This is to announce the first Cavalier Symposium centering on topics of interest about the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.  The symposium will be held in Belgium on October 25^th. Organized by Arnold Jacques, this Symposium is the first of its kind.  For more information see below and contact Arnold Jacques at a.l.m.jacques@gmail.com. Please include a link to the symposium website on your website

From Arnold:

“The website of the International Cavalier Symposium is ready.
www.cavaliersymposium.com
May we ask you to spread this link, as much as possible, among all your friends.
May we ask you to create a link on your website, preferably by using attached banner.
We hope to welcome you on the symposium.

Kind regards

Arnold Jacques
www.cavaliersymposium.com”

UPDATED LIST OF PET TOXINS

 

 

Both known and unknown toxins can be found hiding in our houses and yards. In 2011, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) in Urbana, IL, fielded more than 165,900 phone calls about pets exposed to poisonous substances. –italics are my comments from experience. Meredith

Visit our poison app on Facebook

 

1. Prescription Human Medications

Almost 25,000 calls last year were about human prescription medications. Pets, especially dogs, are notorious for ingesting any dropped pill. Cardiac and ADHD medications make up a large percentage of these calls. Always make sure to take these medications in a safe place away from your pets.

2. Insecticides

Insecticides were the subject of 11% of calls to the ASPCA in 2011. These include products used on the lawn, in the house and on the pet. The most important thing to do is read the label before you use any insecticide, and never use a product labeled for dogs on cats. I know of two cases personally in which dogs died due to horrible allergic reactions to lawn sprays. 

3. Over-the-Counter Human Medications

Over-the-counter medications such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen can kill your pet. Never give any medication to your pet without consulting with your veterinarian first.

4. People Food

Chocolate is still the number one people food that pets ingest (we received over 7,600 calls last year). Too much chocolate can cause vomiting, diarrhea, high heart rate and seizures. The second most common food is xylitol (the sugar substitute). Xylitol can cause seizures and liver failure in dogs.  (Raisins are also very poisonous to dogs.)

5. Household Products

It is amazing what animals can find to chew up around the house from fire logs to paint. Some household items may just cause stomach upset, while others can be deadly.

6. Veterinary Medications

Chewable medications make it easy to give your dog or cat a pill. However, this tasty pill can also mean that the pet, if given access, will ingest all the pills in the bottle. Always make sure to keep pet medications out of reach. Contact your veterinarian if your pet ingests more than its proper dose of medication or ingests another pet’s medication.

7. Rodenticides

When putting out baits to kill mice and rats, never underestimate the resourcefulness of your pet. Most bait is grain based and is attractive to dogs. Depending on the type of rodenticide, ingestion can cause internal bleeding, kidney failure or seizures. (If a dog eats rat poison, do not induce vomiting.  Keep vitamin K in your first aid kit and begin administering at once to counteract internal bleeding. Rush to the vet.)

8. Plants

About 4% of our phone calls are pet parents calling about their animals eating plants. This is one category that cats lead dogs in the number of exposures. Lilies can cause kidney failure and death in cats. Please see our list of toxic/non-toxic plants for more information. 

9. Lawn and Garden Products

Fertilizers, which can be made of dried blood, poultry manure and bone meal, are very attractive to pets, so it is not surprising that we get many calls (almost 3,900 in 2011) on lawn and garden items.  (One of my Cavaliers living with my orthopedic surgeon licked the fertilizer just applied by the lawn care company and burned his esophagus.  No amount of money or expertise could save this beautiful boy, Jeffrey, after a valiant fight.  He is sorely missed and still deeply loved by his grieving family.)

10. Automotive Products

With more people keeping their animals inside (especially cats), the number of animals exposed to automotive products (antifreeze, brake fluid, etc.) has dropped. This is great news since many of these products, if ingested, can be life-threatening to pets.

If you have any reason to suspect your pet has ingested something toxic, please contact your veterinarian or the Animal Poison Control Center’s 24-hour hotline at (888) 426-4435.

From one of the dog lists: At the end of December, a local kennel donated 12 cases of Kirkland canned Lamb and Rice dog food. They said it was too rich for their dog because they all got sick. Did not think any problem with the food. I fed to my dogs, and to visiting dogs. Diarrhea for all dogs, puppy threw up 15 times. She survived… Tesla and Dino did not. I contacted the company on Jan. 3 to say all dogs got sick. They said they did not produce that food. Four weeks later, one dead dog, next week, another dead dog. Finally got a response with… tell Costco. I contacted Costco, and then they contacted the manufacturer. Who wants a sample of the food. Mind you…this similar food was recalled in 2007-2009 for melamine contamination. Over 400 dogs died. I filed a report and waiting for request for the sample of food. I need to put out a warning of possible food contamination. …is not verified yet…but the vet and I feel it will be. The*Kirkland Canned Lamb and Rice with expiration 2013. The cans I have say June 23, 2013*. Please let your friends know. It would have been purchased in Nov.-Dec. 2012. Please anyone that has a can to contact me directly. Do not return to Costco. We need to let everyone know so more dogs don’t die.

 

Those of us who like to give children’s stuffed animals to our dogs to play with, need to be aware of possible consequences when our dogs rip them apart as mine always do;  I find stuffing all over the place.  So now I get the stuffed toys, including those made for animals, that have no stuffing or remove it.  I never give toys with button eyes or noses.

This is from the Show Dog list:

Last night at agility class, a vet, who is a fellow agility student  was telling us about a case she had this week. The dog ate a child’s teddy bear and was very sick. When she opened the dog up to remove what she thought was an  intestinal obstruction she found a huge gelatin type mess inside and the dog’s intestines were black and the tissue dead. The dog died as no surgery could fix him up as there was no living intestine left from stomach to colon.

This  was not an obstruction. …. so she called the manufacturer of the Teddy Bear on a quest to find out what the gel was and what killed the dog. Turns out the  stuffing in children’s toys contains ingredients for flame retardants and mite  control! It is designed to become a gel. It is highly toxic.  Now one would  think a child’s toy would be safe (unless it is made in China!) because it is for children, but they don’t  expect a child to eat the stuffing of the toys which is a scary thought in and of itself.   We know that dogs demolish and eat toys!

So do not give or buy your dog any children’s stuffed animals. Some people. myself included, have gotten stuffed toys at Goodwill. but no morel.  Make sure all your the toys you buy for your dogs are made for dogs.

Please pass this on and help avoid another dog dying a horrible death that can be avoided.

 

Raisins:  with the holiday season upon us, please remember that raisins, even a few, can be fatal to dogs.  Please pass this word along.

Chocolate: while great for hormonal women, chocolate can be fatal to our dogs.  If you have a dog like my Snoop who grazes on top of counter, coffee tables, and pantry shelves, please be very careful of putting chocolate, even in boxes or wrapped in foil, out.  I have used hydrogen peroxide on my Snoop a couple of times now after spotting hershey kisses foil.  Serves him right!  I still have not forgiven him for the missing T bone!  I walked out of the kitchen for only a second on Thanksgiving leaving my unstuffed turkey on the counter only to return and witness Snoop pulling on one wing of the turkey while Wendy has the other. Looked like the turkey was being drawn and quartered.  I almost quartered the both of them!  However, a quick rinse under the sink and the still unblemished turkey was good to be spatchcocked (yes a real word and a real procedure. Go to Martha Stewart’s website and search.  Spatchcocking two turkeys for Thanksgiving almost ended our marriage!)

Snoop, the rescue that came to spend a couple of days and has stayed for over nine years now.  He truly is my pal despite his thieving ways.  Totally devoted to me, he is my constant shadow and would protect the Cavaliers and us if needed.  I just wish he would learn manners, but have given up. I think he was a gypsy dog in a past life.

 

 

 

Coyotes:

Coyotes have been appearing in more and more suburban areas and housing devlopments. Los Angeles is rife with them. Recently a coyote attacked a dog in its yard in Grosse Point, Michigan, a very upscale neighborhood.  Coyotes can scale high fences and have gotten very brazen as their habitat has disappeared and their hunger increased.  Coyotes are like chameleons adapting to any environment.  If you know that there are coyotes in your area, do not let your dogs out by themselves. Even with you there, it only takes a moment for a coyote to snatch a dog or cat. 

 

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING ITEMS ARE VERY DANGEROUS TO PET

DIMPLE BALLS

The below dimple ball has a vacuum effect that can trap the tongue of a dog, cutting off the blood supply, so that the tongue horribly swells and cannot be easily removed.  The Labrador pictured below had to have his tongue amputated and had to learn to eat and drink without a tongue. Please tell your local pet stores and perhaps write the corporate office of pet store chains asking them to remove the dimple ball from the shelves.  Please protect your beloved pets!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

POTPOURRI

A fellow Cavalier breeder lost two of her beloved Cavaliers quite tragically.  They ate Potpourri which is evidently poisonous to dogs.  Despite major efforts to save these beloved pets, the Cavaliers died.  Potpourri is toxic to pets.  The breeder involved is having tests run on the Potpourri to determine the poison but it is thought to be the die in the potpourri.  Please safeguard your pets as they can die a horrible death after ingesting Potpourri.  I cannot warn you strongly enough!!!!!!!