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DOGGIE DO’S AND DON’TS

PUPPY PROOF THE HOUSE: BE AWARE THAT PUPPIES WILL EAT ANYTHING. THEY CAN INGEST PLASTIC BAGS. THEY WILL PLAY WITH A BAG AND WHEN THEY TAKE A DEEP BREATH IT WILL GO DEEP INTO THEIR AIRWAY AND THEN CHOKE. PUPPIES CAN LEARN QUICKLY TO OPEN DOORS AND THEREFORE THEY CAN GET INTO THE DANGEROUS CLEANING PRODUCTS UNDER YOUR SINK. IN SOME BREEDS, IF THEY GET TOO MUCH FOOD THEY CAN “BLOAT”, BLOAT IS A CONDITION THAT IF THERE IS TOO MUCH IN THE STOMACH, IT CAN TWIST AND REQUIRE SURGERY. KEEP THE PUPPY AWAY FROM CHRISTMAS TREE AS WELL. ROCKS ARE A FAVORITE ALSO. YOU CAN AVOID THESE PITFALLS BY KEEPING THE PUPPY IN A PUPPY PROOFED AREA WHEN YOU ARE NOT THERE TO MONITOR HIM. HERE IS A REAL BUMMER…PUPPIES CAN GET ELECTROCUTED BY CHEWING ON CORDS. THIS IS WHY HOUSE PROOFING AND MONITORING YOUR PUPPY IS SO IMPORTANT. OH, AND WATCH FOR MISSING GOLF BALLS. I HAVE SEEN GOLFBALLS PASS OR BE SUCCESSFULLY REMOVED THROUGH SURGERY. AS FOR THE TENNIS BALLS…THE GLUE THAT IS USED TO MANUFACTURE THEM WILL WEAR THE ENAMEL OFF THEIR TEETH. ONCE BROKEN AND CHEWED INTO PIECES, THEY CAN INGEST PARTS OF THE TENNIS BALL AND I KNOW FOR SURE THAT WILL LAND YOU IN THE EMERGENCY ROOM … IF YOU GET THERE IN TIME. TENNIS BALLS CAN KILL, AS IN ANYTHING SWALLOWED THAT CAN BLOCK THE INTESTINES. NO COOKED BONES EITHER, THEY CAN SPLINTER. A GOOD CHEW TOY IS A COMPRESSED RAWHIDE BONE, A KONK, OR NYLABONE TOY. BUSTERBALLS ARE GOOD ALSO. ANYTHING THAT RELEASES FOOD BITS WHILE THE DOG PLAYS WITH IT, WILL OCCUPY THEM FOR A WHILE. CHEESE OR PEANUTBUTTER IN A KONK TOY WILL DO THE JOB AS WELL. WHEN PICKING TOYS FOR YOUR DOG, THINK ABOUT WHAT IS ON THE TOY, IS AN INGESTABLE A POSSIBILITY. TAKE NOTE OF SIMILARITIES IN DOG TOYS, VERSES HOUSEHOLD ITEMS…DOES THE STUFFED ANIMAL DOG TOY LOOK LIKE YOUR CHILDS FAVORITE STUFFED ANIMAL? DOES THE ROPE TOY LOOK LIKE YOUR CURTAIN TIES?

COUNTERTOPS: MOST PEOPLE TEND TO USE THE KITCHEN FOR THE ISOLATED ROOM FOR THE NEW PUPPY. BE AWARE THAT WHEN YOU COOK IN THERE, ALL IS FAIR GAME IN A PUPPIES MIND. SO… DO NOT LEAVE KNIVES ON THE COUNTERTOP. A LARGER BREED DOG COULD JUMP UP AND FLIP THAT KNIFE ONTO THE FLOOR. WE HOPE IT MISSES THE DOG ON THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. NOT TO MENTION… IF THE DOG DECIDES TO “TASTE” THE KNIFE…REMEMBER IT HAS GOOD SMELLS ON IT. BACK TO THE COUNTERTOP…WATCH THE FOOD YOU ARE PREPARING UP THERE…TRUST ME, YOUR DOG IS. EVEN IF YOU THINK YOUR DOG IS WELL TRAINED, SOMETIMES THE TEMPTATION IS JUST TOO MUCH FOR AN OPPORTUNISTIC PREDATOR. A LOT OF OUR FOODS WILL MAKE A DOG SICK. NOT TO MENTION, IF YOUR PUP IS GOING THROUGH A BOUT OF GIARDIA…YOU COULD GET SICK AS WELL IF THEY TOUCH YOUR FOOD WITHOUT YOU SEEING THEM. ALSO…IF YOU ARE STILL DEALING WITH THE JUMPING ON THE COUNTER PROBLEM…MAKE SURE YOUR STOVE TOP IS OFF WHEN THE DOG IS IN THE KITCHEN…HOWEVER, THIS IS SELF CORRECTING.

COUNTRY LIVING: TINY PUPPIES CAN BE LIFTED UP AND AWAY BY HAWKS. SO KEEP YOU EYES ON YOUR PUP IF LOOSE OUTSIDE FOR A BATHROOM BREAK. THE COYOTES ARE A PROBLEM ALSO FOR THESE LITTLE GUYS. SMALL DOGS ARE A TARGET IF LEFT OUT SIDE WITH FENCES LESS THAN 7 FEET TALL. IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING A FENCE…FENCING WITHOUT CROSS WIRE MAKES IT DIFFICULT FOR OTHER PREDATORS TO CLIMB UP AND OVER…COYOTES CAN STILL JUMP SO TAKE A LOOK AT YOUR ENVIRONMENT. IF YOU HAVE A DOGGIE DOOR, YOUR PUP CAN HAVE A CHANCE OF SURVIVAL BY RUNNING BACK INSIDE AT THE SIGN OF TROUBLE. A COVERED DOG RUN IS BEST IF YOU ARE IN THIS PREDICAMENT. FOXTAILS CAN BE A HUGE PROBLEM AS WELL. THEY CAN BECOME EMBEDDED IN THE SKIN, EARS, ANAL GLANDS, NOSE AND MOUTH. ONCE EMBEDDED, INFECTION CAN SET IN AND CAUSE COMPLICATED MEDICAL PROBLEMS.

TRAVEL: I AM GOING TO GET ON A SOAP BOX OVER THIS ONE! HERE IT IS…IF YOU ARE ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO ALLOWS YOUR DOG TO RIDE IN THE BACK OF A PICK-UP TRUCK, YOU CAN BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR CONTRIBUTING TO AN ACCIDENT OR FATALITY SHOULD THE DOG GET OUT IN SOME WAY AND INTERFERE WITH TRAFFIC. LET'S SAY YOUR DOGS GETS THROWN OUT OF THE TRUCK OR JUMPS OUT. IT DOESN’T MATTER. YOU WOULDN’T BELIEVE HOW PEOPLE WILL DO EVERYTHING IN THEIR POWER TO MISS HITTING THAT DOG. PEOPLE DO DIE IN THIS TYPE OF PILE UP. I HAVE WITNESSED THIS TRAMA FOR MYSELF. IN THE CASE THAT I WITNESSED, THE DRIVER ACTUALLY HAD A NET OVER THE BACK OF THE BED BUT SOMEHOW THE DOG STILL LAUNCHED ITSELF INTO TRAFFIC. AS FOR RESTRAINING YOUR DOG INSIDE YOUR CAR…THERE ARE SEVERAL TYPES OF RESTRAINING DEVICES. SHOULD AN ACCIDENT OCCURE, YOUR DOG WILL BE SAFER RESTAINED, JUST AS YOU ARE. VEHICLE RESTRAINTS ALSO PREVENT YOUR DOG FROM BOLTING OUT OF THE CAR WHEN THE DOORS ARE OPENED. IT CAN GET COMPLICATED WHEN YOU ARE TRANSPORTING YOUR DOG SOMEWHERE AND ARE HAVING A HARD TIME LEASHING THE DOG TO GET HIM OUT OF THE VEHICLE. ALWAYS ATTACH THE LEASH TO THE COLLAR FIRST BEFORE UNHOOKING THE RESTAINING DEVICE. ANY TIME A DOG IS LOOSE IN TRAFFIC, OR IN PUBLIC, IT IS A HAZARD! THE POLICE DEPARTMENT WILL ALSO TELL YOU THAT IF THE DOG GETS LOOSE IN AN ACCIDENT, THEY MAY HAVE TO EXERCISES EXTREME MEASURES TO KEEP THE DOG FROM CAUSING A PILE UP ON THE FREEWAY, WHICH COULD CAUSE MORE FATALITIES. LASTLY, NEVER LEAVE A DOG IN A CLOSED VEHICLE IN MODERATELY HOT TEMPERATURES. THIS CAN CAUSE HEAT STROKE AND DEATH. TEMPERATURES CAN REACH DEADLY LIMITS IN AS LITTLE AS 10 MINUTES WHEN CONFINED TO A CLOSED VEHICLE IN DIRECT SUNLIGHT… EVEN WITH THE WINDOWS CRAKED. SO, TRY TO AVOID TAKING YOUR DOG WITH YOU ON ERRANDS IN THE HEAT OF THE DAY.

FOOD ALLERGIES: SOME OF THIS INFORMATION IS TAKEN FROM “THE BOTTOM LINE” VOL. 27 APR.2006…GRAPES AND RAISINS HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH KIDNEY FAILURE IN DOGS. THE SYMPTOMS ARE DIARRHEA AND VOMITTING. CHOCOLATE IS TOXIC TO DOGS. SUGARLESS GUM AND CANDY MADE WITH THE SWEETENER, XYLITOL, CAN CAUSE RAPID DROP IN BLOOD SUGAR, WHICH COULD LEAD TO SEIZURES AND LOSS OF COORDINATION. ONION, GARLIC, AND OTHER ALLIUM SPICES MAY DAMAGE DOG BLOOD CELLS. MACADAMIA NUTS CAN CAUSE TEMPORARY PARALYSIS OF THE DOGS HIND LEGS AS WELL AS VOMITTING, LOSS OF BALANCE, AND TREMORS. POINSETTIAS ARE A GASTRIC IRRITANT FOR DOGS AND MISTLETOE CAN CAUSE LOW BLOOD PRESSURE AND HEART COLLAPSE IF INGESTED. IF YOU SUSPECT ANY OF THESE CONDITIONS, YOU CAN CALL THE ASPCA AT 1-888-426-4435. BE READY TO HEAD TO THE VET CLINIC AS WELL. AS SOON AS YOU ACQUIRE A PET, IT WOULD ALSO BE A GOOD IDEA TO KNOW WHERE YOUR CLOSEST EMERGENCY CLINIC IS LOCATED. . JUST IN CASE THE UNEXPECTED OCCURES.