Pet Health

Food risks for dogs – Keep your dog safe during the holidays

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As the Holidays approach, it is a good idea to review the dangers certain foods and spices are for dogs.

There are things that dogs should never eat and are especially at risk during the holidays. The list of what is dangerous to dogs continues to grow. Here are the top offenders that could seriously harm or even kill your dog.

1. First and foremost are bones. Many people think that dogs eat bones but this is not true. In the wild, foxes, wolves and other members of the canine family will crack bones to eat the marrow but they rarely eat the bones. Bones are not digestible in a dog’s short intestinal tract and can puncture them internally. Fish and poultry bones are the most dangerous. However, I feel that no bone is good for a dog, especially the ones that are available in pet supply stores that have meat left on them. Those bones also can be contaminated with salmonella.

http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm208365.htm

2. Raw or undercooked turkey which can have salmonella. Turkey in general can be too rich for many dogs and cause them to get sick.

3. Turkey skin is mostly fat and dogs can develop pancreatitis from too much fat, which by the way includes gravy. All meat fat should be on the no-no list for dogs.

4. During the holidays many people tend to bake more than usual. While this may be a special treat for us, cake batter and any cookie or cake dough is not good for dogs. Bread dough is especially dangerous because the dough can rise inside the dog’s stomach causing a lot of pain and even bloat. Not to mention the risk of salmonella from the raw eggs.

5. When I was a child we had a dog that loved beer. He would take the empty beer bottles between his paws and lick the last drops out. As funny as it was, no form of alcohol is good for dogs. If your dog drinks too much he can develop a fever, rapid heartbeat, have seizures and liver damage. Just as in humans, alcohol poisoning can kill a dog.

6. Macadamia nuts surprisingly are also bad for dogs. They can suffer from macadamia nut toxicosis which can cause them to become lethargic, vomit or be unable to stand up.

7. Mushrooms can be lethal for dogs as well. With all of the variety of mushrooms that are OK for humans to eat, it is best to keep all of them away from dogs. A dog can suffer from vomiting, seizures, coma and death from mushrooms.

8. Onions and garlic contain sulfides which can cause a dog to become anemic.

9. Sage contains a number of oils and resins that can upset a dog’s stomach and harm the dog’s nervous system. Many recipes include sage so it is a good idea to always check a recipe to see if it has sage in it.

10. Nutmeg is another spice that is harmful for dogs. This is a common ingredient in some pies and vegetable dishes such as sweet potatoes.  Nutmeg has some hallucinogenic properties that can cause seizures, tremors and problems with the central nervous system.  Again, check recipes to make sure that they do not contain nutmeg.

11. Chocolate is well known as having lethal affects on dogs. The darker the chocolate, the more dangerous it is. Baker’s chocolate used in recipes is very toxic.

12. While not considered a food, it is important to mention that rawhide, pigs ears, antlers and cow hooves are also potentially lethal for dogs. Not only can they be toxic, but they can block the dog’s intestines requiring surgery or even causing death.

         http://thebark.com/content/dangers-rawhide-dog-chew-toys

13. Artificial sweeteners such as those found in sugar free products, especially Xylito

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-03-18-xylitol-sweetener_N.htm

The best overall advice for the holidays or any other time of the year is caution. By being aware of what can harm your dog and preventing access to these items will keep your dog alive and happy. It is very important to understand that the smaller the dog, the less of the items above it will take to make your dog sick. But that does not mean that if you have a large dog it is ok to give them a little bit of the forbidden foods. There is always a chance for an allergic reaction to foods that are not suitable for dogs.

Do it yourself anti-cancer diet for pets

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While this article is old, it does have important information for pet owners to consider. According to the article adding the Budwig diet to your pets daily diet can go a long way to prevent cancer in dogs and cats.

Some of the breeds that are more susceptible to cancer are:

Bengals (cats)
Boxers
Great Danes
Labradors and many of the Retriever breeds
Persians (cats)
Rottweilers
Saint Bernards
Scottish Terriers
Siamese (cats)

According to the article the following are some of the contributors to cancer:

Over-vaccination
Overuse of topical chemicals and flea and tick medications
Lawn treatment
Fluoridated water
Obesity
Certain pet food ingredients

Some of these pet food ingredients include:

Ethoxyquin
By-products
Dyes
Molds/fungi
Simple carbohydrates like corn, wheat, and soy

The diet was discovered by Dr. Johanna Budwig a German Biochemist. Dr. Budwig found that two ingredients helped prevent cancer.

Budwig Recipe:

2 tablespoons flaxseed oil, fresh, refrigerated

1/4 cup cottage cheese, organic

Mix together so that the cottage cheese is no longer oily. If it is still oily, add more cottage cheese.

Feed this mixture to your pet two or three times a day every day on an empty stomach. Wait one hour to feed a regular meal.

Every day. Feed 1-2 teaspoons for cats, up to ½ cup twice a day for large breed dogs.

Make fresh at each meal. Flax seeds can be used but should be ground fresh then mixed into cottage cheese.

A DIY anti-cancer recipe for your pet – Truth about Pet Food

A DIY anti-cancer recipe for your pet

Cancer in dogs

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This article is loaded with a lot of important information, therefore I suggest that my readers click on the link and read the whole article.

Researchers at the University of California, Riverside have found that medium sized dogs have a higher risk of getting cancer than very large or small breeds of dogs. For example, the smallest dogs, including Pomeranians, Miniature Pinschers, Shih Tzus and Chihuahuas have about a 10% chance of dying from cancer.

On the other hand, large dogs, such as Burmese Mountain dogs, have more than a 40% chance of death from cancer. Yet the largest breeds such as the Great Dane have a less chance of getting cancer.

The article points out that scientists do not understand why the life expectancy of dogs decreases with size. “For every pound increase in typical breed size you lose about two weeks of life.”

What is interesting, is that this article points out that the ratio of cancer to size only applies to the same species, in this case dogs. The same correlation does not apply to size difference between other species.

Journal Reference:

Leonard Nunney. The effect of body size and inbreeding on cancer mortality in breeds of the domestic dog: a test of the multi-stage model of carcinogenesis. Royal Society Open Science, 2024; 11 (1) DOI: 10.1098/rsos.231356

Cite This Page:

University of California – Riverside. “Study reveals cancer vulnerabilities in popular dog breeds.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 29 April 2024. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/04/240429103104.htm>.

Sleep apnea in dogs

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Many people may not be aware that brachycephalic dogs breeds such as French Bulldogs, Pugs and other breeds with short, flat noses can suffer from sleep apnea. It has been found that these dogs suffer from disordered breathing that is similar to human obstructive sleep apnea which is caused by upper airway obstruction. The result is daytime fatigue and interruptions in sleep.

Researchers at the University of Helsinki Lung Insight group found that a neckband system that is used in people, was successful in determining if dogs suffered from sleep apnea.  

Their research showed that brachycephalic dogs snore and suffer from sleep disorders more than dogs with long snouts. Sleep apnea causes health issues in humans such as hypertension and cardiovascular disease. It affects the body’s immune system, hormone secretion and metabolism. Since dogs and humans share similar health issues, it is important to monitor your dog’s sleep habits and if you think that your dog has sleep apnea contact your veterinarian.   

Journal Reference:

  1. Iida Niinikoski, Sari‐Leena Himanen, Mirja Tenhunen, Liisa Lilja‐Maula, Minna M. Rajamäki. Description of a novel method for detection of sleep‐disordered breathing in brachycephalic dogs. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 2023; DOI: 10.1111/jvim.16783

Cite This Page:

University of Helsinki. “A short snout predisposes dogs to sleep apnea.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 13 June 2023. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230613110050.htm>.

Stress causes overeating in pets

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Researcher Sora Shin, an assistant professor at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech has discovered a molecule that triggers the need to eat high fat foods in mice 24 hours after being exposed stress in the form of the scent of cats.

This molecule is found in the hypothalamus section of the brain which is the part of the brain that is connected to changes in the brain that lead to emotional overeating.

 The same molecule is found in people as well as animals. This discovery may lead to treatment methods that can help people who react to the emotionally driven need to overeat, even when they are not hungry.

Sue’s Note: There are many animals, particularly dogs and cats that tend to overeat which result in them becoming obese. Pet owners who have pets that have this problem should consider stress as a factor that causes their pets to overeat. First be sure that the family or friends are not over feeding the pets. If this is not the case the pet owner should evaluate the possibility that stress may be a cause. Since the study showed that the effects of stress can cause overeating 24 hours later, the pet owner should consider events that happened in the last 24 hours. An example would be someone or something that passes the pet’s home when the owner is not home that causes high stress in the pet. In situations where stress is a factor, reducing the amount of food that the pet has access to may cause a greater amount of stress. In this case over the counter calming remedies may help the pet. If not a visit to your veterinarian would be in order explaining to the veterinarian that you suspect stress is a cause of the overeating. Print a copy of the article in the link below to show your veterinarian if necessary.

Journal Reference:

  1. In-Jee You, Yeeun Bae, Alec R. Beck, Sora Shin. Lateral hypothalamic proenkephalin neurons drive threat-induced overeating associated with a negative emotional state. Nature Communications, 2023; 14 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42623-6

Cite This Page:

Virginia Tech. “Scientist discovers potential brain link between stress, emotional eating.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 27 November 2023. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231127180702.htm>.

Diseases in small vs large dogs

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Researchers at the University of Washington in the US, studied the difference between diseases in large and small dogs. Although small dogs tend to live longer than large dogs, small vs large dogs do not differ in the amount of health conditions that they get, but they do differ in the types of health conditions.

The study compared 25,000 dogs of 238 different breeds. Although they did find trends, the researchers stressed that the study does not confirm any causal relationship between a dog’s size, age and disease.

They found that large dogs are more likely to develop cancer, bone-related disease, gastrointestinal problems, ear/nose/throat issues, neurological and endocrine conditions and infectious diseases. Smaller dogs were more likely to have ocular, cardiac, liver/pancreas and respiratory diseases. Both large and small breeds experienced kidney/urinary disease.

“For many types of conditions — including cancer, ocular, cardiac, orthopedic, and ear/nose/throat conditions — different dog sizes were associated with differing patterns of risk over the course of a dog’s lifespan.

The results held up even after the researchers statistically accounted for the dogs’ sex, where they lived, and whether they were purebred or mixed-breed.”

Journal Reference:

  1. Yunbi Nam, Michelle White, Elinor K. Karlsson, Kate E. Creevy, Daniel E. L. Promislow, Robyn L. McClelland. Dog size and patterns of disease history across the canine age spectrum: Results from the Dog Aging Project. PLOS ONE, 2024; 19 (1): e0295840 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0295840

Cite This Page:

PLOS. “Big dogs versus small dogs: Which sizes face higher risks of which diseases?.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 17 January 2024. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240117141009.htm>.

Sue’s Note: This information can be used to help dog owners test their dogs for the diseases that they are most likely to get. Your veterinarian can help you keep abreast of potential diseases. This study did not track the illnesses/diseases that are predominant in specific breeds of dogs. It is important to know this information about your dog. For example, certain large breeds are more prone to develop hip dysplasia.

Slow walking in older dogs could mean they have dementia

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Because we cannot talk to dogs or give them the same type of cognitive tests that we give people, the latest research that shows how slow a dog walks could mean that he is suffering from dementia is a step in the right direction.

“Walking speed in people is strongly associated with cognitive decline,” says Natasha Olby, Dr. Kady M. Gjessing and Rahna M. Davidson Distinguished Chair in Gerontology at NC State and corresponding author of the study. “We hypothesized that the same might be true in dogs.”

The researchers tested 46 adult dogs (control group) and 49 senior dogs to determine if the speed that they walked corresponded with dementia. They had the dog’s owners fill out a questionnaire and in addition, the researchers did cognitive testing as well. They considered all factors that could influence the test results such as the size of the dog, possible joint pain, and the difference if the dog walked on leash or off leash.

They came to the conclusion that a senior dogs walking speed does correspond with dementia. 

Sue’s note: Since we cannot accurately give dogs mental tests, any other way to help owners recognize that their dog may be in mental decline is good. However, if you see signs of mental decline in your dog, do not assume that it is due to old age. Have your dog examined by your veterinarian since physical issues may be the culprit, not dementia or old age.

The work appears in Frontiers in Veterinary Science and was supported by the Kady M. Gjessing and Rahna M. Davidson Distinguished Chair in Gerontology. Alejandra Mondino, postdoctoral researcher at NC State, is lead author of the study.

Journal Reference:

  1. Alejandra Mondino, Michael Khan, Beth Case, Gilad Fefer, Wojciech K. Panek, Margaret E. Gruen, Natasha J. Olby. Winning the race with aging: age-related changes in gait speed and its association with cognitive performance in dogs. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 2023; 10 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1150590

Cite This Page:

North Carolina State University. (2023, June 27). Slow walking could be sign of dementia in older dogs. ScienceDaily. Retrieved June 29, 2023 from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230627123033.htm

A worthy product to promote health

/ susanbulanda / 6 Comments

I do not often post articles about products but I feel this is important. So please forgive the departure from purely animal topics. Years ago, I purchased an Ecoquest air purifier. I ran it 24/7 for about 15 years before it quit, so no complaints on that part. When I told a few people about the difference it made in my house, I was surprised to learn that most of the people I talked to had no idea what this type of air purifier was.

It is not an air filter, this product does so much more. It kills germs, bacteria and odors in the house. It takes care of dust, dust mites, mold, mildew, and pollen, just to name a few things. No one has ever walked into my house and smelled what I had cooked, or that I had dogs, cats and birds. My husband and I rarely catch colds or other airborne illnesses and the house smells springtime fresh all of the time. Since I suffered for years with allergies and now asthma (I am even allergic to my cat) I find that this air purifier lessens my symptoms and often eliminates them. I feel that this product will also help animals that have airborne allergies and help to keep birds healthy.

You can google the air purifier but I highly recommend that you contact Don Coon, who can help you select the right model and save you quite a bit of money from the on-line prices. His contact information is: adcoon99@gmail.com or phone in the U.S. 406-360-0956. I do not get any credit for recommending him but offer this because it is a great product and he is a great guy.

Help Your Dog Live Longer with These Fitness Techniques

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By guest blogger Cindy Aldridge

Dogs of every age need proper exercise and nutrition in order to maintain good health. With the right balance, you can help your pup live a long and happy life. The key is to keep everything in moderation because even exercise can be detrimental if your dog overdoes it.

Ready to create a new fitness routine for your furry friend? Certified Animal Behavior Consultant Susan Bulanda shares some tips to get you started.

Make Quality Food a Priority

The foundation of any pet’s health is a great diet. The right food can make a big difference for everything from his coat to his joints. Look for high-quality food with natural ingredients that provide the nutrients they need. If you want to take it a step further, consider air-dried beef dog food, which has all the protein-packed benefits of raw food without the mess or hassle of preparing it yourself. Not only that, your dog will love the flavors.

Exercise, But Don’t Overdo It

Dogs need regular exercise for both physical and mental stimulation, but it’s crucial not to overdo it, especially as your pet gets a little older. He may want to run and play the way he did as a puppy, but certain types of exercise are better than others, depending on your dog’s breed and size. To avoid injury and keep his joints healthy, consider taking your dog for a swim, which is gentle enough for most ages.

Keep His Mind Sharp

In addition to getting enough exercise, it’s also important to provide your pup with plenty of mental stimulation throughout the day, even when you’re not around. You can introduce different smells and sounds to keep his senses engaged or provide interactive toys such as tug ropes or treat-dispensing balls that encourage thinking and playing. Training games are also great for mentally stimulating your dog, teaching him new tricks, or honing existing skills. You can also try playing hide-and-seek with his favorite toy.

Keep His Coat Healthy

Brushing and grooming your dog regularly and removing dirt, debris, dead skin cells, and excess fur from their skin helps keep their coat healthy. Invest in a high-quality brush for daily brushing sessions at home or visit a professional groomer for more extensive grooming services such as nail trimming or hair styling. Additionally, make sure you check for fleas or ticks regularly, too, especially during warmer months when these parasites are more active.

Spend Quality Time Together

No matter how old your pup is, spending quality time together is an essential part of keeping him happy and healthy. Take some time out of each day to cuddle up with your pup on the couch or take him on an adventure around town. Go for a drive if your pet enjoys car rides. Giving your dog this time is important for his mental health.

Invest in the Right Gear

As you and your dog spend time together, invest in quality gear like a durable leash and harness to ensure his safety. Look for products made from materials like leather, which are strong enough to withstand wear and tear but still comfortable enough for long periods of use without causing irritation. Lastly, make sure you have a good collar complete with ID tags so you’ll have peace of mind.

Keeping your pet healthy and active will ensure his continued mental and physical fitness, which can, in turn, lengthen his life. By feeding him quality dog food and providing lots of opportunities for exercise and bonding time, you can help your dog make the most of his years. Don’t forget to talk to your vet about any concerns right away.

Grooming products for dogs and cats

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H.I.C.C. Pet has some very nice grooming products for dogs and cats. We all know how difficult it is to bathe most cats but now there is an alternate way to keep a cat’s coat clean. H.I.C.C. Pets has Cat Glove Wipes specifically made for cats that are double sided. One side is used for cleaning and the other for massaging. The formula on the glove is antimicrobial and deodorizing, is safe if the cat licks it and dries quickly. For dogs or cats that have hot spots or have wounds that are healing, H.I.C.C. offers a pet skin care spray that is also safe to use. They also offer a pet grooming glove that can be used on either dogs or cats. Check out their products. https://www.facebook.com/Hiccpetsupplies Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/groompetsbyhicc/