Or … Human Foods Pets Should Never Eat
We thought it would be a good time to print a reminder that our little pets will sometimes give you and your friends the big eyes and the wagging tails, requesting any type of food they see in our hands or that we drop on the floor or leave around where they might get it. It is up to us to protect them from harm. On that note, we wanted to publish the following list of some of the most common poisonous items that can be dangerous to animals. This comes from the Humane Society of the United States and we will also print their notice that goes with it. Excerpt below: This is not an exhaustive list and any decision to provide your pet with food not specifically intended for animals should be discussed with your veterinarian or pet nutritionist. For more information on foods that could be dangerous to pets, visit the American Animal Hospital Association’s Healthypet.com website.
The following items are considered poisonous food for pets:
Alcoholic beverages
Apple seeds
Apricot pits
Avocados
Cherry pits
Candy (particularly chocolate, which is toxic to dogs, cats and ferrets, and any candy containing the sweetener Xylitol)
Coffee (grounds, beans, chocolate covered espresso beans)
Grapes
Hops (used in home beer brewing)
Macadamia nuts
Moldy foods
Mushroom plants
Mustard seeds
Onions and onion powder
Peach pits
Potato leaves and stems (green parts)
Raisins
Rhubarb leaves
Salt
Tea (caffeine)
Tomato leaves and stems (green parts)
Walnuts
Xylitol
Yeast
dough
What kind of Feeder should you buy? It depends on who you are feeding!
Golden Retriever using an elevated feeder
Advantages to Using Elevated Feeders
For most dogs there are great advantages to using an elevated feeder. A dog can have diseases such as hip dysplasia, arthritis, congenital megaesophagus, or other ailments such as neck, back or hip strain. This can lead to discomfort and pain while bending down over a dog bowl . If your dog encounters pain or discomfort while eating, he or she will not consume as much, resulting in a lack of the valuable nutrition trequired. Raising the level of the water and food bowls will result in less stress on their joints and also reduce required muscle effort, making it more pleasant for your dog to get the proper amount of food and water he or she needs. Cats and dogs can also have conditions that result in difficulty swallowing and elevated feeders will help with this. If you have a senior dog, there is a twenty percent chance of arthritis being present. The height of an elevated feeder will allow your dog to eat without straining a neck or back. An elevated feeder is easier on pet owners as well. Being so much higher off the ground, the feeder is more accessible to pickup and refill the bowls. This results in much less strain on our own backs!
Possible Problems for Deep-Chested Dogs and Bloat
Deep-Chested, also called High-Chested dogs, are generally medium to large size breeds that have a distinct V-shape, when looking at their chests. These breeds have a higher chance of developing gastric dilatation/volvulus syndrome (GDV), commonly known as bloat. It is important to note that these breeds have a greater risk of developing bloat by using an elevated dog feeder. Check with your veterinarian for advice.
- Akita
- Bloodhound
- Boxer
- Doberman
- German Shepherd
- Golden Retriever
- Great Dane
- Great Pyrenees
- Irish Setter
- Irish Wolfhound
- Labrador Retriever
- Old English Sheepdog
- Newfoundland
- Rottweiler
- Standard Poodle
- St. Bernards
A Cleaner Home
When dogs drink or eat food from a bowl on the ground, they lift their heads up. This can cause small drops of water and food to fall to your floor making a mess! This water and food can be the root cause of bacterial growth; a genuinely dangerous event. The water moisture can eventually damage the floor and form mold. Pets using elevated feeders do not bend over and lower their heads as much, so water drops and food particles are significantly less likely to make a mess. Elevated feeders also keep the pet food and water clean from dirt and contamination from the floor. I like anything that helps with housecleaning! Charlie’s Pet Supply offers the following feeders:
Big Dog Feeder by Our Pets
Designer Wooden Elevated Feeder by Bergan
Plastic Elevated Feeder by Bergan
Robin and Promise, Nancy and Ruby, Cindy and Sasha, Leslie and Tazo
What is Pet Therapy? Have you ever been in a hospital or nursing home? One of the things you notice is that despite the best efforts of those who work there, patients would probably rather be with their friends and family. Then into the patient’s room walks one or a few pet therapists. The dog is registered under a pet therapy program, but he or she must be accompanied by a human being and a leash. Sit back and watch the smiles, the hugs, the conversation and sometimes the happy tears. Cats can also do pet therapy, but they tend to do it in a different way being assigned to actually live in a rest or nursing home. Those of us who have accompanied our dogs on their pet therapy missions can honestly say it is one of the most rewarding things we have ever done with our time. The nurses, doctors and administrative people love to see us there because we put the patients in such a good mood. Patients who felt lonely feel the love from a group of dogs who only want to be petted and to be allowed to spend a few minutes there. The patients tell their stories to the pets and their partners about their own pets or their families or sometimes about their loneliness or fears. We have seen tears of joy on the faces of the patients and each other. This is called an unpaid position, but all of us who have volunteered time to do it feel that we have been paid in a better way then money. How do you know if your dog could be a part of a pet therapy program? The organizations I have worked with are Therapy Dogs International (www.tdi-dog.org) and Love on a Leash (www.loveonaleash.com). The rules are not strict –they don’t need to perform or be purebreds. What they want are dogs at least a year old who can be around some distractions like wheelchairs or having fur pulled without too much barking and who have nice personalities. There should be no biting or nipping and the ability of the owner to control the dog if he suddenly decides he might want to run. I have seen dogs of 15 years old (like my Pomeranian, Sasha) and very large dogs (like Malamutes) as well as handicapped dogs missing eyes or legs. The important thing is the loving attitude. If you are thinking of it, I hope you will investigate it. The rewards are worth it.