Protecting Pets From Household Poisons

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Pets are curious creatures by nature, always looking for something interesting to eat. This habit can sometimes get them into serious medical trouble when they accidentally find a toxic substance. Protecting pets from household poisons is all part of being a good pet parent. Start by following these tips on hazardous substances that are commonly found right where you live.

Pain Relievers

Over-the-counter pain relievers for humans are frequently the cause of poisoning in dogs. Though some of these medications are sometimes used for veterinary care, the dosage is critical for safe administration. Tylenol, which contains acetaminophen, can cause severe liver damage. Ibuprofen, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, can cause gastric ulcers and kidney failure. Naproxen can cause stomach perforation, gastric ulcers and acute kidney failure and should never be used on dogs. If you carry these drugs in your purse, ensure that your dog cannot get at them.

Antidepressants

Increasingly, doctors prescribe antidepressant medications not only for depression, but also for a variety of other medical conditions. When pets accidentally get ahold of these medications, they may exhibit symptoms such as lethargy, vomiting and signs of -serotonin syndrome,- a condition that causes agitation, elevated temperatures, high blood pressure, increased heart rate, tremors, seizures and disorientation. As with over-the-counter pain relievers, these medications are often left in purses or on nightstands where pets can get into them. Take extra precautions with these medications and keep them in childproof containers on a high shelf.

Chocolate

By now, everyone knows that some types of chocolate are poisonous to dogs. However, this information has not reached the dog world, and dogs continue to take every opportunity to snap up chocolate candy, cookies and cake whenever they get the chance. Chocolate contains caffeine and theobromine, which metabolizes much more slowly in dogs than in humans. Small amounts can cause vomiting and diarrhea. Large amounts can cause serious toxicity that requires anti-seizure medications and IV fluids. Of course, dogs only know chocolate foods taste good, so they must rely on owners to keep them safe. A program for protecting pets from household poisons includes keeping these foods on high counters and shelves where pets cannot reach them.

Grapes and Raisins

Many dog owners may not yet have gotten the word on grapes and raisins being poisonous to dogs. It wasn’t until about 25 years ago that documented statistics on the toxicity of grapes and raisins have been available. It is not known why these foods are toxic to dogs, but some researchers believe it may be a mycotoxin, a substance produced by a fungus or mold that causes the problem. After consumption, the dog may show symptoms of vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, tremors, seizure and eventual acute kidney failure. The prognosis for recovery depends on how much was eaten and how quickly treatment was begun.

Onions

Onions can cause anemia in dogs and should not be given to them, either cooked in table foods or raw. Onions contain a substance called thiosulphate that is toxic to both dogs and cats. This substance damages the red blood cells that carry oxygen throughout the animal’s body. Hemolytic anemia can cause lethargy, shortness of breath, vomiting and diarrhea. As little as five grams can cause toxicity.

Xilitol Sweeteners

Xilitol is a type of artificial sweetener that is found in many foods for humans. It is often used in chewing gum, cookies, candies and products made for diabetics. Xilitol is toxic to dogs and can produce changes in blood sugar levels, vomiting, lethargy and difficulty walking. Seizures and liver failure can also result. Protecting pets from household poisons means no Xilitol, ever.

Rodent Poison

Any poison you use to kill rodents in your home or yard can be ingested by your pet with disastrous results. Your dog or cat may find and eat the poison or consume part of an animal that has eaten it. Most rodenticides contain anticoagulant compounds that cause bleeding to kill the rats or mice. Symptoms of rodent poisoning in dogs may not occur until a week after ingestion. Bright green stools and bleeding from nose, ears, rectum or other areas can occur. Get your dog to a veterinarian immediately if you see these symptoms. Always use these poisons with great caution and keep your pets out of the area.

Household Plants

Generally, grown dogs will live with plants in their houses or yards without trying to eat them. However, puppies are often more adventurous and will try a taste of anything that is remotely edible and many things that aren’t. Common household plants that can be toxic to dogs include philodendron, ficus, croton, Boston fern, jade plant, snake plant, schefflera, antherium, ivy, spider plant, corn plant and pothos.

In your yard, bulb plants such as amaryllis, daffodil, gladiolus, iris and tulips can be toxic to dogs if they are prone to digging them up. Asparagus fern and lace fern are also poisonous. Hydrangea, kalanchoe, foxglove, morning glory, nightshade and tomato plants can also be poisonous to dogs. Shrubs like oleander, rhododendron, yucca, holly and sago palm should also be monitored closely to ensure that dogs do not eat them. The list of plants found in fields and wooded areas is extensive and varies from region to region. If you are out in these areas with your dog, ensure that he does not sample the local (possibly poisonous) flora.

Insecticides

Insecticides can be deadly to your pets. Always remove pets from the area when using them. Ensure that toys, feeding bowls, rawhide chews and other equipment are removed to avoid contaminating them with the pesticide. Keep pets out of the area until the insecticide has completely dried. Signs of insecticide poisoning include excessive salivation, vomiting, diarrhea, tremors or seizure. Get your pet to the vet as quickly as possible if you notice these symptoms after using a home or garden insecticide. Bring the insecticide with you to the vet so that he or she can treat the animal appropriately.

Household Cleaners

Substances like ammonia and bleach are highly toxic to pets if consumed. When these chemicals are mixed together, they can produce toxic fumes that can be deadly. Chlorine products used for cleaning and pool care are also toxic. Any type of floor, bathroom or all-purpose cleaner can contain harmful amount of these substances. Cleaners should always be stored in cabinets that close securely to prevent accidental ingestion.

Antifreeze

Antifreeze contains ethylene glycol, which is extremely toxic to dogs. Generally, dogs encounter this substance when it drips from car engines. It gets left on the garage floor where the dog can lap it up. Some people use antifreeze in their toilets to keep pipes from freezing. Because antifreeze has a sweet taste, dogs may be attracted to it. However, it can affect kidneys, liver and the brain of these animals. Always store antifreeze on high shelves or in cabinets. Clean up any spills immediately. Seek veterinary attention if you suspect your dog has ingested antifreeze.

Fertilizers

Garden and lawn fertilizers can also be toxic to your pets. Though the pet may not directly eat the fertilizer compound, he can pick it up on paws, bones or toys. Always water the fertilizer to allow it to seep into the ground before allowing your pet into the area. Signs of fertilizer poisoning include drooling, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. There may also be difficulty breathing. Take your pet to the veterinarian immediately for emergency care if this happens.

Alcohol

Some manufacturers of conventional pet medications add dangerous amounts of straight grain alcohol to their products. Alcohol is a cheap preservative which allows products to be warehoused for many years with minimal spoilage. But alcohol, even in small amounts, is toxic to dogs and cats according to the ASPCA and an increasing number of informed veterinarians, animal rights organizations and medical researchers.

Makers of pet dental care products that remove plaque and tartar are among the worst alcohol abusers. Many of them spike their products with 190 proof Grain (Ethyl) Alcohol, equal to a whopping one-fourth (25% by weight) of their product’s ingredients. That’s like serving our beloved animal companions a 50 proof cocktail with every application.

A Look At Some Symptoms Associated With Kitten Teething

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Like many other animals and humans too, kitten teething is a rough time when chewing and biting are more than natural reflexes: they actually become the main urge of your pet. The favorite objects to chew in such cases are wool made: it is not exactly known why cats favor fluffy stuff when they are teething, but it is a fact that they find relief from the gum soreness when they do so.

The first period of kitten teething starts when the animals are two or three weeks old, and just like in the case of humans, the incisors and the canines erupt first. The entire kitten teething period with the milk and the adult teeth included covers no more than seven months, which is an average teething age in the animal world.

Adult kitten teething usually occurs between the third and the sixth months of life; the period is pretty tense for the animals, so don’t be surprised to be bitten accidentally by your pet. A good way to alleviate the pressure in the gums is to give the cat something hard to chew on: a rubber or a plastic toy for instance. If one of your kids’ toys doesn’t do for the matter, you can always turn to special kitten teething toys.

There is a whole range of nasty symptoms that are frequently reported during the kitten teething period; the pet may experience difficulty to swallow or it may even refuse food. The best thing to do under the circumstances is to contact the vet immediately and also turn to a powder or a gel to apply on the gums of the animal in order to provide relief and comfort.

Homeopathic granules will soothe the animals and allow them to eat as comfortably as possible, not to mention that the objects in your house will be safe from chewing. We should further add that it is possible for the animal to have an altered behavior for the entire kitten teething period, but it will get back to normal as soon as the skin on the gums breaks.

You may also take advantage of the kitten teething period to train the pet for a good oral hygiene; many cats have to be taken to the vet in order to have their teeth cleaned. If, during the kitten teething period, you manage to get the animal used to brushing, there should be no problem to turn it into a habit. The pet will more easily accept the brush now since it alleviates the pressure in gums swollen because of the teeth eruption.

African Pygmy Hedgehogs How To Care For Them

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There Are Many Positives To Keeping An African Pygmy Hedgehog As A Pet, We Have Listed Them Below!
African Pygmy Hedgehogs are very fast becoming one of the most popular kept exotic pets in the UK.
They don’t take up huge amounts of space and exercise outside the cage.

They are not noisy animals so no fall outs with you neighbours (if you have them),
We have not noticed any distinct smells as long as you keep them clean.

They are not difficult to feed and you can even find hedgehog food from online stores, or cat food from local pet stores, chicken based is best and high quality without fillers.

You do not need to walk them like you do large animals, you can purchase them a hamster wheel they will have hours of fun.

You can find different colours, normal, chocolate and albino, other colours are being worked on by UK breeders.
African Pygmy Hedgehogs Care Sheet

A good healthy hedgehog can live for 3-6yrs. Please see our information guide below on what to buy for your new Baby Hog!!

Your new hedgehog will have to live indoors unless you can arrange heating in a nice shed or outside. The perfect temperature for Hedgehogs 65-80f (18-26c) which is the average house temperature, anything below 45f (7.2c) and it is very risky as they may go into hibernation which is dangerous for them, they can be bought out of hibernation but sadly it might be too late. Your new African Pygmy Hedgehogs will also need on average 12 hours per day of daylight, you can achieve this with either natural day light or using an artificial light.

African Pygmy Hedgehogs can be kept on their own or two females togther can work, never two males they will not get along and a male and female will obviously multiply, they are more than happy on their own.
The perfect housing for an adult African Pygmy Hedgehog is an indoor rabbit cage 36″ by 12″ as they need lots of exercise, being nocturnal they will be up all night. It has been said that African Pygmy Hedgehogs will use their play wheels during the night and some walk upto 10 miles in their wheel.

Litter Training Your African Pygmy Hedgehog

You will need to put a litter try in their cage, if they keep making a mess outside of their litter try keep putting them back in they will pick it up, give them time and patience. You can fill their litter tray with clumping cat litter or sawdust, natural cat litter is the safest.

Housing Materials For your African Pygmy Hedgehog

African Pygmy Hedgehog will need a nesting box, a water bottle (rabbit or hamster bottle etc), feeding bowl and dust free sawdust, if it isn’t dust free it can cause serious problems and clog their bladders, also make sure it is not made out of cedar (the fumes can be highly toxic). Hedgehog feeding
African Pygmy Hedgehogs need a strict diet that is high in protein and low in fat. See our guide to what they can eat.
They can eat chicken cooked throurougly, baby food that is chicken based, and any good quality cat meat that contains high content of chicken. This will aid their digestion.
You can also use a cat biscuit formulated from chicken and some stores will even stock hedgeghog food, it is always worth registering your interest in hedgehog food otherwise there will never be enough demand for the manufacturers to consider making it.

They will eat livefood such as insects that can be bought from pet shops or exotic/reptile shop like mealworms, crickets and wax worms, some of these stores are on the internet too. If you really do not like the idea of feeding live food you can buy htem frozen or dried but we believe fresh is best!

Fruit and vegetables are allowed on occasions, also low fat yogurts and cooked egg. .
A fresh supply of drinking water should be readily available at all times

Do not feed your African Pygmy Hedgehog insects from the garden. They are also thought to be lactose intolerant please do not give them cows milk, if you needed to give a baby hedgehog milk then it should be goats milk.
Do not feed peanuts as they can get trapped in the roof of their mouths.

Offer your baby hedgehog a full bowl of food daily, once you see the amount eaten daily you can give this amount every night, avoiding wastage but also making sure no old food is left in their feeding dish
A typical adult African Pygmy Hedgehog weighs 12-18 ounces.

African Pygmy Hedgehogs Playtime

Toys, like children they love to play with toys. The most important purchase you can make is their wheel, they will spend amazing amounts of time in the wheel and this in turn is fantastic exercise and will stop them becoming bored. Make sure the wheel is plastic and not wire, we don’t like wires as their feet could get caught and damaged. Provide plenty of tunnels, noisy toys and balls etc, you can get hamster toys just make sure the tunnels are big enough, also give them a hiding area where they can sleep and go for peace!

They love to be cuddled by the family, as with all animals the more time you spend handling them the tamer they will be. If you can get them out for time in the evening their spines will go down so you and the family can stroke them like you would other pets.

African Pygmy Hedgehog Behaviour

Hedgehogs are seldom aggressive, in most cases they only ball up because they are scared. They rarely bite through aggression or fright, I have not been bitten yet! If they start licking your fingers there may be something tasty on them so licking is best stopped to avoid an accidental nip
Self anointing is a very common hedgehog act and its very amusing to watch. When they taste something new like food or an object they build up a frothing lather in their mouth then doing the most amazing contortions they spread the lather on their backs.

Better Pet Health Through Raw Dog Food

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Pet owners should take some time to read the ingredients label on the kibble that is being fed to their pets. Most dry kibble contains many ingredients that were never intended for your pet to eat. Raw dog food does not contain any corn, wheat or other grain fillers that can cause problems for your best friend. Just as humans feel better when they switch to natural foods, so do the pets.

Many pets are fussy eaters simply because of the foods that are set before them. These fussy eaters do not have the energy or health that they should. Simply put, most commercial foods simply are not prepared using the foods that they need and love. Even pets that wolf down the prepared foods may not receive the needed nutrition as it is not in a form that can be digested by the pet. Owners of these pets see great improvements in the health of the animal by changing their diet.

Changing the pets to foods that the pets need can expect to have fewer allergy problems. Those allergies may cause digestive problems, including diarrhea, upset stomach and gas. These allergies can cause the pets to lose vitality and lose weight.

Choosing the wrong pet foods can lead to problems with skin and hair. By changing the diet, the pet’s coat can become lush and glossy while shedding is reduced. Reducing the shedding prevents pet hair on clothing, carpets and furniture. Additionally, the switch can help to clear up problems with itchy skin and hot spots. Often these conditions show noticeable improvements.

If the pet owner notices no other improvement in pet health, he will notice the fact that feeding pets the foods that they naturally prefer will result in firmer stools that are smaller and offer easier cleanup in the back yard. In fact, stools of pets fed uncooked meats and bone often simply decompose in the sun into a white powder that has little to no smell.

When pets are given uncooked meats and bones, they have healthier gums and teeth resulting in better breath. When dogs chew uncooked bones, they strengthen and clean their teeth naturally. Cooked bones are dangerous for dogs as they can splinter, but raw ones provide the necessary exercise to keep the pet’s mouth healthy.

Once pets have had their diets changed from diets of kibble to the alternative of natural foods, they will have more energy. These pets are healthier and much more vital. Dogs of every breed benefit from this type of change. It is especially good for working or sporting pets.

Since dogs are man’s best friend they should be provided with the best foods possible. In reward to the companionship and friendship of your pet, provide him with raw dog food so that he gets the nutrition needed to stay healthy for his entire lifetime.

Pancreatitis In The Shih Tzu

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It is very important to feed your Shih Tzu a well-balanced diet of pet food and not table scraps. Pancreatitis is a severe inflammation of the pancreas that can result from feeding your Shih Tzu table scraps.

A Shih Tzu with pancreatitis may suddenly vomit, become dehydrated, be lethargic and have diarrhea. These symptoms are common to a lot of different canine diseases; therefore, the diagnosis of pancreatitis is very difficult for a vet to make. He will depend a lot upon a good history from the Shih Tzu owner.

High amounts of fat in the Shih Tzus diet, a high-fat meal or allowing your Shih Tzu to get into the garbage and consume leftover food may cause pancreatitis Pesticides. Some canine drugs can cause side effects of pancreatitis as well. There is a higher incidence of this disease in obese Shih Tzu.

Pancreatitis can also lead to diabetes and loss of some liver function in your Shih Tzu. It is very important to introduce an easily digestible diet to avoid diarrhea.

Repeated episodes of acute pancreatitis or has signs of diabetes may be chronic pancreatitis. Acute pancreatitis can appear suddenly, but doesnt last as long. There is little or no permanent damage to the organ. In chronic pancreatitis the pancreas undergoes permanent damage and possible loss of function.

Once a Shih Tzu is diagnosed with pancreatitis, the intestinal tract must be rested. All food and water is withheld from the dog for a period of time, usually 24 hours. If the Shih Tzu is dehydrated, intravenous fluids will have to be given. The Shih Tzu normally responds to treatment in a few days and can gradually be put back on food.

You need to avoid acute or chronic pancreatitis at all times with your Shih Tzu. Feed your Shih Tzu a well balanced commercially prepared diet to be certain your Shih Tzu is getting all the nutrition it needs.

The best choice of food for your Shih Tzu is a veterinarian formulated product inspired by nature and made using good science. Your Shih Tzu depends upon you to make the right choices when it comes to his or her health and happiness. Your Shih Tzu is a part of your family and you probably want the very best for him.

You might think all pet food manufacturers have your pets best interests in mind. This is not always the case. Current pet food regulations allow manufacturers to use ingredients that you would never give to your pet. You probably would be shocked to learn what some brands of pet food really contain.

For example, the use of by-products on the label of a dog food actually means feet, bones and intestines, etc.). You will often see listed on the dog food label, chemical preservatives (BHA and BHT), and grains that are often difficult to digest (corn, wheat, gluten and soy). These things are often used as a protein source instead of meat. These types of ingredients can also cause acute pancreatitis and possibly even chronic pancreatitis in your Shih Tzu.

Choose a dog food for your Shih Tzu that is made with the freshest, human-quality ingredients, which can give your Shih Tzu the best quality possible. This would be also a dry dog food that contains all natural chicken and top quality catfish with the best fresh fruit, vegetables and select farm foods. The dog food you choose for your Shih Tzu should contain no artificial flavors, colors, sugars, or chemical preservatives. Be sure to read the labels on the dog food before purchasing for your Shih Tzu.

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