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Making Crittersville Safe

Experts agree with us that it's a good idea to use toys designed for dogs.

That means you shouldn't let your dog play with small objects, such as little plastic children's toys, which Dr. Rozanski extracted from one dog's stomach.

"They looked interesting on the radiographs," Rozanski says but they could have become life-threatening obstructions in the dog's digestive tract later on.

The Terrible Trouble with Toys

Gabriel loves the simple things...like napkins and paper plates!  He's easy to buy for, but makes a whale of a mess!  Even Gabriel can get hold of something he shouldn't have though. And THAT DARNED CAT seems to attract danger!  It's all Ambrr and I can do to keep those two out of trouble!  It's hard to tell sometimes what's good and what's bad for your pet to play with or chew.  Here's some pointers from one who knows!

If you give your dog something that squeaks, chances are good that we can get that squeaker out!  Unfortunately, we can choke on it though, so it's not a good idea. I know they're cute and all, but face it - we're cuter! 

RULE #1: NO SQUEAKING TOYS!

Every once in a   while you'll find a dog who likes to chew on stones!  Don't ask me why; I don't get it either!  If you do see your pets chewing on stones or rocks, make them stop it.  If YOU chewed on enough stones, you'd probably choke, and so will your pet!  AND if they don't choke, it can tear up their insides something terrible. Not to mention the havoc stones play on the teeth! 

RULE #2:  NO STONES OR ROCKS!

To teach your dog to fetch is great!  We enjoy it as much as you do and maybe more!  But don't let them chew on sticks because little pieces can break off and can causing choking.  Nothing worse than a choking dog unless it's a vomiting one!  The same is true with bones.  They can splinter and you know what a splinter feels like!  Imagine having one in your throat or tummy!

RULE #3:  NO STICKS OR FRAGILE BONES!

One thing that's always safe is a BALL, right?  WRONG! If the ball is too small, we can swallow it.  And if it's small enough to swallow, it's big enough to cause some problems, so just let us fetch and chase....no chewing and NO SWALLOWING!

RULE #4:  NO SMALL BALLS TO CHEW!

I know of a Maltese named Molly who seems to be a major pack-rat!  She'll grab onto a kitchen towel, a fabric softener, a sock or even a pair of underwear and store her 'booty' underneath the love seat!  That's a little strange and selfish on her part, but the real danger is if she would chew up her 'prizes'.  Clothing material isn't meant for eating or it'd have some nutritional value stamped on the side!  Chewing socks or towels (or underwear) can cause strands and strings to be swallowed, and that can really screw up the intestinal tract of a dog!  Keep an eye out for YOUR 'Molly'!

RULE #5:  NO CHEWING TOWELS OR CLOTHING!

Gabriel is the biggest nut for a Rawhide Chewy!  He can't see any better than me, but he sure seems to know when a chewy is anywhere in the house!  Rawhide Chew Toys are one of our favorites, but you have to stay alert!  Pieces can break off and get lodged in our throats.  AND small pieces can get lodged elsewhere and cause some damage if not just pain!

RULE #6:  BE CAREFUL WITH RAWHIDE!

Now, for the FELINE pet population: we've got some rules and regulations regarding pet cats and kittens too!  Not that we've overly fond of the furry creatures, we find it hard to watch any animal suffer or place themselves into danger's path.  So, here's some info on 'toys' that might be dangerous to 'THAT DARNED CAT'!

Rubber Bands, Plastic Bags, Feathers, String, Yarn, Thread, Sharp or Pointed Objects,  and/or Anything Near a Heating Source.  The same rule applies to a cat as to us dogs when it comes to the cute little squeaky toys. And BELLS - they intrigue a cat, but can push them over the edge - tearing the bell out of the cast and that can cause choking and suffication.

RULE#7: NOTHING FROM ABOVE LIST!

There are times when it's necessary to drag us to our Vet's office. Choking is one of those times. If your pet chokes on something, don't be trying to pull the object out more than maybe once.  You can push it further down the throat.  Just load us up and take us to our favorite Pet Doctor.  He or she will be able to extract the object much easier!  After all, you wouldn't want US to do MAJOR SURGERY on YOU, would you?  Well, we have lots of respect for you humans,  but when it comes to the medical field, we prefer one with a DEGREE! 

No offense!

RULE #8: DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE VET!

Now here's some wise words from an expert...other than me:

"Probably the most common hazards are toys that are inappropriately sized for the pet," says Dr. Jennifer Zablotny, an AAHA veterinarian. "Generally, the toy is too small for the size of the pet and can be destroyed and cause choking."

If you notice anything unusual about your pet's behavior or health, call your veterinarian right away. If a toy or part of a toy is swallowed, signs of problems (like intestinal upset or blockage) may occur within minutes or hours; other times, you may not notice anything unusual for days. The obstruction may pass through with no more signs than vomiting or diarrhea. Or it may cause blockage, in which case your pet may be constipated or not want to eat. In any case, if you even suspect that your pet has swallowed a foreign object, call the veterinarian immediately.

Used appropriately and with common sense, many household and store-bought pet toys can provide hours of entertainment and exercise for your pet. It's a good idea, however, to supervise your pet during play. Not only will this minimize the chance of accidents happening, but you'll also be providing your pet with quality time spent with his or her favorite toy-YOU!

I hope you've learned something from this.  It will make life for you and your pet so much nicer, safer and happier! 

Check here again for some more tips on

A SAFER WORLD FOR YOUR PET!

Check out this site at PetFinder.com for YOUR critter!  http://www.petfinder.com/journalindex.cgi?path=/public/animalcare   

YOU'LL FIND ALL SORTS OF ARTICLES REGARDING THE SAFETY AND HEALTH OF ALL ANIMALS ON THE HANDICAPPED PETS WEBSITE. 

HERE ARE JUST A FEW! 

Natural Care of Animals http://www.handicappedpets.com/Articles/shirley/index.htm 

The Pet Holistic First Aid Kit for dogs, cats, and other animals http://www.handicappedpets.com/Articles/firstaid.html

RABBIT CARE  http://www.rabbitweb.net/

6 Steps to Water Fun & Safety for Dogs http://www.classycatsandcanines.com/6sttowafunsa.html

PET HEALTH INSURANCE  http://www.4pethealthinsurance.com/

FIND A VET FOR YOUR PET http://www.handicappedpets.com/lookup.htm

ASPCA: ANIMAL POISON CONTROL CENTER

"As the premier animal poison control center in North America, the APCC is your best resource for any animal poison-related emergency, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

If you think that your pet may have ingested a potentially poisonous substance, make the call that can make all the difference: (888) 426-4435.

A $55 consultation fee may be applied to your credit card." 

http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pro_apcc

COOPER: THE CAREFUL CANINE (A DELIGHTFUL LITTLE GAME DESINGED TO HELP YOU LEARN HOW TO KEEP YOUR PET SAFE)  http://www.aspca.org

HEART WORMS & WHAT THEY DO

"Heart Worms" are something NO ONE wants or needs! 

They are real killers! 

The "heartworm" is passed to animals from a mosquito that has an infected larval form of the heartworm. When we're infected, the heartworm larva can grow and develop into worms. That SOUNDS ugly enough, but it gets worse!

These worms live inside our blood vessels located in our herts and lungs and the area surrounding our hearts and lungs.   Then the worms breed and have 'baby worms' which the Animal Doctors call "microfilaria" and they travel all through our bloodstream like they're 'hitch-hiking' through our bodies or something!

During this 'trip' they get 'picked up' by some other mosquito...and it all starts all over again!

That's the BAD NEWS!

The GOOD NEWS is that this disease call 'heartworms' CAN be prevented, but it does mean a trip or two to the Animal Doc!  We can all be tested to be sure that we don't have 'heartworms', and we can all take some medicine that helps us from getting it down the road! 

The government of the United States says that the preventative medicine is only allowed to be given if we have a script or prescription from our Docs, so we need to let our Pet Humans know that they need to contact our Doctors for a little talk about 'heartworms', what they do, how they make us sick, and how dangerous they are for us.

We're not the only animals who can get'heartworms'.

Cats can be infected just as easily as dogs.  They have a different type of 'insides' that keeps them from getting as sick as dogs though. Lucky Cats!  But they CAN get it and can get pretty sick. 

So all you CATS out there...get your humans to YOUR doctors too! 

Something weird about 'heartworms' is that it is found in some places more than others.  In some parts of the country, your chances are greater in getting 'heartworms'. 

It's real easy to get if you live anywhere around the Atlantic Coast or the Gult Coast.

  Why?

Because mosquitos LOVE warm and wet weather!  That's where most of them decide to live their lives, so that's where they do most of their 'dirty work'.  Makes perfectly good sense to me now! Gabriel and I might be really lucky to not have to put up with the cold and bitter weather that our Auntie PK has in Connecticut, or Hands has in Ohio, but we have to worry just a little more about mosquitos than they do!

If any of us are unlucky enough to ever GET 'heartworms', there's some treatments out there that can work magic IF it's caught soon enough. But the treatment costs lots of money, can have some strange effects of who ever is treated, and it's painful!  No matter the cost or the side effects...or even the PAIN, we have to get the treatment or the 'heartworms' will kill us.  That's the biggest worry we have for getting bit by mosquitos.

What does the 'heartworm' actually do?

Those adult worms live in what is known as the 'cariovascular system' which is REALLY the heart and lung area. When a dog is really sick with 'heartworms', the worms block the opening in the heart so that blood can't get through the heart to feed the rest of the body.  This makes the heart work harder and harder. The heart gets super tired when it has to work harder than it's supposed to, and it finally just gives up...and stops.

THAT'S what that tiny 'heartworm' does. 

And THAT'S why it's important to get YOUR human to your Doctor so they can learn all about the disease; how it's passed around, why it's important to prevent, and why it HAS to be treated.

So, now you have your homework assignment!

Have a talk with YOUR human today!

Do it for them. You know how much they'd miss you!

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GOT NO DOC?

Go to www.pets911 and SEARCH FOR ONE!

You'll also find lots of really interesting and helpful things for dogs, cats and just about any other animal you can think of.  Tell your Pet Human about the site and they'll enjoy reading the articles.

But find a Doc first! 

 CLICK HERE:   www.pets911.com

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