Help Margaret’s Cantina Support Families Living with Parkinson’s Disease

What are the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease?

The four key motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease are rest tremor on one side of the body, muscle rigidity or stiffness of the limbs and trunk, slowness of movement (“bradykinesia”) and postural instability (impaired balance and coordination). Other common symptoms include sleep disturbances, loss of smell, anxiety and/or depression, difficulty with fine motor movements like buttoning, constipation, and changes in ability to multitask, organize and plan. But Parkinson’s looks very different for every person! If you are concerned about Parkinson’s, seek consultation with a neurologist.

What is Parkinson’s disease?

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is caused by the deterioration of neurons in the brain that produce dopamine, an essential neurotransmitter that controls smooth, coordinated muscle function. Over 1 million American are affected by PD, including an estimated 20-30,000 people in North Carolina. The average age of diagnosis is 60-65, but 10% of people with PD are diagnosed before the age of 50. There is no cure, but there is a variety of effective treatments, including medication, surgery, rehabilitative therapies and exercise. It has its challenges, but with the right care and adaptations, PD does not stop you from living a meaningful life!

Help Margaret’s Cantina support the Orange County Animal Services’ Community Spay/Neuter Program

Please click Animal Services Contribution to see what you have helped us give to Orange County Animal Services

Please print the donation voucher(s) appropriate for your needs.

Download a single voucher
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Every year, millions of animals end up in shelters across the country because there are not enough loving homes for them all. Adoption programs alone cannot fully solve the problem of pet overpopulation. The solution has to begin at the root issue- it has to begin with spay/neuter.
Orange County Animal Services has developed an award-winning spay/neuter program that addresses pet overpopulation on a variety of levels and aims to reduce the number of animals entering the sheltering system to begin with. By reducing intake numbers, helping people sterilize the animals they already have, and educating pet owners and advocates on the benefits of spay/neuter, we can help end the need for euthanasia as a means of population control.

Why is Spay/Neuter so important??

If you’ve ever heard the terms “no-kill” and “kill” shelter, you already know that spay/neuter is important, even if you don’t know why. The notion of “no-kill” is misleading and often misunderstood, since it most often refers to a Limited-Admission Shelter. Limited-Admission Shelters are often nonprofits, take in selected animals, and only accept animals when they have open kennel space. This leaves nowhere for the remaining homeless animals to go. Open-Admission Shelters like Orange Co. Animal Services, on the other hand, accept animals from the public regardless of capacity. Most Open-Admission Shelters are run by or contracted out through local government and most areas have one. They often aren’t able to turn animals away, so when space is full, they must rely on other means to make space. While some have the resources for foster programs and other creative initiatives, this space often comes in the form of euthanasia- especially in shelters that have tiny budgets and only a handful of staff to do everything needed.
When you work to spay and neuter pets before they can flood the community, you can directly impact how many animals are euthanized each year. By educating on the importance of spay/neuter and focusing resources on programs, like Orange County’s, that assist with spay/neuter, you help all shelters (limited and open-admission) reduce the numbers of unwanted pets in a society so that those remaining have the space and time to find great homes!
For more information contact us at 919-942-7387 or email us at sfallin@orangecountync.gov.
Check us out online at http://www.orangecountync.gov/departments/animalservices/.