We’re happy to announce that the recipient of our $250.00 Animal Assistance Award for is:
Coastal Maine Great Dane Rescue, Topsham, ME
Best regards and keep up the good work!
Rescue Pet Supply Staff
If your pet had to pick a favorite holiday, it probably wouldn’t be the 4th of July! Fireworks and pets don’t mix. The following is taken from Debbie Elert is the founder of Lost Dogs Florida on how to minimize the stress that can occur this time of year.
Fireworks and thunderstorms can be traumatic for pets, causing many to bolt in fear and become lost. There is a 30-percent increase in the number of pets reported lost in the week surrounding the Fourth of July. The following tips will help keep your dog (or cat) safe during the summer months.
Make sure your pet is licensed. This is your pet’s ticket home should it get loose. Call your local humane society to find out where to get your pet licensed.
If you don’t have clear, current photos of your pet, take them today. This could be the key to finding him quickly. Take photos from all angles to include his entire body, face and any unusual features.
Have your pet microchipped. This tiny device is the size of a grain of rice, and when implanted under the skin, can be scanned by a shelter or vet clinic to provide your contact information. Keep your information up-to-date, since the chip is only as effective as the information you provide.
Both dogs and cats (even indoor-only cats) should have a properly-fitting collar with a legible tag with your current phone number on it. This will greatly increases the likelihood your pet will be returned to you. The person who finds him will immediately be able to contact you.
Check your fence for loose boards or openings. Can your dog get over or under? Is your gate secure? Even if your dog is normally happy in the yard he might try to escape if panicked. If your pet has to go outside during fireworks, put them on a leash — even if your yard is fenced.
Exercise your dog during the day so he’s tired when the fireworks start. A tired dog is a better behaved dog.
Keep your pets in the house during fireworks. Secure them in a small interior room with a radio or TV playing to drown out noise. Windows, shades, and doors should be closed, not only to keep the noise out, but to keep your pet in. Place a blanket over their kennel to block out any flashing lights and loud noises. Neighbors may light fireworks during the day or other nights of the week also, so be prepared.
Use baby gates to secure doorways if you have friends or family over. Talk to your guests and small children about the importance of keeping doors and gates closed at all times.
Talk to your veterinarian about medication to help your pet feel more comfortable during storms and fireworks.
Leave your dog at home when attending crowded events such as parades and fireworks shows. He doesn’t enjoy loud, crowded events and will be happier at home where he is safe.
Accidents happen even in the most careful homes. If your pet does escape, don’t panic. Immediately place food, water and an article of clothing you have worn next to your body in the area he was last seen. The familiar scent will often lure him back home. Pets who are lost during stressful situations often don’t go very far unless they’re chased. They may hide for several hours or days until things quiet down and they feel safe before trying to return to the area they went missing.
Instead:
M. H. Archer, DVM
Xylitol Toxin Showing Up in More Foods
Dr. Greg McGrath wrote a good article on xylitol toxicity and how it is showing up in peanut butter and other foods. Just one more good reason not to give your pet table food!
The low-calorie sweetener xylitol is being used in more and more products made for humans. This compound can cause serious or fatal poisoning if it is ingested by a dog, so owners need to be especially vigilant that it is not accidentally consumed by their dogs or even given to them intentionally by an unsuspecting owner.
Xylitol is a type of compound known as a “sugar alcohol.” It imparts a sweet taste, but has very little caloric content that the body can use. Consequently, it is being used in many products made for human consumption, including chewing gum, candy, mouth washes, in a powdered form for baking and sweetening drinks such as coffee and tea, and recently it has been used in peanut butter. Dogs may ingest any of these substances accidentally, and some owners give peanut butter to their dogs as a treat or to disguise a tablet the dog must be given.
Xylitol is advertised as “natural” because it is extracted from birch bark or corn cobs. If the label says natural, it must be good for you, right? In this case, that’s not true for dogs.
When a human consumes xylitol, it is absorbed slowly over many hours and does not have a dangerous effect on blood sugar. But dogs aren’t just small humans, and when a dog consumes xylitol, it is absorbed very rapidly, in as little as 30 minutes. The insulin-secreting cells in the pancreas see xylitol as a sugar and begin secreting more insulin, but since xylitol actually has very little caloric content, blood sugar levels drop precipitously in the dog. This can lead to severe or even fatal hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).
As the blood sugar level drops, the dog may become disoriented or unresponsive, have seizures or go into a coma. There is also a direct toxic effect on the liver in dogs that is not fully understood, but either the hypoglycemia or the liver toxicity can be fatal. The hypoglycemic crisis can cause death in just a few hours, or the dog may die within a few days from the liver damage.
And it doesn’t necessarily take a large amount of xylitol to poison a dog. One or two sticks of gum are enough to cause toxicity in a 10-pound dog.
And just to complicate matters for those trying to determine if a product contains xylitol, it also goes under several different names, including xylite, birch sugar and birch bark extract.
How about cats? It turns out that the same toxic effect doesn’t seem to be a problem in cats. Cats are not dogs, and neither of them is a small human. This is a fact that veterinarians have to discuss with clients on a daily basis.
It would behoove dog owners to check their shelves, refrigerators, pockets and purses to see if they have any products that contain xylitol. Particularly scrutinize anything that says “sugar free” or something similar on the label. Store them where it’s impossible for your dog to get to them, and be prepared to tell your veterinarian you have xylitol around of your pet suddenly gets sick. Your pet’s doctor doesn’t want a needless tragedy to occur if it can be prevented by securely storing these products or removing them entirely from your home.
M. H. Archer, DVM