by Shelagh Hislop | Apr 30, 2015 | news
Antifreeze is commonly used in engines as a coolant, and the active ingredient is sweet tasting. Pets (especially dogs) are quite happy to drink it.
For the most part, people are probably very careful about handling this very toxic material. But there may be vehicles that are leaking, or it’s possible that someone has inadvertently discarded the liquid in an unsafe manner.
The active (and toxic) ingredient in antifreeze is ethylene glycol. Ethylene glycol poisoning starts off looking much like alcohol intoxication. This begins around 1-2 hours after ingestion. Sometimes there is nausea and vomiting, and there may be staggering and incoordination (looking like drunkenness). Over the next 12 to 24 hours, the toxin can cause kidney failure. When the kidneys are harmed, the pet will stop eating, become nauseous, depressed and feel very sick.
Anyone who believes their pet may have ingested antifreeze should get to a veterinarian as soon as possible, in order to receive treatment. There is an antidote that can be given to prevent the kidney damage from happening, but it needs to be given in the first few hours. Once kidney damage has occurred, the prognosis is poorer.
Please make sure that your car is not leaking antifreeze and that if you are handling this fluid, you are disposing of it properly and doing so without any possible exposure to pets or children. Or better yet, consider a safer version of antifreeze for your vehicle. Ask about this product at your local hardware store.
by Shelagh Hislop | Feb 20, 2015 | news
SEPARATING FACTS FROM FICTION: Pet Food Myths
There are many myths about pet food. Where do you get your information about pet nutrition? Is it from a salesperson? Is it from a TV or YouTube advertisement? There are many misleading pieces of information being propagated through media and sales.
Consider the science. Ask your vet.
Corn: Corn actually has many benefits. It’s an excellent source of protein, carbohydrates, fiber, and antioxidants. Corn is highly digestible when cooked and is not a common cause of food allergies. Because of all these things, corn is not “just filler”.
By-Products: Many by-products are excellent sources of nutrients for pets. (Some of the reasons that humans don’t prefer by-products is because of emotional reaction rather than scientific, nutritional information.) Examples include animal fats, internal organs and fibrous ingredients like beet pulp.
Meat First: Meat is not the only valuable source of nutrition for your dog. When meat is listed first, remember that the high water content makes it weigh more than dry ingredients such as grains, meals and vitamins. Also dogs are omnivores, meaning that they naturally get their nutrition from meat and plant-based nutrition.
High Protein: Animals cannot store protein, so their organs have to work extra hard when they are fed a food that has higher protein than needed. This can lead to health problems, especially in the older pet.
Grain-Free: There is nothing to support the benefit of a grain-free diet for pets, and some grain-free diets are suspected to cause health problems in dogs.
Natural, Holistic, Organic … These words have varying meaning and do not mean the food has better nutrition. Individual ingredients do not determine the quality of a food. It’s the nutritional value of the combined product = the whole diet (and its digestibility) that delivers appropriate nutrition for your pet.
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