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Seven rules for running a local government that all councils should keep in mind
15:03 Jul 25 2019 Times Read: 1,027
I DIDNT WRITE THIS, IT COMES FROM THE HERALD SUN, ONE OF THE MANY DAILY NEWSPAPERS I SUBSCRIBE TO.
Local councils are routinely criticised for being bureaucratic sinkholes in which the left hand doesn’t even know what the left hand is doing.
A more charitable assessment is that they are efficient, silent servants of the public who happen to reap endless riches from parking fines.
Here are seven rules for running a local government that all councils should keep in mind.
CONSULT AT YOUR PERIL
Just as the Dingley Bypass is named that way because it doesn’t go through Dingley, a consultation process is named that way because it should have as little consultation as possible.
The true aim should be to invite feedback on council plans while giving as little information as possible about the plans themselves.
Be like a whisper of wind on a mountaintop.
Bland flyers on the local library notice board. Small, hidden ads in the local paper. A section on the website hidden so deep it would take James Cameron in a submarine to find it.
Instead of saying “We’re building an ugly, multi-level car park”, say “We’re streamlining vehicle storage.”
Instead of saying “This huge apartment building will cast a shadow over your yard”, say “We’re inviting new, diverse residents to the area.”
By the time shovels are in the ground, nobody will know what’s going on, but your perfectly legit consultation process will be long over.
SPEND EITHER NOTHING OR TOO MUCH
If you’re going to spend ratepayers’ money on infrastructure or services, there should be no gap at all between spending nothing for an extended period and suddenly spending way too much.
Is that toilet block in the park a run-down, disease-spawning hive of drug use and immortality?
Better spend nothing on it for 15 years until residents threaten arson against the council chambers unless something is done.
Then spend $3 million on a minimalist, architect-designed, impractical artistic statement that nobody will use.
Similarly, at Christmas, either spend nothing on decorations and alienate Christian ratepayers, or dump a couple of hundred grand on flimsy tinsel.
There should be nothing between a total lack of funding and far too much funding.
REMEMBER IT’S NOT YOUR MONEY
When you need new ideas about waste management or drainage, you could visit other councils in Melbourne or any of the countless others interstate.
But it’s not your money, remember. So go to Zurich.
They might have plenty of ideas for dog parks in NSW, but there’s nothing like springtime in Paris to focus your thoughts on your ratepayers’ needs.
When claiming ludicrous expenses, remember that you’re high profile enough to be elected but low profile enough for nobody to be looking when you rort public funds.
It’s as if a junior football player has been given the sponsorship of an AFL star.
If it’s not your money, naturally you’re not going to miss it when it’s gone.
BUILD A WEBSITE THAT YOU YOURSELF CANNOT NAVIGATE
An ancient myth tells of the prodigal architect Daedalus who built the labyrinth, a vast maze-like structure so complex that even he could barely escape it.
Daedalus went on to forge a successful career as a web development consultant for local councils.
Once you enter a council website, you are either encouraged to quit immediately and abandon the information you were seeking, or delve into the complex, interlinked, confusing and maddening tunnels of government html.
In this world, as the Red Queen from Alice and Wonderland would say, you have to run as fast as you can just to stand still.
The mythical labyrinth of Daedalus has nothing on council websites.
The mythical labyrinth of Daedalus has nothing on council websites.
CHARGE PEOPLE FOR LIVING
In developing countries it is common for residents to make private payments to local officials for favourable treatment or to speed up bureaucracy.
There it’s called a bribe. In Melbourne it’s known as a council permit.
Want to cut down that tree on land you’ve already paid for? It’ll cost you.
Want to build a new fence exactly the same as the one you took down? Better show us some John Monash or we’re not playing ball.
The trick is to find the friction point at which it’s easier for the resident to pay the permit and forget about it rather than kick up a real stink.
They’ll probably pay for a permit to re-seal their driveway, but they might not cop a bill for mowing their lawn.
That’s not to say lawn mowing permits shouldn’t be considered because there’s probably a neat environmental excuse to charge them for that as well.
LEAD DISSIDENTS ON ENDLESS FORM CHASES
If a resident wants to lodge a complaint, reverse a decision, appeal a fine or otherwise bother the council, make them run on a treadmill that never ends.
The phrase “It’s an easy process” should precede an run-around of printing and completing forms, dealing with several different council staff who each claim somebody else should be handling it, waiting for someone to get back from holiday and explaining the same problem again and again.
It should be easier to shift Flinders St Station two metres to the left than get a council to do something it doesn’t want to do.
A pothole should take a year to fix and a fine should take a second to issue.
A pothole should take a year to fix and a fine should take a second to issue.
BE INEFFICIENT IN EVERYTHING BUT FINE COLLECTION
It should be expected that a council officer will take seven working days to make contact about an urgent query.
If the footpath out the front of your house is cracked and people are routinely tripping over and going to hospital, better put the kettle on because the council might be a while.
But stay one minute longer than you should in a two-hour zone and you’re cooked.
Matched only by the East German secret police and the eye at the top of the tower in Lord of the Rings, it would probably take five years of Olympic-level training to get this efficient at issuing fines.
Of course, if you don’t pay on time, there’s no sympathy.
I DIDNT WRITE THIS , IT CAME FROM THE HERALD SUN ONE OF THE MANY DIGITAL NEWSPAPERS I SUBSCRIBE TO.
What do city mayors do with their day? Mitchell Toy takes a guess
Between trying to find a solution to climate change and travelling on overseas jaunts, Melbourne’s mayors have a lot on their plate. Mitchell Toy imagines what council mayors do with their days.
Mitchell Toy, Herald Sun
Subscriber only
|
July 3, 2019 8:30am
Bins — so they’re getting smaller. Get over it.
Bins — so they’re getting smaller. Get over it.
After revelations Melbourne councils spend a huge chunk of ratepayers’ money on administration, we’re left wondering what the average mayor does all day.
Here’s what we imagine they might get up to.
10.30am — Roll up at chambers. Quick meeting about pressing issues. Soap dispenser’s empty in men’s room and biscuits have run out in kitchenette. Tell Jude to only get Monte Carlo from now on, none of this arrowroot garbage. She says too expensive. Fine. I’ll get them myself and whack it on the card.
11am — Meeting with ratepayers about potholes. Apparently numerous and deep. Someone lost a dog down there. Do my best to explain that council has better things to do. Very close to fixing global warming and can’t divert resources. Explain they should stop driving cars. I think everyone now agrees it’s ratepayers’ fault. Nothing to do with council. Grab a Boost on way back to office and whack it on the card.
11.45am — Quick coffee meeting with the CEO. He whacks it on his card. Gets me to sign a bunch of papers. Glad he looks after the complicated stuff. Staff numbers increasing by 25 per cent. Must be lots going on! Says there’s been some pushback from ratepayers on latest multi-faith unisex toilet block and wetlands. I ask how much it’s costing and he won’t say. I joke we should whack it on the card! He laughs nervously and has to leave early.
12.15pm — Lunch. Great local restaurant where the old gold chain discount is still observed. Top stuff. Great salmon. Joined by Anita and Trent from comms. They talk a lot. Both reckon I’m the best mayor they’ve ever seen. Kicking goals. We have a good laugh about consultation process for huge new apartment block. “More like NO consultation!” says Trent. What a great guy. I whack lunch on the card. I usually order a couple of extra bottles to take home but other tables are already watching us because we are being a bit loud so I leave it.
1.30pm — Pop into IGA to get the Monte Carlos and some Berocca. Whack on card. Footpaths are a disgrace around here. Cracked and dangerous. They don’t have footpaths like that in Frankfurt, I bet. CEO says I get to go to Frankfurt to talk with other important people about climate and gender. Safe footpaths here I come! Whenever I come back from overseas the council staff seems to have gotten bigger, though. Might be imagining it.
The garbage road surfaces in my municipal area and, inset, Frankfurt where I don’t have to bump into angry ratepayers.
The garbage road surfaces in my municipal area and, inset, Frankfurt where I don’t have to bump into angry ratepayers.
2.15pm — Gown up for visit to local nursing home where a lady is turning 100. Boring as. Cop some heat from staff about lack of disability parking. Tell them bikes are better anyway. Get conned into buying raffle tickets. Cash only and can’t whack on card. Not even a receipt. These people are monsters. Make up for it by going back to chambers and watching Chernobyl on my phone for an hour in a locked meeting room. How about those idiots in charge at Chernobyl. I should have been in charge.
3.45pm — Front an info session about new bins. Lots of angry ratepayers saying their bins keep getting smaller. Tell them cutbacks necessary because CEO says new Refugee Welcome Hub won’t pay for itself. One guy asks how many refugees there are in local area. I say we’re probably still waiting on the refugees but doesn’t hurt to be tolerant anyway. Only $3M. Just throw less stuff in the bin.
4.15pm — Interview with local paper. Lots of exciting stuff happening. Tell journo to ask CEO about it because I can’t think of anything off the top of my head. Journo wants to know why Freedom of Information requests keep getting knocked back. Accuses me of fostering culture of secrecy. I joke that if I have no idea what the council staff are doing, she has no chance of finding out either. Doesn’t go down well. I insist it was off the record but she might print it. Trent will sort it out.
4.40pm — Sneak out early to put some bets on. Think about whacking it on the card but decide to do the right thing and claim beers only. A few shots for the ragamuffins at the bar too, why not. Chat to the bar lass about Chernobyl. She says it reminds her of council. I think she means councillors make huge sacrifices to clean up everyone else’s radioactive mess. She must mean that.
Being mayor is like being the cool scientist from Chernobyl only they’re dealing with radiation and I’m dealing with dog waste by-laws.
6.30pm — Stop by 7-11 to get a pack of gum. Put on my personal card. Got to look after ratepayers, after all.
7.15pm — Home for some more Chernobyl. Can’t remember whether my Deliveroo account is connected to council card or not. Whatever. If Jude gets angry with me again I’ll know! Curry tonight.
10.30pm — Wake up after nodding off in front of TV. Now I can’t remember where I’m up to in Chernobyl. Field a few emails from ratepayers. Always so hateful! Email from Trent says he’s fixed that thing with the journo but “will cost a pound of flesh”. Stop being dramatic, Trent. Put Monte Carlos by the front door so I remember to take them in the morning before turning in.
I DIDNT WRITE THIS IT COMES FROM THE HERALD SUN ONE OF THE MANY DIGITAL NEWSPAPERS I SUBSCRIBE TO.
The best Melbourne-themed insults and slurs
Melburnians — cursed by random weather and a dodgy transport network — are always looking for cutting new ways to lump their disappointment on someone annoying. Here are some Melbourne-themed insults to hurl at your enemies.
Mitchell Toy, Herald Sun
Subscriber only
|
July 25, 2019 8:30am
Use a Melbourne-themed put down to direct your scorn at an enemy.
Use a Melbourne-themed put down to direct your scorn at an enemy.
There are insults.
And then there are these Melbourne insults.
If you want to cut a local deep commit these to memory and roll out at your next party.
Insults for a very Melbourne conversation
1. If your brain were a myki it would be in negative balance.
2. Your jokes are like the Parliament Station escalators: never-ending and hurtful.
3. I’d rather get stuck in the Loop than stuck in a conversation with you.
4. You’re about as popular as Starbucks.
5. I miss you about as much as Connex.
6. You’re like a bus replacement: unexpected and aggravating.
7. Like the windows at Myer, I’d prefer to only see you once a year.
8.You are graffiti masquerading as art
9. I talk to you like I drive on the West Gate: because I have to.
10. Go and hang out in the safe injecting room. That’s where pricks belong.
11. If you were hard rubbish, I wouldn’t nick you.
12. You’re as tiresome as Chadstone during school holidays.
13. I wish you’d be like a level crossing. Removed.
14. I’ve seen better dress sense at Savers.
15. You’re cheaper than the middle aisle at Aldi.
16. You’re like Sizzler. Much better as a memory.
17. You’re slower than Australia Post.
18. I avoid you like the Batman Avenue tollway.
19. You’re like the Supper Inn. I can only deal with you when I’m drunk.
20. If being stupid were a crime you wouldn’t even get parole.
21. Send my regards to your family at Werribee Open Range Zoo.
22. To make you laugh at Flinders St I’d need to tell you a joke at Caulfield.
23. You’re as reliable as the BoM.
24. You can ruin a day faster then the Montague bridge.
25. You should go vegan to avoid eating anything smarter than you.
26. It’s OK you’re an anti-vaxxer. There’s no vaccine for stupidity anyway.
27. Your skull contains less meat than a Four N Twenty.
28. You’re so dumb you could run for council.
29. You work about as often as the desal plant.
30. You’re wrong more often than the train timetable.
31. You’re like Punt Rd traffic. We’ve been trying to get rid of you for decades.
32. Your brain has fewer available cells than the remand centre.
33. While they’re replacing all the cladding, maybe they can do you too.
34. You’re harder to understand than a Sichuan menu.
35.it would be horrible if you fell in the Yarra river, it would be even
wose if someone pulled you out.
36. If you seek true belonging, stand in the gutter on bin night and wait.
37. You’re like the NBN. Underperforming and now in my area.
38. You’re like a quarter-hour parking spot. Dangerous and two metres wide.
39. You take longer getting to the point than the Sky Bus.
I DIDNT WRITE THIS ARTICLE IT COMES FROM THE HERALD SUN ,ONE OF THE MANY DIGITAL NEWSPAPERS I SUBSCRIBE TO.
Ho-ho-hopeless thief gets stuck in Central Australia chimney
CHRISTMAS came early for a man in a remote Northern Territory roadhouse, after he was rescued from a chimney he found himself stuck in during an attempted break and enter.
By MATT GARRICK, NT News
October 11, 2014 10:22am
Ho-ho-hopeless thief rescued from roadhouse chimney
CHRISTMAS came early for a man in a remote Territory roadhouse yesterday, after he was rescued from a chimney he found himself stuck in during an attempted break and enter.
Staff at the remote Mount Ebenezer Roadhouse arrived at work early yesterday morning to discover the man calling for help from their fireplace.
Half-naked, the man had allegedly tried to clamber down the chute some time in the middle of the night to gain entry into the business.
Unfortunately for him he was cut short, and remained trapped in the stonework until a fire and rescue crew were able to drive up from Yulara community, 188km away, and break him free.
Roadhouse all-rounder Kevin ‘Chevy’ Carter arrived at 7am to open the roadhouse, when he heard the voice yelling for help.
“It scared the sh*t out of me,” Mr Carter said.
He called emergency services in Yulara and offered the man a bite to eat.
“You could see his hand so I passed him up a sausage roll and a bottle of water, and I asked him, ‘how you gonna pay for that, with cash or card?’
“A couple minutes later a wrapper and an empty bottle came down.”
Mr Carter said some of the roadhouse locals had a bit of a laugh after the man was cut loose.
“Some dickh*ad shouted out, ‘where’s me new bike for Christmas, Santa’?”
Retail Operations Manager at the roadhouse Sean Akers said the firies had had to make a “fairly substantial hole” to free the man.
The man was removed and taken to the Imanpa Health Clinic with a few grazes. Police said they would speak to the man regarding the incident once he was well enough.
I DIDNT WRITE THIS ARTICLE, IT COMES FROMTE HERALD SUN. ONE OF THE MANY DIGITAL NEWSPAPERS I SUBSCRIBE TO.
Dumb and dumber of Australian crime
News Corp Australia Network
July 24, 2019 6:00pm
Subscriber only
From a suspected thief stuck in a chimney to an alleged drug dealer undone by an hilarious selfie, there’s no doubt Australia has had its fair share of dopey delinquents.
Here are some of the best (or should that be worst).
Bird-brained theft
They woke, heads pounding after a beach party vodka binge, with no memory of the night before or explanation for the fairy penguin in their apartment.
But when tourists Rhys Owen Jones and Keri Mules checked their phones the crazy truth dawned, as videos revealed them swimming with dolphins and playing with penguins after breaking into Sea World on the Gold Coast.
Crazy night: Penguin prank has ruined my life, says Jones
The contrite Welshmen faced court in 2012, admitting trespass, stealing and unlawfully keeping a protected animal, with their lawyer saying they’d “tried their incompetent best” to care for the stolen penguin.
They fed it bread and put it in the shower to stay cool, before releasing it into the wild, unaware the Gold Coast Broadwater was “full of bull sharks”.
Dirk the Fairy Penguin safely back at Sea World. Picture: Luke Marsden
Dirk the Fairy Penguin safely back at Sea World. Picture: Luke Marsden
Luckily, Dirk the penguin was found by a member of the public and quickly settled back home with his girlfriend Peaches, according to Sea World staff.
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Must-see new two-part crime investigation exposing the double life of corrupt ‘Lawyer X’. Watch on Sky News
The tourists also got lucky, escaping with a fine and no conviction, after the magistrate highlighted the “absolute stupidity” of their drunken actions. “You could have found yourselves in a morgue if you’d gone into the wrong enclosure,’’ he said.
True Crime Australia: Bikies the ‘dumb bastards’ of Aussie crime gangs
Giant paddle pop theft: Pair dragged 60kg ‘ice lolly’ into boat
Bungling bank robbers
They were dubbed Dumb and Dumber from Down Under.
Byron Bay teens Luke Carroll and Anthony Prince were jailed in the US in 2005 after admitting a bumbling bank robbery in a small Colorado ski town.
Australian Luke Carroll points his gun in a hold-up at the WestStar Bank in Vail ski village near Denver. File picture
Australian Luke Carroll points his gun in a hold-up at the WestStar Bank in Vail ski village near Denver. File picture
The masked pair, who were regular customers at the bank, were recognised by terrified staff because of their Aussie accents and also forgot to take off the name tags from the store where they worked.
After escaping with more than $170,000 they also stopped at a Denver McDonald’s and snapped photos of themselves in the toilet in “gangsta” poses with the loot and air pistols they’d used in the raid. Evidence police happily seized following a quick arrest.
Anthony Prince: Dumb and dumber robber on life in US prison
When they faced court, Carroll’s lawyer, Daniel Smith, called the robbery “a crime of infinite stupidity’’ and “the saddest case’’ he had been involved with in 33 years.
Both teens told the court they were ashamed of their actions. “I will never pull a stunt like this again,” said Carroll. “No amount of money is worth the embarrassment and shame I have caused.”
Slippery customer
When snakes went missing from a reptile display at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, police were quickly on the culprit’s tail.
Matthew Gatt might have thought he’d successfully slipped away from the scene of the crime but he’d left one damning piece of evidence behind — he’d been photographed with the snakes.
Gatt pleaded guilty to theft and possessing protected wildlife without a licence in March this year, but suggested in court the pythons had slithered into his hoodie without his knowledge.
The court heard he’d been recognised by another exhibitor from the photo taken by Snakebusters’ owner Raymond Hoser and on being called returned one snake he said he’d found in his car. The second was recovered after a police raid on his home.
Snakebusters’ Raymond Hoser called Gatt’s far-fetched story “crap” in court.
Hearing Gatt’s explanation, magistrate Denise Livingstone said: “Sounds like he is mocking me.”
Fining him $8000, she added: “We can’t have people stealing snakes. It’s an amazingly stupid thing to do.”
Conman sinks himself
Lex Adams was extradited from the Northern Territory to face justice in Queensland. File picture
Lex Adams was extradited from the Northern Territory to face justice in Queensland. File picture
Lex Adams pocketed almost $60,000 in crisis money after saying his boat had washed away in the devastating 2011 floods in Queensland.
Unfortunately for him, the real story was published in a sailing magazine — in an article he’d written himself.
Protesting his innocence: ‘Dumbest criminal’ now asking for surgery funds
In 2014, Adams was jailed for fraud and making false declarations over his rorting of the Queensland Premier’s Disaster Relief Appeal and other emergency funds.
Coverage of what really happened to Lex Adams’ boat in the Cruising Helmsman. File picture
The uninsured boat he’d lived on had actually been destroyed five months before the floods, when he grounded it on a sandbar in rough weather in far north Queensland.
Even as he was applying for flood assistance, Adams’ first-person account of how he really lost the boat was published in Cruising Helmsman and promoted on the front page as: “’The day my life changed forever’ — battler loses everything to sandbar.”
In the article, he wrote: “The boat was uninsured and a total loss. I don’t know what I am going to do now … That’s life, I suppose. Just keep trying and keep your dreams in sight!”
Title fight
Jake Kevin Watts, 23, pleaded guilty to drugs and weapons charges in the Supreme Court of Rockhampton. Picture: Facebook
Jake Kevin Watts, 23, pleaded guilty to drugs and weapons charges in the Supreme Court of Rockhampton. Picture: Facebook
Newspaper reports dubbed Adams Queensland’s dumbest criminal, but the Sunshine State has two more recent claimants to the title.
Jake Kevin Watts is a strong contender after reporting to police as part of bail conditions with a car full of drugs, guns and ammo.
Watts, who didn’t even have licence, had tried to hide his illegal driving by hiding his car keys outside the Rockhampton police station before he went in, a court heard in 2017.
But a passer-by saw what he’d done, retrieved the keys and reported his actions to police, who then searched the vehicle.
Jailing Watts on drugs and weapons charges, which he admitted, Justice Duncan McMeekin said: “It’s almost comical how he was arrested if it wasn’t so serious.”
Kian Talty left his birth certificate and other identifying items at a house he broke into. Picture: Facebook
This year, Cairns man Kian Talty made his bid for the title, after breaking into a home and trying to steal a car but running off after being confronted by the resident.
In his haste he dropped a backpack containing his birth certificate, tax documents, a court charge sheet for another matter and a mobile phone featuring multiple selfies.
“It was extremely brazen conduct and incredibly stupid in my submission,” police prosecutor Natalie Keys said when he appeared in court, immediately pleading guilty.
His solicitor Brydie Bilic said the offence was “clearly not particularly well planned or premeditated”, adding: “These are extremely early (guilty) pleas — perhaps not surprisingly in light of the facts.”
Listeria infection is a foodborne bacterial illness that can be very serious for pregnant women and people with impaired immune systems. Listeria infection is most commonly contracted by eating improperly processed deli meats and unpasteurized milk products.
Healthy people rarely become ill from listeria infection, but the disease can be fatal to unborn babies and newborns. People who have weakened immune systems also are at higher risk of life-threatening complications. Prompt antibiotic treatment can help curb the effects of listeria infection.
Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission.
Listeria bacteria can survive refrigeration and even freezing. That's why people who are at higher risk of serious infections should avoid eating the types of food most likely to contain listeria bacteria.
Symptoms
If you develop a listeria infection, you may experience:
Fever
Muscle aches
Nausea
Diarrhea
Symptoms may begin a few days after you've eaten contaminated food, but it may take as long as 30 days or more before the first signs and symptoms of infection begin.
If the listeria infection spreads to your nervous system, signs and symptoms may include:
Headache
Stiff neck
Confusion or changes in alertness
Loss of balance
Convulsions
Symptoms during pregnancy and for newborns
During pregnancy, a listeria infection is likely to cause only mild signs and symptoms in the mother. The consequences for the baby, however, may be devastating. The baby may die unexpectedly before birth or experience a life-threatening infection within the first few days after birth.
As in adults, the signs and symptoms of a listeria infection in a newborn can be subtle, but may include:
Little interest in feeding
Irritability
Fever
Vomiting
When to see a doctor
If you've eaten a food that's been recalled because of a listeria outbreak, pay close attention to any possible signs or symptoms of illness. If you experience fever, muscle aches, nausea or diarrhea, contact your doctor. The same goes for illness after eating a potentially contaminated product, such as foods made with unpasteurized milk or poorly heated hot dogs or deli meats.
If you experience a high fever, severe headache, stiff neck, confusion or sensitivity to light, seek emergency care. These signs and symptoms may indicate bacterial meningitis, a life-threatening complication of a listeria infection.
Causes
Listeria bacteria can be found in soil, water and animal feces. Humans typically are infected by consuming:
Raw vegetables that have been contaminated from the soil or from contaminated manure used as fertilizer
Contaminated animal meat
Unpasteurized milk or foods made with unpasteurized milk
Certain processed foods — such as soft cheeses, hot dogs and deli meats that have been contaminated after processing
Unborn babies can contract a listeria infection from the mother via the placenta.
Risk factors
Pregnant women and people who have weak immune systems are at highest risk of contracting a listeria infection.
Pregnant women and their babies
Pregnant women are significantly more susceptible to listeria infections than are other healthy adults. Although a listeria infection may cause only a mild illness in the mother, consequences for the baby may include:
Miscarriage
Stillbirth
Premature birth
A potentially fatal infection after birth
People who have weak immune systems
This category includes people who:
Are older than 60
Have AIDS
Are undergoing chemotherapy
Have diabetes or kidney disease
Take high-dose prednisone or certain rheumatoid arthritis drugs
Take medications to block rejection of a transplanted organ
Complications
Most listeria infections are so mild they may go unnoticed. However, in some cases, a listeria infection can lead to life-threatening complications — including:
A generalized blood infection (septicemia)
Inflammation of the membranes and fluid surrounding the brain (meningitis)
Complications of a listeria infection may be most severe for an unborn baby. Early in pregnancy, a listeria infection may lead to miscarriage. Later in pregnancy, a listeria infection may lead to stillbirth, premature birth or a potentially fatal infection in the baby after birth — even if the mother becomes only mildly ill.
Prevention
To prevent a listeria infection, follow simple food safety guidelines:
Keep things clean. Wash your hands thoroughly with warm, soapy water before and after handling or preparing food. After cooking, use hot, soapy water to wash the utensils, cutting board and other food preparation surfaces.
Scrub raw vegetables. Clean raw vegetables with a scrub brush or vegetable brush under plenty of running water.
Cook your food thoroughly. Use a food thermometer to make sure your meat, poultry and egg dishes are cooked to a safe temperature.
Precautions for people particularly at risk
If you're at risk of a listeria infection — you're pregnant or you have a weak immune system — you may want to be particularly cautious about listeria. Take additional precautions with these types of foods:
Soft cheeses and Mexican-style cheeses. Don't eat soft cheeses such as feta, Brie, Camembert, blue cheese or Mexican-style cheeses such as queso blanco and queso fresco, unless it's clear from the packaging that the product was made using pasteurized milk.
Hot dogs, luncheon meats and deli meats. Avoid hot dogs, luncheon meats and deli meats, unless they're reheated until steaming hot. Keep fluid from hot dog packages away from other foods, utensils and food preparation surfaces. Wash your hands after handling hot dogs, luncheon meats or deli meats.
Meat spreads. Don't eat refrigerated pates or meat spreads. Canned or shelf-stable pates and meat spreads are acceptable.
Refrigerated smoked seafood. Don't eat refrigerated smoked seafood. Such products may be labeled as nova style, lox, kippered or jerky. One exception is if you're using these products in a casserole or other cooked dish. Canned or shelf-stable smoked seafood is acceptable.
Diagnosis
A blood test is often the most effective way to determine whether you have a listeria infection. In some cases, samples of urine or spinal fluid may be tested as well.
More Information
Urinalysis
Treatment
Treatment of listeria infection varies, depending on the severity of the signs and symptoms. Most people with mild symptoms require no treatment. More-serious infections can be treated with antibiotics.
During pregnancy, prompt antibiotic treatment may help keep the infection from affecting the baby. Newborns who have a listeria infection may receive a combination of antibiotics.
Preparing for your appointment
If you have eaten food that has been recalled because of listeria contamination, see a doctor only if you are experiencing signs and symptoms of a listeria infection.
What you can do
Before the appointment, you might want to write a list that answers the following questions:
What are your symptoms and when did they start?
Are you pregnant? If so, how far along are you?
Are you being treated for any other medical conditions?
What medications and supplements do you take?
You might also want to write a food diary, listing all the foods you've eaten each day for as far back as you can reliably remember. If foods that you've eaten have been implicated in a recall, also bring this information to your provider.
What to expect from your doctor
To help with diagnosis, your doctor may ask if you've recently consumed:
Soft cheeses, such as Brie, Camembert, feta, queso blanco or queso fresco
Raw milk or cheeses made of raw (unpasteurized) milk
Processed meats, such as hot dogs or cold cuts
Any foods that have been implicated in a recent food recall
JUST A QUICK NOTE TO THANK MY SON FOR ASSISTING ME WITH INSTALLING MY NEW LAPTOP SPEAKERS KEYBOARD AND MY SPEAKERS MY AMPLIFIRER AND ALL THE OTHER THINGS, I NEEDED DONE ON MY APPLE LAPTOP. I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR HELP NOT JUST WITH MY LAPTOP , BUT ALSO WITH ALL THE OTHER THIGNS YOU HELP ME WITH. ETERNAL LOVE MOM.
HOW TO STAY SAFE AT MAJOR EVENTS LIKE CONCERTS SPORTING EVENTS ETC
13:44 Jul 15 2019 Times Read: 1,101
I DIDNT WRITE THIS ARTICLE IT CAME FROM THE HERALD SUN, ONE OF THE MANY DIGITAL NEWSPAPERS I SUBSCRIBE TO.
The national survey shows almost half of Aussies are seriously concerned about a criminal attack such as terrorism.
Of the 1049 survey respondents, 43 per cent feared a criminal attack might harm attendees or they might be targeted on the way to an event.
Equally Australians feared their credit card details might be swiped from their smartphones if they use public wi-fi at an event.
Unisys says the fears have resulted in Aussies adopting a new attitude ahead of choosing what events to attend.
Three out of ten Aussies admitted they thought twice about attending major events such as the NRL/AFL grand finals and mega-concerts such as Elton John’s and Metallica’s later this year.
Nineteen per cent of Australians said they had either cancelled or changed their plans to attend a large event due to security fears.
Unisys Asia Pacific vice president Rick Mayhew said it was important to note that Australians were still attending events but they were taking greater precautions.
“At the time of purchase they take these considerations into concern. I don’t see it impacting ticket sales,” he said.
Mr Mayhew said media coverage of terrorism across the world has had a sweeping effect on Australia’s attitude to events here.
The country has been fortunate to have been spared a wide-scale terror event at a music event or concert, but global reports of the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing during Ariana Grande’s concert, the 2015 Bataclan attacks in Paris during the Eagles of Death Metal show and the Las Vegas shooting during the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival appears to be fresh in punters’ minds when deciding what events to attend here.
“This reflects ongoing reports of terror plots in Australia targeting places where crowds congregate such Melbourne’s CBD at Christmas and ANZAC DAY services in Australia and Gallipoli, as well attacks overseas — particularly in the UK,” the survey findings concluded.
Sydney, Melbourne and Darwin have all endured acts of terrorism in the past decade.
Interestingly Tasmanians were least concerned about national security, while Northern Territorians held the biggest fears about it with 59 per cent saying it was on their mind.
Mr Mayhew said this was likely because of the NT’s proximity to Asia which has endured multiple terror attacks in the past decade.
The survey also points to Australia’s increasing fears around cyber security.
While almost half of respondents said their security concerns did not impact their plans to attend a large event, 23 per cent took extra precaution to secure their mobile phones and wallets and 17 per cent kept on guard for suspicious or threatening behaviour.
The top three security concerns for Aussies all related to data theft. More than half said they were seriously concerned about unauthorised access to their personal data (57 per cent), bank card fraud (56 per cent) and computer hacking or viruses (54 per cent).
“For many Australians, the high concern about data security is based on experience. Nearly a third (29 per cent) report they have suffered a data breach in the last year. The most common forms being email hacking, suspicious behaviour in their bank account and credit card details stolen,” the survey concluded.
Mr Mayhew said the fear of identity theft was heightened at large-scale events due to the availability of wi-fi hot spots. He stressed it was important to combat this by updating devices to the latest operating system and security patching ahead of the event and only using secured wi-fi which requires authentication.
Splendour organisers and ANZ stadium were asked for comment about the report but neither responded.
TIPS TO STAY SAFE AT EVENTS
1. Only buy event tickets from official channels or websites you trust. Make sure the website you’re using to buy tickets shows the secure padlock icon in the browser and the address begins “https://”. If ticket prices look too good to be true, they probably are.
2. Sign up for any travel or news alerts provided or recommended by the event organisers to receive updates on traffic or news of any potential disturbances on event day.
3. If you’re going to a crowded event alone, let someone know. Make sure your friends or family know where you’re going, when you plan to arrive and when you’re expected to return.
4. Travel light. Leave the valuables at home. Take just the essentials — in your pockets if possible.
5. As soon as you get to the event, survey your surroundings. Make sure you know where the exits are and agree on a meeting place with your friends in case you should get separated from your group. Know where information points are so you can speak to someone if you need to.
6. Update your mobile device and avoid unsecured wi-fi networks. Make sure your phone is updated with the latest software, so it’s as secure as it can be. And only use password protected wi-fi. Unprotected wi-fi networks could give hackers access to personal or financial data on your phone.
7. Don’t make electronic transactions with unofficial event vendors. Be careful with your contactless cards or making mobile transactions, particularly outside event venues.
Unscrupulous traders could be gathering your financial data to use or sell to other criminals.
8. Be vigilant for suspicious activity at an event. Don’t be afraid to report something you think is unusual, such as unattended baggage or people behaving in a suspicious or threatening way.
9. Keep your phone charged in case of emergencies. If possible, take a battery charger pack with you to ensure your phone is always available when you need it.
10. In an emergency, stay calm and move to the edges of crowds. Try to leave the area quickly and calmly. If you need to, get away from the incident quickly, hide yourself if need be, call triple-0 when you can, and then let your family know you are safe.
Advice from Salvatore Sinno, global chief security architect at Unisys.
I DIDNT WRITE THIS IS COMES FROM A WEBSITE CALLED
WWW.CHECKPOINT.COM
“Agent Smith”: The New Virus to Hit Mobile Devices
In the Wachowski Brothers’ classic Matrix trilogy, “Agent Smith” famously describes the human race as a species that multiplies until every resource is consumed. In reality, it is the “Agent Smith” of the mobile malware world that is the real virus – and is spreading at alarming rates.
Check Point Researchers recently discovered a new variant of mobile malware that has quietly infected around 25 million devices, while the user remains completely unaware. Disguised as a Google related application, the core part of the malware exploits various known Android vulnerabilities and automatically replaces installed apps on the device with malicious versions without the user’s interaction.
So far, the primary victims are based in India though other Asian countries such as Pakistan and Bangladesh are also impacted, as are even a noticeable number of devices in the UK, Australia and the US.
Dubbed “Agent Smith”, the malware currently uses its broad access to the device’s resources to show fraudulent ads for financial gain. This activity resembles previous campaigns such as Gooligan, Hummingbad and CopyCat malware and can infect all smartphones updated beyond even Android v.7.
In this case, “Agent Smith” is being used to for financial gain through the use of malicious advertisements. However, it could easily be used for far more intrusive and harmful purposes such as banking credential theft and eavesdropping. Indeed, due to its ability to hide its icon from the launcher and impersonate existing user-trusted popular apps, there are endless possibilities for this sort of malware to harm a user’s device.
What Does “Agent Smith” Do?
“Agent Smith” has primarily three phases in its attack flow.
In the first phase, the attacker lures users to download a dropper application from an app store such as 9Apps. These droppers are usually disguised as free games, utility applications or adult entertainment applications, yet contain an encrypted malicious payload. The dropper application then checks if any popular applications, such apps include WhatsApp, MXplayer, ShareIt and more from the attacker’s pre-determined list, are installed on the device. If any targeted application is found, “Agent Smith” will then attack those innocent applications at a later stage.
In the second phase, after the dropper gains a foothold on victim device, it automatically decrypts the malicious payload into its original form – an APK (Android installation file) file which serves as the core part of “Agent Smith’s attack. The dropper then abuses several known system vulnerabilities to install the core malware without any user interaction at all.
In the third phase, the core malware conducts attacks against each installed application on device which appears on its target list. The core malware quietly extracts a given innocent application’s APK file, patches it with extra malicious modules and finally abuses a further set of system vulnerabilities to silently swap the innocent version with a malicious one.
Diagram: “Agent Smith”’s Attack Flow
Lessons Learned
As “Agent Smith” was originally downloaded from the widely used third party app store, 9Apps, targeted mostly at Indian (Hindi), Arabic, Russian, Indonesian speaking users, it is not be surprising that it reached such a high infection rate. After all, third party app stores often lack the security measures required to block adware loaded apps.
With such a devious infection method of replacing existing device apps with the malicious version of those apps, users are reminded that apps should only be downloaded from trusted app stores to mitigate the risk of infection.
Given “Agent Smith’s main approach is to attack user installed applications from third party app stores silently, it is very challenging for common Android users to fight against such threats. Having an advanced threat prevention solution such as SandBlast Mobile installed on the device, though, would have detected and blocked the malicious version of these apps from being installed, while alerting the user to the suspicious attempted activity.
Within the mobile threat landscape the best protection against invasive mobile malware attacks like “Agent Smith” is to leverage advanced threat prevention technologies, powered by advanced threat intelligence, combined with a ‘hygiene first’ approach to protecting your organization’s digital assets.
SandBlast Mobile’s unique security infrastructure, On-device Network Protection, delivers threat prevention capabilities to enterprise mobile devices that were previously only available in network and endpoint security solutions. By inspecting and controlling all network traffic on the device, SandBlast Mobile prevents phishing attacks across all apps, email, SMS, iMessage and messaging apps. In addition, the solution prevents accessing malicious or restricted websites, and infected devices from accessing corporate resources and communicating with botnets. To ensure data and user privacy, SandBlast Mobile validates cellular traffic on the device itself without routing data through a corporate gateway.
For full technical details about “Agent Smith”, please visit Check Point Research.
To learn more about how you can protect yourself from mobile malware, please check out SandBlast Mobile.
If you have been infected by apps such as those described in “Agent Smith”, or otherwise, please follow these steps to remove the malicious apps.
For Android:
Go to Settings Menu
Click on Apps or Application Manager
Scroll to the suspected app and uninstall it.
If it can’t be found then remove all recently installed apps.
For iPhone:
Go to Settings Menu
Scroll to ‘Safari’
On the list of options, ensure that ‘block pop-ups’ is selected.
Then go to ‘Advanced’ -> ‘Website Data’.
For any unrecognized sites listed, delete this site.
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a condition characterized by a gradual loss of kidney function over time. To read more about kidney function, see How Your Kidneys Work. CKD is also known as chronic renal disease.
What is Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)?
The Facts About Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)
What Causes CKD?
What Are the Symptoms of CKD?
Learn about Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR)
What is chronic kidney disease (CKD)?
Chronic kidney disease includes conditions that damage your kidneys and decrease their ability to keep you healthy by doing the jobs listed. If kidney disease gets worse, wastes can build to high levels in your blood and make you feel sick. You may develop complications like high blood pressure, anemia (low blood count), weak bones, poor nutritional health and nerve damage. Also, kidney disease increases your risk of having heart and blood vessel disease. These problems may happen slowly over a long period of time. Chronic kidney disease may be caused by diabetes, high blood pressure and other disorders. Early detection and treatment can often keep chronic kidney disease from getting worse. When kidney disease progresses, it may eventually lead to kidney failure, which requires dialysis or a kidney transplant to maintain life.
The Facts About Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)
30 million American adults have CKD and millions of others are at increased risk.
Early detection can help prevent the progression of kidney disease to kidney failure.
Heart disease is the major cause of death for all people with CKD.
Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is the best estimate of kidney function.
Hypertension causes CKD and CKD causes hypertension.
Persistent proteinuria (protein in the urine) means CKD is present.
High risk groups include those with diabetes, hypertension and family history of kidney failure.
African Americans, Hispanics, Pacific Islanders, American Indians and Seniors are at increased risk.
Two simple tests can detect CKD: blood pressure, urine albumin and serum creatinine.
What causes CKD?
The two main causes of chronic kidney disease are diabetes and high blood pressure, which are responsible for up to two-thirds of the cases. Diabetes happens when your blood sugar is too high, causing damage to many organs in your body, including the kidneys and heart, as well as blood vessels, nerves and eyes. High blood pressure, or hypertension, occurs when the pressure of your blood against the walls of your blood vessels increases. If uncontrolled, or poorly controlled, high blood pressure can be a leading cause of heart attacks, strokes and chronic kidney disease. Also, chronic kidney disease can cause high blood pressure.
Other conditions that affect the kidneys are:
Glomerulonephritis, a group of diseases that cause inflammation and damage to the kidney's filtering units. These disorders are the third most common type of kidney disease.
Inherited diseases, such as polycystic kidney disease, which causes large cysts to form in the kidneys and damage the surrounding tissue.
Malformations that occur as a baby develops in its mother's womb. For example, a narrowing may occur that prevents normal outflow of urine and causes urine to flow back up to the kidney. This causes infections and may damage the kidneys.
Lupus and other diseases that affect the body's immune system.
Obstructions caused by problems like kidney stones, tumors or an enlarged prostate gland in men.
Repeated urinary infections.
What are the symptoms of CKD?
Most people may not have any severe symptoms until their kidney disease is advanced. However, you may notice that you:
feel more tired and have less energy
have trouble concentrating
have a poor appetite
have trouble sleeping
have muscle cramping at night
have swollen feet and ankles
have puffiness around your eyes, especially in the morning
have dry, itchy skin
need to urinate more often, especially at night.
Anyone can get chronic kidney disease at any age. However, some people are more likely than others to develop kidney disease. You may have an increased risk for kidney disease if you:
have diabetes
have high blood pressure
have a family history of kidney failure
are older
belong to a population group that has a high rate of diabetes or high blood pressure, such as African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian, Pacific Islanders, and American Indians.
Learn more About Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR)
GFR—glomerular filtration rate is the best test to measure your level of kidney function and determine your stage of kidney disease. Your doctor can calculate it from the results of your blood creatinine test, your age, race, gender and other factors.
The earlier kidney disease is detected, the better the chance of slowing or stopping its progression.
What happens if my test results show I may have chronic kidney disease?
Your doctor will want to pinpoint your diagnosis and check your kidney function to help plan your treatment. The doctor may do the following:
Calculate your Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR), which is the best way to tell how much kidney function you have. You do not need to have another test to know your GFR. Your doctor can calculate it from your blood creatinine, your age, race, gender and other factors. Your GFR tells your doctor your stage of kidney disease and helps the doctor plan your treatment.
Perform an ultrasound or CT scan to get a picture of your kidneys and urinary tract. This tells your doctor whether your kidneys are too large or too small, whether you have a problem like a kidney stone or tumor and whether there are any problems in the structure of your kidneys and urinary tract.
Perform a kidney biopsy, which is done in some cases to check for a specific type of kidney disease, see how much kidney damage has occurred and help plan treatment. To do a biopsy, the doctor removes small pieces of kidney tissue and looks at them under a microscope.
Your doctor may also ask you to see a kidney specialist who will consult on your case and help manage your care.
Diagnostic tests such as MRIs, CT scans and angiograms are routinely used because they provide important information about many diseases or injuries and can help in diagnosis and treatment. In many cases, the use of a contrast dye is necessary to enhance these tests, but sometimes these dyes can either lead to kidney problems, or cause problems in patients with kidney disease. There are two rare but serious disorders associated with contrast dyes and the kidneys: contrast induced nephropathy (CIN) and nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF).
What is Contrast Induced Nephropathy (CIN)?
CIN is a rare disorder and occurs when kidney problems are caused by the use of certain contrast dyes. In most cases contrast dyes used in tests, such as CT (computerized tomography) and angiograms, have no reported problems. About 2 percent of people receiving dyes can develop CIN. However, the risk for CIN can increase for people with diabetes, a history of heart and blood diseases, and chronic kidney disease (CKD). For example, the risk of CIN in people with advanced CKD (glomerular filtration rate (GFR) below 30 mL/min/1.73m2), increases to 30 to 40 percent. The risk of CIN in people with both CKD and diabetes is 20 to 50 percent.
CIN is associated with a sharp decrease in kidney function over a period of 48-72 hours. The symptoms can be similar to those of kidney disease, which include feeling more tired, poor appetite, swelling in the feet and ankles, puffiness around the eyes, or dry and itchy skin. In many cases, CIN is reversible and people can recover. However, in some cases, CIN can lead to more serious kidney problems and possible heart and blood vessel problems.
What is Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis (NSF)?
NSF is a rare but serious disease affecting skin and other organs that has been found in some patients with advanced CKD after exposure to gadolinium-containing contrast dyes that are used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). NSF appears to affect about 4 percent of patients with advanced CKD. People with acute kidney injury (AKI) are also at higher risk. NSF has not been reported in people with mild kidney damage or normal kidney function.
NSF can be painful, debilitating, or even fatal. Symptoms and signs of NSF can include burning and itching of the skin, red or dark patches on the skin, joint stiffness, or muscle weakness. The disease can develop within 24 hours up to around 3 months.
MRIs are routinely used in patients to visualize internal organs and limbs to help detect and monitor many different diseases or injuries. Contrast dyes are often used during MRI to enhance the images obtained, and these dyes contain an element called gadolinium. In people with CKD, the kidneys are not able to filter out wastes, drugs and toxins the way they normally should. In advanced CKD, the excretion of gadolinium-containing contrast dyes used in MRIs is slower than in people with normal kidney function. This delay in excretion is thought to be one the main reasons why NSF may happen.
How can I reduce my risk for CIN and NSF?
Know your GFR and if you have CKD. If you do not know your GFR, you can ask your doctor or healthcare professional. Your kidney function is estimated by the glomerular filtration rate, or eGFR.
Tell all of your healthcare professionals about your GFR and CKD, especially if a diagnostic test such as a CT scan, MRI or angiogram has been ordered. Talk to the doctor ordering the diagnostic test. You can also ask to talk to the radiologist, radiology technician and nurse.
If you need to have a CT scan, angiogram or MRI:
Ask about your risk for NSF and CIN, based any risk factors you might have:
CIN Risk Factors
NSF Risk Factors
Use of CT scan or angiography with contrast dye, and one or more of the following:
CKD
Diabetes
Heart and blood vessel problems
Older age
Use of MRI with gadolinium -based contrast dye, and one of the following:
AKI
Advanced kidney disease (GFR below 30 mL/min/1.73m2)
Discuss the need for a contrast agent with your healthcare professional.
Ask about alternatives such as a test without contrast, if feasible.
If any of these tests with contrast dyes are necessary, ask about precautions that will be taken, including:
Making sure to follow any instructions before, during or after the procedure, for example drinking fluids so you are not dehydrated.
Asking about avoiding certain contrast dyes because of the risk of developing NSF or CIN.
Allowing sufficient time for elimination of contrast dye before re-administering.
Avoiding repeated or higher doses of contrast dye.
Performing long-term monitoring for CIN or NSF after a diagnostic test.
Know the signs and symptoms of CIN and NSF:
CIN Symptoms
NSF Symptoms
Feeling more tired
Poor appetite
Swelling in the feet and ankles
Puffiness and swelling around the eyes
Dry and itchy skin
Burning, itching, swelling, scaling, hardening and tightening of the skin
Red or dark patches on the skin
Stiffness in joints with trouble moving, bending or straightening the arms, hands, legs or feet
Pain in the hip bones or ribs; or muscle weakness
Contact your healthcare professional immediately if you experience any of these symptoms.
Can NSF and CIN be treated?
There are no proven treatments for NSF and CIN, but symptoms may gradually improve over time. New medications are showing promising results but prevention remains key.
There are benefits to undergoing these procedures. The benefits, however, should outweigh the risks associated with the use of contrast dye. These contrast dyes have helped in the diagnosis and treatment of many patients with various diseases and injuries, so there is also a risk of not doing these procedures.
If you would like more information, please contact us.
10 Signs You May Have Kidney Disease
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More than 30 million American adults are living with kidney disease and most don’t know it. “There are a number of physical signs of kidney disease, but sometimes people attribute them to other conditions. Also, those with kidney disease tend not to experience symptoms until the very late stages, when the kidneys are failing or when there are large amounts of protein in the urine. This is one of the reasons why only 10% of people with chronic kidney disease know that they have it,” says Dr. Joseph Vassalotti, Chief Medical Officer at the National Kidney Foundation.
While the only way to know for sure if you have kidney disease is to get tested, Dr. Vassalotti shares 10 possible signs you may have kidney disease. If you’re at risk for kidney disease due to high blood pressure, diabetes, a family history of kidney failure or if you’re older than age 60, it’s important to get tested annually for kidney disease. Be sure to mention any symptoms you’re experiencing to your healthcare practitioner.
You're more tired, have less energy or are having trouble concentrating. A severe decrease in kidney function can lead to a buildup of toxins and impurities in the blood. This can cause people to feel tired, weak and can make it hard to concentrate.
Another complication of kidney disease is anemia, which can cause weakness and fatigue.
You're having trouble sleeping. When the kidneys aren't filtering properly, toxins stay in the blood rather than leaving the body through the urine. This can make it difficult to sleep. There is also a link between obesity and chronic kidney disease, and sleep apnea is more common in those with chronic kidney disease, compared with the general population.
You have dry and itchy skin. Healthy kidneys do many important jobs. They remove wastes and extra fluid from your body, help make red blood cells, help keep bones strong and work to maintain the right amount of minerals in your blood. Dry and itchy skin can be a sign of the mineral and bone disease that often accompanies advanced kidney disease, when the kidneys are no longer able to keep the right balance of minerals and nutrients in your blood.
You feel the need to urinate more often. If you feel the need to urinate more often, especially at night, this can be a sign of kidney disease. When the kidneys filters are damaged, it can cause an increase in the urge to urinate.
Sometimes this can also be a sign of a urinary infection or enlarged prostate in men.
You see blood in your urine. Healthy kidneys typically keep the blood cells in the body when filtering wastes from the blood to create urine, but when the kidney's filters have been damaged, these blood cells can start to "leak" out into the urine. In addition to signaling kidney disease, blood in the urine can be indicative of tumors, kidney stones or an infection.
Your urine is foamy. Excessive bubbles in the urine – especially those that require you to flush several times before they go away—indicate protein in the urine. This foam may look like the foam you see when scrambling eggs, as the common protein found in urine, albumin, is the same protein that is found in eggs.
You're experiencing persistent puffiness around your eyes. Protein in the urine is an early sign that the kidneys’ filters have been damaged, allowing protein to leak into the urine. This puffiness around your eyes can be due to the fact that your kidneys are leaking a large amount of protein in the urine, rather than keeping it in the body.
Your ankles and feet are swollen. Decreased kidney function can lead to sodium retention, causing swelling in your feet and ankles. Swelling in the lower extremities can also be a sign of heart disease, liver disease and chronic leg vein problems.
You have a poor appetite. This is a very general symptom, but a buildup of toxins resulting from reduced kidney function can be one of the causes.
Your muscles are cramping. Electrolyte imbalances can result from impaired kidney function. For example, low calcium levels and poorly controlled phosphorus may contribute to muscle cramping.
TAKEN FROM WWW.KIDNEY.ORG
I DIDNT WRITE THIS ARTICLE THE ABOVE SITE IS WHERE IT CAN FROM
I DIDNT WRITE THIS IT CAME FROM THE RSPCA WEBPAGE RE GUIDELINEWS FOR FEEDING CATS SAFELY.
What should I feed my cat?
Cats are obligate or true carnivores, meaning that they need a source of animal protein to survive. In the wild, cats eat the carcases of the prey animals they hunt, which consist of raw meat, bones and organs. They also consume a small amount of the vegetable matter contained in the gut of their prey.
Basic cat feeding guide
The following information is general advice, but as each cat is an individual, seek veterinary advice, particularly if your cat has any special dietary needs or has a reaction to a standard diet.
The basis of your cat’s diet should be a high quality balanced premium commercial cat food that is appropriate for their life stage and health status. By reading the label, you can check that it complies with the Australian Standard for the Manufacturing and Marketing of Pet Food AS 5812:2017 [1]. Wet food helps to ensure adequate water intake and dry food is good for oral health. A balance of wet and dry food is preferable, as feeding only dry food may lead to obesity [2]. Never feed puppy or dog food to your cat as it will be deficient in taurine, an essential protein that cats can only obtain through food.
You can also offer some natural foods to provide variety. Natural foods include fresh human-grade raw meat (e.g. pieces of raw lamb or raw chicken) and raw meaty bones. You should check with your vet first that raw meaty bones are suitable for your particular cat (e.g. some cats with misshapen jaws or dental disease or older cats may have difficulty chewing on raw bones). Raw food offered to cats should always be fresh.
We recommend you choose only human-grade raw meat and raw meaty bones because some raw meat products marketed as pet food (pet meat/pet mince/pet rolls and bone products) contain preservatives to keep them looking fresh, but these can be detrimental to the cat’s health. There have been many pet food safety incidents linked to sulphite preservative-induced thiamine (Vitamin B1) deficiency, which can be fatal. You should avoid sausages, sausage meat and cooked manufactured meats as they can also contain sulphite preservatives. Provide some moist foods in the diet regularly as this can help maintain a healthy urinary tract. Examples include wet can food and fresh raw lamb meat.
The amount of food required will depend on your cat’s size, age and level of activity, but you should take care not to overfeed or underfeed. Your vet will be able to weigh your cat, assess your cat’s body condition score and provide advice.
Adult cats tend to prefer eating several smaller meals throughout the day/night, which is how they hunt if they live in the wild. They should ideally be offered food at least 4 to 5 times per day because eating smaller frequent meals has been associated with greater urinary tract health and is consistent with their natural feeding pattern. Providing opportunities for cats to exert effort and search for their food (such as using puzzle feeders and varying the location of feeding) may also prevent obesity [2].
Some cats can be ‘fussy eaters’, which can develop when they are fed the same food (such as raw chicken) over a long period. They can be tempted to eat by slightly warming their food, offering foods that are tasty (due to high levels of protein or fat) or have a strong odour, and by offering variety, including new and different foods.
Please ensure clean fresh drinking water is available at all times but do not provide milk as this can cause gastrointestinal upsets.
Feeding bones
Raw meaty bones provide several important health benefits such as keeping teeth and gums healthy. Suitable raw meaty bones include raw chicken (necks, wings, or drumsticks) and raw lamb shanks. They must always be given raw (uncooked). Never feed your cat cooked bones as these can splinter, causing potentially fatal internal damage or blockage.
Too many raw bones may lead to constipation. Generally, 1 to 2 raw bones may be offered per week with a few days in between each serving. The bone must be large enough so that the cat cannot fit the whole bone into their mouth or swallow the bone whole. Avoid large marrow bones (these have very thick outer rims), large knuckle bones or bones sawn lengthwise as cats may crack their teeth on these.
Always supervise cats when they eat raw bones.
Other foods
Fish, such as tinned sardines in springwater, tinned tuna and tinned salmon (take care with any fish bones) can be offered as a treat occasionally but please avoid feeding fish constantly because this is not a complete diet. Cooked meat such as boiled chicken may also be offered occasionally, but please ensure there are no cooked bones, onions/onion sauces or other toxic substances present (see below).
Cats may also be offered a small amount of finely-cut vegetable matter. It is important to remember that cats are ‘obligate carnivores’, which means they require meat in their diet, so their nutritional needs cannot be met by a vegetarian diet.
Provide cats with access to grass (avoid chemically treated grass and toxic plants). Cats will occasionally eat grass, which may be a source of vegetable matter and micronutrients. Be aware that large amounts of certain types of ‘cat grass’ can cause high levels of vitamin D, which may lead to symptoms of poisoning such as vomiting, weakness, loss of appetite, increased drinking and urination, bloody faeces, weight loss, constipation, internal bleeding, seizures or abdominal pain.
Toxic foods
Do not ever feed the following substances as they are toxic to cats (note this is not a complete list): alcohol, onions, onion powder, garlic, chocolate, coffee or caffeine products, mouldy or spoiled foods or compost, avocado, bread dough, yeast dough, grapes, raisins, sultanas (including in Christmas cakes etc), currants, nuts (including macadamia nuts), fruit stones or ‘pits’ (e.g. mango seeds, apricot stones, avocado stones), fruit seeds, corncobs, tomatoes, mushrooms, cooked bones, small pieces of raw bone, fatty trimmings/fatty foods, salt and roughly-cut vegetables.
Also ensure your pet cat doesn’t have access to string wrappings around rolled roasts or absorbent pads found under meat when wrapped on trays.
References
[1] Australian Standard for the Manufacturing and Marketing of Pet Food AS 5812:2017 https://infostore.saiglobal.com/en-au/standards/as-5812-2017-99333_SAIG_AS_AS_208845/
[2] International Cat Care https://icatcare.org/advice/general-care/keeping-your-cat-healthy/feeding-your-cat-or-kitten
COMMENTS
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