Dogs: Don't Eat This!

A double whammy for dogs:  Chocolate-covered macadamia nuts (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I thought I had a good handle on people foods that are toxic for dogs, but WebMD alerted me to a few that I had never heard of in this context, including avocados and animal fat.  Best of all, they tell you precisely why these foods are "Dangerous for Dogs." Avocados (persea Americana) contain persin, which is toxic for dogs, and animal fat -- cooked or raw-- can cause pancreatitis.  So, it's worth a look.  Strangely enough, the theobromine in chocolate that is toxic for dogs is also toxic for humans, but we would have to eat quite a bit at one time (the figure I've read on this is 25 lbs!) to be poisoned.

I think I've mentioned before that I was horrified to learn (some years ago) that the macadamia nuts I occasionally shared with Tony, my Pomeranian, before he gained weight, which led to his diabetes, were extremely toxic for dogs.  He never had many, but he was really crazy about them.  Which suggests that if you have any, keep them where the dog can't get at them.

What am I saying?!!  You've probably already got them in a secret hiding place to keep them from your greedy loved ones.

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• Holiday Tips For Your Pet (y98.cbslocal.com)
• Pet Owners Beware: Harmful Holiday Foods (arkansasmatters.com)
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Hurricane Sandy: Time to Check your Emergency Readiness

Hurricane Sandy Redecoration (Photo credit: dakine kane)

My inbox is full of messages in connection with Hurricane Sandy, including a request for a donation from the ASPCA.  As usual, I'm broke, so I can't oblige them right now.  I hope you can.  They're doing a lot of work that is Sandy-related, and it's all laid out on their blog.  It's a real relief to me to read about people doing good things for pets, as opposed to all the animal abuse stories I keep hearing.

The fact that the hurricane hit Manhattan (I've always wondered why this hasn't happened before) brings home a reminder that disasters can happen anywhere, anytime.  I lived in central Florida for most of the 1980s, and we were warned every May/June about preparing for hurricane season by all the different media that were available then -- even paper grocery bags had tracking maps and lists of emergency supplies listed on them.  I now live in the midwest, and while we don't have hurricanes, we do have floods and tornados, but these don't seem to get the kind of advance attention as hurricanes, probably because they don't have a season per se.

So, my advice for today is to think of what you would need if disaster struck for your family, including your pets, whether you were to stay in your home (with or without electricity) or evacuate.  If you have an emergency kit, go over it to see if anything else is needed.  If you don't have one, get on the stick!  One thing that I bought after Tony was diagnosed with diabetes was a little cooler pack for his insulin, just for such an emergency.  I think you can see why you'd need this, so I won't belabor the obvious.  These run around $20, and there are different kinds of cooling involved, but I haven't seen any that are good for more than 45 hours (that would be the Frio Cooling Wallet, which gets soaked in water to activate a gel that keeps it cold, so you don't have to keep cold packs in your freezer if you don't want to).  Once you've bought one, REMEMBER WHERE YOU PUT IT.  In an emergency, there may not be time to do more than put the insulin in the pack.

Related articles

• In the Aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, Hackers Hope the Phishing is Good (prweb.com)
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Diabetic Dogs and Affordable Care

English: Two Dogs (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I just found the time to read the July/August issue of the AARP Bulletin, and in their annual "99 Great Ways to Save" article, they have several pet items.  Number 80 asks if you are having trouble affording your pet and suggests searching under that at humanesociety.org.  I tried it, because I know firsthand how much it can cost to have a pet with any kind of chronic health issue, but it took some doing to get to the right page, which is at http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/trouble_affording_pet.html

The page lists a lot of organizations all around the country that can help, also indexed by state.  None are specifically for diabetic dogs (several are only for canine cancer), but there are some that offer assistance with prescription drugs.  I don't know if any will help with insulin, but it couldn't hurt to check.  It turns out that the Humane Society of the United States also has a program called Pets For Life,  which is aimed at underserved communities, and they offer info on how to start one going in your area.

They also have a program for people with pets who are facing foreclosure.  Unlike some animal rights organizations that seem only to care about getting their names in the paper, by some pretty bizarre means at times, and soliciting donations (you probably know which one I'm thinking of here), the HSUS appears to be trying to deal with the practical needs of pets and their owners.  Having said that, however, I must note that they also have their detractors, as you can see from the title of one of the articles listed below, but you can get another viewpoint from the slate.com article. 

Related articles

• Diabetes in dogs and cats (diabetic-dog-food.blogspot.com)
• Breaking News: Hundreds of Dogs and Other Animals Rescued in South Carolina (hsus.typepad.com)
• US: Investigation: Illegal Sale of Domestic Dog Fur (careforchineseanimals.net)
• HSUS: Like PETA with suits and deodorant [erv] (scienceblogs.com)
• Vegan Feud (slate.com)