Help for My Fat Pepper Dog

Lately I've been concerned that my dog Pepper is getting TOO FAT!

It occurred to me that maybe he isn't using his food properly, because I keep feeding him less and less, but it isn't working.

So... I made a visit to VetIonx. They're the company that makes the joint support supplement that saved my dog Ralph from being a cripple for the rest of his life, so I trust them.

Their products are all natural - vitamins and minerals to support a healthy body.

I read all about their Healthy Blood Sugar product and found that if it doesn't help, it sure won't hurt. In fact, I decided to order enough to give all 3 of my kids a dose each day.

If you have similar concerns about your pets, click the banner below and read about it. Meanwhile, I'll report back as soon as Pepper has been on it for a few weeks.

Poison Mushroom Warning

This is scary! I got the following in my e-mail this morning and thought I should pass it along. If you have mushrooms in your yard,you might want to get rid of them... I don't know if it affects only Colorado or not.

Vets Report Dozens Of Dogs Poisoned
Jaclyn Allen, 7NEWS Reporter

POSTED: 4:37 pm MDT July 13, 2009
UPDATED: 8:02 am MDT July 14, 2009

CONIFER, Colo. -- Veterinarians in the foothills are struggling to keep up with the growing number of dogs who are being poisoned by mushrooms.

Because of the history-making moisture Colorado experienced this spring, mushrooms are everywhere in the mountains, and in the last week, Veterinarian Jeff Danielson has seen a drastic increase in mushroom poisonings. Mushrooms, when ingested by dogs, can break down their central nervous systems.

Last year, the hospital saw six cases, Danielson said. In the last five or six days, they've had about three dozen

"It's a startling change," said Danielson. "They're stumbling, falling over, some have full-blown seizures. It can be pretty scary for owners."

Jeff Clark has three dachshunds whom he considers more than pets.

"The dogs are our children," said Clark.

So when Herman, the newest of Clark's dachshunds, got sick Saturday after eating mushrooms from the back yard, Clark called the vet and kept a close eye on the dog.

"About 10, 11 at night, when we all went to bed, he seemed fine," said Clark. "But when we woke up in the morning, he was dead. It broke our hearts."

His wasn't the only sick dog.

It happened to Paul Graham's Labrador, Jasper.

Within hours of showing symptoms, Graham took the dog to the vet for an IV and activated charcoal.

"I knew mushrooms were poisonous, but before this episode, I didn't put two and two together and know that dogs can eat them and get pretty sick or die from it," said Graham.

Since Clark’s dog died, he has taken on the never-ending task of picking mushrooms and closely watching his other dachshunds.

"If you see them do it, don't be like me. Take them to the vet," he said.

Mushroom experts said most mushrooms are not toxic to dogs, but unless you know mushrooms, it's best to keep your pet away from all of them. The problem is not just in the foothills.

A technician at VRCC, an emergency clinic in Englewood, said they have seen six cases in the last month.

The symptoms of mushroom poisoning include acting intoxicated, seizures, running into things, head tilts, staggering, excessive drooling and walking in circles.

Allergies - Dogs (and cats) have them too!

A couple of days ago I found myself at Yahoo answers and saw the following question:

"Could natural flea remedy poison my dog?

My dog recently got fleas so by boyfriend got a natural flea remedy called "only natural pet" the all in one flea remedy. it contains diatomaceous earth, sage, eucalyptus, yellow rock root, fennel seed, and rosemary leaf. She has been on this powder cure for about 2-3 days and now is having diarrhea, drools a lot, and had an accident when she was picked up yesterday. She's never had these problems previously, could it be the powder? If not what would you recommend? She is 3 years old, 50 lb, and a chow- german sheppard mix from a rescue.

Additional Details
I have called a vet and she will be going in later today however I'm just a worried pet owner. I have bathed her to get all of the powder off of her and I got advantage. The previous vet I had said it works the best .


Also, the bottle says it is vet approved. I know that could just be bull but just wanted to put it out there if it was in some way helpful."

Since I've had experience with pet allergies, I had to answer her:

Every one of us is allergic to different things - your dog is no different!

He absolutely could be having a reaction to ingesting the flea remedy. I believe strongly in natural remedies and shy away from the chemicals - whether for me or for my dogs.

Once, when my dogs got into fleas, I took them to the vet and he used Frontline. Two of my dogs were fine with it, but one itched and scratched until he bled for a full month until the chemicals worked their way out of his system. I would never consider using a chemical flea killer on him again.

Any time ANY medication - natural or pharmaceutical - causes a bad reaction, stop it immediately. I listened to the vet once and kept up with Rymadyl - and lost my best friend to it. Had I listened to my brain and stopped the medication when the dog couldn't stop throwing up, he might be alive today.

I followed up with an invitation for the asker to tell her story here...

After writing the answer I didn't think much about it until I got the notice that my answer was "the chosen one." I also got a note saying she'd be happy to share her experience with all of us, so this post is for her to answer.

If YOU have had similar experiences, please do jump in and tell your story too!

Here's to healthy, happy pets.

Marte

Puppy Season - take care to prevent Parvo

Puppies are so cute and cuddly - everyone who sees them wants to touch. But that's NOT a good idea. For the first few weeks, pups have some immunities from mom, assuming that she's healthy. But when they get old enough to get out and romp around, they're in the prime time for catching a disease - and Parvo is the worst of the worst.

If you've ever seen a puppy suffering from this disease, you know. It's something you never want to see again because they do suffer so terribly.

Parvo is a disease that attacks a dog's gastro-intestinal tract and then moves into its bone marrow. When treated at home, survival rates are less than 50%. When treated with I.V. therapy in an animal hospital, survival rates are still only 80 to 90%. Our vet called it "The Meanest Guy in Town."

Spring is a time of high incidence...probably because it is "puppy season" and the young ones are the most susceptible. Add to that the fact that everyone wants to pet a puppy...and the disease spreads.

None of us can remove all chances that our puppies will contract this disease, but there ARE steps to take to minimize the risk.

First, make sure all of your adult dogs are vaccinated, de-wormed, and carrying a healthy weight. The de-worming is important because worms weaken the stomach lining, giving the Parvo virus an easy target. Then, be sure that all your puppies get their first shots at 6 weeks of age. Give another shot every 3 weeks...making sure that they get two after 12 weeks of age. You can take them to the vet, or you can purchase the shots at a feed store or pharmacy and give them yourself. De-worm them as soon as the vet says they're old enough.

If you bring a new dog into your home, especially a puppy, keep it isolated from your other animals for 14 days. That is, unless you KNOW its history and know it has been vaccinated. And, since older, stronger dogs can carry the virus without becoming ill, keep your pup away from older dogs until he's had two shots after 12 weeks of age.

A pup who looks perfectly happy one day can be deathly ill the next - which is one reason why it's so important not to mix litters (as in a shelter) and not to pet a puppy without disinfecting your hands (and clothes) before you go anywhere with other puppies. At the first sign of intestinal upset, get that dog to the vet. If you catch it soon enough, you may be able to save the dog.

Protect All the Dogs you meet...

Humans often spread Parvo without even noticing. By forming some new habits...and instilling them in your children...you can help stop the spread of this dread disease.

First...Wash your hands. Before you touch a puppy... wash your hands. After you pet a dog... wash your hands. You don't know where you might pick up this virus... it could even be sitting on the handle of a grocery store cart...left there by some other customer. So wash your hands!

One significant outbreak of Parvo traced back to kids walking home from school and petting the puppies in yards along the way. They carried the disease along their entire route from school to home.

YES...they're adorable, and YES you like to give them attention and pet them... but by doing so could kill them. Don't.

Next, if you happen to step in a pile... don't just wipe your shoes. Wipe them with a mild bleach solution. If you know you've held a dog with Parvo, bleach your clothes as well. And if you've had a sick puppy in your home, you need to bleach all areas it occupied. One dog rescuer I know had to bleach the upholstery in her car, because she transported a Parvo puppy.

Speaking of shoes, don't leave the shoes you wear "out in the world" where your puppies can get to them. You have no way to know if you've stepped on soil that carries the virus, so just keep those shoes away from the pups.

According to our vet, the only things that can kill Parvo are bleach and hot sunlight. So if you've had a sick puppy in your yard, it isn't safe to put another dog in the yard until after a very hot summer. (There is a product on the market that shelters use - and I don't know the ingredients. I do know that the bottle has clear warnings not to get it on your skin.)

Vaccination is the first line of defense and careful habits is the second. Please use them both to keep your dogs alive and healthy.

Cats are also at risk - not from Parvo, but from kitty diseases. But they're in even more danger because cat diseases are generally airborne. So don't take your new kitten out visiting until he or she has had the series of vaccinations.

Garden Mulch that can kill pets

I've seen this before, but a friend sent it tonight and reminded me:

Cocoa Mulch smells good to dogs, and if they eat it, it can kill them.

It has the same chemical composition as chocolate, which by now everyone knows is not good for dogs. Get the full story at snopes: http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/cocoamulch.asp

Arthritis in dogs

Yesterday I talked about puppies and Parvo - it's only fair to go to the other end and think about older dogs and arthritis.

Just like in people, arthritis can remove joy from a dog's life. When it hurts to run and play, where's the fun?

My dog Ralph was one of those dogs who was suffering. He came to us in 2000 - a puppy with a broken leg. His owner had decided that he'd rather pay to have his dog put to sleep than pay to have his leg set and then have to deal with the recovery period. So... after spending a day on the phone trying to find someone who would take an injured dog, I came home and told my husband about him. And he said "Call the vet and tell him to fix that dog!"

Well, he came to our house to recover, and the rest is history.

One day Carl said "I thought you were going to find this dog a good home." I said "Oh, I did." He said OK and that was the end of thinking that Ralph would ever live anywhere else. He became my husband's shadow.

The vet warned us that he would eventually develop arthritis because of his injury, and sure enough, he did. Then, to add insult to injury, last year he tore a ligament. He could barely make it into his favorite chair, and had to be lifted to get into the pickup. This was not good.

The vet didn't want to operate because doing so would put too much strain on the other leg, so he prescribed pain medication. After losing my beloved Harry to the side effects of Rimadyl a few years ago, I watched Ralph very closely - and after one day discontinued the Rimadyl. So they tried a different medication, with the same results. He started throwing up.

That's when I began my internet search for something natural, and I found it!


Every time I see Ralph running, playing, and tumbling over the other dogs, I send up a little prayer of thanks for having found ArthroIonx. It's minerals instead of chemicals, and it works!

Ralph still gets his glucosamine every day to promote healing, but I credit his return to joy to the ArthroIonx.

If you have a dog with arthritis, click on the name above and give it a try. You have nothing to lose, because if for some reason it doesn't work for your dog, you can get your money back.

I think this product saved my dog - and it might just save yours, too.

Here's to living with and loving dogs!

Marte

P.S. Ralph's the big guy in the photo. The little one is Pepper.

The doggie blog is Christine's fault...

She said that since I love dogs, and care very much for their welfare, I should have a blog about them. I said I already had too much to do, and I already have a web site about dogs, but...

Christine was right. Especially since there are so many things to talk about regarding dogs. Their good health, proper training, good food, and the joys of having someone around who loves you unconditionally.

I think it was Andy Rooney who said "Most dogs are better people than most people." And he was so right!

Anyway, to kick off this first post, I want to go back to an article I wrote a long time ago - How to Prevent Parvo. I just talked with a rescue worker a few days ago who was afraid one of the abandoned pups they found had it.

Luckily, "all" it had was a bad case of dehydration from being thrown out on a day in the high 90's and left to fend for itself without water or shelter for a couple of days. Once on IV fluids the little guy perked up and is now almost fine.

But that reminded me of other times when we weren't so lucky, and we lost some adorable little lives to the dreaded Parvo.

Parvo is an extremely contagious disease that attacks a dog's gastro-intestinal tract and then moves into its bone marrow. When treated at home, survival rates are .... read the rest ...

While you're there, look around. Then send me a note at writer@marte-cliff.com and tell me what else you'd like to see on that site.

AND... if you have had experience with Parvo, please share here. Too many people treat this deadly disease as if it were trivial, and of course you know it isn't.

Here's to happy pets,

Marte