Labrador Retriever Dogs Blog

I thought that I would write another article regarding poison and your dogs and pets. Remember reading the internet after you suspect your dog has been poisoned is the wrong thing to do. If you feel your dog has been poisoned then you should get to a vet asap. By the time you read through possible symptoms and signs it may be too late.

Instead, as a pet owner you should familiarize yourself with possible signs and symptoms of poisoning so if something arises you are ready to take action. Signs that your dog may be poisoned are alot like ours and may include vomiting, diarrhea, redness of the eyes, skin or ears, drooling or foaming, swelling, bleeding and disorientation.

When faced with a potential pet poisoning many people may think that it has occured on purpose but truthfully there are many things that are harmful to our pets that we would not even think about like tylenol is bad but perhaps not all pills. The FDA has recently approved diet pills for dogs which is insane but who am I to judge. Take a search through the blog I have posted a great list in the past which contains some of the more harmful products that you may be unaware of. This list contained such things a grapes, chocolate, tylenol and peach pits. There is also a good list posted in the forums under the FAQ section of the health forums.

So now you know what signs and symptoms to look for if suspect your dog has been poisoned and you also know what items adversely affect your dogs health. If you think that your pet has been poisoned call and get to a vet asap.

So my other half has had my digital camera for work for the past year anyways. Well her company finally sprung a couple bucks to get their employees real cameras to use so my has come home. I hadn't seen it in so long I barely recognized it. I guess I can start taking some snaps of Cooper in action which these days entails a lot of sleeping around on the couch, getting up at 5:00 am for some reason and then going back to bed. I will have to do some checking but I think I will need to upgrade the camera, I could really use a new compact flash or memory card. Right now I can't take too many quality photos until I get that done.

There was an interesting post at the labrador retriever chatboard last week about items that are poisonous to dogs. What I didn't know was that a product in sugar free gum is very dangerous to dogs. It's called Xylitol and from what I read only a few grams of this substance can kill a 65 lb dog. I have no idea how much is in a pack of gum but I have read a few stories on the net about dog owners whos pets have become very ill from eating a pack.

There was an email story floating around about it but you never know if it's true or not. Snopes however confirms that this product is dangerous to dogs.

It is a sugar alcohol used in candy and chewing gum. It is also found in some pharmaceuticals and oral health products such as chewable vitamins and throat lozenges. It can also be used in home baking. While Xylitol is safe for humans, it can be harmful to dogs. The compound doesn't affect glucose levels in people, but when ingested by dogs it can cause a dangerous surge of insulin. At high doses, Xylitol is believed toxic to the canine liver.

Just three grams of Xylitol can kill a 65-pound dog. Because the amount of sweetener used in sugar-free chewing gums varies by manufacturer and product, the number of sticks of gum that would prove fatal to a pooch of that size can't be stated with precision. As a general rule of thumb, between eight and ten pieces of gum might be deadly to a 65-pound canine, but a smaller dog could easily die after ingesting far less (perhaps as few as two sticks of gum).

Source

Are people respectful when you are out walking your dog? Like today there were some kids playing around with their car and they were reving it pretty good as we walked by. It sounded like they had a turbocharger hooked into it or some kind of alteration to the engine. I am no car expert but they could have been playing around with a power steering rack too. I thought is was kind of rude but no big deal I guess.

It also got me to thinking, am I respectful when walking the dog? Being mindful of non-dog people can go a long way too when out for a walk. Remember, not all people are dog people. If we are passing or coming near people I will tighten the leash up so he doesn't have much room to act up or go near them. If the sidewalk is full or kids are coming I will stand off to the side and make Cooper sit until the go by. There's no point in giving us dog people a bad name.

by Michael Ferraresi – Sept. 8, 2008 12:03 PM
The Arizona Republic

 By Pamela Constable

Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, September 2, 2008; Page B08

There are several members of the labrador retriever chat board forums from Las Vegas. Last week on the chat board a member as looking for some suggestions on things to do with their upcoming trip. Vegas vacations offer so much to do you couldn’t see everything in a week. One of the members of the chat board suggested to visit places like Red Rock Canyon, the fountains at Bellagio at night, the dolphin habitat at the Mirage and the Stratosphere. Whatever your plans are Vegas offers some of the best excitement you will ever see.

Now that you and your family have decided that it is time to get a new pet and you have decided on a Labrador, it is now time to talk to Labrador breeders. You will want to do some homework to make sure that you do not get a fake breeder or a breeder that is not reputable. You want to be certain you are doing business with a reputable breeder because your dog's health depends on it and your family is counting on you.

The Internet is filled with the many breeder registries that any good breeder will want to be a part of to show that they conform to healthy standards of breeding quality dogs. The most popular registry is the American Kennel Club but they are not the only registry around. Check and see if the breeder you are considering is a member of any of the national registries before you talk to them personally.

A Labrador breeder is someone that will be a part of your life and your dog's life for a very long time. If you ever have a question you should be able to ask your breeder and know that you are getting the information you need. If you do not get answers that satisfy your questions when you are looking for a breeder then chances are the communication after the sale may be less than reliable. Communication with your breeder is important so be sure to gauge their reliability when you are talking to them.

Any good breeder is going to offer you detailed care instructions when you purchase your new Labrador and they are very likely to send you home with a sample of the dog's food so you know what to feed the dog. If your breeder indicates that they are not in the habit of offering care instructions or food samples then the breeder you are talking to may not be the breeder for you.

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Kind of a miscellaneous post but when out walking the dog the other day I ran into a friend that I hadn't seen in awhile. She was wearing one of those magnetic bracelets. The kind you see on the internet and on tv. I didn't ask about it but after I got home I became a little more curious. He see the commercials on television where golfers state that they help with their circulation, arthritis and sore joints. I am thinking of picking up a magnetic bracelet. I have a sore wrist and hand that always kills me during the summer when playing golf. A couple of other golf buddies have the same thing. I wonder if it can help or make a difference when walking the dog.