Important Information for the Safety of Your Pets!

ANIMAL POISON CONTROL ~ PLANTS DANGEROUS TO YOUR ANIMALS!
THIS IS A GREAT SOURCE IF YOU THINK YOUR PET MIGHT HAVE
INGESTED A POISONOUS PLANT.

​Here is a great resource of poisonous plants for your pet's safety from Proflowers

​Inducing Vomiting in Your Dog

HOME MADE WRAP FOR DOG FEARS!  (Similar effect of using a Thunder Shirt)

Below is how to make a wrap for your dog if they have Fears of Fireworks, Thunder and expositions!  It is similar to using a Thunder Shirt but less costly and easy to do

Heimlich Maneuver for Dogs!

How to keep your pet safe from Lyme Disease

CPR FOR DOGS AND CATS. THIS IS WHAT TO DO IF YOUR PET STARTS CHOKING  ​OR CAN’T BREATHE.

Do you know what to do if your pet stops breathing? Knowing a few emergency procedures if your dog or cat is choking, or having difficulty breathing, could save your pet’s life because you may not have time to get to a vet.  Here are the steps for doing CPR on a dog and cat.

This article originally appeared on DogHeirs.com and is reprinted with permission.

CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) preserves brain function until proper blood circulation and breathing can be restored.

The signs that indicate the need for CPR include unconsciousness, lack of arousal, lack of physical movement, or eye blinking. These symptoms can occur from drowning, choking, electrical shock, or a number of other situations.

If your pet has a foreign object stuck in his throat, it is important to try and dislodge it before performing CPR.

Performing mouth-to-snout resuscitation

The following information has been updated with latest recommended guidelines outlined by the first evidence-based research on how best to resuscitate dogs and cats in cardiac arrest. It was published in June 2012 by the Reassessment Campaign on Veterinary Resuscitation (RECOVER). The study recommends a few updates to past manual CPR practices on dogs.

The primary new recommendations are:
  • Perform 100-120 chest compressions per minute
  • Perform a compression to mouth-to-snout ventilation ratio of 30 compressions followed by 2 breaths
  • Perform cardiac massage / chest compressions according to the different chest types and sizes of dogs (see diagrams below).
    The key to CPR is remembering the ABCs:
Airway,
Breathing, and
Cardiac compression.

To perform the three techniques, follow these steps.

  1. Lay the dog on a flat surface and extend the head back to create an airway. (Current practices recommend laying the dog on his/her right side (heart facing up), however the latest recommended guidelines state that either the left or right lateral recumbency are acceptable.)
  2. Open the jaws to check for obstructions, and if any exist and are not easily removed, try to dislodge the object.
  3. Cup your hands around the muzzle of the dog’s mouth so that only the nostrils are clear. Blow air into the nostrils with five or six quick breaths, again, depending on the size of the dog. Small dogs and puppies and require short and shallow breaths. Larger dogs need longer and deeper breaths. Continue the quick breaths at a rate of one breath every three seconds or 20 breaths per minute.
  4. Check for a heartbeat by using your finger on the inside of the thigh, just above the knee. If you don’t feel a pulse, put your hand over the dog’s chest cavity where the elbow touches the middle of the chest. If you still don’t find a pulse, have one person continue breathing into the nostrils (mouth to snout), while another gives chest compressions / cardiac massage. If you are alone, do the compression and mouth-to-snout ventilation yourself.
  5. Give the dog chest compressions (cardiac massage) by placing both hands palms down on the chest cavity of the dog. For most dogs, chest compressions can be performed on the widest part of the chest while the dog is lying on his side.
    • For dogs with keel-shaped chests (i.e. deep, narrow chests) in breeds such as greyhounds push down closer to the dog’s armpit, directly over the heart.
    • For dogs with barrel-chested dogs like English bulldogs lay the dog on its back and compress on the sternum (directly over the heart), like people.
    • For smaller dogs and cats chest-compressions scan be done with one hand wrapped around the sternum, encircling the heart or two-handed on the ribs.
    • For large dogs, place your hands on top of each other.
    • For tiny dogs or puppies, place one hand or thumb on the chest.
  6. Use the heel of your hand(s) to push down for 30 quick compressions followed by 2 breaths of air (ventilation) and then check to see if consciousness has been restored. If consciousness has not been restored, continue the compressions in cycles of 100 to 120 chest compressions per minute (the same rhythm administered for people).
  7. Perform CPR in 2-minute cycles checking to see if breathing and consciousness has been restored.
Ideally, CPR is performed while on route to emergency veterinarian care. If this is not possible, contact a veterinarian once the dog has started breathing.

The following diagrams illustrates how to perform chest compressions on dogs with different chest types.

    • Figure (A) illustrates the technique for most dogs. You can apply chest compressions to the widest part of the chest while the dog lies on its side.
    • Figure (B) illustrates the technique for dogs with keel-shaped chests.
    • Figure (C) illustrates the technique for barrel-chested dogs.
              Illustration for small dogs or cats.
Image credit: Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care

For small dogs and cats chest compressions can be administered two ways.

    • Figure (A) illustrates wrapping one hand around the sternum while supporting the back.
    • Figure (B) illustrates two-handed compression.
​​Image credit: Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care

Below is a helpful video on administering CPR on dogs. Note: The instructional video below recommends a compression to ventilation ratio of 15 compressions followed by 1 breath. The June 2012 study recommends a compression to ventilation ratio of 30 compressions followed by 2 breaths.

Please share this useful information with your pet-loving family and friends. You never know when you might save a life!

Read more at http://www.reshareworthy.com/cpr-for-dogs-and-cats/#DKBXu54PGgY2IqiF.99
MORE SAFETY CONCERNS FOR YOUR PETS PLAY ACTIVITIES 

Dog Frisbee Playing ​

ARTICLE BY DR. PETER DOBIAS 
​You will most likely agree that people and dogs share many common obsessions, and chasing a Frisbee is no exception. In fact, I love watching the videos of super well-trained dogs having fun and flying through the air catching their favorite toy. Who wouldn't? However, from the health point of view, I feel compelled to inform you about the risks of Frisbee chasing in dogs.

Nature has worked gently but persistently to help different species evolve. Dogs have adjusted to hunting in packs, roaming the forests and plains to find food. Compared to the solitary feline hunters, they are not as fast, but they compensate for this handicap by hunting in packs.

They usually take only a few seconds and, at the most, a few minutes to chase their prey, and they never sprint and jump high repeatedly for 15, 30 or 60 minutes. In contrast, many civilized and well-trained dogs do, and that is a big problem. Repeated jumping almost always leads to either acute or chronic injuries due to one-sided use.
 
For the first five to seven years of a dog's life, usually, nothing much is noticed, but as they move into middle age, almost all dogs have tight, chronically overworked, and inflamed muscles.

Subconsciously, this inflammation and muscle fatigue makes them use other muscle groups, and the injured muscles get weak. This vicious cycle often results in lameness, severe injuries, and immobility. The most commonly affected areas are the lumbar spine and the hind legs, including the knee joint.

The most common injuries from repeated, obsessive, Frisbee chasing are lumbar back pain, disc disease, and cranial, crucial-element, ligament injuries of the stifle joint (the knee). It is sad to see otherwise healthy and happy dogs become stiff, arthritic, and immobile, and it is tragic to see some of them paralyzed or needing serious and expensive surgery. The body can never return to its previous health completely, no matter what is done.

This is not an easy article to write for me because as I said, I love seeing dogs leaping and flying through the air catching a Frisbee, and I do not want to be the "party pooper" here. What I want to say is to be mindful when it comes to Frisbee chasing; make sure that the periods are not too long, and make sure that your dog has a wide repertoire of activities to balance the injuries.

You and your dog can have a lot of fun. Just think of games that are much more aligned with dogs' natural way of being.
By Dr. Peter Dobias

Dogs and Swimming ​

Most people think that there is no limit to swimming for any age dog and that swimming is good for them.  But when you think about it a little more, the canines in nature would not spend hours on end swimming.  It is like any exercise keep it in moderation.
Swimming, for senior dogs should be taken lightly.   that senior dogs, in general, should take it easy with swimming.  I am not saying that you should not let your dog swim if he or she loves it, but it should be in moderation. Most dogs who love to swim would do it for hours on end but a dog that swims too long at one time can actually take on water and drown from oxygen depravation.  A dog should take a break from heavy swimming at least every 15 minutes and not keep going for a long period of time.  The dogs in the wild wouldn’t swim excessively.  They would run during the hunt and then rest.
Swimming a great exercise and doesn’t strain any particular part of the body but it needs to be done in moderation like anything else.

What is the safest ball for your dog?

ARTICLE BY DR. PETER DOBIAS
Tennis balls.  One would not think much about these fuzzy, soft, brightly coloured balls. To an unaware person, they may seem perfect for dog play. Many people do not know that tennis ball fibre is highly abrasive. Most dogs that play with tennis balls wear their teeth down by middle age, and some have virtually no teeth left when they become seniors.
To prevent this from happening, you can use another type of ball made of food-safe plastic, rubber or felted wool.
What you need to know about rubber balls
They are definitely safer, but there are a few possible problems, too. The main challenge is to choose one that is made of food-safe and non-toxic materials. Most dog toys these days are made in China, and most people understand that the general safety rating of Chinese products is low. The tainted food scandals of the past only suggest that when it comes to dog toys, the manufacturer has no obligations to make them with more expensive food-safe materials. Even if there was such regulation, the big question is if we can trust Chinese-made toys in general. I don't.
Is it okay that most balls obstruct your dog's airway?
There is another important fact that I would like you to know. Because dogs do not sweat and have a rather "primitive" air cooling system, carrying a ball, especially when exercising, can drastically reduce their cooling capacity. If your dog is a ball player, it is crucial to choose a ball that doesn't obstruct the airway.
There are not many balls for dogs with holes on the market. There may be one or two companies making them out of rubber, but it is not food-safe certified. My search for the right ball for Skai led me to baby toys, especially O'Ball. This food-safe and baby-safe ball is all holes, and while the plastic is sturdy, it will allow your dog to breathe freely when running and carrying a ball.
The only challenge I see is if your dog is a toy ripper. Skai has never destroyed a single O'Ball, but a few intense canine visitors have. Never let your dog play with O'Ball without your direct supervision as swallowing a piece could cause a serious problem.
If your dog swallows an indigestive object, here is a blog to read.
TMJ in dogs?
The last thing I would like to mention is that I see dogs that carry and retrieve balls having tight and inflamed temporal-mandibular muscles—the jaw. The larger the ball is in proportion to your dog's mouth, the more carrying a ball repeatedly can cause chronic muscle inflammation.
It is well known that inflammation and muscle tightness reduces the energy flow to a particular area, which may cause other problems. Interestingly, I have seen a higher than average number of oral tumours in dogs that retrieve balls. While I am not completely certain if there is any correlation, it would make sense. There are two potentially carcinogenic factors when it comes to balls: the use of non-food-safe toxic plastic and fillers and energy congestion due to tight muscles. While this is not common knowledge in conventional medicine, holistic and, especially, Chinese medicine acknowledges energy flow restriction as one of the contributing factors in cancer.
Should you stop playing ball with your dog?
Of course not!  Playing is one of the key ingredients of longevity. Be mindful, do not overdo play, and stay tuned for another article - how to pace your dog's ball chasing to prevent health problems and injuries.


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OTHER DOG SAFETY ISSUES