Thanksgiving Pet Safety Tips

 

Learn pet safety tips for the Thanksgiving holiday. Animal behaviorist, Diana L. Guerrero offers a few humane holiday hints along with seasonal safety suggestions for pet households.

 

Animal Behaviorist Offers Pet Safety

 Tips For the Thanksgiving Holiday

 

Do you give in to cute pesky pets at the dinner table? This Thanksgiving holiday pet lovers are urged to resist the intense gazes and vocal demands of pleading pets. According to animal expert, Diana L. Guerrero. "There can be deadly consequences for animals during the holidays. Holiday threats to animals can include seasonal decorations, ornamental lighting, ingestion of inappropriate or toxic items, excessive consumption of rich foods or harmful food, candle flames, and many other hazards."

 

Guerrero is an animal behaviorist who writes columns on wild animal behavior, training, and animal etiquette. She is contributing editor to Resources for Crisis Management in Zoos and Other Animal Care Facilities and is the author of the holiday favorite, What Animals Can Teach Us about Spirituality: Inspiring Lessons of Wild and Tame Creatures.

 

Before you sit down to feast, Guerrero suggests you take away temptation-from both guests and pets. " If you feed pets before the guests arrive you reduce the temptation for begging and stealing. You can also use a pet gate or play pen to house the pet nearby, but provide a safety barrier."

 

One of the easiest ways to avoid trouble is to make sure your guests know the pet rules and discourage them from feeding critters scraps from the table. Guerrero said, "The best approach is to make sure any animal is occupied with a chewy or playmates in another room. Once the table is cleared, make sure pets cannot get to scraps or bones."

 

Guerrero said the biggest hazards to pets on Thanksgiving include:

  • Rich, fatty foods (turkey skins, gravy, etc,) can contribute to pancreatitis. This inflammation of the digestive gland is painful and can be serious--requiring emergency veterinary assistance.
  • Cooked bones can splinter and cause tears or obstruction in a pet's digestive tract.
  • Baking strings, if ingested, can create trouble if ingested by your pet.
  • Onions in holiday stuffing can lead to canine anemia if consumed by your dog.
  • Grapes and raisin toxins can cause kidney failure in pets.
  • Ingesting chocolate can kill your pet.
  • Caffeine and alcohol are also toxic for pets.
  • Keep all goodies out of reach!

"Preventative safety measures are the best strategies," states Guerrero, " Keep leftover food out of reach and in tightly closed containers. Make sure garbage cans are secure to keep critters so they are safe from e-coli and unable to chew on leftover tinfoil."

 

The animal behaviorist suggests that pet households plan on providing appropriate chew toys or food occupation devices for pets during holiday activities. "The Kong Company produces a goodie dispenser that keeps dogs occupied. They also have some great bird and cat toys that provide similar activity. Most pet stores carry these products. The investment and preparation can insure that you have a happy and healthy holiday."

 

Even so, it never hurts to keep your emergency vet clinic or veterinary hospital number handy. You never know when you will encounter a disaster due to a delinquent guest or persistent pet.

 

  Have a great Thanksgiving Day.

 

 

 

and Diann

 

           

 

 

July 4th Safety Tips

 

Hello All!!

 

What do we think of when someone says 4th of July? Of course wonderful fireworks, parades, barbecues, watermelon, picnics, baseball games, ceremonies, day off work, United States of America's Birthday, and I bet you can name others.  It is a wonderful and festive day, to us.  Here is Blue to tell you what it is to dogs

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi Folks,

 

I am going to tell you what the 4th of July is for dogs. Here we are having a great summer day.  Our people are busy making all kinds of foods that smell out of this world. We watch, saliva dripping from our mouths, hoping some of that food will end up on the floor, in our food dish or maybe just a little bite as a treat.

 

Then it happens, popping sounds, lots of popping sounds.   It goes on and on.  The perfect day is turning in to a nightmare. Our ears pin back with head lowered, we start rapid panting, our bodies begin to shake uncontrollably, our eyes get large with fear, we crouch near the ground with tail tucked between the rear legs and some dogs even start to whine. 

 

Just when we think things are bad it gets worse.  The whole sky and earth start to explode with fire and booms and the earth shakes and the smell, horrible smell of something burning.   We are going crazy with fear!!  Where can we hide?  Where can we hide?  Run, run, run as far away from the sound as we can.

 

I am going to hide under the bed,

 

 

More dogs run away on the 4th of July than any other time of the year.  The sound of the fireworks with the gigantic burst of explosives drives dogs crazy.  Many times this triggers their flight instinct. 

 

If your dog does not experience this, count your blessings and your dog’s.

 

Here are some things we can do to help our dogs on the 4th of July.

 

1. Don't take your dog to a fireworks display. The fireworks sound loud to the human ear. Imagine how loud it sounds to your dogs, who can hear sounds up to 60,000 cycles per second -- that's three times greater than the human ear can even register.

2. Keep a collar and ID tags on your dog at all times. Make sure the tag contains legible and up-to-date information. To lessen the chance that a dog slips his collar, be sure you can put no more than two fingers between the collar and your dog’s neck.

3. Keep your dog indoors in a cool, quiet room. The windows and curtains should be closed.  Often the sound of soft music or the low rumble of a television will help to calm your pet. Remember to leave a light on for your pet too. These things will help the animal feel safe and secure.

 

4. Don't leave your dog outside in the yard on a leash or a chain. Many animals get tangled up in their attempts to flee and end up injuring themselves. Some of these dogs will escape their yard.

 

Enjoy the 4th and keep your dogs safe.

 

 

Tug of War
Hi Everyone!!!

 

It's me, Blue, here to tell you about my favorite game.   Tug of war!!!!!!! Why do I like tug?  Number one, it's fun.  Number two, it releases energy and is great exercise.  Number three, it's fun, fun, fun and more fun.  My mom uses it as a training reward.  I work real hard so she will tug with me.

 

Did I hear a person say, " But tugging makes dogs aggressive"?  No way....but there are rules to the game.  Pay attention Dogs, here are the rules us dogs must follow to play tug with our person:

 

1.  The tug toy belongs to your person. 

     Of course, they keep it and put it away for safe keeping.

 

2.  We never ask to play tug. 

     Your person will get the tug when it is time to play.

 

3.  We never touch the tug toy until, your person says,

     "OK, Get it".

 

4.  Our teeth must n-e-v-e-r touch our person's skin.  

     Did you understand what I just said? 

     "Dogs, your teeth must never touch a human's skin

     when playing tug".  

     If you do touch the skin, your person will put the

     toy away.

 

5.  Let go of the tug toy when your person says, "Give". 

     That means stop pulling right now.

     If you keep pulling, your person will put the toy away.

 

6.  Always let your person win the tug game. 

 

Follow the rules for some real fun with your person.

 

 

             Happy Tugging,

 
                                             

                         
Spring toxins to avoid for your pet!
Hi Everyone!!!

 

Here is another article about how to protect us dogs from the things we eat in the yard.  This month it is on fertilizers.  Bone meal and  blood meal sounds good enough for us dogs to eat, but that is not what Erica and Justine say.

 


Spring toxins to avoid for your pet!

By Erica Cargill, CVT and Justine
Lee, DVM, DACVECC

 

As we gardeners work on our rose garden,
be aware of those fertilizers. While most
are not very toxic (resulting in minor
gastrointestinal irritation when consumed),
some fertilizers can be fatal without
treatment. Here are a few ingredients to be
aware of so you know what toxins and
symptoms to watch out for.

Blood meal - This is dried, ground, and
flash-frozen blood and contains 12% nitrogen.
While it's a great organic fertilizer, if
ingested, it can cause vomiting (of some
other poor animal's blood) and diarrhea.

More importantly, it can result in severe
pancreatitis, which is inflammation of the
pancreas. Some types of blood meal are

also fortified with iron, resulting in iron  
toxicity, so make sure to know what's in
your bag of blood!

Bone Meal - This is made up of defatted,  
dried, and flash-frozen animal bones that  
are ground to a powder. This "bone" is also
what makes it so palatable to your dog, so
make sure to keep your pet from digging in
it and ingesting the soil.

While this also makes a great organic
fertilizer, it can become a problem when
consumed as the bone meal forms a large
cement-like bone ball in the stomach -
which can cause an obstruction in the
gastrointestinal tract - resulting in
possible surgery to remove it!

Rose and plant fertilizers - Some of these
fertilizers contain disulfoton or other types of

organophosphates (OP). As little as 1 teaspoon

of 1% disulfoton can kill a 55 lb dog, so be

careful!

Organophosphates, while less commonly used,
can result in severe symptoms [including
SLUD signs (which abbreviate for salivation,
lacrimation, urination, and defecation),
seizures, difficulty breathing, hyperthermia,
etc. In some cases, it can be fatal!

Pesticides/Insecticides - Most pesticides

or insecticides (typically those that come in a
spray can) are basic irritants to the pet and
are usually not a huge concern unless a pet's
symptoms become persistent.

Some may contain an organophosphate which

can be life threatening when consumed in large
quantities. It is always best to speak to a
trained medical professional if there are any
questions.

Iron - This is commonly added to fertilizers,
and can result in iron toxicity (from ingestion
of elemental iron). This is different from
"total" iron ingestion, and can be confusing
to differentiate.
 
When in doubt, have a medical professional at
Pet Poison Helpline assist you with finding out
if the amount ingested was toxic or not. Large
ingestions can result in vomiting, bloody
diarrhea, and potential cardiac and liver
effects.

The best thing any pet owner can do is to be
educated on the household toxins  (both inside
the house and out in the garden!) - that way
you make sure how to pet proof your house
appropriately.

Make sure to keep all these products in labeled,
tightly-sealed containers out of your pet's
reach. When in doubt, please feel free to call
Pet Poison Helpline at 1-800-213-6680 with

any questions or concerns if you're worried that
your pet could have inadvertently gotten into
anything!

Toxic fumes, vapors, dust in the air that you
breath in can be dangerous for you too. Take
precautions and may both you and your dog be
safe!

 

 

 
 

Spring plants (toxins) to avoid for your pet!

 
Hi Everyone!!!!

 

We dogs like to eat lots of stuff in the yard.  It's fun and taste good, but it's not always good for us. Below is a article on some of the plants us dogs should not eat.  Hope you find it educational.

 

Spring plants (toxins) to avoid for your pet!

 

By Erica Cargill, CVT and Justine Lee, DVM, DACVECC

 

Spring is just around the corner.
Plant bulbs are just as excited to break  
through the ground to add some color to
our yards as we are to see some greenery!


That said, we need to be aware of the
potential dangers spring plants can be
for our pets.

 

Here is a list of some of the most common

spring plants and their toxicities... so you

know how to pet-proof  your garden and

keep your pet safe!

Tulips and Hyacinth

Tulips contain allergenic lactones while
hyacinths contain similar alkaloids. The
toxic principle of these plants is very
concentrated in the bulbs (versus the leaf
or flower), so make sure your dog isn't
digging up the bulbs in the garden.

 

When the plant parts or bulbs are chewed

or ingested, it can result in tissue irritation

to the mouth and esophagus.

 

Typical signs include profuse drooling, vomiting,

or even diarrhea,  depending on the amount

consumed.

 

There's no specific antidote, but with supportive

care  from the veterinarian (including rinsing the
mouth, anti-vomiting medication, and possibly
subcutaneous fluids), animals do quite well.


With large ingestions of the bulb, more severe
symptoms such as an increase in heart rate and
changes in respiration can be seen, and should
be treated by a veterinarian. These more severe
signs are seen in cattle or our overzealous,
chow hound Labradors.

Daffodils

These flowers contain lycorine, an alkaloid with
strong emetic properties (something that triggers
vomiting). Ingestion of the bulb, plant or flower
can cause severe vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal

pain, and even possible cardiac arrhythmias or

respiratory depression.

 

Crystals are found in the outer layer of the bulbs,

similar to hyacinths, which cause severe tissue

irritation and secondary drooling. Daffodil
ingestions can result in more severe symptoms so

if an exposure is witnessed or symptoms are seen,

we recommend seeking veterinary care for further
supportive care.

Lilies

There are dangerous and benign lilies out there,

and it's important to know the difference. Peace,

Peruvian, and Calla lilies contain oxalate crystals

that cause minor signs, such as tissue irritation to

the mouth, tongue, pharynx, and esophagus - this

results in minor drooling.

 

The more dangerous, potentially fatal lilies are true

lilies, and these include Tiger, Day, Asiatic, Easter

and Japanese Show lilies - all of which are highly
toxic to cats!

 

Even small ingestions (such as 2-3 petals or leaves)

can result in severe kidney failure. If your cat is seen

consuming any part of a lily, bring your cat (and the

plant) immediately to a veterinarian for medical
care.

 

The sooner you bring in your cat, the better and more

efficiently we can treat the poisoning. Decontamination
(like inducing vomiting and giving binders like activated
charcoal) are imperative in the early toxic stage, while
aggressive intravenous fluid therapy, kidney function  
monitoring tests, and supportive care can greatly

improve the prognosis.

Crocus

There are two Crocus plants: one that blooms in the

spring (Crocus species) and the other in the autumn

(Colchicum autumnale). The spring plants are more

common and are part of the Iridaceae family. These

ingestions can cause general gastrointestinal upset

including vomiting and diarrhea.

 

These should not be mistaken for Autumn Crocus,

part of the  Liliaceae family, which contain colchicine.

The Autumn Crocus is highly toxic and can cause

severe vomiting, gastrointestinal bleeding, liver and

kidney damage, and respiratory failure.

 

If you're not sure what plant it is, bring your pet to

their veterinarian immediately for care. Signs may be

seen immediately but can be delayed for days.

Lily of the Valley

The Convallaria majalis plant contains cardiac  
glycosides which will cause symptoms similar to
digitalis (foxglove) ingestion. These symptoms
include vomiting, diarrhea, a drop in heart rate,
severe cardiac arrhythmias, and possibly seizures.
Pets with any known exposure to this plant should
be examined and evaluated by a veterinarian and
treated symptomatically.

 

 

 

Hi!

 

My name is Bordaux Midnight Blue Sky; just call me Blue!  I am a one year old Border Collie and the newest member of the Andress pack.  My mom has great dreams for me; we are in training for agility, obedience, rally and good manners.

 

Mom said this is my page on the LDCT website.  So... in between training sessions I will be thinking of all the wonderful things I want to tell you about each month.  Of course, Mom will have to do the typing; my paws don't type too good.