Danger of Chocolate For Dogs

Chocolate is everywhere and most of us never get quite enough. However make sure that chocolate stays up high and out of the doggy's reach. When it comes to chocolate even the best behaved canine companion can lapse and do a little table or counter surfing. I can hardly blame them but it can be extremely harmful. Even small amounts of Theo bromine, an ingredient in chocolate, can cause vomiting and restlessness in your dog. Larger doses can be fatal.

An estimate of the smallest amount that can be fatal for a miniature Labradoodle is four ounces of milk chocolate or 1/2 ounce of baking chocolate.

If you find out that your dog has eaten chocolate and there has been very little time lapse, induce vomitting. We have had good results with salt.

I have quickly mixed half a cup of table salt with enough warm water to make a paste and shove it in the poor dog's mouth. Massage his throat to get the salt down. Put in the remainder of the salt. For a larger dog I would do more salt. This will cause vommitting almost immediately and the undigested chocolate will come up with the salt.

If you don't know when the dog ate the chocolate an emergency trip to Vet will be required.

So.......keep those chocolates up high! They are meant for humans only.

Beware Raisins and Grapes

Some fruits are good for dogs. Ours love a slice of apple. However raisins and grapes can cause damage and in some dogs even small amounts can cause renal failure. As it doesn't always affect every animal you will hear people say that they have given their dogs raisins for years. However only a very few raisins can cause severe damage and in some cases can be fatal. It's not a chance worth taking.

Keep your home and garden safe for your dog.

Heat Stroke in Dogs

There are generally two causes of heat stroke in dogs and puppies. The dog being left in a car in the summer time and a dog who plays too hard in the hot sun.

Dogs are more suceptable to heat stroke than humans because they do not sweat through their skin like humans. They have relatively small areas through which to release heat. They pant and sweat through the foot pads and nose.

Be careful in the summer and don't leave your puppy or dog in the car even for short periods of time.

If your dog wants to play fetch do it in the early morning or evening. A dog will focus on the ball and not how he feels. A dog running back and forth for a ball on a hot summer day is a very likely candidate for heat stroke.

How To Treat Heat Stroke

It becomes obvious when your dog is over heated. He pants very hard and he will start to loose the ability to walk. At this point it is an emergency.

Do not use ice water. Extreme cold could cause blood vessels to constrict which will stop the natural cooling process of the dog's inner core.

Get your dog to the shade immediately. Place cool wet cloths all over his body. Make sure you cover the foot pads and the head and neck. Offer the dog water but don't force water down his mouth.

If you dog has been overheated to the point where his walking is difficult and his salaiva is thick a trip to the vet is in order.

Heat stroke can be very serious causing permanent organ damage or death.