Sunday, June 01, 2008

Warning: These Foods Are Toxic For Dogs

Title: Warning: These Foods Are Toxic For Dogs
Author: Ken Charles

Warning: These Foods Are Toxic For Dogs
18 Household Foods You Should Never Feed Your Dog.

Does your dog eat table scraps? Does he beg for food
(successfully) while you're having a meal? Do you put the
remains of your family meal into his feeding bowl?

Some of these foods can kill your dog!

NOTE: You will see that many of these foods cause similar
symptoms, so it can be difficult to identify which
ingredient is the culprit, especially if you feed your dog
assorted table scraps or servings of meals which you eat
yourself. Many of these foods cause damage to the liver and
kidneys and may also affect the heart.

Chocolate: Most dogs love chocolate. It's so easy, when
you're eating a chocolate bar, to give the dog a piece,
just as a reward for being your friend. I'll bet the kids
do the same.

Chocolate contains caffeine and bromethalin, both of which
are poisonous to your dog. Dark chocolate is more
dangerous, because it is more concentrated. A dog can
consume milk chocolate and appear to be fine because it is
not as concentrated, but it is still dangerous. Dark
Baker's chocolate is the most toxic to your dog.

Symptoms of chocolate poisoning include difficulty in
breathing, vomiting, arrythmia, abdominal pain, diarrhoea,
tremors, staggering, fever, increased heart rate, and can
result in seizures, coma and death.

Grapes and Raisins can cause acute renal failure in dogs.
Just one serving of raisins can kill a dog. Symptoms
include diarrhoea, abdominal pain and lethargy.

Mushrooms can be deadly. Never feed your dog pizza or any
other food containing mushrooms or let your dog chew on
mushrooms found in your yard. Mushrooms can cause a wide
range of damage, including abdominal pain, drooling, liver
damage, kidney damage, vomiting diarrhoea, convulsions,
coma and even death.

Coffee, Cocoa and Tea and indeed, anything containing
caffeine (like chocolate). Symptoms are similar to those
for chocolate and include staggering, laboured breathing,
vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, tremors, fever, heart
rate increase, arrythmia, seizures, coma and death

Xylitol is an artificial sweetener even a small amount can
cause liver failure and death. Dr. Eric Dunayer, who
specializes in toxicology at The Animal Poison Control
Center of the American Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals, said that dogs ingesting substantial
amounts of items sweetened with xylitol could develop a
sudden drop in blood sugar, resulting in depression, loss
of co-ordination, and seizures.

"These signs can develop quite rapidly, at times less than
30 minutes after ingestion of the product. Therefore, it is
crucial that pet owners seek veterinary treatment
immediately," Dr. Dunayer said. He also said that there
appears to be a strong link between xylitol ingestions and
the development of liver failure in dogs.

Pips and kernels of various fruits can contain cyanide!
Whilst the fruit itself is perfectly good for dogs, care
should be taken that they do not consume the pips and
seeds. Pear pips, the kernels of plums, peaches and
apricots, apple core pips all contain cyanogenic
glycosides, which cause cyanide poisoning.

Tomatoes can cause tremors and heart arrhythmia. Tomato
plants are the most toxic, but tomatoes themselves are also
unsafe.

Onions and Garlic can cause oxidative damage to the red
blood cell membrane, resulting in hemolysis, or the
rupturing of red blood cells and causing difficulty in
breathing, diarrhoea, liver damage, vomiting and
discoloured urine. Although garlic has the stronger taste
and smell, onions are much more toxic but both are very
dangerous.

Pizzas can be potentially dangerous because most of them
contain either onions, or tomatoes or mushrooms, or a
combination of all three.

The dangers of excessive salt in the diet of humans are
well recognized and documented. With a much smaller body
mass, dogs are particularly vulnerable to the same sort of
cardiovascular problems and also to kidney damage.

In the same way that excessive salt is harmful to both dogs
and humans, animal fat and fried foods are hazardous.
Excessive fat can cause pancreatitis.

Macadamia Nuts and Walnuts: Macadamia nuts can cause
weakness, muscle tremor and paralysis. Limit all other nuts
as they are not good for dogs in general, their high
phosphorous content is said to possibly lead to bladder
stones.

Nutmeg can cause tremors, seizures and death

Avocados: The fruit, pit and plant are all toxic. They can
cause difficulty in breathing and fluid accumulation in the
chest, abdomen and heart.

Antifreeze is certainly not a food but it has a smell and a
sweet taste which is palatable to dogs. It is very toxic to
dogs and just a small amount can cause renal failure. Dogs
should be kept well away from any suspicious looking spills
of liquid, particularly in any garage areas.

Some Commercial Dog Foods contain toxins and poisons which
are not neutralized in the rendering process and which are
prohibited from human foods. A full report, from vets and
other authoritive sources can be found from the link below;

About the Author:

Ken Charles is the webmaster at
http://www.allabout-dogs.co.uk which covers all aspects of
dog ownership, including Dog Foods, Dog Breeds, Dog
Training and Dog Health.

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Canine Arthritis: Get Relief For Your Dog

Title: Canine Arthritis: Get Relief For Your Dog
Author: Ken Charles

Canine Arthritis: Get Relief For Your Dog
Arthritis is probably the most common serious condition
affecting dogs (about one in four or five) and one of the
most difficult to treat. Unfortunately, there is currently
no known cure for arthritis - in dogs or humans! Numerous
tests and clinical trials have been carried out but with no
cure at present. So, beware anyone who claims to have a
"Cure".

However, there are various remedies available which can
give some relief, to a greater or lesser extent .. as can
be seen by the large number of products on offer. There is
a problem in that many of the remedies available carry
some sort of disadvantage, particularly regarding some of
the anti-inflammatory drugs currently in use.

These are some of the Dangers:

Look at any forum or message board on this subject and
Rimadyl and Carprofen are mentioned frequently, in a
negative context. Serious side effects are worryingly
frequent and in some cases can be fatal.

The website of The US Food and Drug Administration states...

"Today, a new generation of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory
drugs (NSAIDs) is bringing relief to millions of dogs with
joint problems or with pain after surgery.

"NSAIDs are extremely effective for controlling pain and
inflammation in dogs," says Stephen F. Sundlof, D.V.M.,
Ph.D., director of the Food and Drug Administration's
Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM). "These are very
valuable drugs that help many pets live to a ripe old age."

But like any drugs, NSAIDs carry a risk of side effects, or
adverse reactions. Most adverse reactions are mild, but
some may be serious, especially if the drugs are not used
according to labeled directions. Some reactions result in
permanent damage or even death.

"It's important for pet owners to be aware of the risks and
benefits of all drugs, including NSAIDs, so that they can
make informed decisions about their pets' health care,"
says Sundlof. "Owners who give their dog NSAIDs need to
know the side effects to watch for that indicate their pet
needs medical attention."

"The most common side effects from NSAIDs (nonsteroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs) include vomiting, loss of
appetite, depression, lethargy, and diarrhoea. Serious side
effects include gastrointestinal bleeding, ulcers,
perforations, kidney damage, and liver problems."

"The side effects of NSAIDs are very well known and very
well documented," says Michele Sharkey, D.V.M., in the
CVM's Office of New Animal Drug Evaluation. But this
information is not always getting to the pet owner, she
says. "If the pet owner can recognize a possible reaction,
stop the medication, and get veterinary help, it could mean
the difference between a good outcome and a disaster."

There is some evidence that not all vets are aware of the
potential problems with these drugs and are not able to
recognize the symptoms of adverse reactions and side
effects.

Treatments such as oils and creams, applied externally,
which are sometimes effective with humans are much more
difficult to apply to dogs, especially if the coat is
thick. Various other alternatives to anti-inflammatory
drugs are on the market, including drinks and "natural"
ingredients.

Glucosamine is a very popular ingredient, sometimes
included with chondroitin. I know many aged golfers who
swear by it!

A company called Maxavita claims that its product, called
Pernamax, which comes in the form of caplets or gel, is 200
times stronger than glucosamine. It includes the powdered
extract of the New Zealand Green Lipped mussel.

None of these remedies are cheap and all involve a
continuing cost, which over a year can be very substantial,
especially if there is a need for the vet's involvement.

Magnotherapy can be a simple and effective alternative. It
has had continuing success with humans and animals and in
the UK alone, over 2 million people have had relief,
ranging from the mild to the "miraculous".

In some quarters, this treatment is derided as being "all
in the mind", possibly because people cannot believe that
something as simple and easy as a special magnetic collar
or sleeping pad can bring such relief to animals.

However, there is considerable scientific proof that the
beneficial effects of this Magnetic Therapy are not just
due to a placebo effect.

About the Author:

For more information, Click on
http://allabout-dogs.co.uk/magnotherapy-for-animals now
Ken Charles runs http://allabout-dogs.co.uk covering all
aspects of dog ownership, including dog health, dog
training, dog breeds, dog supplies and dog food.

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Understand Your Pet's Hypertension

Title: Understand Your Pet's Hypertension
Author: Ashish Jain

In simple words hypertension is the abnormal elevation of blood
pressure in the blood vessels. The main cause of it is the
narrowing down of arteries. But apart from this there can be
several other reasons too.

Hypertension does occur in cats and dogs. There is an
underlying cause of most of the hypertension problems in cats
and dogs. In cats, kidney disease is a major cause while in dogs
this cause is less prevalent.

If you want to maintain a proper health of your dog it is
essential for you to get him medically examined on a regular
basis. And diagnosing hypertension in your pet is very
important. But just measurement will not help, it is required
that the blood pressure has been measured correctly.

To measure blood pressure of cats and dogs, an inflatable cuff
is used. It is advised that to get the blood pressure reading
accurately, six readings are taken and the final result is taken
out by calculating the average of them. The first reading that
comes out is usually inaccurate. For measuring blood pressure in
pets, there is a machine that is automatic in nature and does
not even employ the use of a stethoscope. The cuff of the
machine is placed on your pets tail. This is done because you
will get the most accurate reading on an animals tail. The
machine has been named DINAMAP. For cats also you can use this
machine, but there is specifically a machine designed for them
which is known as Doppler.

Now you must be wondering what is the normal blood pressure of
your pet. The blood pressure in cats and dogs generally depends
on its breed. In effect, the breed factor plays a more important
role in case of dogs. Besides this, the age of the animal is
also crucial in determining the normal limits of the blood flow.
Just like humans, blood pressure in animals rises with age. For
cats the normal systolic/diastolic pressures are 160/100 mm Hg
and for dogs they are 147/83 mm Hg.

In animals you can measure blood pressure from three different
arterial. They are systolic, diastolic and the average mean of
both of them. The female dogs have a lower blood pressure than a
male dog.

Another important thing that you should know is that like cats
and humans, dogs rarely suffer from the disorder of hypertension
due to renal failures.

About The Author: The author writes about a number of different
topics. For more information on blood pressure visit
http://www.blood-pressure-updates.com/bp/ and also visit the
article page:
http://www.blood-pressure-updates.com/bp/blogs/bp-monitor.htm

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