[Gpdd] RESCUE-Abuse trial part1

[rzm.2 at juno.com]

UNTD-UBE:-1

 
  
Hi all. Ok sorry but this is really long. I had a bunch of stuff I wanted to 
post but can;t remember. Oh well. Anyway at the end of this I'm going to post my 
letter I wrote to Judge Hennessy. I'm kind of nervous that it may be too long 
and not polite enough. I looked over it a coulpe times though and just did not 
feel there was anything I could leave out. I noticed on the newspaper article 
that it said Rohland spoke to the court thru a sign language interpreter, Not 
that it makes any difference, but I assume this means he's deaf? I just didn't 
know that. Makes no difference. Anyway I was wondering since I live about 15-20 
minutes from the MD border, I was thinking about e-mailing our local Humane 
League and ORCA to see if anyone there would be interested in writing the judge 
a letter. Does anyone think this is a good or bad idea? Just a thought. I don't 
know if it's a good idea or not. Anyway any feedback would be appreciated. Sorry 
this is too long!To Judge W. Louis Hennessy,
   I am writing in reference to the case of  Richard  L. Rohland.  I am a member 
of  several
guinea pig clubs and organizations, have been certified as a veterinary 
technician
specializing in small animals, and  I must say I am appalled by your ruling in 
this case. 
   Guinea pigs are creatures that require alot of special care. First of all, 
they need access
to clean water 24 hours a day. They can quickly become dehydrated, which does 
not take
long to lead to death. He is quoted as saying “he usually provided the animals 
with water
every night”. “Usually” is unacceptable. They must have water everyday! 
Sometimes more
then once a day.  They have special vitamin requirements, as they cannot make 
their own
vitamin c. They must be provided a vitamin c supplement and also be provided 
vitamin c in
their diets everyday, just like us humans.  A deficiency in this vitamin can 
result in a
painful disease called scurvy.  If he cannot provide water on a regular basis, 
I’m quite sure
he’s not concerned with vitamin c content. As far as food goes, if he even 
bothered to feed
them, pellets must be provided twice a day for nourishment, and to wear down 
teeth.
Timothy hay is an absolute necessity that must be provided in abundance. Hay 
helps to
keep their delicate digestive system working properly, and also is a must to 
keep teeth
worn down. When teeth are not worn properly this leads to a condition called
maloclussion. Maloclussion is when the teeth are not aligned correctly due to 
poor
breeding or improper diet, both of which are a problem in this case. 
Maloclussion makes it
impossible for the guinea pigs to eat, and will cause starvation if not treated 
immediately.
Housing must include an area of no smaller then 7&1/2 sq.ft. for 1 guinea pig or 
10&1/2
sq.ft. for 2.  Witnesses state some of the housing was too small for 1 guinea 
pig, let alone
more. A solid bottom on the house must be provided. Wire bottoms cause 
pododermatitis.
This is an extremely painful condition causing sores and lesions on the pads of 
the feet.
Once a guinea pig has developed pododermatitis it is very hard to heal. The pads 
of the
feet have to be soaked everyday as treatment for this disease. Witnesses state 
“ALL of the
cages have wire bottoms. Many guinea pigs have broken legs and blisters on their 
feet”. 
Bedding must be kept clean and kept up every day. Dirty bedding causes an 
excessive
build up of ammonia from urine. This ammonia is harmful to the guinea pigs and 
to people
if it is breathed in on a regular basis. That would be the “strong odor” they 
spoke of in the
affidavit. Witnesses state the guinea pigs all had respiratory issues. This was 
because they
were living in filth!  Once they had fresh air the could breathe again!  As for 
the defense’s
statement that guinea pigs get impacted because “they eat their own feces and 
the muscles
get weak”, that is untrue. Guinea pigs, and some other animals, do something 
called
coprophagy. Coprophagy is the act of eating feces. Guinea pigs stools consist of 
hard, dry
pellets and also soft, moist pellets. The moist pellets consist of recyclable 
nutrients and B
vitamins. This is an essential part of how the guinea pig gets the nutrition it 
needs. It is
part of their design and is a perfectly normal and essential thing for them to 
do. Impaction
is when fecal material blocks the anal opening and stools cannot pass. It  is 
caused by
insufficient water intake, dehydration, heat, intestinal obstructions, 
parasitism from living
in unsanitary conditions, or illness. Coprophagy has nothing at all to do with 
impaction.
They are 2 completely different subjects. As for the other maintenance important 
to guinea
pigs, such as trimming nails, cleaning ears and bathing them,  I think it’s 
pretty obvious he
couldn’t bother with that stuff either.
 



***JAIME***