Dog Heatstroke - How to Kill Your Dog in Under 30 Minutes

Posted by Clare Bristow

emergency-first-aid I read some startling statistics today about how quickly the inside of a parked car can heat up - severe heatstroke is only minutes away, and death not far behind for dogs left in parked cars during warm weather.

Most of us know that we shouldn't leave dogs in parked cars in the height of summer, but cooler Spring and Autumn temperatures can prove to be as deadly.

Here are some sobering facts, courtesy of the The Humane Society of the United States:

Click to Continue Reading —>

Did you enjoy this post? Subscribe to the Dog Topics feed to be notified every time a new post is added to this blog.

Keywords: dog health information, dog heatstroke, dog hot weather tip, dogs left parked cars, Summer Safety

Filed Under Summer Safety, Blog

Sorry, No Related Posts Found

How Your Dog Hears

Posted by Clare Bristow

wet-dog Just like humans, dogs' ears are vitally important, not only for hearing us calling to them, but also for maintaining their balance.

A dog's ear can be a nice warm, moist and dirty environment and just the place bacteria, viruses and parasites love. Without routine examination and care, your dog's ears can easily become infected and, like humans, dogs find ear-ache very uncomfortable and painful.

Today I'm going to explain how the dog's ear is structured, because that will help you to understand how ear problems can arise, and it will give you a basic understanding of the terminology should your dog need to visit the vet for an ear examination.
Click to Continue Reading —>

Keywords: dog ear care, dog health information, ear haematoma, Ear mites, Ruptured eardrum

Filed Under Eyes, Ears, Paws and Teeth, Blog

Sorry, No Related Posts Found

Xylitol - the sweetener that's poisoning our dogs

Posted by Clare Bristow

emergency-first-aid The mass pet food recall in the United States is focusing our minds on what we are feeding our dogs, and I for one am looking hard at all food labels before giving any food to Fritz and Zoe.

I read today that Xylitol a sweetener found in many chewing gums, candies and baked goods is extremely poisonous to dogs.

The ASPCA has reported that it is treating an increasing numbers of dogs that have eaten products containing the artificial sweetener. Xylitol is a relatively new, but increasingly popular, product to the US marketplace and knowledge of the effects it has on dogs is increasing all the time.

Like chocolate, products containing Xylitol can have a sweet smell that dogs find attractive, and given their tendency to rummage and gobble, it only takes a packet of chewing gum left in an open bag for your dog to eat it and become very ill.

Two or three sticks of chewing gum containing Xylitol can prove toxic for a 20 pound dog.

Symptoms of Xylitol poisoning

Within 30 minutes of ingesting Xylitol your dog can become very seriously ill; however the symptoms can take 12 hours to emerge if only a small quantity has been consumed.

Xylitol causes a very quick drop in your dog's blood sugar level and typically he will start vomiting, which can be followed by a loss of co-ordination (he'll tend to stagger around), lethargy, collapse and seizures.

If you think your dog has eaten a product containing Xylitol, take him to your vet immediately - this product can prove fatal in a very short space of time if not treated.

Some common products that are known to contain Xylitol include: