sit (doing their checkbook, or making a list, etc.) DON'T DO THIS! The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side, put a gun to your head, and tell you where to go. AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR, LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE.

a. If someone is in the car with a gun to your head DO NOT DRIVE OFF, repeat : DO NOT DRIVE OFF! Instead gun the engine and speed into anything, wrecking the car. Your Air Bag will save you. If the person is in the back seat they will get the worst of it. As soon as the car crashes bail out and run. It is better than having them find your body in a remote location.

5. A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot or parking garage:

A.) Be aware: look around you, look into your car, at the passenger side floor, and in the back seat.

B.) If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars.

C.) Look at the car parked on the driver's side of your vehicle, and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out.

IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)

6. ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. (Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot. This is especially true at NIGHT!)

7. If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times.. And even then, it most likely WILL NOTbe a vital organ. RUN, preferably in a zigzag pattern!

8. As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP! It may get you raped or killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well-educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked 'for help' into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim.

9.. Another Safety Point: Someone just told me that her friend heard a crying baby on her porch the night before last, and she called the police because it was late and she thought it was weird. The police told her 'Whatever you do, DO NOT open the door.'

The lady then said that it sounded like the baby had crawled near a window, and she was worried that it would crawl to the street and get run over. The policeman said, 'We already have a unit on the way, whatever you do, DO NOT open the door.' He told her that they think a serial killer has a baby's cry recorded and uses it to coax women out of their homes thinking that someone dropped off a baby. He said they have not verified it, but have had several calls by women saying that they hear baby's cries outside their doors when they're home alone at night.

Please pass this on and DO NOT open the door for a crying baby --- This should be taken seriously because the Crying Baby theory was mentioned on America's Most Wanted this past Saturday when they profiled the serial killer in Louisiana .

I'd like you to forward this to all the women you know. It may save a life. A candle is not dimmed by lighting another candle. I was going to send this to the ladies only, but guys, if you love your mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, etc., you may want to pass it onto them, as well.