Showing posts with label diarrhea. Show all posts

Here's a warning from the Food & Drug Administration on another drug! –Kim

4157 Dogs Reported Dead from Rimadyl

Dr. Andrew Jones, DVM

Modern medicine and modern medication can do some pretty amazing things – it can instantly deal with parasites, or give immediate comfort to a dog or cat in pain.

There is a "but" here... These conventional medications can have a host of side effects that can seriously harm your dog or cat. There are also the unquantifiable effects of chronic medication use on your pet's immune system or organ function, and how that may make them more likely to develop serious disease such as cancer.

Consider the FDA reports on this common anti-inflammatory drug, Rimadyl.

Cumulative Veterinary ADE Reports
January 1987 to January 2014
Drug: CARPROFEN (RIMADYL)
Species: DOG

This NSAID (non steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) has numerous reported and under-reported side effects from permanent organ damage to even death. It is in your pet's best interest to avoid this medication, and similar medications, if possible.

Dr. Andrew Jones, DVM

• Dogs: www.thedogsupplement.com
• Cats: www.thecatsupplement.com

• The RIMADYL Truth...
• Dog ALMOST Dies Twice
• Dog Health Magazine: Side Effects of Rimadyl in Dogs
• What are the Rimadyl Side Effects in Dogs?
• 10 Steps to Take if You Suspect Your Dog has had an Adverse Reaction to Rimadyl
• RIMADYL Manufacturer's "Information Sheet" Admits Possibility of Death! (PDF)
• The 'Drugification' of Veterinary Medicine
• Has Big Pharma Taken Over Veterinary Medicine?
• Why is There So Much Cancer?
• Top 6 Things You Can Do Now to Prevent Your Dog from Getting Cancer
• You CAN Heal Your Sick Pet at Home, Without Going to the Vet...

Here's an important tip to keep in mind...hope you find it helpful! –Kim

Cocoa Shell Mulch Could Poison Your Pet

It is a mistake every pet owner could easily make. As spring approaches, you head to the local home and garden store for mulch to freshen up your flower beds. Next to the bags of traditional shredded mulch are bags of a newer type – Cocoa Mulch.

According to National Cocoa Shell, the nation's largest retailer of cocoa shell mulch, the material is leftover from the cocoa bean roasting process – making the product more environmentally friendly than regular mulch. Plus, who couldn't resist putting chocolate smelling mulch down in their garden? For chocolate lovers across the country it's a dream come true.

But there's a catch. Cocoa mulch is extremely toxic to pets, especially when curious dogs have access to the outdoors.

Dr. Maureen McMichael is a veterinarian at the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Urbana who specializes in emergency and critical care. She says, "Cocoa mulch is significantly more toxic than milk chocolate or even baker's chocolate because it has quite a bit more theobromine in it." Theobromine is the toxic compound in most chocolates that is responsible for the clinical signs seen in pets after ingestion.

Though it, too, can be deadly to pets, milk chocolate has only 44 mg. per ounce of theobromine. Baking chocolate has nearly eight times the concentration of theobromine in it compared to milk chocolate, making it one of the most toxic kinds of chocolate, but still not as concentrated as cocoa mulch.

In addition to having more theobromine in it, cocoa mulch is also usually found in an unlimited supply to the pet. Your Labrador may gobble up that chocolate bar on the counter, but left to their own devices, most dogs will eat cocoa mulch until you catch them or toxic effects start to set in, leading to the ingestion of large amounts of the toxin. "Unfortunately, many of the dogs that present with a history of eating cocoa mulch do not survive if they were not stopped quickly," notes Dr. McMichael.

The clinical signs of chocolate or cocoa mulch toxicity include: hyperactivity, muscle tremors, fast heart rate, hyperthermia, and seizures. There are anecdotal reports from gardeners who unknowingly purchased the mulch and later found their dog dead after a very short exposure time. Incidents such as this are likely a result of heart arrhythmias that develop after ingestion.

After time, the sweet smell of the cocoa mulch will wear off, and some have questioned if, after that point, it is safe for dogs to be around it. Dr. McMichael cautions that "it is possible that dogs are not attracted to it once the smell wears off but that does not eliminate its toxic load – it is still toxic."

The moral of the story is: don't purchase cocoa mulch if you have an outdoor pet. That said, if you happen to make the mistake of buying the mulch and you catch your animal eating a bite, time is of the essence. The quicker you can get Fido to the veterinary emergency clinic, the better the chances are of survival.

For more information on the topic, please contact your local veterinarian.

• Dr. Mercola: Is Cocoa Bean Mulch Really Toxic to Dogs?
• National Capital Poison Center: Cocoa Bean Mulch Can Poison Dogs
• Cocoa Bean Mulch Poisoning in Dogs and Cats
• Danger to Dogs from Cocoa Bean Mulch put in Perspective
  

Here's a great article that I thought I would pass on...hope you find it interesting! –Kim

12 Homeopathic Remedies for Your Dog

Dr. Deva Khalsa
Homeopathy is fun to use and the fact that it works so very well with so many medical problems makes it all the more rewarding. Most of the commonly used remedies are inexpensive and easy to find. They can be found at most Health Food Markets, some human pharmacies, online at a multitude of sites and even at KMart. I suggest you compile a kit of common remedies to have ready and waiting when minor emergencies occur because there's often not the time to run to the store and this stuff always seem to happen late at night or on a major holiday!

Homeopathy has particular rules associated with using it and this can be confusing and put off prospective students. But for many simple and common accidents and illnesses, it can be pretty simple to use.

The first thing to do is to assemble a homeopathic kit to have at home and then buy a book or two about homeopathy. Homeopathic remedies number in the thousands and are made from anything and everything. But you only need to learn some of the rules of homeopathy and have about a dozen remedies to be off and running.

HOMEOPATHY SIMPLIFIED

Here is the straight goods on how to work with Homeopathic remedies.

Homeopathic remedies need to melt on the gums so they should not be hidden in a treat or in food. Our dogs have a built in pouch on the side of their mouth and the remedies can go right in there.

Try not to handle the remedies but drop them straight from the bottle into your dog's cheek.

Remedies come in tiny white pellet or liquid form. Either form can be placed directly into your dogs cheek. It's not important if you give one drop of the remedy or five or one homeopathic pellet or three because homeopathy is an energy medicine and there is typically none of the physical substance left in the remedy. One tiny white pellet could treat an elephant and 10 pellets could treat a mouse.

That's a hard one to digest, if you'll excuse my pun, but people are always worried about how much to give and how often to give. The amount is no big deal and you give it until they get better. If it's not working at all, you stop giving the remedy. We're all just too used to using antibiotics that have to be calculated to the weight of the dog and have a certain time they need to be given. This is simply not the case with homeopathy.

Because homeopathy is an energy medicine the remedies should not be stored next to heavy electromagnetic appliances such as televisions and computers or left in the bright hot sun for a long time.

WHAT DOSE SHOULD I GIVE ?

Unlike drugs, Homeopathy does not work by body weight (e.g., give 500 mg per 25 lbs. of body weight). With Homeopathy, the original physical substance is sequentially diluted and this is why you have the funny numbers after the name of the remedy. Arnica 6x does not mean that you have to give it six times! It means that the remedy has been diluted six times.

To confound you even more, the more dilute the remedy the more powerful it is, so very highly diluted remedies are usually only available to doctors. The potencies most commonly available to you are 6x and 30x (diluted 1/10 either 6 or 30 times) and 6c and 30c (diluted 1/100 either 6 or 30 times).

WHAT MAKES IT BETTER AND WHAT MAKES IT WORSE

Homeopathic remedies are chosen in accordance with how the patient experiences his illness. For instance, one person who has a cold may want everyone in the house at attendance and worrying about him while another wants to be left alone to lie quietly in the dark. Each of these individuals would need a different remedy based on the individual picture they present.

Let's say your dog has arthritis and stiffness. Look that up in a Homeopathy text book and you'll be given a choice of remedies. The specific way the problem presents in your dog will determine the remedy you choose.

For example, look at arthritic stiffness in dogs. Your choice of remedy might depend on whether your dog is worse or better when he first gets up after resting. If he's better after resting, he might need the remedy Bryonia as noted above. I've found that most dogs are stiff at first but after walking a bit they get less stiff after they move around for a bit. Oftentimes these same dogs are worse in cold damp weather. With this presentation you'd likely choose the remedy Rhus toxidendron. Rhus tox, as it is commonly known, is much cheaper than NSAIDs and also much safer to use.

If you were to determine that Rhus tox was the best remedy for your dog, you would simply put a few pellets to melt in his cheek pouch about three times a day and watch him over the next week, noting changes in his condition. If he gets better, you've got the right remedy and if there is no change, there's no harm done. Go back and do a little more reading in your handy books on homeopathy. When you have the right remedy, and you'll know, because there will be improvement.

12 HANDY REMEDIES

You may want to go out and purchase these commonly used remedies to have on hand in case the need arises. They are small and make a great travel kit too.

• Apis mellifica – great for bee and other insect bites. Give every 20 minutes for a few doses after a bee sting.
• Arnica – good for general pain, stiffness due to overexertion, soreness and musculoskeletal injuries.
• Arsenicum album – great for GI upsets from eating spoiled food where there is both vomiting and diarrhea. Give twice an hour for a few hours.
• Borax (the remedy, not the powder) – excellent for fear of thunderstorms and fireworks. Give this at the 6c potency twice a day for a month during the season.
• Calendula (can be used both as an oral remedy and as an external ointment) – use for skin infections or any kind of external infection. It's a remarkable healing agent and a tube of the ointment should always be on hand to apply topically to scrapes, infections and wounds. You can also buy a tincture and dilute it 1/10 and flush any cuts or wounds with it.
• Hepar sulphur – is wonderful to treat painful abscesses anywhere on the body and painful infected anal glands.
• Hypericum – is an excellent remedy to give for any pain due to nerve damage or injuries to nerve-rich areas. I once closed my finger in a window and learned firsthand the wonders of Hypericum. Great for when you cut your dog's toenails too short.
• Myristica – phenomenal remedy for anal sac infections and chronic anal sac problems.
• Rhus tox – for arthritis that's better after moving around, general musculoskeletal injuries, red swollen eyes, skin infections and skin itching.
• Ruta – fantastic for any injury to tendons or ligaments and this remedy has a real affinity for the knee so you would use it immediately after any knee or cruciate injury.
• Silicea – pushes foreign bodies like splinters or foxtails out of the skin.
• Ledum – the first choice for any type of puncture wound, including those from insect bites. Insect bites that require Apis will be hot and red, whereas bites that require Ledum will be cool and appears bruised.

With a small investment and a little planning, you can build your own Homeopathic kit. These remedies aren't that difficult to use and can give your dog fast and effective relief from many common injuries and illnesses.

• Subscribe to Dogs Naturally Magazine
• 18 homeopathic remedies that can save you thousands on vet bills and save your dog from toxic, harmful medications

Here's some important info about the pet jerky recall. –Kim

New Report about Chicken Jerky Treats...

A new story has come out claiming that Chicken Jerky Treats are now safe....
 

Two brands of chicken jerky pet treats will soon reenter the market after years of reports of pet illness – even death – associated with consumption of jerky treats made with chicken sourced from China. Milo's Kitchen and Nestlé Purina (the maker of Waggin' Train treats) say that since the voluntary recall of their jerky treats last year due to antibiotic residue, they have reevaluated, revamped, reformulated and even discontinued certain products mired in suspicion and a nearly decade-old U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigation. Now manufacturers are staking their name on the belief that they finally have it right.
———————————————
Disturbing Facts
———————————————
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it has received a total of approximately 3,000 reports of pet illness possibly related to the consumption of jerky treats, including 580 deaths.
———————————————
Cause STILL Unknown
———————————————
The FDA has issued several warnings about jerky products imported from China since it first received reports of pet illness in 2007. However, despite ongoing efforts to identify a cause of illness, testing has been inconclusive.
———————————————
What to Look Out For
———————————————
Watch your pet closely. Signs that may occur within hours to days of feeding the products are decreased appetite, decreased activity, vomiting, diarrhea (sometimes with blood or mucus), increased water consumption and/or increased urination. Severe cases are diagnosed with pancreatitis, gastrointestinal bleeding, and kidney failure or the resemblance of a rare kidney related illness called Fanconi syndrome.
———————————————
Questionable Ingredients
———————————————
Milo's Kitchen ingredients
Chicken Jerky Strips: Chicken, soy flour, sugar, glycerin, textured soy protein, salt, guar gum, sodium tripolyphosphate, monoglyceride, garlic powder, sorbic acid, citric acid, BHA (used as a preservative), natural smoke flavor, annatto color, onion extract.
Chicken Grillers: chicken breast, rice flour, glycerin, gelatin, soy flour, wheat gluten, modified tapioca starch, sugar, soy protein concentrate, salt, monoglyceride, sodium tripolyphosphate, potassium sorbate (used as a preservative), citric acid, caramel color, garlic powder, natural smoke flavor, BHA (used as a preservative), dried egg white.
Artificial color, artificial flavor, harmful preservatives (BHA), questionable protein sources, questionable carbohydrate contents
 
———————————————
Dr. Jones Responds
My Advice...
Don't EVER feed these to your pets.
The toxin is still unknown, and they contain an array of potential harmful ingredients, providing no nutritive value.

P.S. My supplements ONLY contain ingredients I have sourced to be safe and effective. Avoid harmful treats, but use these instead:

• Dogs: www.thedogsupplement.com
• Cats: www.thecatsupplement.com
  

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Dr. Andrew Jones, DVM has been a practicing Veterinarian for over 20 years. He is a strong advocate of Natural Pet Health Care, and knows that the most important way to heal our pets and prevent disease is through proper nutrition. He developed Ultimate Canine to give our dogs that extra advantage – something that will provide them with everything they need to develop stronger immune systems to fight disease, heal sore or stiff joints, and help them live longer, happier lives. Dr. Andrew Jones' main focus is on alternative, non-traditional remedies for pets. His interest in alternative pet medicine culminated in the writing of his book, Veterinary Secrets Revealed.

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Source: http://www.theinternetpetvet.com/jerky-treats-now-safe/

Copyright © Four Paws Online Ltd. 2014

Here's a great article that I thought I would pass on...hope you find it interesting! –Kim

Vet Believes Midwest Canine Mystery Illness is Zoonotic

Darwin was admitted to the Emergency Veterinary Hospital of Ann Arbor with clinical signs of the mystery illness. Dr. Lindsay Ruland says his owner, a local veterinarian, told her he had had gastro- intestinal and upper respiratory symptoms in the weeks leading up to the dog's illness.

A recent weekend at the Emergency Veterinary Hospital of Ann Arbor, Mich., owned by Lindsay Ruland, DVM, saw a dozen patients with signs of the mystery canine illness reported in Ohio and Michigan. "Some had milder forms and were treated on an outpatient basis if they lived within 10 minutes of our hospital; others were so critical they came in unresponsive and were immediately admitted," Ruland told dvm360.

Ruland says that although public attention surrounding the still-unidentified disease began with cases in Ohio late this summer, she's been seeing the gastrointestinal and respiratory signs in her patients for the past year – upwards of 100 cases. Last year, however, she says the signs weren't as severe. "This year it's definitely worse," she says.

Recently, Ruland says, she and her staff saw firsthand how aggressive the disease is. "We had a 5-month-old mixed-breed dog who had been having diarrhea for less than 24 hours, and it suddenly became bloody," she says. Coincidentally, the owner's cousin's dog had died suddenly two weeks earlier of hemorrhagic diarrhea. Ruland performed radiographs immediately, and while she was reviewing them with the owner, the dog turned gray. "He began breathing heavily and collapsed and was unresponsive," Ruland says.

She rushed an IV catheter and resuscitated the dog with crystalloids and Hetastarch. "He required oxygen supplementation and after 30 minutes finally became responsive," Ruland says. "He went home 24 hours later, but it just showed us how fast this thing moves. If that dog had done that at home, he would have certainly died."

Nearly a dozen dogs have been reported dead in association with the illness in Ohio and Michigan, according to state officials. Ruland says her hospital has seen six dogs die from the illness since the end of August. "And that's just our clinic," she says. She thinks it's a problem at other veterinary hospitals as well, but people may not know what they're seeing.

After local media picked up on the illness reports in Ohio, Ruland went public with her own cases to bring more attention to the illness with the hope it would hasten a diagnosis. Since then, Ruland says she's heard from several pet owners who were not her clients that their pets had exhibited the signs and died suddenly within 24 hours. "The other clinics never had a diagnosis for the owners and oftentimes told the owners that their dog must have had cancer if it was an older dog, or they blamed the owners for feeding the dogs some fatty human food and causing severe pancreatitis," Ruland says. "So the other clinics are seeing these cases, they just aren't seeing them."

According to Tony Forshey, DVM, state veterinarian at the Ohio Department of Agriculture, the most common, consistent clinical signs of the illness have been vomiting and bloody diarrhea, which could have a wide range of contributing factors. After ruling out common causes, Ruland began looking for answers for the increasing number of patients presenting with the illness. Her hospital performed abdominal exploratory surgery in 36 dogs with the same findings – varying degrees of vasculitis. "Vasculitis, edema to all the major organs – it's really impressive," she says. Testing by the Ohio Department of Agriculture found evidence of vasculitis as well.

However, Ruland says her cases seemed to present not only a GI component but a respiratory component as well. She contacted the Animal Industry Division of the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development for advice on what to test for and what samples to collect. She kept a spreadsheet of her cases.

As cases continued to come in, Ruland says she began to notice another component of the illness. "Owners started saying that they had been sick," she says. Clients would joke they had the same symptoms as their pet.

Ruland realized that cases had begun coming in around the start of fair season and human influenza season. Swine flu had been reported in the state. "The owners were getting sick themselves; my staff was getting more sick the more they handled the cases as well," she says. Then Ruland herself got sick.

She says the illness in people starts with the sudden onset of severe abdominal pain, high in the abdomen. It progresses to lethargy, vomiting and bloating. After a couple days of GI symptoms, it turns respiratory with shortness of breath and coughing. "It definitely seems flulike," Ruland says. She and her team have also noted postviral neurological issues.

"We're pretty certain this is zoonotic here," Ruland says. "I'm not going to put my reputation on the line just for nothing. I do believe in this. I got sick myself."

Ruland doesn't want to cause a panic as there is no scientific evidence yet that the canine illness is zoonotic other than what she, her employees and her clients have experienced. But until she's proved wrong, Ruland and her staff are taking precautions. If doctors and team members shake hands with clients, they sanitize after. They bleach down the clinic once a day. "We've taken a lot more precautions and we're still coming down with this," Ruland says.

And now her boys are sick. Ages 2 and almost 4, her sons are battling respiratory infections and intermittent GI symptoms. Ruland says they had full respiratory panels conducted to look for the common illnesses like influenzas and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), but all came back negative. Her youngest has suffered bloody diarrhea and the oldest was rushed to the emergency room after he woke up nearly purple with respiratory distress, she says.

Ruland and her husband, who co-owns the hospital, now change clothes in the garage after work and put their hospital clothing right into the laundry before entering their house. They have hand sanitizer everywhere. "It must be airborne or traveling on clothes or something," she says.

Ruland also says her sons' pediatrician told her she's sent more children by ambulance to the intensive care unit in the past couple of weeks than she has in the past five years. "She is certain something serious is going around in humans right now, and it just seems too coincidental that it is also going around in our animals," she says.

Ruland realizes she's putting her neck on the line with her belief that this illness is zoonotic. She's hoping science will back up what she's seeing and experiencing at her clinic. "We've been taught viruses don't cross species," she says. "It's very scary if this is passing readily. We don't want to cause a panic until we know exactly what we're dealing with."

While a spokesperson with the Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health at Michigan State's College of Veterinary Medicine says officials there are in contact with other agencies about how the illness might affect public health, Thomas Mullaney, MVB, MS, PhD, director of the Diagnostic Center, says he doesn't see any evidence of zoonosis whatsoever. To his knowledge, neither the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) nor any other public health organization is conducting an investigation concerning the canine illness at this time. Officials in Ohio and Michigan have stated they do not believe the illness is spreading.

However, Ruland says epidemiologists and other public health specialists interested in a possible zoonotic component have contacted her. She is working with them and other private agencies to investigate the possible human side of the illness while continuing to work with the MSU Diagnostic Center on the animal side.

With so much unknown about the illness – researchers have ruled out canine circovirus as a primary cause – Ruland feels it's important to explore what she is witnessing and experiencing at her hospital. "It's not proven in scientific fact, but it's strong enough we needed to get the word out to people," she says. She says other veterinarians and former classmates are contacting her, sharing cases they now believe could be tied to the illness.

While testing continues at the Diagnostic Center and other laboratories, Ruland's partnerships with private researchers continue as well. "The research group we are working with is working on deep DNA sequencing to try and figure out if the canine samples show circovirus or an entirely new virus," Ruland says. She may have her sons tested for circovirus, both porcine and canine if possible, if their respiratory symptoms persist.

"We're seeing a lot of these cases still," Ruland says. "We are very alarmed at the sheer number of animals who have this illness right now and expect it to only increase as the flu season goes on. We are trying to obtain answers quickly to see if there is a way we can prevent this from continuing."

Ruland is footing the bill for all samples her hospital has submitted for testing. She says she doesn't care what it costs. There are 20 different samples in the refrigerator right now. "I don't want my staff getting sick; I don't want these dogs getting sick. I just want an answer," she says.

Source: DVM360 Magazine
© 2013 Advanstar Communications

• VIDEO: Deadly Dog Virus Strikes in Michigan, Quickly Kills Six
• Severe Canine Illness Mystifies Veterinarians, Officials in Midwest
• Midwest Dog-killing Illness a Mystery; May be a New Virus
• ALERT! Superbug MRSA Bacteria Easily Transmitted Between Pets & Owners

Here's a great article that I thought I would pass on...hope you find it helpful! –Kim

There are two Crocus plants: one that blooms in the spring (Crocus species) and the other in the autumn (Colchicum autumnale). The spring plants are more common and are part of the Iridaceae family. These ingestions can cause general gastrointestinal upset including vomiting and diarrhea. These should not be mistaken for Autumn Crocus, part of the Liliaceae family, which contain colchicine. The Autumn Crocus is highly toxic and can cause severe vomiting, gastrointestinal bleeding, liver and kidney damage, and respiratory failure. If you're not sure what plant it is, bring your pet to your veterinarian immediately for care. Signs may be seen immediately, but can be delayed for days.

In the same family as rhododendrons, azaleas can have serious effects on pets. Eating even a few leaves can result in vomiting, diarrhea and excessive drooling; without immediate veterinary attention, the pet could fall into a coma and possibly die.

The roots of this seasonal flowering plant are especially dangerous to pets. If ingested, cyclamen can cause severe vomiting and even death.

There are dangerous and benign lilies out there, and it's important to know the difference. Peace, Peruvian, and Calla lilies contain oxalate crystals that cause minor signs, such as tissue irritation to the mouth, tongue, pharynx and esophagus – this results in minor drooling. The more dangerous, potentially fatal lilies are true lilies, and these include Tiger, Day, Asiatic, Easter and Japanese Show lilies – all of which are highly toxic to cats! Even small ingestions (such as 2-3 petals or leaves) can result in severe kidney failure. If your cat is seen consuming any part of a lily, bring your cat (and the plant) immediately to a veterinarian for medical care. The sooner you bring in your cat, the better and more efficiently we can treat the poisoning. Decontamination (like inducing vomiting and giving binders like activated charcoal) are imperative in the early toxic stage, while aggressive intravenous fluid therapy, kidney function monitoring tests, and supportive care can greatly improve the prognosis.

Oleander is an outdoor shrub, popular for its evergreen qualities and delicate flowers. However, the leaves and flowers are extremely toxic if ingested and can cause severe vomiting, slow the heart rate and possibly even cause death.

Popular in many homes and offices, dieffenbachia can cause intense oral irritation, drooling, nausea, vomiting and difficulty swallowing if ingested.

These flowers contain lycorine, an alkaloid with strong emetic properties (something that triggers vomiting). Ingestion of the bulb, plant or flower can cause severe vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and even possible cardiac arrhythmias or respiratory depression. Crystals are found in the outer layer of the bulbs, similar to hyacinths, which cause severe tissue irritation and secondary drooling. Daffodil ingestions can result in more severe symptoms so if an exposure is witnessed or symptoms are seen, we recommend seeking veterinary care for further supportive care.

The Convallaria majalis plant contains cardiac glycosides which will cause symptoms similar to digitalis (foxglove) ingestion. These symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, a drop in heart rate, severe cardiac arrhythmias and possibly seizures. Pets with any known exposure to this plant should be examined and evaluated by a veterinarian and treated symptomatically.

Very popular in warmer climates, this household and outdoor plant can be very harmful to pets. If ingested, the leaves and seeds can cause vomiting, bloody stools, damage to the stomach lining, severe liver failure and, in some cases, death.

Tulips and Hyacinths

Tulips contain allergenic lactones while hyacinths contain similar alkaloids. The toxic principle of these plants is very concentrated in the bulbs (versus the leaf or flower), so make sure your dog isn't digging up the bulbs in the garden. When the plant parts or bulbs are chewed or ingested, it can result in tissue irritation to the mouth and esophagus. Typical signs include profuse drooling, vomiting or even diarrhea, depending on the amount consumed. There's no specific antidote, but with supportive care from the veterinarian (including rinsing the mouth, anti-vomiting medication, and possibly subcutaneous fluids), animals do quite well. With large ingestions of the bulb, more severe symptoms such as an increase in heart rate and changes in respiration can be seen, and should be treated by a veterinarian. These more severe signs are seen in cattle or our overzealous, chowhound Labradors.

This is only a partial list of poisonous plants. For a more complete list of plants poisonous to dogs and cats, visit our Poison List.

If you suspect your pet has ingested any of these items or any other questionable substance, call Pet Poison Helpline (800-213-6680) or your veterinarian for assistance. Accurate and timely identification of the suspected substance is very important. Having the container, package or label in hand will save valuable time and may save the life of your pet.

NOTE: In order to provide this critical service, please be advised that there is a $39 per incident fee, payable by credit card to Pet Poison Helpline. This fee covers the initial consultation as well as all follow-up calls associated with the management of the case.

Source: http://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/pet-owners/basics/top-10-plants-poisonous-to-pets/
©2012 Pet Poison Helpline

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Also, see:

• Are Tomatoes Poisonous to Dogs?
• Veterinarian Approved Pet Insurance!
• AGILA Hundehalter-Haftpflicht
• Helpline Poison List

Here's another great article that I thought I would pass on...hope you find it informative! –Kim

Why Give Antibiotics when this Natural Supplement Works Just as Well?

By Dr. Karen Becker
May 30 2012

As if being abandoned at an animal shelter wasn't bad enough, many dogs also develop acute stress colitis, which is severe inflammation of the colon.

Acute stress colitis is brought on by the trauma of suddenly being locked in a kennel in a strange, scary environment.

Other contributing factors can be parasites, infectious diseases, and the abrupt change in diet that every dog entering a shelter undergoes.

The primary symptom of acute stress colitis is diarrhea, which creates challenges not only in managing the health of the animals, but also with shelter hygiene and the adaptability of the dogs suffering with the condition.

Traditional Treatments for Acute Stress Colitis

The standard treatment for stress colitis in adult shelter dogs includes anti-parasitic drugs and antibiotics.

In fact, many traditional veterinarians in private practice treat dogs with diarrhea and other gastrointestinal (GI, relating to the stomach and intestines) issues with the antibiotic metronidazole.

Both these drugs put the GI tract under additional physiological stress, which can prevent full recovery and prolong symptoms and suffering.

In addition, overuse of antibiotics in veterinary medicine has resulted in the widespread problem of highly resistant strains of deadly bacteria like MRSA.

North Carolina Shelter Dog Study

Researchers at North Carolina State University's College of Veterinary Medicine conducted a study recently to compare the use of probiotics vs. metronidazole to treat acute diarrhea caused by stress colitis.

The dogs used in the study were from a Raleigh, North Carolina animal shelter and were suffering from severe diarrhea. The researchers examined the dogs, recorded their weights and body scores, and ran blood, urine and fecal tests.

The dogs were randomly selected to receive either a probiotic or metronidazole to treat the diarrhea. All were fed either an adult maintenance or growth life stage diet. Food intake and fecal characteristics were recorded daily.

There were 50 dogs total – 25 received the probiotic and 25 received the antibiotic. At the end of the study, 11 of the dogs treated with metronidazole were unresponsive. They were then given the probiotic.

Study Results

The fecal scores of all three groups of dogs (including those that didn't initially respond to the metronidazole) improved approximately 2-fold. Even the parasite-infected dogs showed the same level of improvement at the end of treatment.

The weight and body condition scores of the 50 dogs didn't change significantly during the treatment period.

Based on the fecal score data, study researchers concluded the probiotic "...is an equally effective treatment to the traditional antibiotic regime for the treatment of acute diarrhea in shelter dogs." The researchers further acknowledged that, "Antibiotic-treated dogs with limited improvement appeared to benefit significantly from subsequent probiotic treatment."

How Probiotics Work

Probiotics are friendly strains of bacteria that help maintain a healthy balance of 'good bugs' in your pet's GI tract, while keeping less friendly pathogenic bacteria in check.

Your dog's digestive tract is the largest immune organ in her body, and a healthy ratio of good-to-bad bacteria helps keep her immune system functioning normally. When the bad bugs overtake friendly bacteria, GI symptoms begin to show themselves and your pet will be at a significantly higher risk for disease.

When your dog's GI bacteria are in balance with the right amount and type of healthy bugs, several vital functions can take place inside her body:

Holistic veterinarians and knowledgeable pet owners have long understood the healing and health maintenance properties of probiotics. However, the traditional veterinary community has lagged far behind in accepting probiotics as a beneficial treatment for a variety of gastrointestinal and other conditions.

Part of the reason for this reluctance is because there are few published studies on the effectiveness of probiotics, and virtually no documented research on their potential to benefit the shelter population. Probiotics aren't drugs, after all, so there are no big pharmaceutical companies funding research into their use in treating GI disorders.

Expanding Use of Probiotics for Pets

Fortunately, more and more veterinarians, pet owners and other animal caretakers are turning to probiotics not only to treat diarrhea, but also to:

We tend to view probiotics as being primarily beneficial for digestive issues. But studies in both humans and pets indicate the positive effects of probiotics may reach far beyond the gut to a variety of immune-related disorders, kidney disease, healthy cholesterol levels – even asthma.

Selecting a High Quality Pet Probiotic

The bacteria in probiotic supplements must be live and able to reproduce in order to be effective. That's why commercial pet foods containing probiotics aren't worth the money. The manufacturing process kills many of the live bacteria, which means there's little to no probiotic effect by the time the product hits store shelves.

Beneficial pet probiotics have five important things in common. They are:

Source: http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2012/05/30/dog-probiotics-for-colitis-treatment.aspx
© Copyright 1997-2012 Dr. Joseph Mercola

Here's an informative article that I thought I would pass on... –Kim

• dietary indiscretion (eating compost),
• parasites (Giardia or Roundworms),
• food allergies,
• infectious causes (Salmonella),
• inflammatory changes (Inflammatory Bowel Disease, similar to Crohn's disease in people), and
• pancreatic abnormalities (Pancreatic insufficiency, common in German Shepherds).

• Small bowel diarrhea is generally large volume, not very frequent, at times with vomiting and weight loss. The causes of small bowel diarrhea are many, from parasites to infectious agents.
• Large bowel diarrhea signs include frequent bowel movements, straining, with occasional mucous and blood. Most large bowel diarrhea is classified as colitis, being caused by dietary indiscretion.

Wysong Epigen™ Dog & Cat Food

What It Is: Premium, high-protein, starch-free, natural food for dogs and cats (yes, same food for either!)

Manufacturer: Michigan-based Wysong; manufactured in USA

Available: In pet stores and online.

Review: This week, our dogs had the chance to sample some Wysong Epigen pet food. This new food, which just hit the market in June, replaces the starches found in more traditional dog foods with proteins, as they would occur in a natural diet. Epigen joins the line of pet foods and other products Wysong has been making since 1979.

The food, which is patent pending, features 60% protein, 11% fat (min), 3.5% Fiber (max), 12% moisture (max) and 0.4% taurine (min). The taurine is present in the food because this food is designed to be equally appropriate for dogs and cats.

The main ingredients in Wysong Epigen are (in order): "organic chicken, chicken meal, chicken giblets, vegetable proein (consisisting of one or more of the following: potato protein, rice protein, corn protein, wheat protein), poultry fat, eggs, yogurt, flax seed, apple, beet pulp, plums and more."

Our dogs loved their trial of Wysong Epigen. With Wysong Epigen, there is no problem with the dogs and the cats sharing a plate of kibble – a big paw up!

Source: http://www.dogtipper.com/products/2010/06/wysong-epigen-pet-food.html
Copyright © 2008-2010 LT Media Group LLC

Wysong Epigen represents the first important kibble pet food innovation in almost 60 years (patent pending) and moves conventional dry extruded pet foods much closer to the high protein meat-based, starchless foods for which carnivores are genetically designed. With that, they are given greater opportunity to enjoy their full natural health. Epigen is equally appropriate for both cats and dogs.

Unique Epigen features:

• The first extruded dry diet/kibble pet food (patent pending) that is Starch Free (Epigen does what "Grain Free" pet foods only pretend to do)
• Contains an unprecedented 60+% meat and organs and over 60% protein
• More closely resembles the food your pet is designed to eat
• Has the natural flavor and taste that pets truly desire
• Is replete with all the critical food elements Wysong was first to put into pet foods – probiotics, prebiotics, enzymes, phytonutrients, nutraceuticals, natural form antioxidants, vitamins and minerals
• Rich in omega-3's and other essential fatty acids
• Made in the USA at Wysong manufacturing facilities with ingredients from USDA and FDA approved domestic sources

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