Thursday, February 5, 2009

ASPCA Top 10 Pet Poisons of 2008

I especially liked the ASPCA News Alert : Jan. 2, 2009 article, Top 10 Pet Poisons of 2008. I did not know about some of the things listed there. This article covers, human medication, insecticide, people foods, rodent poison, veterinary medications, plants, chemical hazards, heavy metals, household cleaners, and fertilizer. There is a list of 10 foods you should not feed your pet. I did not know about avocado.

Some time ago, I saved an article called" Peoples Pharmacy" from the Oregonian newspaper. It is written by Joe and Teresa Graedon. It is an advice column, that answers peoples questions on health issues. I did not save the date on this article. The one writing in said : I heard that garlic could keep fleas from biting, so I put some in my dog's food for about a week. He became lethargic and couldn't even climb the lowest stairs. I thought this might be a reaction to antibiotics I had him on to heal sores from the original fleabites.
I took him again to check for infection, but there wasn't any. I casually mentioned the garlic, and the vet said that garlic is toxic to dogs. It causes something called Heinz body anemia. Please warn other readers.

The answer was : Both garlic and onions can cause anemia in dogs. Cats are even more susceptible.
People often assume that they can give their pets the same things they take themselves, but that's not necessarily a good idea. Always check with the vet before giving your pet any medicine or extra treats such as chocolate or raisins, which are also toxic to dogs.


Before reading this, I had given my dogs people food that contained some garlic.
If you type in garlic for dogs, Google will take you to sites where you can read what others say about about this subject.

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