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Posts Tagged ‘dog food’

Puppy Proofing Your Home…and Office!

Tuesday, January 24th, 2017

Tips for Having Puppies in the Home or Office

With two rambunctious Great Dane puppies (and litter mates!) recently welcomed into the Dog-ON-It family, we’ve been busy puppy proofing just about everything we can.  Here are some tips to help make sure your pup is as safe as they can be when they’re not snoozing the day away.

Otto & Gozer lying on the floor of the office

The Chew:  Puppies, just like human children, go through teething…in addition to exploring the world around them with their mouths.  We’ve found a few ways to help distract them from chewing on things they shouldn’t (like furniture or you)! Our blue Dane boys love elk antlers and bully sticks, and keeping them occupied with food dispensing puzzle toys is a fantastic way to direct their energy towards something positive.  The Kong Wobbler is especially popular here and we use them to feed Otto & Gozer their lunch; they have to knock it over to dispense the kibble and the hard plastic makes it pretty chew proof as well.  Another option is to stuff a standard Kong or other durable chew toy with treats, peanut butter, yogurt and/or anything else your puppy loves.  Even better?  Put it in the freezer for an hour or so for some relief for those puppy teeth and gums.

 

meme of puppy holding magician's hat

Crates are Great:  Ok, folks, this is a lifesaver.  Dogs are den animals and love having a quiet space they can call their own.  Make sure the crate isn’t so large that they could use part of it as their bathroom (crate dividers are helpful!) and also keep it stocked with a favorite blanket and some toys.  But…most importantly, never use the crate as punishment.  They should want to go in on their own and it always helps to use treats or positive reinforcement to reward that behavior.  We especially like the light travel style crates for the office and the sturdier wire, collapsible ones for our home.

Highway to the Danger (Free!) Zone:   Puppies are notoriously curious and even with the best of intentions, can get themselves into a pickle.  Whether it’s a particular food, something they’ve discovered in the yard, or anything that might not, ahem, pass, keep your eyes peeled for potential problems.  Also, if Fido is smarter than the average bear, child-proofing cabinets in both your bathroom and kitchen where cleaning supplies are usually kept is not a bad idea.

Keeping your puppy fed and full with the right foods can help to prevent dumpster diving for less than ideal snacks, and can also help to prevent pancreatitis, a painful and potentially deadly illness.  Some common foods to avoid:

Chocolate, raw onions, anything with xylitol, cooked bones – particularly poultry, caffeine, grapes/raisins, alcohol and even though it’s legal now in some states…marijuana.  Vet offices are seeing a huge increase in marijuana related visits, so please keep your stash “high” and out of reach!

We like to supplement our puppies’ meals with some healthy people food too.  Fresh veggies such as green beans, peas, shredded carrots are well received as are roasted root vegetables like sweet potatoes, turnips, and rutabagas.   Eggs are popular too, along with limited amounts of cottage cheese and plain yogurt.

puppies lying on floor of office

X-Ray Vision: Well, we don’t really have x-ray vision, but we do keep a super close eye on the floor.  Here at the office, things like random staples, paper clips, and tape can easily end up in a dog’s mouth.  Making sure your floors are tidy is an easy way to prevent obstructions and digestive upset. Another big one – cords.  Yep.  Our pups love cords.  And since you can’t really unplug everything, Bitter Apple Spray along with a firm “NO!” is a great deterrent. Remember to praise your pup when they drop or walk away from whatever you’ve asked them to!

Hopefully some of these tips might help keep your puppy safe and you sane – woof!

male puppies playing with each other on the floor of an office

Pet Health: National Poison Prevention Week

Friday, March 11th, 2016

Pet Protection Tips from Dr. Justine Lee

Protect your pets! There are many foods that can hinder your dog’s health and Dr. Justine Lee has some wonderful insights and much needed information for all pet owners. Dr. Lee is a world-renown veterinary speaker, DVM, DACVECC, DABT and a double board-certified emergency critical care specialist and toxicologist. She’s also the CEO and founder of VETgirl, which is a subscription-based podcast and webinar service offering RACE approved continuing education.

'Whoa! Slow down, kids! Your mom will neuter me if I bring you home with stomachaches from eating too much of that junk.'

According to this expert some of the most ten commonly talked about poisonous foods for dogs are actually more of a question mark. Avocado, for example, isn’t poisonous at all. While fertilizer might have scary looking names on the list of ingredients, most of the contents are natural and harmless. Garlic is another food that pet owners don’t need to worry about. An average-sized dog would need to eat a lot of garlic before they showed any signs of sickness, but talk about bad breath! What are you going to do when your animal comes up to you with garlic breath? Give your furry friend a “doggy” breath mint.

On the other hand, there are some foods which are dangerous, but not rarely are they deadly. Grapes and raisins are poisonous to dogs and can damage their kidneys, but scientists aren’t sure what chemical in the grapes and raisins actually affect dogs. What’s more unusual is that not all dogs appear to be affected by the toxin. Then there is caffeine, this can be found in large doses in coffee beans and other stimulants. You might need your morning coffee, but dogs can accidently ingest caffeine if these products are left within reach. Please be careful when throwing your coffee grounds in the trash.

Dr. Lee also points out some foods and substances which are extremely poisonous and you should keep your dog far away them. Bread dough is one of them because it contains unrisen yeast. There are a couple of concerns for a dog that has eaten bread dough. First of all, there is a large mass of dough in the stomach that is continuing to rise. Plus, the warm environment of the stomach promotes ongoing fermentation of the alcohol in the dough, which can result in ethanol toxicosis. Chocolate is horrible for your pets as it has high amounts of theobromine which is extremely toxic to dogs. Xylitol is poisonous as well and can be found in chewing gum, mints, toothpaste, nasal spray, and over-the-counter medications. Xylitol is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream, which causes a release of insulin from the pancreas. This release of insulin results in a rapid decrease in the level of blood sugar. If untreated, these conditions can be life-threatening.

Chocolate toxicity chart for pet owners

We love macadamia nuts around here, but make sure your dog steers clear of them. They are 80% oil and the high fat content can inflame your dog’s pancreas. There is also an unknown toxin in the nuts which can affect your dog’s brain waves and muscles. Last but certainly not least, is mold. Mold can be dangerous to everybody, including your dog. The most common sources of toxic mold are found in pasta, nuts and cheese.

In order to make sure your pooch lives a long and healthy life, please keep these things out of reach and spread this important message to dog owners all over the world.


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