WARNINGS

Posted 9/1/2011:
I had a small emergency with Lola. She ended up in emergency with an allergic reaction to heartworm medication. She is normally on Heartguard with no problems. Vet switched to the generic brand, Iverhart Plus (ivermectin/pyramtel), which is a chewable pill form, and much cheaper. She reacted within 10 minutes. Throwing up, lethargic, crying. They think it was the compound the pill is made with. That poor thing is so delicate. She's okay but worn out after that ordeal. What's the old saying? Don't fix it if it ain't broken. She is back on Heartguard.

Jasper is fine taking it so I have it at home for him. I haven't had any issues with him. He's a tough little guy. The funny thing with Lola is she's a very healthy little dog. It's the man made products designed to keep her healthy that keep doing her the most harm. Ironic. Important note: Jasper(8lbs) is twice the size of Lola(4lbs).

Susan Koller

P.S. note from Helayne: Maybe only a 1/2 pill for her would have been sufficient? Even when I give the cattle liquid to big dogs a 30 lb dog gets less than a 50 lb dog, but you use the same Heartgard tabs for dogs between 26-50 lbs - crazy.

> The AVMA has released an alert saying that pet jerky treats have been
> possibly associated with kidney disease in dogs in Canada. These cases have
> Fanconi syndrome-like symptoms and seem to affect smaller dogs that may
> ingest proportionally more of these treats.

http://avma.org/petfoodsafety/jerkytreats/default.asp

Posted July 15,2011

daisybrokenleg2

daisybrokenleg1

Ooppss!!

Broken legs do happen in the Russian Toy Breed. Usually they are due to a bad jump from a lap, or a slip on a wet surface. Use a veterinary facility who knows how to mend "bird legs", because that is how slender our RTs legs are. Expensive, yes. Pet Health Insurance might be a good idea before an accident like this.

Human Foods Toxic to your Dogs

Chocolate contains theobromine, a compound that is a cardiac stimulant and a diuretic.

When affected by an overdose of chocolate, a dog can become excited and hyperactive. Due to the diuretic effect, it may pass large volumes of urine and it will be unusually thirsty. Vomiting and diarrhoea are also common. The effect of theobromine on the heart is the most dangerous effect. Theobromine will either increase the dog’s heart rate or may cause the heart to beat irregularly. Death is quite possible, especially with exercise.

After their pet has eaten a large quantity of chocolate, many pet owners assume their pet is unaffected. However, the signs of sickness may not be seen for several hours, with death following within twenty-four hours.

Cocoa powder and cooking chocolate are the most toxic forms. A 10-kilogram dog can be seriously affected if it eats a quarter of a 250gm packet of cocoa powder or half of a 250gm block of cooking chocolate. These forms of chocolate contain ten times more theobromine than milk chocolate. Thus, a chocolate mud cake could be a real health risk for a small dog. Even licking a substantial part of the chocolate icing from a cake can make a dog unwell.

Semi-sweet chocolate and dark chocolate are the next most dangerous forms, with milk chocolate being the least dangerous. A dog needs to eat more than a 250gm block of milk chocolate to be affected. Obviously, the smaller the dog, the less it needs to eat.

Onions and garlic are other dangerous food ingredients that cause sickness in dogs, cats and also livestock. Onions and garlic contain the toxic ingredient thiosulphate. Onions are more of a danger.

Pets affected by onion toxicity will develop haemolytic anaemia, where the pet’s red blood cells burst while circulating in its body.

At first, pets affected by onion poisoning show gastroenteritis with vomiting and diarrhoea. They will show no interest in food and will be dull and weak. The red pigment from the burst blood cells appears in an affected animal’s urine and it becomes breathless. The breathlessness occurs because the red blood cells that carry oxygen through the body are reduced in number.

The poisoning occurs a few days after the pet has eaten the onion. All forms of onion can be a problem including dehydrated onions, raw onions, cooked onions and table scraps containing cooked onions and/or garlic. Left over pizza, Chinese dishes and commercial baby food containing onion, sometimes fed as a supplement to young pets, can cause illness.

Onion poisoning can occur with a single ingestion of large quantities or with repeated meals containing small amounts of onion. A single meal of 600 to 800 grams of raw onion can be dangerous whereas a ten-kilogram dog, fed 150 grams of onion for several days, is also likely to develop anaemia. The condition improves once the dog is prevented from eating any further onion

While garlic also contains the toxic ingredient thiosulphate, it seems that garlic is less toxic and large amounts would need to be eaten to cause illness.

Macadamia nuts are another concern. A recent paper written by Dr. Ross McKenzie, a Veterinary Pathologist with the Department of Primary Industries, points to the danger of raw and roasted macadamia nuts for pets.

The toxic compound is unknown but the affect of macadamia nuts is to cause locomotory difficulties. Dogs develop a tremor of the skeletal muscles, and weakness or paralysis of the hindquarters. Affected dogs are often unable to rise and are distressed, usually panting. Some affected dogs have swollen limbs and show pain when the limbs are manipulated.

Dogs have been affected by eating as few as six macadamia kernels (nuts without the shell) while others had eaten approximately forty kernels. Some dogs had also been given macadamia butter.

Luckily, the muscle weakness, while painful, seems to be of short duration and all dogs recovered from the toxicity. All dogs were taken to their veterinary surgeon.

Pets owners should not assume that human food is always safe for pets. When it comes to chocolate, onions, garlic and macadamia nuts, such foods should be given in only small quantities, or not at all. Be sure that your pets can’t get into your stash of chocolates, that food scraps are disposed of carefully to prevent onion and garlic toxicity and that your dog is prevented from picking up macadamia nuts if you have a tree in your garden.

Other toxic products:

Avocado (all parts) - the toxic ingredient in avocado is called persin (toxic amount unknown). Most documented cases of poisoning have been in livestock that have eaten all parts of the avocado and in large amounts. The toxin may be confined to the leaves, bark, skin or seed but the flesh is thought to be poisonous to birds.

Pear pips, the kernels of plums, peaches and apricots, apple core pips (contain cyanogenic glycosides resulting in cyanide posioning)

Potato peelings and green looking potatoes

Rhubarb leaves

Mouldy/spoiled foods (keep garbage lid firmly on)

Alcohol

Yeast dough

Coffee grounds, beans & tea (caffeine)

Hops (used in home brewing)

Tomato leaves & stems (green parts)

Broccoli (in large amounts)

Raisins and grapes

Cigarettes, tobacco, cigars

Xylitol (sweetener often found in sugar-free gum)

Cooked bones - they can splinter and cause gut perforation, as well as blockages in the intestine, tooth fractures, and cooked chop bones can get stuck across the roof of the mouth

Corn cobs - a common cause of intestinal blockage requiring surgical removal

HGE (Hemorrhagic GastroEnteritis) http://vetmedicine.about.com/cs/dogdiseasesh/a/HGEindogs.htm

Everyone who has or ever has puppies should read this: http://www.showpapillons.com/beware.htm

Here is a searchable database of all available cancer-related clinical trials: www.vetcancertrials.org

Poodle drops from the sky VANCOUVER - This could happen to a much lighter Russian Toy, but without the happy ending.

Be aware of birds of Prey, Foxes, Cayotes etc.

http://www.globalanimal.org/2011/05/18/poodles-from-heaven-dog-drops-from-sky/39601/

Brucellosis

http://www.euksport.com/sportingDog/en_US/jsp/library/SD_ALDP.jsp?article=Canine_Brucellosis

Any dog can be infected with Canine Brucellosis

By Martin Coffman, D.V.M.

In the 1970s, as a young veterinarian and a Beagle field trailer, I was intimately involved in the epidemic of Canine Brucellosis that wreaked havoc on that breed. While I never had a case in my own dogs, I saw the effects of this disease in many kennels. Lifetime breeding programs were wiped out and many kennels never recovered from the losses incurred as a result of sterility, abortions, and weak newborn puppies that were caused by this infection. Great young stud dogs with their producing career in front of them were lost to the Beagle breed, as well as the crucially important brood bitches in major breeding kennels. As a result of this epidemic in the Beagle breed, increased awareness led to preventive steps that eventually curtailed the problem, but breeders of other hunting dogs, e.g. bird dogs, assumed the problem was just in the Beagle breed and for decades have minimized the danger this disease carries. The reality is that any dog can be infected with the brucellosis bacteria and it lurks as a threat to all breeders of all breeds. Since the disease can be transmitted by direct contact with infected dogs and hardware like bowls, leashes, truck boxes, and training collars, all dogs that assemble in large numbers, e.g. at a field trial, are especially susceptible.

Since Dr. Leland Carmichael first isolated the Brucella canis organism in 1966, veterinarians have had difficulty convincing breeders that their valuable dog's reproductive career is finished once the diagnosis is made. The economic losses that have resulted from this disease cannot be over estimated. It can be devastating to a kennel. The disease is more common in the southern United States but has been reported in most states and many foreign countries.

The highly contagious disease is spread primarily through mating and via oral ingestion of the bacteria. Typical signs are late-term abortions in females and testicular and prostate inflammation in males with infertility and sterility a common final result. The disease can also cause non-reproductive problems, like infections of the backbone and swollen lymph nodes. Some dogs carry the disease without symptoms and appear quite normal despite positive blood tests. This makes it difficult for the owner to understand that the dog's breeding career has ended. Some cases respond to aggressive antibiotic treatment, but relapses are common. Despite the appearance of a cure, it is ethically unacceptable to continue to breed a dog that has a positive blood test for Canine Brucellosis and extremely risky from a kennel health standpoint.

The disease is transmitted primarily through secretions from the bitch's vagina, both during estrus and while whelping. Males excrete the bacteria through their semen. Both sexes also excrete the bacteria in their urine, but male urine has a much higher concentration of the germ. Bacterial concentration in the bitch's milk is also very high, but most researchers think this is a minor problem since the pups are infected while in the uterus prior to whelping. Low concentrations of the Canine Brucellosis bacteria are often found in saliva, feces, eye fluids and nasal discharges. Kennel bowls, cages and the hands of handlers have also produced positive cultures for three. canis. Documented cases have been traced to entry of the germ through the genital tract, the mouth and nose, and the eye. Typical cases show positive blood tests within one to four weeks after infection, which persists for at least six months and up to 64 months in some dogs.

General symptoms of Canine Brucellosis are not very evident. These dogs rarely have fevers and general signs of ill health are often absent. The classic symptom of Canine Brucellosis is late abortion, between 30 and 57 days into pregnancy, with the highest number between 45 and 55 days of gestation. Aborted puppies usually have a swollen appearance due to fluid under the skin and signs of disease on the liver, spleen and kidneys. Affected bitches tend to have a discharge for a longer than normal period. Sometimes, puppies are born that appear normal but eventually develop illness. These puppies should not be kept in the kennel.

The most frequent signs in males are swollen, painful testicles. Males will often lick their scrotum, increasing the swelling. The inflamed testicle leads to decreased fertility and often true sterility. Damaged testicles may take up to five weeks to be obvious but damaged sperm can take up to 16 weeks to appear on microscopic examination.

The only method for a positive diagnosis of Canine Brucellosis is isolation of the bacteria but this is not always possible. Five blood tests that vary in sensitivity and accuracy are available to practicing veterinarians for the disease. Normally the veterinarian will use the reproductive history of the dog, clinical symptoms and blood tests to arrive at the diagnosis. The simplest test is called the Rapid Slide Agglutination Test. It is available in a kit form (D-Tec CB; Synbiotics Corp) and is useful in screening tests and early stages of the infection. Since false negatives are rare on this test, it is especially useful in filtering dogs scheduled for breeding. A positive on the RSAT test requires further testing for confirmation of the diagnosis.

For a truly positive diagnosis, culturing tissue for the germ is ideal. Unfortunately, a negative culture does not rule out the disease because the germ might have been absent in the cultured tissue at the time of sampling. Cultures of blood are commonly used because of the ease in obtaining the sample, but culturing aborted puppies, vaginal discharges, urine and semen is also done.

Common Household Items can be poisons to your dog

Thousands of dogs and cats needlessly suffer and many die each year by accidental ingestion of household poisons, including pesticides, popular houseplants, medications and common foods. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, the only animal poison control center in North America offers advice to pet owners about the many household products that can be dangerous and even deadly to their four-legged family member.

Mothballs, potpourri oils, coffee grounds, homemade play dough, fabric softener sheets, dishwashing detergent, batteries, cigarettes, alcoholic drinks, pennies and hand and foot warmers could be dangerous for your pet.

Keep all prescription and over-the-counter medications out of your pets' reach, preferably in closed/locked cabinets above the counter. Painkillers, cold medicines, antidepressants, vitamins and diet pills can be lethal to animals, even in small doses.

Read all of the information on the label before using a product on your pet or in your home. If a product is for use only on dogs, it should never be used on cats; if a product is for use only on cats, it should never be used on dogs.

Be aware of the plants you have in your home and yard. The ingestion of azalea, oleander, sago palm or yew plant material by your pet can be fatal. Easter lily, day lily, tiger lily and some other lily species can cause kidney failure in cats.

Make sure your pets do not go on lawns or in gardens treated with fertilizers, herbicides or insecticides until they have dried completely. Always store such products in areas that are inaccessible to your pets. If you are uncertain about the usage of any product, ask the manufacturer and/or your veterinarian for instructions.

Be alert for antifreeze/coolant leaking from your vehicle. Animals are attracted to the sweet taste and ingesting just a small amount can cause an animal's death. Consider using animal-friendly products that use propylene glycol rather than those containing ethylene glycol.
When using rat, mouse, snail or slug baits, or ant or roach traps, place the products in areas that are inaccessible to your pet. Some bait contains sweet smelling inert ingredients, such as jelly, peanut butter or sugar that can attract your pets.
Call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (1-888-426-4435) if you suspect that your pet has ingested something poisonous.

Healthy puppies - Remember to de-worm and give your puppies the required immunizations.

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