Many bones splinter into pieces causing serious problems…such as chicken bones. Bones which shatter can possibly perforate the stomach or intestines…or can clog or inflame the rectum. Knuckle bones, properly prepared, can help keep the teeth clean. (Cook beef soup bones in boiling water with a sprinkle of salt for 1 to 1-1/2 hours…make it 2 if there’s lots of gristle) Note: I did not cover any aspect of feeding dogs in this book. When you get your pup your veterinarian will provide a booklet on general health, shots, and feeding. I happen to be a believer in a good dry food…I leave scraps on the table…and please do not allow your dog to beg, eat from your fork, or lick the plate while you are having dinner…especially if you have invited friends over. Suspecting that you’ve done the same with their fork and plate, they may never return. Woof!
Posts Tagged ‘behavior’
29 Jan
Dog Muzzles
In my book, 14000 Dogs Later, I have made it crystal clear how I feel regarding dogs that bite. You can read my thoughts there. Here’s statistics from various recent sources.
Over four and a half million people are bitten by dogs each year. During the past ten years there has been an average of 26 deaths a year by dog bites. It is estimated that dog bites send 44 people to the ER every hour.
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ftentimes, by the time folks realize that their dog is a biter; it’s too late to turn him back in, give him up, or get your money back. And besides that, you’ve already fallen in love. Generally, these problem dogs are mixed breeds where the background is impossible to research, an older dog that someone is trying to find a home for, or a dog you find roaming the streets that tugs at your heart strings. (At this point I am not including dogs breed with purposeful aggressive tendencies).
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get many calls from frantic dog owners after their dog has bitten another person or dog. Generally, along with training I advise the use of a muzzle. Which brings about another question: “Where do we find a muzzle?” Although many pet shops, and General Stores that sell pet supplies, offer muzzles, they do not provide education about that product. So here are the two main factors that you need to know when purchasing a dog muzzle: does it provide ventilation and is it the proper size. A mesh mussel that fits tight over a dogs mouth is okay for a short amount of time…but remember, a dog perspires through his mouth…so long term usage, especially in the summer, can cause him problems. If you are in need of a muzzle for your dog there is an excellent site for you to review. Go to www.dog-muzzle-store.com WOOF!
13 Jan
Dog Poisoning
I have often written about dogs being poisoned…sometimes intentional, sometimes accidental, sometime because we humans don’t know our dog’s needs-versus-wants as well as we should. This is an excellent “real-life” article written by Laurinda Morris, DVM, Danville Veterinary Clinic, Danville , OH
This is information for all of us to “digest”.
This week I had the first case history of raisin toxicity ever seen at MedVet. My patient was a 56-pound, 5 yr old male neutered lab mix that ate half a canister of raisins sometime between 7:30 AM and 4:30 PM on Tuesday. He started with vomiting, diarrhea and shaking about 1 AM on Wednesday but the owner didn’t call my emergency service until 7 AM.
I had heard somewhere about raisins AND grapes causing acute Renal failure but hadn’t seen any formal paper on the subject. We had her bring the dog in immediately. In the meantime, I called the ER service at MedVet, and the doctor there was like me – had heard something about it, but… Anyway, we contacted the ASPCA National Animal Poison Control Center and they said to give IV fluids at 1 & 1/2 times maintenance and watch the kidney values for the next 48-72 hours. The dog’s BUN (blood urea nitrogen level) was already at 32 (normal less than 27) and creatinine over 5 (1.9 is the high end of normal). Both are monitors of kidney function in the bloodstream. We placed an IV catheter and started the fluids. Rechecked the renal values at 5 PM and the BUN was over 40 and creatinine over 7 with no urine production after a liter of fluids. At that point I felt the dog was in acute renal failure and sent him on to MedVet for a urinary catheter to monitor urine output overnight as well as overnight care.
He started vomiting again overnight at MedVet and his renal values continued to increase daily. He produced urine when given lasix as a diuretic. He was on 3 different anti-vomiting medications and they still couldn’t control his vomiting. Today his urine output decreased again, his BUN was over 120, his creatinine was at 10, his phosphorus was very elevated and his blood pressure, which had been staying around 150, skyrocketed to 220 … He continued to vomit and the owners elected to Euthanize.
This is a very sad case – great dog, great owners who had no idea raisins could be a toxin. Please alert everyone you know who has a dog of this very serious risk.
Poison control said as few as 7 raisins or grapes could be toxic. Many people I know give their dogs grapes or raisins as treats including our ex-handler. Any exposure should give rise to immediate concern.
Onions, chocolate, cocoa, avocadoes and macadamia nuts can
be fatal, too. Even if you don’t have a dog, you might have friends who do. This is worth passing on to them.
The Bog 