OES AND CHILDREN

URGENT: Manufacturers Have Started Adding a DEADLY Ingredient To Something Dogs Beg For!

Every dog lover has had to give medications to their dog.  Sometimes the meds are flavored and appealing and sometimes they aren’t.  Many dog owner and vets alike have hidden pills in peanut butter. Peanut butter is excellent camouflage to hide bitterness and is very popular among dogs.

Read more at http://iheartdogs.com/urgent-manufacturers-have-started-adding-a-deadly-ingredient-to-something-many-owners-give-their-dogs/#B9j1oeUET7zIKAwy.99

Recently, certain food manufacturers have started to add xylitol to peanut butter to try to make it a lower calorie choice for those people watching calorie intake. Xylitol is a sugar substitute found mostly in candies, desserts and gums, but also in some vitamin supplements (for humans) and medications. Other writers have mentioned that brands using xylitol are Nuts ’N More® and  Krush Nutrition, but I only found a brand called P28 at my local health food store. Every dog lover has had to give medications to their dog. Sometimes the meds are flavored and appealing and sometimes they aren’t. Many dog owner and vets alike have hidden pills in peanut butter. Peanut butter is excellent camouflage to hide bitterness and is very popular among dogs.

Because of the way dogs metabolize it, xylitol can cause a life-threatening drop in blood sugar (glucose) and liver damage in some dogs.  There is no part of this goodie that you should share. Affected dogs will stagger and even collapse.  If you think that your dog may have eaten any xylitol, it is critical to see your vet or animal ER.

But otherwise, don’t panic.  I have perused the shelves of many stores and have only found xylitol containing nut butters in stores specifically selling vitamins and health foods so far.  Mainstream peanut butters are not typically included in this warning. But before you give any nut butter product to your dog, you should read the label completely. If you see XYLITOL on the list, do NOT give it.

The logic behind production of the line of special butters for humans is reducing the high calorie and fat content naturally found in nuts. This concern is also pertinent to dogs and even regular xylitol-free peanut butters should be for occasional treats or pill disguise only. Obesity is a national epidemic in companion pets and shortens dogs’ lives. Other complications associated with fat ingestion can include pancreatitis and cholangiohepatitis (disorders of gall bladder and liver), so think before you offer anything that is high in fat.  *For more on translating crazy long medical words, see 5 Medical Terms Every Dog Owner Should Know.

The xylitol issue is very critical. Many people would not think to look twice at peanut butter. It has been a staple of everyone’s childhood and our culture for as long as I can remember. Because the xylitol containing  versions are seemingly available mostly from health food stores, we would all think that we were giving our dogs something healthy and great.  The trouble is…they may be great for you,  just not for your dog.

Make a habit of reading ingredient lists. If you see a word you do not recognize, rip off that label or take a photo of it to ask your vet. If we do not know, we will find out. Let’s spread this word and save some lives!

image: http://theilovedogssite.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/vet-thumbnail5.jpg

About The Author: Dr. Kathryn Primm is a practicing small animal veterinarian. She has consulted on articles for national magazines, done numerous radio interviews and appeared on local television. She has contributed to an article for Prevention magazine and Woman’s Day in Feb 2014 and June 2015. Her radio segment Chattanooga Pet Talk airs each week on all the local iHeart Media affiliates.

She has a social media presence on Twitter, Facebook and Google+ and enjoys interaction with others about her passions, animals and communication. She is a regular contributor to Boomeon, the online community which can be found at www.boomeon.com . She has also written a book, Tennessee Tails:Pets and Their People. The book received recognition as Runner Up in the Memoirs category at a national book festival. You can read more about Dr. Primm and how to get the best value for your pet care dollar at her website, www.drprimm.com.

Read more at http://iheartdogs.com/urgent-manufacturers-have-started-adding-a-deadly-ingredient-to-something-many-owners-give-their-dogs/#B9j1oeUET7zIKAwy.99

The Purebred Perception Problem

Purebred dogs and dog breeders are often seen in a negative light. Here's how you can change that perception.

By Stephanie Hunt-Crowley | Posted: September 29, 2014 11 a.m. PST

The public is led to believe that purebreds are all "inbred" and will live unhealthy lives. This is, of course, not true. Photo by Gina Cioli/I-5 Studio.

The general public is being assaulted from all sides with negative propaganda, from the animal rights legislative organizers who want public support in their efforts to eliminate purposeful dog breeding in this country, to groups that believe dogs that come from a dog breeder will "take away” homes from deserving shelter dogs. The activists use tear-jerking commercials about sick and abused dogs, and the media grab on to anything "shocking” — a favorite word in advertising these days. As a result, the public is being brainwashed into thinking that all dog breeders are money-grubbing cousins of Cruella De Vil, who pop out puppies with no regard to their health or well-being. Dog breeders are now faced with new regulations that limit established breeders to selling puppies only to people that they can meet face-to-face, the reason ostensibly being the number of sick and dying puppies sold over the Internet. The only problem with this is that there are no statistics to prove it! No verifiable data — not even in the Office of Inspector General (OIG) report quoted by the Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) when proposing the new regulations. But it was posted on the Internet, so it must be true — right? WRONG!

Misinterpretations and Misrepresentations

The most obvious attacks on breeders of purebred dogs have come from the media — any news story that you can read online and that allows comments can be scary to read! How many comments are from actual believers and how many are written by paid hacks, we have no way to know — but either way, it is not good news. Then we have TV — the hatchet job in the UK "Pedigree Dogs Exposed” and the latest here in the US on HBO Real Sports [Go to DogsinReview.com/UnnaturalSelection for more information — Eds], both carefully edited to preserve the "shocking” material while leaving the positive pieces on the cutting room floor. The poor public is led to assume that purebreds are all "inbred” and grotesque examples of their breeds that will have a lifetime of problems resulting in huge vet bills for their unfortunate owners.

I like to go to the source of knowledge — and who would know better about the health of new puppies than a local general practice vet clinic? I called a few out of the phone book, and they were surprised at my questions. What percentage of puppies that came from out of the area were sick? There would be a pause — none! What about congenital deformities? Outside of things like umbilical hernias and missing testicles, such problems are rare. And lifetime health issues? No more than would be expected, nothing like the media portrays.

So why do so many people assume that there is a problem and that purebreds are not as healthy as mixed breeds? Are we an unwitting partner in creating this? Sometimes it is all a matter of how information is presented and the way some people write these days. Outsiders could easily get the wrong impression. In any discussion on the Internet, we see references to testing and getting "clearances” before even planning a breeding. We do have the benefit of modern technology: DNA testing in some breeds and phenotypic examination (e.g., eye checks and hip X-rays in others), and many of us do make use of these tools. The question is — how are we presenting it to the public? Does it sound as if the tests are being done to find something worthy of breeding because they might just as easily have a hereditary problem, or do we do it so that we can prove that our dogs are in fact healthy? I look at it as getting the Good Housekeeping seal of approval, and not like taking the car into the shop, afraid it will not pass the emissions test, and heaving a sigh of relief when you leave! Are we implying that breeds are in such bad shape that without these tests, puppies are inevitably going to be born with defects, or to show that they have a family history of good health?

There is another issue right now:  a movement within the show dog world to doubt the safe future of closed stud books all based on what might happen, implying that all breeds are at risk. People who believe this use words like "inevitable” instead of "hypothesis,” and apply their theories to all purebred dogs. These comments can, of course, be snatched up by the media and given the required "spin.”

What We Can Say

So how do we fight this? How do we get the word out that Mixed Breeds are not healthier than purebreds? What are we doing to bring the word "breeder” out of the shadows and given back the respect it once enjoyed? We may not have the opportunity to tell our story to millions on morning TV, but we can always talk to the people we meet, just one at a time.

Remember the story of the starfish? A man walking along a beach was tossing stranded starfish into the sea, and his companion asked why he was doing it. It didn’t matter because he couldn’t save them all. His answer was that it mattered to the starfish! If we all spoke to one person per day or one person a week, how many people would that be? If one in 10 of those people told his or her friends, who told their friends — how many more would there be? We do have a story to tell, and the important thing is to spread the word. Purebred dogs have predictable personalities and come in predictable packages — there are no guessing games as to what size or coat or abilities they might have, and they have known parentage with known health histories. If you convince just one person, remember the story of the starfish...

From the October 2014 issue of Dogs in Review magazine. Subscribe to receive 12 months of Dogs in Reviewmagazine, or call 1-888-738-2665 to purchase a single copy.

Read More

Does the Purebred Dog World Have a Death Wish?We need to do a much better job at public relations instead of wasting our time fighting with each other. Read More>>

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Could the Crufts 2012 Situation Happen in America?After six Crufts Breed winners were disqualified because of "health reasons," questions have been raised about show dog health. Read More>>

TIPS PARA ANDAR EN BICI CON TU PERRO

Los mascotadictos suelen compartir actividades que les gusta hacer con sus amigos caninos. Si te agrada andar en bici, seguramente has pensado en más de una oportunidad salir en commpañía de tu mascota y que el viaje sea más entretenido. Sin embargo, para que no la pases mal tú o tu perro, es importante que tengas en cuenta las siguientes recomendaciones, por si lo llevas amarrado o en un canasto:

1. Primero, debes planificar cuál será tu destino, cuánto tiempo va a demorar el viaje y cuál será el camino que escogerás para llegar. Si el trayecto es muy largo, considera hacer algunas paradas para que descanses tú y tu animalito.
2. Una vez que tengas claro dónde vas a ir, no se te ocurra amarrar a tu perro a la bicicleta y comenzar a andar, sin que él haya tenido un contacto con ella antes. Tu mascota debe conocerla, y para eso, es importante que se acerque a ella y comience a olfatearla.
3. Si lo vas a llevar amarrado a una cuerda, comienza a entrenar con él antes de que salgan juntos en bicicleta. Si no está acostumbrado a hacer ejercicios, preocúpate de cómo está su estado de salud y de cuál será su condición y capacidad física para llevar un ritmo diferente.
4. Prepara el equipamiento que llevarás: caramayola con agua fresca, alforja, canasto, alimento, etcétera. Los elementos que lleves contigo no deben molestar el viaje de tu mascota.
5. Asegúrate de que el viaje no sea incómodo. Si tu peludo no está acostumbrado, puede ser un sufrimiento no sólo para él, sino que para ti también. Mientras vayas en marcha, fíjate si necesita agua o requiere hacer un breve descanso.
6. Asegura a tu mascota al momento de viajar. Transportarla en bicicleta, requiere que lleve un arnés de seguridad para que no ande suelta y se caiga fácilmente al momento de que ocurra un posible accidente.
7. Elige transitar por las calles anchas para que no dificulte el desplazamiento. Si vas a andar por los circuitos de bicicleta, lleva a tu perro siempre por la derecha para que no se tope con los ciclistas que vienen en sentido contrario.
8. No descuides el manejo de tu bicicleta. Por lo general, cuando sales solo, tomas riesgos al momento de cruzar frente a una luz roja, al subir a una vereda o al esquivar a las personas.No hagas lo mismo cuando vayas con tu mascota, posiblemente ella no logre hacer la misma ejecución que sí puede hacer tu bicicleta.
9. Si lo vas a llevar amarrado de una cuerda, asegúrate de mantener una velocidad constante, para que el can conserve un ritmo de desplazamiento leve y así no se canse de inmediato.
10. Es verano, pero hay lugares de nuestro país donde aún se registran bajas temperaturas. Si vas a salir de noche o de mañana con frío, vístelo con una capa o una parka impermeable por si llueve. Esta última recomendación la tendrás más en cuenta para las épocas de otoño e invierno.

Disfruta el paseo en bicicleta con tu mejor compañero. Trata de que a él también le agrade, sin que se sienta incómodo y no esté expuesto a sufrir un accidente en el camino.

5 REASONS SHARING YOUR BED WITH YOUR DOG IS AMAZING

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