Category Archives: Dogs
Xylitol – Understand it or it could be fatal to your dog.
I am seeing so many article on this lately that I think it must be causing a real problem in the dog world. Please make sure you keep all gum and sugar-free candy away from fido.
Reblogged from Life With Dogs: http://www.lifewithdogs.tv/2012/02/xylitol-toxicity-in-dogs/
Xylitol is a sugar substitute in many products, most notable some sugar-free gums and flavored medications. Xylitol is safe for people (and oddly, cats), but is very toxic to dogs (and probably ferrets).
If your dog has or may have ingested xylitol, call your veterinary team and have your pet examined right away. Xylitol, even in small amounts, causes an over-production of insulin, which causes a horrendous sugar crash, or, more accurately, hypoglycemia.
hyp/o – low
glyc/o – sugar
-emia – blood
Signs of Hypoglycemia in Dogs
- lethargy (abnormal tiredness)
- shaking
- ataxia (loss of balance)
- inability to stand
- seizures
Do not wait for signs to develop! Insulin release and resulting hypoglycemia begin almost immediately. Left unchecked, very low blood sugar or liver failure secondary to xylitol toxicity can be fatal. With treatment, the prognosis is usually good. The sooner a xylitol toxicity is treated, the better the prognosis.
Conclusion
You are home from the veterinary hospital with a recovering pet, considerably poorer, a bit shaken by the close call and anxious for the recheck appointment, still weeks away, in which you will hopefully learn that there was no long term liver damage. You rid your home of all xylitol-containing products and warn friends and family of the dangers of xylitol toxicity in dogs.
Alternate Ending
You finish an article on xylitol toxicity and think, “Hmm, that was interesting…I guess.” You rid your home of all xylitol-containing products and warn friends and family of the dangers of xylitol toxicity in dogs.
May your pets’ health be boring in the best possible ways, and may you never deal with xylitol toxicity in Real Life.
Monday’s Cruiser
You know it’s all because of you on We Heart It. http://weheartit.com/entry/16841361
2.6.12 5:37: Stella and Nine are here to stay!
There has been a lot of excitement here at the zoo. With 2 new kitties in the safe room, humans going in and out with locked doors and secret kitty food, it has made the regulars very curious. There are many noses under the door (and some paws), but they will have to wait the 2 week period until we give the all clear. We finally have a name for the baby girl. We have settled on Stella (from the play ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’). That way we can run around the house yelling… “STELLA!!!” (You would have to know the show to appreciate it). It actually means ‘Star,’ which I definitely think she is. So Stella and Nine are making themselves at home. (I think that the rest of the family is going to call him ‘Jack,’ but I am sticking with ‘Nine!’
Stella
Stella, that's to scratch on, not sleep on!
Stella's close up
Nine
Nine making himself at home.
Nine - you are some handsome boy!
Analysts: Humans May Never Understand the Appeal of Dog Music
Analysts: Humans May Never Understand the Appeal of Dog Music
Ever look through your dog’s record collection and think to yourself, “What is this crap?”
You’re not alone. A new study from the Canine Institute of Comparative Culture suggests that the gulf between human and dog tastes in music may never be overcome.
“We have different brains,” says Ronald Stark, who lead the study. “So while humans may like Mozart or AC/DC, dogs will enjoy bands like Butt Sniffers Club or The Bacon Brothers. They have different harmonic structures which will never be amenable to our ears.”
Via Jacqueline Lois.
2.5.12 6:16: We love rawhide, is that OK?
Lulu & Bone
I have been told that beef rawhide is not good for dogs. But they love it! Also,I have not found anything that keeps them as entertained and happy as a nice new rawhide bone. I try to limit the size and the consumption of them to once a week so that it does not build up in their stomachs (or whatever that is about). I also try to find bones that are ‘Made in USA,’ because I heard they are better than China or Mexico beef hide, but they are not easy to find around here. I admit that I get the best I can when I can but it is not always perfect. For some reason, my dogs don’t really like old rawhide. It needs to be fresh out of the package. The old stuff (the ends or the chunks I take away for another day) does not seem to hold the same intense enjoyment. Basically, the don’t even take it from me when offered (Pooh, give us something good!)
Bone & Sofie
Let me ask your advice:
- Should dogs have beef raw hide bones?
- If so, how often? Does it matter?
- Can it really hurt them inside?
- What’s a good alternative that you have found?
I love my dogs and would never ever ever want to hurt them, sometimes I just feel dumb when it comes to food choices and toys. Just another dogdaz morning at the zoo. ❤
2.3.12 6:01: How long is a dog day?
Sofie waiting on the step
Sofie keeps an eye on the front door waiting for me to come home. She likes to watch the world go by from this vantage points (and she has also figured out that it is an effective blocking strategy so that the cats can not get up the stairs). I think it is interesting how dogs react when their humans return whether from a 20 minute trip to the grocery store or a 5 day trip out of town. My dogs greet me with great joy and the feeling that I am the most important human in the world. Sometimes I wonder how dogs perceive time. They appear to have a rhythm to the moon cycles but do they perceive time as the period between sleep? Is a day maybe one feeding to the next? If a human has gone away is the day over when the human returns (no matter what the length)? How long is a dog day? Just another DogDaz morning back home with my zoo ❤
2.2.12 5:54: Puppies!
Nikkolette (look alike from the internet)
Still traveling, so today I thought I would focus on my puppies. Baby animals are sooooo cute. Sometimes I wish they would stay little forever.
Nikkolette (aka Nikki), my buff Cocker Spaniel, was 8 weeks old when she came to live with me. She was the first dog I ever got on my own and the youngest puppy I ever had. That was a real experience. I learned a lot about dog care and about getting up in the middle of night (I recommend you think twice when you live on the second floor of an apartment building and have to take a puppy out to pee several times a night). I remember in the middle of one cold New England night, carrying her down the indoor stairs (I think there were about 20 steps to my apartment) and falling down most of them with the puppy in my arms. Not a scratch on her, but boy did I hurt in the morning. Ah, puppies. Nikki was an easy going and sweet dog. Except for the time that the cats (Alice and Gertrude were kittens then) knocked a plate of brownies off the counter for Nikki to enjoy (and proceed to get sick all over the house) while I was out. In general with Nikki there was very little puppy damage. She shared her life with me until she was 18 years old.
Puppy Lulu
Louise (aka Lulu Belle) was about 5 or 6 months old when she came to me. I still had to potty train her but she was a fast learner. She was mistreated in her early days (she had a flea collar embedded in her neck, was covered with dry mange, and was afraid of everything when she was rescued) but she was the cutest thing, It did not take her long to learn that she was safe here and no one was ever going to mistreat her again. Louise is a really smart dog and I enjoy watching her figure out things. Her puppy time went quickly and I only lost my favorite boots and a 12 roll case of toilet tissue to her puppiness. Lulu is 2 1/2 years old now, but in many ways, she still has a lot of puppy in her.
The current puppy, Sofie Bear, turned 1 in November. We rescued her at about 12 or 14 weeks. I always wonder why a puppy ends up in a kill shelter, but I guess we will never know. From the way that Sofie acts, I think she may have run wild until she was brought into the shelter. If it was up to her she would still run wild today. Sofie is the most strong willed little bit that has ever come my way. She loves to carry around my slippers when ever she can and has a real affinity to chewing on things she shouldn’t.
Sofie Day 1
Ah! Puppies…..
Just another DogDaz morning from the road ❤
