NEWS AND INTERESTING ARTICLES
Dog Safety Awareness (for both children and adults): click HERE for advice
Surprisingly there may be 7 things deadly to dogs that most of us will have in the house. Click HERE to find out.
5 ways to help your dog to live longer: click HERE
Summer Safety Tips for Dogs
- Please, do not leave your dog(s) in the car!
Too many heart-breaking stories are told about this. Someone’s beloved pet found dead in a vehicle, even though the owner was only gone for a short period. Even with the windows cracked, the inside of a car can heat up in a matter of minutes. Leaving the A/C running also does not guarantee your dog's safety. If you are planning on running errands to places that do not allow pets on their premises, consider keeping them at home. You would not leave a human baby in the car with the windows cracked open! Then why would you do that to a dog?
- Hydration is key!
Pets that spend time outdoors in the heat require plenty of water. To avoid dehydration, always bring fresh water with you and offer it to your pet at least every half hour. There are many styles of portable dog bowls available that are convenient to carry in a small handbag; some dogs even learn how to drink from bottles.
- Pets can get sunburned, too!
Dogs and cats are susceptible to the same damage from ultraviolet rays just like we are. This is especially so for white or light-colored pets and areas of the body with thin hair, such as the nose, ears, and bellies. It might look a bit silly, but a light T-Shirt can help protect them, along with some pet sunscreen.
- It's time to chill out!
The amount of time a dog can exercise in the warm weather depends on several factors: How long and often has the animal been exposed to hot temperatures, the animal's current health and fitness level, and hydration status.
In general, once it gets above 85 degrees Fahrenheit, dog owners should be cautious when exercising their dog outdoors. For most of them, moderate activity for thirty minutes is safe. When the temperature exceeds 95 degrees Fahrenheit, it is probably best for pet and pet parent to skip the outdoor workout until it cools down.
If your dog displays rapid or labored breathing, starts to resist walking or acts depressed, your dog may be overheating. In these cases, stop, rest, and re-hydrate. This does not mean you need to cease exercising because your dog is panting, just be mindful of your dog's behavior. Watch him/her carefully to determine if the panting is excessive or abnormal. When in doubt, take a break!
- Water safety
Many pet owners enjoy taking their dogs to the beach for a dip or even a boat ride. Such activities are great ways to bond with your animal(s). Its great to include your pets in outdoor fun whenever possible, but not every animal is a strong swimmer. When you plan to take your pet in the water or on a boat, please consider the use of a pet flotation vest. The ones with a sturdy, convenient handle will allow you to safely retrieve your dog should he/she get tuckered out from swimming or fall overboard. Fun in the sun can get hot, so remember to provide plenty of shade and lots of drinking water during your outings.
After an enjoyable day in the water, you might want to give your dog's coat a quick rinse with plenty of clean, fresh water and some pet shampoo. Don't forget to clean and dry the ears (especially the floppy ones) with an ear cleaning solution! Ear infections are often caused by allowing moisture to remain in the ears after swimming or bathing.
Summertime is a great time of the year for people and their pets. The activities you share with them this season will last a lifetime. Be smart, and stay safe!
(Adapted from an article written by A. Piper Burgi)
- Please, do not leave your dog(s) in the car!
Too many heart-breaking stories are told about this. Someone’s beloved pet found dead in a vehicle, even though the owner was only gone for a short period. Even with the windows cracked, the inside of a car can heat up in a matter of minutes. Leaving the A/C running also does not guarantee your dog's safety. If you are planning on running errands to places that do not allow pets on their premises, consider keeping them at home. You would not leave a human baby in the car with the windows cracked open! Then why would you do that to a dog?
- Hydration is key!
Pets that spend time outdoors in the heat require plenty of water. To avoid dehydration, always bring fresh water with you and offer it to your pet at least every half hour. There are many styles of portable dog bowls available that are convenient to carry in a small handbag; some dogs even learn how to drink from bottles.
- Pets can get sunburned, too!
Dogs and cats are susceptible to the same damage from ultraviolet rays just like we are. This is especially so for white or light-colored pets and areas of the body with thin hair, such as the nose, ears, and bellies. It might look a bit silly, but a light T-Shirt can help protect them, along with some pet sunscreen.
- It's time to chill out!
The amount of time a dog can exercise in the warm weather depends on several factors: How long and often has the animal been exposed to hot temperatures, the animal's current health and fitness level, and hydration status.
In general, once it gets above 85 degrees Fahrenheit, dog owners should be cautious when exercising their dog outdoors. For most of them, moderate activity for thirty minutes is safe. When the temperature exceeds 95 degrees Fahrenheit, it is probably best for pet and pet parent to skip the outdoor workout until it cools down.
If your dog displays rapid or labored breathing, starts to resist walking or acts depressed, your dog may be overheating. In these cases, stop, rest, and re-hydrate. This does not mean you need to cease exercising because your dog is panting, just be mindful of your dog's behavior. Watch him/her carefully to determine if the panting is excessive or abnormal. When in doubt, take a break!
- Water safety
Many pet owners enjoy taking their dogs to the beach for a dip or even a boat ride. Such activities are great ways to bond with your animal(s). Its great to include your pets in outdoor fun whenever possible, but not every animal is a strong swimmer. When you plan to take your pet in the water or on a boat, please consider the use of a pet flotation vest. The ones with a sturdy, convenient handle will allow you to safely retrieve your dog should he/she get tuckered out from swimming or fall overboard. Fun in the sun can get hot, so remember to provide plenty of shade and lots of drinking water during your outings.
After an enjoyable day in the water, you might want to give your dog's coat a quick rinse with plenty of clean, fresh water and some pet shampoo. Don't forget to clean and dry the ears (especially the floppy ones) with an ear cleaning solution! Ear infections are often caused by allowing moisture to remain in the ears after swimming or bathing.
Summertime is a great time of the year for people and their pets. The activities you share with them this season will last a lifetime. Be smart, and stay safe!
(Adapted from an article written by A. Piper Burgi)
Cruciate ligament injuries in dogs
Many breeds of dogs suffer from cruciate ligament problems in one or more legs and this is an incredibly painful injury. It is so distressing to see your beloved pet in so much pain. There is great debate regarding what is the best way forward in helping such an animal, whether to have surgery or not. Please have a look at the discussion on the following website: www.tiggerpoz.com as this may help you make that crucial decision on what should be done.
Tips on how to keep your dog's coat healthy
We, humans take care of our skin, not just to look good on the outside but for health and hygienic purposes as well. But how about our beloved pets?
An important part of maintaining a healthy dog is ensuring that s/he has a healthy coat. Mind you, your dog’s coat is one of the best ways to gain insight into their condition, be it emotional or physical. Dogs that are happy and healthy seem to emanate glow from their coat.
So, how do you keep your dog’s coat healthy? Use these tips to keep their coat glowing and growing.
Healthy diet
Nutrition is one of the most important aspects of maintaining a healthy coat. Since hair is mostly made up of protein, it would be best to give them foods that are rich in essential fatty acids such as salmon, sardines and tuna. So go ahead and add some to your dog’s food.
Regular grooming
Regular grooming will help keep your dog feel fresh, look clean and stay healthy. Doggy smell is often caused by buildup of oil and bacteria on the dog’s coat. Regular bathing can help. Be sure not to bathe them too often as it may lead to dryness and irritation. Once a month is enough.
Brush regularly
Brushing is also important, especially for long-haired breeds as it helps remove loose dirt and fur. Additionally, it triggers the production of natural oils and spread it throughout the coat to keep it shiny.
Exercise
Exercise does not only keep your dog’s weight in check, it also improves their overall health. Remember, a healthy dog is more likely to have strong, shiny fur.
A little oil
Add a teaspoon to a tablespoon of oil into your dog’s food 2 to 3 times a week. You can use olive, flaxseed, sunflower or coconut oil. Make sure not to add too much as it may cause diarrhoea. This is also recommended if your dog has dry fur.
(Thanks to ReadySitGo for the information)
An important part of maintaining a healthy dog is ensuring that s/he has a healthy coat. Mind you, your dog’s coat is one of the best ways to gain insight into their condition, be it emotional or physical. Dogs that are happy and healthy seem to emanate glow from their coat.
So, how do you keep your dog’s coat healthy? Use these tips to keep their coat glowing and growing.
Healthy diet
Nutrition is one of the most important aspects of maintaining a healthy coat. Since hair is mostly made up of protein, it would be best to give them foods that are rich in essential fatty acids such as salmon, sardines and tuna. So go ahead and add some to your dog’s food.
Regular grooming
Regular grooming will help keep your dog feel fresh, look clean and stay healthy. Doggy smell is often caused by buildup of oil and bacteria on the dog’s coat. Regular bathing can help. Be sure not to bathe them too often as it may lead to dryness and irritation. Once a month is enough.
Brush regularly
Brushing is also important, especially for long-haired breeds as it helps remove loose dirt and fur. Additionally, it triggers the production of natural oils and spread it throughout the coat to keep it shiny.
Exercise
Exercise does not only keep your dog’s weight in check, it also improves their overall health. Remember, a healthy dog is more likely to have strong, shiny fur.
A little oil
Add a teaspoon to a tablespoon of oil into your dog’s food 2 to 3 times a week. You can use olive, flaxseed, sunflower or coconut oil. Make sure not to add too much as it may cause diarrhoea. This is also recommended if your dog has dry fur.
(Thanks to ReadySitGo for the information)
THE MOST DANGEROUS PET CHEW EVER: RAWHIDE! (taken from a USA site)
How can one of the most popular chew sticks on the planet be so dangerous for your pets, you ask? Most dogs chew on rawhide for hours on end, and not only does it keep them busy, but they seem to last forever.
Well if you understood what it took to make this toxic “raw” leather stick, you would quickly understand what the problem is.
Aside from the horror stories circulating all over social media these days, of pets needing emergency surgery after consuming rawhide, the majority of pet parents today, especially the newbies, believe that this chew is some sort of dried up meat stick.
A rawhide stick is not the by-product of the beef industry nor is it made of dehydrated meat. Rather, rawhide is the by-product of the “Leather Industry”, so theoretically it is a leather chew.
“Producing rawhide begins with the splitting of an animal hide, usually from cattle. The top grain is generally tanned and made into leather products, while the inner portion, in its “raw” state, goes to the dogs.”TheBark.com
So, how does this leather, which is conveniently rolled up into pretty shapes, actually get made into those rawhide chews?
Here is a paraphrased tutorial that was explained by the whole dog journal several years back:
STEP 1: Normally, cattle hides are shipped from slaughterhouses to tanneries for processing. These hides are then treated with a chemical bath to help “preserve” the product during transport to help prevent spoilage. (No one wants to purchase a black, spoiled rawhide stick!)
Once at the tannery: the hides are soaked and treated with either an ash-lye solution or a highly toxic recipe of sodium sulphide liming. This process will help strip the hair and fat that maybe attached to the hides themselves. (No, no one wants to see a hairy hide…)
Next on this glorious journey, these hides are then treated with chemicals that help “puff” the hide, making it easier to split into layers.
The outer layer of the hide is used for goods like car seats, clothing, shoes, purses, etc. But, it’s the inner layer that is needed to make the rawhide (and other things like gelatin, cosmetics, and glue as well).
STEP 2: Now that we have the inner layer of the hide, it’s time to go to the post-tannery stage! Hides are washed and whitened using a solution of hydrogen peroxide and/or bleach; this will also help remove the smell of the rotten or putrid leather.
(Research also shows that other chemicals maybe used here to help the whitening process if the bleach isn’t strong enough.)
STEP 3: Now it’s time to make these whitened sheets of this “leathery by-product” look delicious! So, here is where the artistic painting process comes in.
“Basted, smoked, and decoratively tinted products might be any colour (or odour) underneath the coating of (often artificial) dyes and flavours. They can even be painted with a coating of titanium oxide to make them appear white and pretty on the pet store shelves.” -whole-dog-journal.com
“…the Material Safety Data Sheet reveals a toxic confection containing the carcinogen FD&C Red 40, along with preservatives like sodium benzoate. But tracking the effects of chemical exposure is nearly impossible when it’s a matter of slow, low-dose poisoning.”– thebark.com
Ok, now that these hides have been painted, it’s time for the final process.
STEP 4: Getting it to last forever!
Because the FDA does not consider these chews to be food, really it’s a free for all when it comes to the manufacturers of these leather strips, and the products they may want to add to these chews, to get them to last forever. Any sort of glue can be added here to get these bad boys to never come apart.
When tested: Lead, arsenic, mercury, chromium salts, formaldehyde, and other toxic chemicals have been detected in raw hides. So it’s safe to say that any sort of glues can be used as well!
Finally, it’s time to package and attach all the marketing labels to the product.
Check out the fine print warning that’s attached with some of these rawhides:
“Choking or blockages. If your dog swallows large pieces of rawhide, the rawhide can get stuck in the oesophagus or other parts of the digestive tract. Sometimes, abdominal surgery is needed to remove them from the stomach or intestines. If it isn’t resolved, a blockage can lead to death.“
And there it is! It’s now ready to be shipped to store shelves where it can be purchased for our loving animal companions.
How do proactive veterinarians feel about these chews?
Here is world-renowned veterinarian Doctor Karen Becker's take on the matter:
“The name ‘rawhide’ is technically incorrect. A more accurate name would be processed-hide, because the skin isn’t raw at all. But the term “rawhide” has stuck.
Rawhide chews start out hard, but as your dog works the chew it becomes softer, and eventually he can undo the knots on each end and the chew takes on the consistency of a slimy piece of taffy or bubble gum. And by that time your dog cannot stop working it -- it becomes almost addictive.
At this point, there’s no longer any dental benefit to the chew because it has turned soft and gooey, and, in fact, it has become a choking and intestinal obstruction hazard.“
An investigation by Humane Society International stated in their report, “In a particularly grisly twist, the skins of brutally slaughtered dogs in Thailand are mixed with other bits of skin to produce rawhide chew toys for pet dogs. Manufacturers told investigators that these chew toys are regularly exported to and sold in U.S. stores.” – dogingtonpost.com
Rodney Habib - Pet Nutrition Blogger
"An educated, informed and well-researched community of pet owners can only put more pressure on the pet food industry to be better! When pet owners know better, they will only do better!"
How can one of the most popular chew sticks on the planet be so dangerous for your pets, you ask? Most dogs chew on rawhide for hours on end, and not only does it keep them busy, but they seem to last forever.
Well if you understood what it took to make this toxic “raw” leather stick, you would quickly understand what the problem is.
Aside from the horror stories circulating all over social media these days, of pets needing emergency surgery after consuming rawhide, the majority of pet parents today, especially the newbies, believe that this chew is some sort of dried up meat stick.
A rawhide stick is not the by-product of the beef industry nor is it made of dehydrated meat. Rather, rawhide is the by-product of the “Leather Industry”, so theoretically it is a leather chew.
“Producing rawhide begins with the splitting of an animal hide, usually from cattle. The top grain is generally tanned and made into leather products, while the inner portion, in its “raw” state, goes to the dogs.”TheBark.com
So, how does this leather, which is conveniently rolled up into pretty shapes, actually get made into those rawhide chews?
Here is a paraphrased tutorial that was explained by the whole dog journal several years back:
STEP 1: Normally, cattle hides are shipped from slaughterhouses to tanneries for processing. These hides are then treated with a chemical bath to help “preserve” the product during transport to help prevent spoilage. (No one wants to purchase a black, spoiled rawhide stick!)
Once at the tannery: the hides are soaked and treated with either an ash-lye solution or a highly toxic recipe of sodium sulphide liming. This process will help strip the hair and fat that maybe attached to the hides themselves. (No, no one wants to see a hairy hide…)
Next on this glorious journey, these hides are then treated with chemicals that help “puff” the hide, making it easier to split into layers.
The outer layer of the hide is used for goods like car seats, clothing, shoes, purses, etc. But, it’s the inner layer that is needed to make the rawhide (and other things like gelatin, cosmetics, and glue as well).
STEP 2: Now that we have the inner layer of the hide, it’s time to go to the post-tannery stage! Hides are washed and whitened using a solution of hydrogen peroxide and/or bleach; this will also help remove the smell of the rotten or putrid leather.
(Research also shows that other chemicals maybe used here to help the whitening process if the bleach isn’t strong enough.)
STEP 3: Now it’s time to make these whitened sheets of this “leathery by-product” look delicious! So, here is where the artistic painting process comes in.
“Basted, smoked, and decoratively tinted products might be any colour (or odour) underneath the coating of (often artificial) dyes and flavours. They can even be painted with a coating of titanium oxide to make them appear white and pretty on the pet store shelves.” -whole-dog-journal.com
“…the Material Safety Data Sheet reveals a toxic confection containing the carcinogen FD&C Red 40, along with preservatives like sodium benzoate. But tracking the effects of chemical exposure is nearly impossible when it’s a matter of slow, low-dose poisoning.”– thebark.com
Ok, now that these hides have been painted, it’s time for the final process.
STEP 4: Getting it to last forever!
Because the FDA does not consider these chews to be food, really it’s a free for all when it comes to the manufacturers of these leather strips, and the products they may want to add to these chews, to get them to last forever. Any sort of glue can be added here to get these bad boys to never come apart.
When tested: Lead, arsenic, mercury, chromium salts, formaldehyde, and other toxic chemicals have been detected in raw hides. So it’s safe to say that any sort of glues can be used as well!
Finally, it’s time to package and attach all the marketing labels to the product.
Check out the fine print warning that’s attached with some of these rawhides:
“Choking or blockages. If your dog swallows large pieces of rawhide, the rawhide can get stuck in the oesophagus or other parts of the digestive tract. Sometimes, abdominal surgery is needed to remove them from the stomach or intestines. If it isn’t resolved, a blockage can lead to death.“
And there it is! It’s now ready to be shipped to store shelves where it can be purchased for our loving animal companions.
How do proactive veterinarians feel about these chews?
Here is world-renowned veterinarian Doctor Karen Becker's take on the matter:
“The name ‘rawhide’ is technically incorrect. A more accurate name would be processed-hide, because the skin isn’t raw at all. But the term “rawhide” has stuck.
Rawhide chews start out hard, but as your dog works the chew it becomes softer, and eventually he can undo the knots on each end and the chew takes on the consistency of a slimy piece of taffy or bubble gum. And by that time your dog cannot stop working it -- it becomes almost addictive.
At this point, there’s no longer any dental benefit to the chew because it has turned soft and gooey, and, in fact, it has become a choking and intestinal obstruction hazard.“
An investigation by Humane Society International stated in their report, “In a particularly grisly twist, the skins of brutally slaughtered dogs in Thailand are mixed with other bits of skin to produce rawhide chew toys for pet dogs. Manufacturers told investigators that these chew toys are regularly exported to and sold in U.S. stores.” – dogingtonpost.com
Rodney Habib - Pet Nutrition Blogger
"An educated, informed and well-researched community of pet owners can only put more pressure on the pet food industry to be better! When pet owners know better, they will only do better!"