Cocoa Mulch Danger

One of our Animal Care Technicians, who also works at a veterinary clinic, reports today that the hospital had recently treated a dog that began having seizures after eating cocoa mulch. Evidently a warning has been circulating on the internet for months about this product with dire warnings about it causing dog deaths.

According to ConsumerAffairs.com "cocoa mulch contains a compound called theobromine. This naturally occurring compound--found in many plants, including cocoa beans--can be harmful to dogs." The mulch smells attractive to dogs and if eaten in large amounts can cause stomach upset and trembling. While it may not be fatal, it can certainly be dangerous.

So it appears that this internet rumor is valid. Be careful with all products that you use in areas where pets play. Of course, if your dog ingests cocoa mulch and has a reaction contact your vet immediately. Find a vet in Northern Virginia.

Canine Cognitive Dysfunction

We’ve come such a long way in caring for pets from the days when I was a child. Our family dogs were not neutered and usually ran loose through the neighborhood wreaking all sorts of havoc. The worst part was that both of my beloved dogs met violent ends -- both hit by cars. Sadly, neither one lived past the age of five.


Thankfully, most of us take much better care of our companion animals today. I have two dogs that live in the house, are neutered, never run loose, and enjoy daily walks on leashes. They have reached the ages of 11 and 13 with no serious health problems or accidents.


But with the blessing of long lives come problems that never occurred with those dogs of the past, who left us still in the prime of their lives. I have realized this in the past six weeks with my 13-year-old dog. He is still able to run up stairs and enjoys going for walks, but he is definitely less energetic than he used to be. He has always slept on his dog bed in our bedroom and rarely, if ever, disturbed our sleep. But lately that has changed. Each night he wakes up around 2:00 or 3:00 a.m. and paces the bedroom, whining. We tried letting him outside for a potty break and/or giving him food, but neither ended the agitated pacing. After several weeks of this, we decided to let him sleep in our downstairs den, instead. Although he didn’t bark, we found his dog bed tossed around, toilet paper shredded, and various other signs of a less than restful night.


I started looking on the internet and immediately found references to canine cognitive dysfunction. It seems to be a fairly common problem among aging dogs. Signs are loss of housetraining (we’ve also noticed some very uncharacteristic accidents around the house); wandering aimlessly, agitation, and staring into space. Our vet agreed with our assessment and recommended Clomicalm, which is often used to treat separation anxiety in dogs. We have tried it for the past four nights, and already see a difference. He's now back in our bedroom and although he still gets up and paces, we have been able to reassure him with soothing words and he lies down and goes back to sleep. We don't know what the future will bring, but for now we're all feeling better.


While many pets now live long, comfortable lives, they face the inevitable decline of mind and body experienced by our aging human population. As responsible pet guardians we must find comfort in the fact that our animal companions will live the best lives that we can offer them and will continue to show their love and appreciation as long as they are able.

Thunderphobia

Pet owners know that thunderstorms can be quite traumatic for pets. Some pets get a little nervous while other completely freak out. I remember a time when I was sitting for an adorable golden-chow mix named Bear, when a thunderstorm headed our way. I hadn't had much experience with dogs freaking out during storms before this, my dog could barely hear the storm enough to get upset, so I was a little upset, myself! The storm hadn't even made it to us yet and Bear became very clingy and nervous. I had no idea what was going on and didn't even know a storm was on the way yet. But once it hit us, poor Bear completely lost it and the only thing I could do was let this 100 pound dog sit in my lap while i wrapped my arms around him. If I so much as loosened my arms, he started shaking and going crazy again. So I sat there, arms wrapped tight around Bear until the storm passed. I felt just terrible for this typically brave dog and couldn't imagine what he might have done had I not been there to see him through the storm.

I'm sure that many have similar experience with their dogs and cats. I suppose this is why there is so much advice available for treating what some call thunderphobia. There are also various medications available, even homeopathic treatments.

Medications and treatments aside, it looks like the top bits if advice are to allow your pet to find a place that he or she feels is safe such as a crate or basement; keep your pet by your side and comfort him through the storm; or distract your pet with toys, games or music.

It's probably best to consult with your veterinarian before administering any kind of medication but remember, there's no substitute for the comfort and affection a loving owner can offer to a pet in distress.

Canine Melanoma Vaccine Update

There is much interest, still, in this new canine melonoma vaccine but

still little information seems to be available. News reports suggest

that the vaccine could one day help humans, too. And other reports state

that dogs receiving the vaccine have lived up to three times longer than

expected.

I would suggest contacting the Animal Medical Center in NY for more information or discussing it with a veterinarian such as South Paws in Fairfax, Virginia, that is participating in the study.

Pet Contraception

There are numerous types of animal shelters and rescues out there, all with their own ideas on what’s best for the animal community, but the one thing that almost all of these organizations seem to agree on is that the best way to control the number of homeless, unwanted animals is by spaying or neutering. Some organizations spay and neuter all animals in their care, others require adopters to have the animals spayed or neutered upon adoption. Whatever the method, most rescue pets must be spayed or neutered at some point. There are, of course, some obstacles to this such as surgery cost, adopter noncompliance, and veterinary access. What if pets could be somehow sterlizied without the financial burden or surgical procedure? This may provide shelters and rescues with an easy, low-cost approach to control pet populations.

The Alliance for Contraception in Cats and Dogs (ACC&D) has been formed and supported by leading animal welfare agencies to find this method of sterlization. The mission of the ACC&D:

To expedite the successful introduction of methods to non-surgically sterilize dogs and cats and to support the distribution and promotion of these products to humanely control cat and dog populations world wide.

Check out the ACC&D’s website for more info and ways to get involved and support the effort.

Pets Reduce Stress

Pets have always been credited with helping us reduce stress in our lives. Dogs keep us exercising -- a sure fire way to reduce stress. Many pets, including dogs, cats and rabbits, keep us happy by providing much-needed love and companionship. Studies have shown that pets can even help to control blood pressure. So, if you’re a healthy, animal-loving person, why not adopt a pet? The benefits are endless for you and your rescued furry friend!

Cat Predicts Death

Is Oscar, a hospice cat at the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Providence, R.I., a harbinger of death? According to nursing home staff, he has, on several occasions, curled up with a patient who passes away within hours. The staff is so certain of the accuracy of Oscar's predictions that they will call a patient's family once Oscar has chosen to perch himself upon the patient's bed. It sounds a bit eerie but, according to doctors, most patients are too ill to be aware of the cat's presence and most family members take comfort in the companionship that cat provides for their dying loved one.

This story may sound far-fetched, but animals have been known to pick up on signals that humans often miss. A study reported in New Scientist shows that dogs predicted epileptic seizures with 80% accuracy. The dogs were not trained for this, they began predicting the seizures spontaneously by whining, licking or standing by the person who would have the seizure.

Also, dogs can predict certain cancers by smelling a person's breath. Our animal companions have highly developed senses of smell and awareness of subtle body language that we can't replicate. We've only begun to find out all the benefits that our furry friends can provide, besides the obvious -- love and companionship. So a cat sensing that a person's last moments are drawing near isn't surprising.

Household Dangers

There is much curiosity and speculation over what foods and other common household items are, in fact, potentially harmful to pets. I, personally, have received several questions, specifically about foods and items such as rasins, grapes, chocolate, and plants.

So here is the skinny on household dangers from HSUS and AVMA:

Foods Potentially Poisonous to Pets
Common Household Dangers
Common Poisonous Plants
Household Hazards

We have collected these links along with several others on pet safety, care and training on our pet care page for your convenience.

Pet Food: The Alternatives

While the news about this alarming pet food recall doesn't seem to be subsiding, there does seem to be hope in the headlines for desperate pet owners trying to protect their beloved companions. The headlines lately, are focusing on alternatives for so many pet owners at a loss for finding safe nourishment for their furry friends. While I am not a veterinarian and do not specialize in what is best for Fido or Fluffy's health, I can bring you the news I have found on supposedly safe alternatives.

Here are the latest headlines:

Pet owners choosing locally made pet food

Basic recipes for homemade dog, cat food

Business booms in alternative pet food sources

After recall, pet owners go gourmet

Feeding dogs' inner beast
Orders jump for Winter Park firm's raw-meat food

It is good to see that information on what TO do is now as readily available to pet owners as what NOT to do.

Spay/Neuter: The Truth

Spaying and neutering pets. It's a tough topic to cover in just one blog post and sometimes a bit controversial but with Spay Day USA tomorrow, now's as good a time as any to touch upon the subject.

Spay and neuter is such a fundamental topic for animal shelters that it seems unnecessary to mention. Doesn’t every thinking person agree that spay and neuter is the answer to ending the suffering and death of our surplus (unwanted) companion animals? This is not news, but there still seem to be people, even veterinarians, who are perpetuating the old ideas about waiting until an animal has been through its first heat cycle or even had its first litter(!) before neutering. Shelters across the country have been performing so-called early age neutering for 20 years without adverse effects. The American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Animal Hospital Association both support early age neutering.

The Animal Welfare League of Arlington started pre-adoption spay and neuter surgery in 2005 for all dogs and cats at least eight weeks old and weighing at least two pounds. Why is this so important? No dog or cat adopted from the League will create a litter of animals that may end up unwanted, uncared for, or abandoned. We think this is reason enough to do everything we can to promote spay and neuter not only for our adopted pets, but for all the dogs, cats, and house rabbits in our community. We sponsor Spay Day every year and subsidize low-cost surgeries for residents year-round with money from our Hantke Memorial Spay Neuter Fund. Until every pet that is born has a home, the campaign for spay and neuter will be a primary mission for all those interested in animal welfare.

Active Dogs, Inactive Owners

Think daily walks or a game of fetch is enough to burn off your dog's energy? Think again. Looks like we can't seem to find enough time to devote to our dogs' exercise needs. In turn, we have resorted to investing in equipment designed to increase our dog's activity and, well, decrease our own. The dog-powered scooter is the urban answer to mushing. Hook up your dog, hop on, and your off. Now there's a doggie treadmill?

Really, how lazy or busy must we be if we can't hop off the couch long enough to take our pooches for a good stroll?

Pet Loss Support

Losing a beloved pet is painful and leaves an enormous void in one’s life. I know this is true as I recently lost my dog. This has neither made me the expert on pet loss, nor am I willing to rehash my feelings over the loss of my pet. What I do know is that those of us who have lost pets do need support and guidance. I am lucky to have family, friends and co-workers that truly understand, but not everyone has the same support system. Fortunately, many local shelters and animal organizations offer support groups. I recommend visiting a support group in your area.

And, please find comfort in the story of the Rainbow Bridge; I did.

Managing Allergies to Cats (for less than $5000)

Who says money can't buy you love? Now, cat lovers who are affected by allergies can buy a designer, "hypoallergenic" cat to the tune of $3,950 plus $900 for shipping and handling. For some this could be their dream come true. For the thousands of homeless cats in animal shelters this doesn't sound like very good news.

I don't have pet allergies but I do suffer from seasonal allergies and manage them, just like millions of people do each year. My point is that it is possible to still adopt one of the thousands of sweet, adorable homeless cats in our shelters and rescues and manage your allergies without having to fork over thousands of dollars for a designer cat.

You can start by keeping your feline companion out of your bed and out of your bedroom altogther. How about purchasing special air filters? These may cost a bit but may also help to manage other allergens such as dust mites. These are just a few of the steps you can take to make living with Fluffy a pleasure. (See links below for more tips on managing pet allergies.)

While some say there is no such thing as a hypoallergenic cat, most animal shelters and rescues will help you find an animal that may have less of an effect on you. It is not unusual, when you have met a cat or dog in a shelter, to ask shelter staff to take a towel and rub it over the pet, then take the towel home and spend some time with the pet's scent and dander. Some even opt to test drive the dander by sleeping with the towel.

Of course, this is not a guarantee that you will not suffer from allergies when you take this pet home, but, as with all animals, even these new designer cats, there is never any guarantee of anything, from allergies to behavior to health.

And once you have adopted your furry feline friend, if you still want to part with your savings, please consider a donation to your local animal shelter, where $5000 could spay or neuter almost 100 cats or purchase 16,000 pounds of pet food to feed hungry, homeless animals.

Visit the following sites for further reading on how to manage your pet allergies:

Keep the cat but reduce those allergy symptoms

Quick tips for minimizing cat dander

Coping With Pets in the Home