Animal Care Advice

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Comment by Donna on April 4, 2009 at 8:01am

I started a fundable!
http://www.fundable.com/groupactions/groupaction.2009-04-04.7839242588

Comment by Regina Dickerson-Event Admin. on March 29, 2009 at 7:09pm

He can't find out on the net?? Maybe check with his vet, to see if they know.

Comment by Colleen Del Bane~Creator~ on March 29, 2009 at 8:49am

Can anyone here advise Darrel about whether sprouts are good for dogs? He has put his question in discussions if you have information about this for him.

Comment by Regina Dickerson-Event Admin. on February 9, 2009 at 5:56pm

If I ever decide to use an aspirin for my pet I always check with my vet if it's okay FIRST and they usually tell me, if it is, to cut it in half. So that's what I do.

Comment by Colleen Del Bane~Creator~ on February 9, 2009 at 5:40pm

Thank you Barbara what a great thing to add here. You never really think about an escape pill being such a great danger. Now it will make us all aware.

Comment by Barbara on February 9, 2009 at 5:35pm

Top 10 Drugs That Poison Our Pets

Cat in a bag

Prescription and over-the-counter medications may help you feel much better, but they can make our pets feel much, much worse. In 2007, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) handled 89,000 cases of pets exposed to human medications—by far, the most common cause of household poisonings in small animals.

To help you prevent an accident from happening, our experts have drafted a list of the top 10 human medications

that most often poison our furry friends. Here’s a sneak peek at their research:

* Pets are ultra-sensitive to anti-inflammatory medications like ibuprofen and naproxen, which can cause stomach and intestinal ulcers and kidney damage in cats.
* Nothing like antidepressants to bring a pet down—they can trigger vomiting, lethargy and a frightening condition called serotonin syndrome.
* The popular pain remedy acetaminophen is especially toxic to cats, and can damage red blood cells and interfere with oxygen flow.
* Pseudoephedrine is a decongestant found in many cold remedies, but acts like a stimulant in cats and dogs, who can experience elevated heart rates and seizures.

Pets often snatch pill vials from counters and nightstands or gobble up meds accidentally dropped on the floor. The solution? “Keep all medications in a cabinet,” advises Dr. Helen Myers, veterinary toxicologist at the ASPCA. “And consider taking your pills in a bathroom, so if you drop one, you can shut the door and prevent your pet from accessing the room until the medication is found.”

Dr. Myers also recommends learning the name, dosage and quantity of all of your prescriptions should the unthinkable occur. “For example, if you keep several medications in a bottle in your purse, put in a known amount,” she says. “So if your dog gets into the bottle, you know what the worst case scenario is.” If your pet does swallow any meds, stay calm and try to assess how many are left in the bottle versus how many might have been consumed. This information is crucial for veterinarians when assigning your pet’s risk level and determining a proper course of treatment.

As always, if you suspect your pet has ingested any human medications—or other toxic substances—please call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center’s 24-hour hotline

at (888) 426-4435. To read our expert’s complete top 10 list of dangerous drugs, visit

Comment by Linda on January 25, 2009 at 8:02am

Comment by Ellen Miles on January 25, 2009 at 7:54am

Cool! Soooooo nice to clear up those allergies. When I think of the suffering my earlier dogs went through and the difference with Bella & Purrl, I could kick myself! Not really, I just didn't know.

Comment by Ellen Miles on January 25, 2009 at 4:30am

Hi Everyone. Just joined this group - looking at current comments, I'll add my opinion on 'chewies'. Aside from the chemical and bacterial issues, rawhide swells when chewed and can get stuck in the throat, not just cause problems further down. Something I've found is dehydrated body parts. They don't have the same issues as rawhide and last longer. I've gotten mine at http://sitstay.com They've been appearing in local pet stores for a couple years too but they're less expesnive on that site and come with more variety.

Comment by Sandy Rabideau Pigeau on January 24, 2009 at 12:54pm

Rusty has eaten bees & got stung in the mouth doing it,but it has not stopped him from still doing it...he also eats spiders, grasshoppers, crickets, frogs, mice, gophers,you get the picture,just about anything that he can catch up to...I have taken away the gophers so he does not eat them....they walk across the street to our deck & they have a hole dug under my deck, that's how he's catching gophers...so far he hasnot been affected yet...

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