Todd Stowell Online

Today I am very bummed out. I received a call that my beloved cat Nectar tested positive for Heartworm. Kate is in the process of getting ready and taking a taxi to bring her back to the vet for a false positive re-test, but it's a very down day for me.

So yeah.. a little depressing today to find out that Nectar, my 5 year old adopted kitty may have heartworm, which in cats is very difficult to treat. For those of you who aren't familiar with heartworm, here is a sample of what it is and how serious it is.

When it comes to heartworm disease, dogs and cats have a lot in common. But new research shows that in cats there is the potential for more severe reactions and even sudden death. Indoor cats are also at risk for heartworm disease.

Cases of heartworm disease in cats have been reported across the United States and many other countries. Heartworm disease is most common in areas where dogs are also at risk.

What are the signs?
The most common signs of heartworm disease in cats - coughing , vomiting, breathing difficulties, weight loss, and lethargy - are often mistaken for other conditions such as asthma, pneumonia and digestive problems. In fact, most common clinical signs of heartworm disease in cats resembles bronchial asthma.

Prevention
Once a cat is diagnosed with heartworm disease, managing the disease can be difficult. Treatment, as well as non-treatment, is very risky, because there's currently no approved product for treating adult heartworms, and the onset of clinical signs is impossible to predict in cats that are left untreated. Even if the disease is treated, your cat may experience severe complications or even death when the worms die. Prevention is the best medicine. Ask your veterinarian about heartworm disease prevention for your cat. It will help give your feline friend the best chance for a long and healthy life.

So, Kate is off to take her back to the Vet so they can make sure that the test is indeed positive, and then we will see what options there are. Truly depressing....

Labels: cat, kitty, nectar

For the first time in a while, Kate and I were able to venture out into the public scene and take in some of Americas's best song writing. Case in point... Ellis Paul. I've been a fan of his music for a few years now, which I guess says a lot based upon my vast array for music. I stumbled upon his music during a summertime filming of Me, Myself & Irene in Vermont. I had the distinct pleasure of watching filming in several locations including Colchester and downtown Burlington.

The production company was playing the music so the actors and stand-ins could follow along with the theme of the music, and the song happened to be by Ellis Paul.

Fast forward a few years later, as part of the Loud Canvas Media "Give Back To The Community" program, we were within inches of hiring Ellis to play the Barre Opera House, and with the hopes of donating any additional door money back into continued restoration of the facility.

The stars did not align for solid event dates, but this past week, I was finally able to see the perfection in person. All be it under the weather, the show was magnificent. Some explanations of the written songs I have grown to love and enjoy brought about a whole new experience for me.

We arrived at the show early so we could eat. I picked up Kate from the Vienna, VA metro station near my office. We stopped in and had the privilege of watching Ellis warm up and do a proper sound check.

Jammin' Java seats about 100 people.. 150 if you want to get crowded. We all squeezed into a sold out event and watched one of the best shows I have seen in person in a long time. It takes a certain level of comfort to perform on stage, and doing it solo with two guitars and a piano made it even more of an enriching experience.

I recommend that anyone who has the opportunity, see Ellis in person. For tour dates, you can go to www.ellispaul.com

Labels: Ellis Paul, Jammin Java

It is true, I finally have something to point at and laugh regarding Vermont hippies. The Phish movement I never really understood. As a side note, I did sell this man his daughter's first bike.. maybe he should have been riding that instead of driving.....

WHITEHALL -- Former Phish frontman Trey Anastasio was arrested by village police early this morning and charged with DWI-drugs after they stopped his car for failure to keep right.

Ernest Anastasio was stopped at 3:30 a.m. by Patrolman Andrew Mija who said the musician was observed to be under the influence of a narcotic substance after failing field testing, Patrolman Jeff Whalen said this morning.

Anastasio lives in Vermont, which is just over the border from this Washington County community. Whalen said he had a suspended driver's license in New York and allegedly was found with an assortment of prescription medications including hydrocodone, Percocet and Xanax, which were prescribed for another person.

Anastasio was charged with third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation, seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and DWI - drugs, Whalen said. He was released from custody with appearance tickets for a later date.

Anastasio, who is pursuing a solo career since Phish broke up, is scheduled to appear at the Palace Theatre in Albany on Dec. 29.

In an interview with the Times Union last year, Anastasio discussed the role drugs played in the band's final years, and in his decision to call for its end.

While fatigue was generally seen as the culprit, few fans were willing to chalk it up to anything more than artistic torpor or mundane road-weariness after the band's breakup announcement in May 2004.

"I thought it went without saying how deep into our scene hard drugs had gone," said Anastasio in the November 2005 interview. He resisted getting into the specifics of who was doing what, and how much.

"That's why I was surprised at people saying, `How could you do this?' How could I not do this? What's the alternative here? I always thought our scene was so transparent, that everybody knew everything. That's why it was hard to hear the anger and frustration from Phish fans," he said.

"I just want to say to them: I love Phish, too. But because of what was happening to Phish and happening to me, the decisions came from a place of love and respect for the same thing that you all loved and respected. That same light was going out pretty damned fast."

"We got through the '80s and '90s without encountering hard drugs which is pretty miraculous considering what those eras were like and it is a testament to the guys in the band, in how intent we were from keeping those type of drugs away."

"Once we let our guard down around 1998, the scene started to eat itself and there was a massive loss of perspective. ... The whole thing was being crushed under its own weight. The germ of the thing that feeling between the four of us is still there, but we were getting unhealthy and tired," he said.

The band went on hiatus in the fall of 2000, and didn't return to the road until the end of 2002. "We came back and it was even worse," Anastasio said.

The summer 2004 tour ended with the band's weekend-long August farewell on farmland outside of Coventry, Vt.

Labels: Hippies, vermont