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TIPS
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(Posted 2/2/2010)
Poisons in Your Kitchen
Recalled dog food isn’t the only food hazard in your home. Here are some other foods that may put your dog’s health at serious risk.
1. Chocolate. Dark chocolate is the most dangerous, but to be on the safe side, keep ALL chocolate away from your dog. Even 2 ounces can cause serious problems in a small dog. The culprit is Theobromine, a stimulant similar to caffeine that can affect the heart and central nervous system. Symptoms: diarrhea, vomiting, rapid heartbeat and muscle trembling. Can be fatal.
2. Moldy or spoiled foods. If you wouldn’t eat it, don’t give it to your dogs either. Even a small amount of moldy cheese can interfere with a dog’s nervous system functions. Symptoms: vomiting, seizures and trembling. Can be fatal.
3. Onions, cooked or uncooked. The problem chemical is n-propyl disulfide, which breaks down red blood cells and prevents them from carrying oxygen through the body. Symptoms: blood in urine, weakness, rapid breathing, fast heart rate.
4. Salt. It changes how the body holds fluids. Excessive amounts can cause swelling of the brain. Symptoms: tremors and seizures, possibly fatal.
5. Raisins or grapes. Pets have become sick from half an ounce of raisins or a handful of grapes. Doctors still aren’t sure why, but grapes and raisins CAN cause kidney failure in 48 hours. Symptoms: vomiting.
6. Sugar-free gum and candy. The problem is Xylitol, a common sugar-free sweetener that causes a sudden drop in blood sugar. Symptoms: weakness, seizures, liver failure and sometimes death.
Maybe you wouldn’t give these things to your dog....but you do put them in your garbage can. Dogs are frequently poisoned by digging through the garbage can. Make sure the lid is on…tight!
(Posted 2/2/2010)
Hydrogen Peroxide Can Save Your Dog’s Life
A while back one of my Day Care dogs was doing “sleep over” at my house and got himself into a little trouble. I had forgotten that he was a notorious “counter surfer” and while I was out of the room, he jumped up on the dresser and ate a bag of Dove Milk Chocolate.
I grabbed the bottle of hydrogen peroxide and dragged him outside to the back yard. I took the cap off the bottle, pulled his lower lip away from the corner of his mouth, and poured a couple of ounces of H2O2 into that big pocket in the corner of his mouth. Then I just stood there with him and waited. Within a few minutes he was salivating heavily and turning a little “green.” He hunched up a bit and promptly vomited up a large glob of Dove Chocolate, wrappers and all. I spent the next hour watching him and checking his vital signs, the color of his gums and his overall demeanor. He was fine.
When his mom and dad returned, I reported the incident. Their response, “Oh he’s done that before. Was it dark or milk chocolate?”
Morale of the story: always have a bottle of hydrogen peroxide available and have your vet and poison control’s number near your phone. And watch out for “counter surfers” around your Dove Chocolate, especially when it is your last bag.
(Posted 1/1/2010)
Twelve Bad-Weather Boredom Relievers
By Jan Manning
Neither you nor your dog particularly wants to go outside for walks when it’s frigid, messy and wet. Yet your dog is like a pressure cooker who need to let off steam through exercise. While there’s no substitute for a good romp in the great outdoors, here are some things to help exercise your dog mentally as well as physically, indoors during the winter downtime.
1. Teach your dog to dance. Any dog can learn the moves of the new sport known as canine freestyle. Check out this website for on-line classes, seminars and instruction.
http://www.musicaldogsport.org/Learn_Freestyle/index.htm
2. Play hide-and-seek. Put your dog in a STAY. Tiptoe off to another corner of the house, go behind a door, go into a closet, or behind a couch. Now, gleefully call your dog and silently stand there waiting for him to sniff you out. When he finds you, have a big whoop-de-doo party. Repeat
3. Play “Find the Kong.” Stuff a Kong with an extra-good treat. Show it to your dog. Put him in a sit-stay while you walk away from him to “hide” the Kong. RETURN to your dog’s side. Get him excited, but make him maintain the sit-stay until you excitedly say, “Find it!” Don’t make it too difficult to find the first few times you do this…place it just a few yards away, around a corner and almost in sight for the first few attempts.
4. Teach your dog some new (or old) tricks. Hi-five, roll over, crawl, whisper, talk, sing.
5. Get a book on clicker training (yes, I actually said that.) Mind you, you need an OBEDIENT and WELL-MANNERED dog BEFORE you start clicker training. These clicker devices are only for teaching “trick behaviors,” not mindset behaviors. In other words, if you want to teach your dog to get a can of beer out of the frig and bring it to you, try a clicker. Do not use the clicker, however, to try to teach respect and good manners. It doesn’t work with kids either.
6. Practice canine massage. A good therapeutic rubdown feels good ANYTIME, and will help your dog calm down. Massage releases energy just like exercise, because you’re working muscles, stimulating blood flow and moving toxins out of the system. Check out:
http://www.petmassage.com/
7. Treat your dog to Doggy Daycare. You’ll find several in every major city these days. A day of safe romping with other dogs will absolutely wear him out. Lots of dogs fall asleep in the car on the way home from doggy daycare, and most crash for the night as soon as they hit their beds.
8. Schedule a grooming or vet check. Why wait until the good weather has you outside playing and too busy for these health maintenance checks. A visit to the grooming shop or vet’s office tends to tire dogs because of the mental stimulation and excitement.
9. Sign up for a training class. It’s easier for many people to stay motivated if they’re working in a group. If you REALLY want to improve your dog’s manners, or teach him a new activity like Rally Obedience or Agility, get into a group class. Between sessions, you’ll feel motivated to practice so you and your dog can show off your improvement to classmates from week to week.
10. Play fetch in the hallway at home. If your dog’s the playful type, he’d just as soon chase a ball inside as outside. Look for some soft toys that won’t chip the drywall or break the knickknacks if you deliver a wild pitch.
11. Get treat-dispensing toys to keep your dog busy. Treatsie Balls, Buster Cube and other high-impact plastic toys can be loaded with kibble. They’re like “puzzles” for your dog, because each time he bumps them or rolls them, food drops out. A treat-dispensing toy like this will keep your dog occupied for half an hour at a time, and he’ll be getting exercise as he chases it around the floor. Check out some of these here: http://www.kingwholesale.com/shopping/itemlist.cfm?id=5898
12. Last but not least…suck it up. Put on some warm clothes, some good boots, put a coat on your dog if he needs one, and GET OUTSIDE FOR A WALK. You’ll be amazed how good you feel and how quickly the “Ooh it’s cold and yucky!” feeling will leave you. It takes about two minutes. Besides, think how good that cup of hot chocolate (and biscuit for your dog) will taste when you get back inside.
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