Grapes, Nuts, and Your Dogs Health -- Foods that Fido should Avoid

Written by Carolyn Schweitzer


"Magoo was a big, playful Labrador retriever who often got himself into sticky situations..."

So begins a story inrepparttar latest report fromrepparttar 125643 ASPCA on foods that may be toxic to dogs. It turns out that Magoo got intorepparttar 125644 pantry and snagged himself about a pound of raisins. He aterepparttar 125645 whole thing, of course.

The ASPCA never mentions Magoo's fate. But they do tell us that as little as a handful of raisins can impair a dogs health and has been fatal for some. Ditto forrepparttar 125646 grape.

Who Knew?

Growing up, I regarded our family dogs as "the first cycle ofrepparttar 125647 dishwasher". They were good about waiting their turn for whatever we left on our plates, and we weren't too concerned about offering them "people food". It never crossed our minds that our dogs health could be affected by a few measly table scraps. What was safe for us, we figured, was safe for our pets.

What's more, whenever I ate grapes, I liked to give one or two to our German Shepherd "Tiffany". The grapes always popped out of her mouth when she tried to bite into them and Tiffany, everrepparttar 125648 good sport, refused to give up until she'd squashed each one into submission. It guaranteed at least 60 seconds of harmless fun.

Tiffany was also fond of chewing gum (she chewed it -- wrapper and all -- but didn't swallow it!) We hadrepparttar 125649 sugarless kind, which is often sweetened these days with xylitol.

Little did I know that I might have been poisoning our family pet! (More on xylitol below).

Why are grapes harmful?

As far as grapes and raisins go, no one is sure why they're harmful. It's been confirmed that even grapes grown without fertilizers or pesticides can be toxic to dogs. But not to every dog, and not every time. It's also not known whether small amounts eaten over a long time period could have a cumulative effect.

What we do know is thatrepparttar 125650 end result in nearly all reported cases of grape or raisin toxicity is acute kidney failure. (The term "acute" means thatrepparttar 125651 condition is severe and comes on quickly.) The dog ultimately can't produce urine, which means they can't filter toxins out of their systems -- a process essential to life.

Duringrepparttar 125652 twelve-month period in whichrepparttar 125653 effects of grapes were studied,repparttar 125654 ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center handled 140 cases involving one or more dogs. Over a third ofrepparttar 125655 dogs developed symptoms ranging from vomiting to kidney failure, and seven dogs died. The ASPCA based their study on reported cases, so naturally there may be cases where a dogs health is entirely unaffected by eating grapes. But until they know allrepparttar 125656 facts, the Society advises against feeding pets grapes or raisins in any amount.

An ounce of prevention

So, your dog just scored himself a big box of raisins. What's a pet owner to do?

The first line of defense, ifrepparttar 125657 grapes or raisins were eaten recently, is to induce vomiting and administer activated charcoal (it absorbs toxins inrepparttar 125658 GI tract). Vomiting is alsorepparttar 125659 first sign that your dog is in trouble, so skip right torepparttar 125660 activated charcoal if vomiting has already occurred. (In a pinch you can make your own activated charcoal by charring a piece of toast until it's blackened and crumbles easily.) Then call your vet right away.

Can't reachrepparttar 125661 vet? Call ASPCA Poison Control: 888-426-4435

The vet will keep your dog on intravenous fluids for at least 48 hours and monitor blood chemistry daily. Normal blood work after 3 days usually means your dog is inrepparttar 125662 clear.

Keeping a watchful eye out, of course, isrepparttar 125663 best way to keep your pet out of trouble. Like children, dogs (and other pets) have a knack for getting into mischief when we're not looking.

It's Not Justrepparttar 125664 Grapes...

There are other foods your dog should be kept away from, and some of them may surprise you.

Here are some other foods that can put a dogs health in harms way:

Chocolate

Who can resist chocolate? Like it your not, your dog. Chocolate is made with cocoa beans and cocoa beans contain a chemical called Theobromine, which is toxic to dogs. So on Valentine's Day, you're actually being kind to your best buddy if you eat allrepparttar 125665 chocolates yourself! Read my special report on chocolate at http://www.great-dog-gift.com/chocolate to learn more, and see how different types of chocolate have varying effects on dogs health.

Burberry for Dogs?

Written by Natacha Bunzl


Burberry is one ofrepparttar world's famous designer brands. But branded trenchcoats and sweaters for dogs? A thought that may make you raise your eyebrows!

Is today's designer fashion selling out? Despite what you might think, high-class designer labels also cater for your pets nowadays as does British luxury label Burberry who has just released their own collection of Burberry clothing for dogs. Most notable features arerepparttar 125642 famous Burberry trenchcoat for dogs as well asrepparttar 125643 Check sweater and Burberry dog leash.

Where did this trend start? The origins of dog clothing most probably came from England due to its damp and cold climate, it was very easy for smaller dogs to catch colds when they were taken out. So for a while it was not uncommon to find small dogs dressed in cover-up "raincoats" and sausaged in small waterproof capes.

Butrepparttar 125644 idea of actually dressing your dog and providing them with a wardrobe only came up recently. Sparked by such celebrities as Paris Hilton and her pet chihuahua Tinkerbell as well asrepparttar 125645 successful Hollywood movie 'Legally Blonde', dressing your dog up has becomerepparttar 125646 ultimate in fashion and accesorizing.

From an alligator-skin dog collar and leash set to an elegant Burberry trench coat for dogs, shoes, t-shirts, hats and more you can find just about everything you wear yourself in 'dog sizes'. Bloomingdale's, Neiman-Marcus, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, allrepparttar 125647 biggest names in fashion have pawed their way intorepparttar 125648 very lucrative pet-accessories market, an industry that gathered an estimated $8 billion during 2004.

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