Coralville Courier

Seasonal Dangers for Companion Animals

Holiday Safety for Animals

Lots of strangers knocking and ringing your doorbell in strange costumes at night can be very stressful for your animal and can cause uncharacteristic behaviors. The fantastic smell of a holiday dinner can expose your pet to dangers and you to an emergency veterinary visit. The best place for your pet is in a safe quiet place during the holiday activities.

These precautions will help your pet stay safe:
• Be sure all pets are wearing collars with ID tags should they escape.
• Keep pets indoors away from trick-or-treaters and other Halloween activities
• Hide the candy as it can be harmful to pets. Chocolate is toxic to cats and dogs and ferrets.
• Remember most pets dislike wearing costumes and masks, and they can sustain injuries if their normal movements are hampered.
• Keep lighted candles away from pets reach.
• Hang decorations up high to avoid entanglement or ingestion
• Use fake cobwebs sparingly outdoors as these may pose a threat to small birds and wildlife.
• Keep bones and trash such as turkey bags and cooking string out of reach and out of accessible trash cans. These items can cause dangerous obstructions and punctures to internal organs. Dispose of trash in outdoor trash cans.
• Poinsettia, mistletoe, and holly if ingested by animals can cause vomiting, diarrhea or other toxic reactions.
• Fertilizers added to Christmas tree water can be poisonous to animals.
• Consider non-glass ornaments to avoid cuts from broken glass
• If you have a cat that climbs, consider securing the tree to avoid it being knocked over
• Watch animals that are prone to chewing around stringed lights as they can cause burns and electrocution.
• Tinsel and garlands are very attractive to animals and can cause intestinal issues as well as more sever obstruction.
• Keep gift wrapped presents of food out of reach of animals

Be sure to have your emergency veterinary phone number on hand should an accident occur.

Armed Robbery at MediaCom office

IOWA CITY, IA. -- On 8-08-2009 at 1204 hours the Iowa City Police Department responded to 702 S Gilbert Street (Mediacom) reference an armed robbery. The suspect entered the business, displayed a hand gun and demanded money. The suspect is described as a black male, 5'7" tall, 170 pounds, approximately 30 years of age and was wearing all black clothing. Subject took undetermined amount of cash and left in an unknown direction. The employees were not injured.

Iowa City Area CrimeStoppers is offering a reward of up to $1000 for information leading to the arrest of the suspect. Anyone with information about this crime is urged to contact CrimeStoppers at 358-TIPS (8477). All calls are held in strict confidence and anonymity is guaranteed. Individuals providing information do not have to reveal their identity to collect a reward.

UI arborist, DNR officials advise public to watch for Emerald Ash Borer

An invasive beetle that feeds on and eventually kills ash trees has Iowa officials scouring northeastern Iowa after an Emerald Ash Borer larva was found in a tree at the Osborne Welcome and Nature Center in Clayton County, according to state officials.

Infestation has not been confirmed but could cause substantial damage on the University of Iowa campus, with notable areas of ash trees including the east side of the Main Library and the north and south sides of the Pentacrest, according to UI campus arborist Andy Dahl who works in UI Facilities Management.

"Unfortunately, there is no preventative at this time," Dahl said. "There are injectable and basal insecticides that are effective but are costly, and have to be applied every year or two."

The most recent confirmed Emerald Ash Borer infestation was in Victory, Wis., a town just across the Mississippi river from the northeast Iowa border, in April.

The beetle is emerald green, half an inch long and about a 1/8 inch wide. It kills all ash (Fraxinus) species by larval burrowing under the bark and eating the actively growing (cambium) layers of the trees.

Mark Vitosh, district forester at the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, said the problem is that officials can't identify an infected tree until it begins to show symptoms of infestation.

"We don't have a system to find this critter until it begins attacking trees," he said, noting setting traps has had limited success.

The UI campus has between 700 and 800 ash trees on maintained areas of the campus, roughly 10 percent of the population, Ash trees also make up about 10 percent of Iowa City's public tree population. The state of Iowa has an estimated 88 million ash trees, about 20 percent.

Vitosh said Iowa residents need to be the eyes and ears of the state by calling the DNR when they suspect a tree may be infested. He also emphasized the importance of buying firewood locally.

Dahl said depending on how severe the initial outbreak is, all control strategies are still on the table.

"We need to continue to diversify tree species in our urban forests and have better inspection at points of entry so we aren't dealing with problems similar to Emerald Ash Borer in the future," Dahl said, who works in UI Facilities Management.

Residents should look for die-back, which is dying branches and leaves and woodpecker activity at the top of the tree. Ash trees are characteristic of their opposite branching and compound leaves, usually with more than seven leaflets. Iowa City and UI campuses management have been trying to defend against infestation by no longer planting ash trees and removing distressed or dying ash trees before the problem arises.

"The ash tree will get significantly thinner in the upper canopy for three to five years prior to actual die-back," Dahl said. "There is also increased sprouting at the base of the tree; these are call suckers or watersprouts. Also, with the increase in woodpecker activity, is the 'blonding' of the bark in the upper canopy of the tree, where the bark wears away from all the woodpecker activity, another good way to identify the Emerald Ash Borer."

Vitosh added that there are steps people can take to help curb the spread of Emerald Ash Borer.

"It is key that people do not bring firewood from other states into Iowa. That is the number one spreader of the pest," Vitosh said.

The beetle, native to China, Japan and Korea, was first discovered in North America in Michigan in the summer of 2002. It has since spread to 10 other states and Canada.

Officials from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Iowa State University Extension Office, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, USDA Animal Plant Health Inspection Service, and the USDA Forest Service have created the Iowa Emerald Ash Borer Team to educate the public about the risks of the beetle and how to prevent its destruction. Their efforts are directed at businesses that sell firewood and people that would transport firewood across state lines.

For more information contact Dahl at 319-335-5107 or visit http://www.iowatreepests.com or http://www.emeraldashborer.info.

Garden Plots Available

IOWA CITY, IA. -- Garden plots will be available this growing season through the Iowa City Parks and Recreation Department. The garden plots are at Wetherby Park located at the south end of Taylor Drive. You may lease your plot beginning Monday, April 6, at 7:30 a.m. at the Robert A. Lee Community Recreation Center, 220 S. Gilbert Street. Each garden plot is approximately 10' x 50', and will be tilled when weather permits. The rental fee is $19 each for residents/$24 each for non-residents, and only one plot per person may be leased.

All registration is on a first-come basis and must be done in person at the Robert A. Lee Community Recreation Center. For further information call 356-5210.

ApplianceZone: The Online Appliance Parts and Accessories Superstore

CORYDON, IN. -- ApplianceZone sells thousands of appliance parts and accessories online at the absolute lowest prices. They will beat any competitors advertised price.

Jim Allen has started four companies in the appliance industry beginning in 1992 at the age of twenty-three. Appliance Repair Specialists was his first company and his foundation for future companies to come. In 2006 Jim wanted to move into the world of online e-commerce as he knew there was a huge potential for growth. In August of 2006 Appliance Parts Specialists was launched and was an immediate success! It wasn\'t long before Jim began working on an improved version of Appliance Parts Specialists, plans were under way to launch a more customer oriented and easy to use website for customers to come and find what they were looking for quickly, make their purchase, and get their parts in a short amount of time, and for the least expensive cost, this led to the creation of Appliance Zone. With the start-up of Appliance Zone in October 2008, it is expected to achieve sales of over $8 million in 2009 and doubling that in 2010, Jim believes the simple recipe to success is; offer your customers the best service possible mixed with the best price possible and you can\'t go wrong! Jim acknowledges that many new challenges await Appliance Zone in the coming years but is quite confident with his customer service team, and internet technology specialists that Appliance Zone will become the number #1 choice for consumers when it comes to repairing their own appliances At Appliance Zone you\'re covered with our Best Price Guarantee on all of our products. If you find a lower price than ours on the Internet, we will make every effort to beat the competitor\'s price. See store for details. Because of our buying power we are able to negotiate better pricing from the manufacturers and distributors, therefore we can pass the savings on to you! Our newest addition to Appliance Zone, our competitors hate it, but I guarantee you will love it! Check prices among other websites, if you find a lower price, just simply contact our products team and we will lower the price to beat our competitor\'s price. See ApplianceZone.com for details.

So, if you don\'t want to pay the big bucks to have someone come and fix your appliance, and you want the cheapest parts anywhere on the internet, give www.ApplianceZone.com a try.

ApplianceZone was started in 2008 by Jim Allen. Jim believes in putting the customers satisfaction above all else and that includes offering the best prices found anywhere.

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