"Who has a big nose?"
That was so easy I could just snoooooze!
Well, since we live in the great Northwest we don’t have problems with ticks in our area very often. We do the usual monthly flea treatment. This year has been different. Two of our dogs have had ticks. Ugh! My older sheltie girl will sit still for me to get them off of her but Reno….lets just say there aren’t enough bodies in this house to restrain him and I hate seeing him get so stressed out. So it was a HUGE deal when he got one on the upper part of his big nose. Since it was the weekend our vet wasn’t in and the Animal Emergency Center was going to charge us $49.00 to walk in the door. It wasn’t looking good for poor Reno. My husband got on the Internet and came across a video on how to remove a tick at Instructables.com. It showed how to take your finger and rub around the tick in a circular motion either clockwise or counterclockwise. In about a minute the tick lets go and falls off!!!! No stress, no pulling out sensitive hairs, just a nice gentle massage. It suggested to keep the rubbing consistent and in the same direction. Well, I didn’t really believe this even after watching it on the video demonstration. It seemed way too easy! We were at our wits end with Reno. Later in the day we were outside sitting in the sunshine, I put my arm around Reno and started petting him telling him what a good boy he was. What male doesn’t like hearing that, right? I slowly worked my way down to where the tick was. He actually let me touch it in the rubbing motion. I kept petting him while Jimmy came over and took over the circular rubbing. Sure enough, within the minute the tick came off on his finger totally intact!!!! I would highly recommend taking a look at the video. It is truly amazing!!!!!!!! Maybe something you might need to know in the future. We’ll have more little tidbits every month. I hope this one helped someone out there!
Hey today I have another tidbit for you all out there so read on! We all know puppies are known to be chewers but did you realize the MANY different things they can possibly ingest that may surprise you? Puppies may not always just chew but swallow the item they have been chewing on!!!! The list is almost endless. Some items are cell phones, bras, socks,towels, children’s and dog’s toys, light bulbs, zippers, plastic easter grass, holiday tinsel, knives and other utensils, aluminum foil, plastic wrap, and other paper towels, rope, sponges and loofahs, MONEY even loose change etc! Many of these items can cause life threatening obstructions and if it is in the lower part of the small intestine they may not be able to vomit it out. They may have diarrhea, low energy or noticeably ill. Lack of appetite is another warning, especially in those dogs who usually love to eat. According to Dr. John Berg D.V.M. West Highland Terriers appear to be more prone to esphageal obstructions than any other breed. In my own experience I have found Kongs to be a great object that you can fill with a tasty treat that is safe and gives them a chewing outlet for hours. Also according to Dr. Berg younger dogs have a greater tendency to swallow objects, perhaps because they are teething. Some dogs he says become repeat offenders so its essential to keep attractive objects away from them for LIFE! Good luck to any of you with such dogs and please stay safe!
Don’t forget through any holiday all the people food and candy that may be left over is NOT good for any dog. Even though all those tasty things make US happy, they will only make your dog very ill and even some can cause death, such as chocolate (dark is the worst). Keep your pets safe by keeping those items away from them and replace their treat with something healthy. Our treats are designed not only to look good but to be good for them! However even raw carrots or broccoli is a better alternative than your OWN food. Also, keep in mind that some sugar FREE products contain xylotol which can be deadly and quick! Love to all your pets through the Holidays and everyday!
Please tell every dog or cat owner you know. Even if you don’t have a pet, please pass this to those who do.
4-21-2010 THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION WAS SENT TO US IN AN E-MAIL.
Over the weekend, the doting owner of two young lab mixes purchased Cocoa Mulch from Target to use in their garden. The dogs loved the way it smelled and it was advertised to keep cats away from their garden. Their dog (Calypso) decided the mulch smelled good enough to eat and devoured a large helping. She vomited a few times which was typical when she eats something new but wasn’t acting lethargic in any way. The next day, Mom woke up and took Calypso out for her morning walk . Half way through the walk, she had a seizure and died instantly.
Although the mulch had NO warnings printed on the label, upon further investigation on the company’s web site,
this product is HIGHLY toxic to dogs and cats.
Cocoa Mulch is manufactured by Hershey’s, and they claim that “It is true that studies have shown that 50% of the dogs that eat Cocoa Mulch can suffer physical harm to a variety of degrees (depending on each individual dog). However, 98% of all dogs won’t eat it.”
*Snopes site gives the following information: http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/cocoamulch.asp *
Cocoa Mulch, which is sold by Home Depot, Foreman’s Garden Supply and other Garden supply stores contains a lethal ingredient called ‘Theobromine’. It is lethal to dogs and cats. It smells like chocolate and it really attracts dogs. They will ingest this stuff and die. Several deaths already occurred in the last 2-3 weeks.
Theobromine is in all chocolate, especially dark or baker’s chocolate which is toxic to dogs. Cocoa bean shells contain potentially toxic quantities of theobromine, a xanthine compound similar in effects to caffeine and theophylline. A dog that ingested a lethal quantity of garden mulch made from cacao bean shells developed severe convulsions and died 17 hours later. Analysis of the stomach contents and the ingested cacao bean shells revealed the presence of lethal amounts of theobromine.
