Adventures in Pet Sitting - Ask Aunt Deb! (Weekly Feature)
Earlier this week I proposed a weekly series in hopes of having a gathering space to discuss our pets. There was only one question posed.
Thank you @haphazard-hstead!
I've been reading mushroom poisoning reports. I've been surprised how many cases there are of dogs being poisoned by toxic mushrooms. And I know that dogs have trouble with some foods that people enjoy. How do you tell when a dog has eaten something that you need to go to the vet for?
Excellent question - actually two questions in one - toxic foods and poisoning. Foods aren't the only toxic substances that our pets get into. So, I'm going to tackle both, but separately. I'm pulling my information from http://www.petmd.com/.
The first thing is to be aware of your pet's normal behavior and appearance. This is the baseline you'll need to measure against to judge if something is outside those norms.
Generally, when our critters have gotten into something they shouldn't have, we're not there to see exactly what it was. If we're lucky, there will be evidence of the 'crime'. Crumbs, toothmarks, you get the idea. Most times we're left to guess. So we only have symptoms to guide us and that's why knowing what's normal for your pet is vital.
Symptoms to look for are vomiting, drooling, lethargy, acting 'drunk', and/or diarrhea. It's better to err on the side of safety and consult your vet. If you're not sure about whether to make the trip to the vet's office, you can always call to confirm whether it's necessary on not. If it's after office hours (isn't always?), they will usually have an emergency number available.
FOODS TO AVOID FOR DOGS AND CATS:
Chocolate
Caffeine
Garlic / Onions
Grapes / Raisins
Xylitol (sugar substitute)
OTHER SUBSTANCES:
Insecticides, including flea / tick meds
Anti-freeze
Drugs, over-the-counter and prescription
Household products
Petroleum products
Certain Plants
By no means are these lists exhaustive. My advice is to keep your vet's number handy. In case that's not an option, you can also call the Pet Poison Helpline. I recommend you visit their site for an overview. They are correct when they say:
"The sooner a dog poisoning or cat poisoning is diagnosed, the easier, less expensive, and safer it is to treat your pet."
THE QUESTION WITH THE MOST UPVOTES WILL BE NEXT WEEK'S TOPIC.
What a helpful post! A lot of pet owners don't know this stuff. I didn't until after I gave my dog grapes. She did the best tricks to get them. Thankfully she never got ill but I did stop. I used green grapes maybe there is a difference? I don't know but still. Thanks!
You're welcome! I think some breeds may handle it better than others - just their particular system isn't as sensitive. Good on you for discontinuing. If you want a good substitute, try frozen blueberries. (Fresh are too messy.) Lots of good stuff in there & the taste has a similar 'bite'.
Thanks for the feedback and hope to see you often!
Thanks, @aunt-deb! I had no idea that dogs shouldn't be eating raisins or onions! I feel for them -- no chocolate, no raisins, no coffee. Watch those Christmas treats, I guess.
Well, my 'avoid guilt' tactic is telling myself if they've never had it, they won't miss it. If you want to take a pro-active route, there are a bazillion site out there with healthy do-it-yourself treat recipes. I haven't tried these, so won't vouch for them, but it's a good example of what's out there.
Haha - that's a good tactic! Hmm, maybe you could be a judge for a culinary challenge for dog treats, lol. I am making dried sweet potatoes for dog treats for my sister's dog. I've seen them at PetSmart - just strips of sweet potatoes, dried, with nothing on them.
Good deal! I hope they go over well.
Here's a question for you - if you are still doing the Ask Aunt-Deb, related to treats. What are things that we wouldn't think dogs would like as treats, that they really do?
Yes, I am doing the series & that's a great question. I'll have fun researching that one. Thanks!
I've just posted another call for questions and a chance to earn some more steem.
Linky: https://steemit.com/steem/@aunt-deb/adventures-in-pet-sitting-ask-aunt-deb-steem-reward-contest
Do you know why grapes / raisins but not other fruits?
From what I understand, it's the tannins in the grape skins. Raisins are worse because drying the grapes concentrates the potency. Their livers cannot process that chemical.
Thanks. Not that we feed ours raisins, of course, but I was curious.
You're welcome. It's good info to know and pass along to folks who might not have heard that one.
Thanks for asking!