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Pet People

Sunday, June 24, 2007

DANGER, Will Robinson, DANGER


B, that title is just for you. Being the old TV show fanatic that you are, I couldn’t resist. This is “TA DA” my first post on Sandy’s blog, so don’t be too hard on me guys. We had a topic this past week about pet home remedies, and using natural products for our pets. So, it got me to thinking about things we have around the house that are bad for our fur babies. I think we all know the obvious things, like antifreeze, household cleansers, and pesticides. But, what other, not so obvious dangers are lurking in our homes and yards??

Well, we should all be aware of the plants we might have in our house and our yard. The ingestion of azalea, oleander, mistletoe, sago palm, Easter lily, or poinsettia by an animal could be fatal. And if using rat or mouse baits, or ant and roach traps, you should never place them anywhere that is accessible to your pets. Most baits contain inert ingredients that smell sweet, such as jelly, peanut butter, and sugars, which can be irresistible to your pet.

You should never leave chocolates unattended in an area where your pet can get to it. Approximately one-half ounce or less of baking chocolate per pound of body weight can cause problems. Even smaller amounts can cause pancreatic problems. Chocolate contains a compound that is a cardiac stimulant and a diuretic.

Many other people foods are also bad for our pets. Onions and garlic cause haemolytic anemia, where the pet’s red blood cells burst while circulating in its body. Macadamia nuts cause muscle weakness and tremors. Other people food that is dangerous for our pets are pear pips, the kernels of plums, peaches and apricots, apple core pips, coffee grounds, raisins and grapes, rhubarb leaves, and alcohol and cigarettes (imagine that). Also, milk tends to cause severe diarrhea in most cats once they have been weaned from their mother’s milk. Brett, does that answer the question you asked me at your house about milk for Pearl??

In other words, stick to dog and cat food, and don’t feed table scraps. You never know what could be in there that might have an adverse effect on your babies.

In addition to the usual cleansers and detergents that we think to keep out of reach, many common household items have been shown to be lethal in certain species of animals. Miscellaneous items that are highly toxic, even in low quantities, include pennies (high concentration of zinc), mothballs (one or two balls can be life threatening in most species), potpourri oils, fabric softener sheets, automatic dish detergents (contain cationic detergents which can cause corrosive lesions), batteries (contain acids or alkali which can also cause corrosive lesions), homemade play-dough (contains high quantity of salt), and winter heat source agents like hand or foot warmers (contain high levels of iron).

So, what other things do you guys know about that are harmful to our fur babies and should be kept locked away?? I know there must be many more than what I have come up with.
My picture for the day is Casper and “Punkin” sleeping together in the lawn chair outside. Sandy likes to post all the cutesy pics of her cats snuggled up together, so I wanted her to see that other kitties feel the love too. Now that they have the wonderful “Sweetie Cat Barrier”, they have this huge back yard at their command. But they end up sharing one little chair. All together now…AWWWWWWW.

posted by Stacey at 6/24/2007 08:44:00 PM

6 Comments:

Blogger Unknown said...

Great post! Great info! Really cute picture!

I do give Scootie a small squirt of light whipped cream. I haven't seen any diarrhea in the litter box. I do it no more than once a day. He does love it! Herbie isn't interested in it and neither is Larry, senior cat. It's our special moment for Scootie and I.

PS to Sandy. I replied to the email you sent but it was refused. I contacted the other party and hope to be helping out soon!

Alice

Sunday, June 24, 2007 9:14:00 PM  
Blogger Adrienne said...

Ok this is really funny. I just spent the last hour writing something that I wanted to post as a main topic and what do I find? The exact same thing I had been working on. Haha!

To add to what you posted:
After the food recall I did a lot of research about foods that are safe for pets. From that research I decided to go to an organic diet. I switched to an organic dry dog food that contains no gluetin and started to supplement with real food as well. An average meal consists of 1 cup of dry food, ½ cup of boiled skinless, boneless chicken/beef and 1 cup of boiled veggies. Sometimes I add cottage cheese or plain yogurt as well. I thought it was going to cost me more to start this diet with them, but it isn't. I'm not feeding as much dry food, so it last longer. I buy the large bags of frozen broccoli, cauliflower and carrots from Costco, and I wait for chicken or beef to go on sale. It all comes out about the same. I now even make my own dog treats or give boiled eggs and bananas for treats.

One of the deadlyist things is grapes/raisins. Even small amounts can cause severe kidney damage or even death. Garlic in small amounts is not as bad as onions. Most pet foods and treats contain garlic. While looking through a long list of toxic foods I realized that it really comes down to common sence. I won't give them grapes or raisins any more, but really, who's dog eats onions anyways? Not mine. There is always something that we should not eat and the same goes for our pets as well. I watch foods that are high in fat just like I would for myself. If the dogs turn there nose up at something, than I don't worry about them eating it. I figure they won't eat it for a reason.

Needless to say dinner time has become everyones favorite. Oscar has always been a picky eater, but not any more.

Sunday, June 24, 2007 10:01:00 PM  
Blogger B said...

Thanks for the nod to TV lore! I will be missing for the mnost of this week as this is the end of the fiscal year and everyone is running around like it's the dawn of the dead and we are being attacked by zombies. Next week I will (should be) back --and I will chime in a little this week, but the idol threats of my antiquated employer are pushing me to the ende, so I need to focus or pack up and walk out. I think they are ticked off about the two days I spent in the hospital--but they can get over it. YOU GUYS STAY STRONG!! $7 dollar tax/fee-A.O.K with me, as long as it stays well defined, straight forward, and they don't go natzi or something and start tacking on some power trip additions to it over the next few years. Clarksville LOVES to raise everything,but...well thats a soap box for another day. You guys have a good day and I will see you soon!

Monday, June 25, 2007 8:16:00 AM  
Blogger Sandy said...

What a great picture! I love seeing pets so happy together.

A great list of pet no-nos. We don't give scraps to the pets, except sometimes any left over chicken or beef which I mix in with their dog food. And of course, when I come home from work and drop a little of what I'm eating for Little Man, our special time together.

What I worry about is dangers other than food. Getting their collars hung up or if The Boss uses round up weed killer where the pets go. I tell him to make sure he lets me know so they can be kept inside until it completely dries, but then I worry about them eating grass. I guess its no problem becuase we've managed not to kill any for 15 years!

Glad the cat fence is working out! Tarzan and Catfish love theirs!

Monday, June 25, 2007 4:15:00 PM  
Blogger Sandy said...

After reading some of the story chat comments on licensing, the biggest threat and danger to pets are ignorant owners!

Monday, June 25, 2007 7:41:00 PM  
Blogger Pam said...

Ditto to that Sandy! It's so maddening the way some owners treat thier animals! And same here on the people food, a little bite of chicken, fish, or steak once in awhile but nothing that is hamful to them. It's surprising to me how many people I ave talked to who don't realize that onions can be toxic to pets!
Stacey, Punkin and Casper are so sweet lying there together. Brittany and Courtney were like that till they grew up and now they hardly ever lie together anymore. And Penelope won't lie with either of them. Speaking of Penelope she just started kneeding! When we talked about that subject I told you all how she and Courtney don't knead things but Brittany is my big kneader. Well this week she started kneading the pillow when I gave her the night food she comes to get. I just think it's kind of strange since she didn't even knead as a baby.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007 10:39:00 AM  

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Pet People

Sandy Britt, an animal welfare advocate and volunteer with Clarksville rescue organizations, takes care of three dogs: Zoe, Scooter and Peanut; two cats: Catfish and Tarzan; and one husband, Glen, and according to him she takes care of them in that order.
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