Online Pet Medications – Buyer Beware

If you are considering ordering your pet's medication online, please read what the ASPCA says about online pet medications.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) does not recommend that pet parents forgo purchasing pet drugs on the Internet altogether, but encourages the active participation of your veterinarian in any decision to medicate your pet. “All pet drugs should be prescribed by a veterinarian after an in-person physical exam, and should either be purchased from that veterinarian or out sourced to a reputable pharmacy, whether on- or off-line,” says Dr. Camille DeClementi, ASPCA Senior Director of Medical Records.

Tips for Buying Pet Drugs Online

Order from a Web site that belongs to a Vet-VIPPS accredited pharmacy. Vet-VIPPS—the Veterinary-Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites is a voluntary accreditation program of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP).    NABP gives the Vet-VIPPS seal to online pharmacies that dispense prescription animal drugs and comply with NABP's strict criteria, including federal and state licensing and inspection requirements, protecting patient confidentiality, quality assurance, and validity of prescription orders.

Look for the Vet-VIPPS seal displayed on a pharmacy's Web site or check with NABP5 (click on "Accreditation Programs")    to find out if a pharmacy is Vet-VIPPS accredited. Because this is a new program, begun in 2009, a small number of pharmacies are currently Vet-VIPPS accredited.

Order from an outsourced prescription management service that your veterinarian uses. These state-licensed Internet pharmacy services work directly with the veterinarian, require that a prescription be written by the veterinarian, and support the veterinarian-client-patient relationship. Ask your veterinary hospital if it uses an Internet pharmacy service.

Pharmacies that are currently Vet-VIPPS accredited:

1-800-PetMeds
Drs Foster & Smith Pharmacy  
PetCareRx, Inc  
SmartPak  
VetCentric  
VetRxDirect  





FOLLOW US!

Does Your Dog Have Special Needs? - The Disabled Dog

We can learn a lot from dogs with disabilities! They can enjoy life to the fullest with just a little help from us. Every dog is a challenge, but also a learning experience, but most of all, a disabled dog is a joy. They appreciate everything life has to offer and never say "why me?"

Just as you need companionship, dogs on wheels also need to know that you are there for them, remember they love you very much and shine in your praise and attention. Show you care by getting your dog a wheelchair. Train your dog to use the wheelchair by providing encouragement and praise. Take your dog to meet other dogs on wheels and pets around the neighborhood for playtime.

Adoption
The Humane Rescue Alliance (HRA), Washington, DC, frequently takes in animals who may have a harder time finding new homes. This may be because of ongoing medical problems. Or it may simply be due to an animal’s advanced age. It is our conviction that these animals are equally deserving of a good home, and that they have as much love and companionship to give as any animal.

Products for dogs with disabilities
Today it is possible to find help for any kind of special needs a dog may have. There are products available to make life better for your four-legged friend. For physical disabilities you can find wheelchairs, lifts, ramps, boots, orthotics, and the list goes on. You can buy a helmet for your pooch and take him for massage or acupuncture. If your dog suffers from a long term illness like diabetes or heart problems, there are many medications that can prolong the quality of life for your best friend.

Social Interaction
One of the most difficult things to judge with a disabled dog is how much social interaction do they need? Are they getting enough? Too much? One thing I've noticed is that because dogs don't realize they are disabled, they will try and do everything they once did - even if they can't which may lead to frustration.

The obvious solution is to find a way that your disabled dog can socialize with other dogs (if he feels comfortable doing that). If you have other dogs in your household, don't isolate him. He will enjoy their company. On the other hand you may need to protect him from "the pack". A pack senses the disabled dog is not 100% and may decide to finish him off. It's important you watch for clues and are aware because the disabled dog cannot defend himself should the pack attack. Only you will know the fine balance of your pack and what will work best.

Disabled dogs would love the company of others and particularly their owners. Ideally you want his "space" to be near the busiest areas of the house (unless he is recouperating from surgery or some other temporary disability that requires quiet and rest). A disabled dog will enjoy watching the comings and goings, love the attention, and will do much better than a dog isolated in a spare bedroom with no interaction. Even dogs that can't get around in wheelchairs enjoy toys and your loving attention.

FOLLOW US!

Foods You Should Never Give Your Dog

Does your dog beat you to the table? Looking up with those puppy dog  eyes … waiting for you to drop something down to them? Stop! … and think of what you are eating.  Ask yourself, is this going to hurt them?

The experts at the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center set the record straight. As the premier animal poison control center in North America, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center is your best resource for any animal poison-related emergency, 24 hours a day, 365  days a year. If you think that your pet may have ingested a potentially poisonous substance, make the call that can make all the difference: (888) 426-4435. A $65 consultation fee may be applied to your credit card. For more information visit them at ASPCA - People Foods.

Listed below are some of the foods that you should never give your dog.

Chocolate and Cocoa contain a chemical called theobromide that can adversely affect the heart, lungs, kidney and central nervous system.

Grapes and Raisins can cause irreversible damage to the kidneys, possible resulting in death.

Onions can cause a form of hemolytic anemia called Heinz body anemia, a condition that causes the destruction of red blood cells. Kidney damage may follow. Caffeine is quite similar to the toxic chemical in chocolate. It can damage the heart, lungs, kidney and central nervous system.

Macadamia nuts, while generally not considered fatal, can cause your dog to experience severe illness.

Alcoholic beverages contain ethanol - a seriously toxic chemical compound that causes central nervous system and respiratory depression.

Apple seeds, cherry pits, peach pits, and plum pits contain the toxin cyanide.

Baby food can contain onion powder, which can be toxic to dogs. It can also result in nutritional deficiencies, if fed in large amounts.

Milk and other Dairy Products  - Some adult dogs and cats do not have sufficient amounts of the enzyme lactase, which breaks down the lactose in milk. This can result in diarrhea. Lactose-free milk products are available for pets.

Raw Eggs contain an enzyme called avidin, which decreases the absorption of biotin (a B vitamin). This can lead to skin and hair coat problems. Raw eggs may also contain Salmonella.

Sugar-Free Gum - Xylitol is a sugar-free sweetener most often found in chewing gum and candy. In dogs, it stimulates the pancreas to secrete insulin, resulting in hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). Xylitol ingestion can also cause severe liver damage.

Moldy or Rotten foods can cause many problems for your dog, some more serious than others. Any food that seems "past its prime" should be kept out reach. Be especially careful to keep your dog away from trash cans.

Poison Control Hotline
888-232-8870 (TOLL FREE)

For anyone who may not know, the poison control number charges you $35. This goes to pay the vet in case of a phone consultation. If you ever have to call, make sure to have credit card ready.







Follow Us!

FOLLOW US!

How to Recognize Poisoning in Dogs

Dogs can be poisoned by a number of different things including chocolate, grapes, and candy containing xylitol. Just like with humans, poisoning is a very serious issue for dogs, but if you know the signs you can help your pup and get it to the vet in time!

To figure out if your dog has been poisoned, look to see if its gums or tongue are blue, purple, white, bright red, or brick colored. Place your hand on the left side of the dog’s chest and listen for a pulse of 180 bpm or higher. Observe your dog to see if it is vomiting, having diarrhea, are dizzy or disoriented, pant heavily for over 30 minutes, or if it's lost its appetite for over a day. If you see any of these signs, contact your vet immediately.

Examine Your Dog’s Body

1)  Look in your dog’s mouth.

Your dog’s gums and tongue should be pale to medium pink. If your dog naturally has black gums, look at its tongue. If the gums or tongue are blue, purple, white, brick colored or extremely bright red, seek veterinary medical attention immediately. This means that something is impeding the flow of blood throughout your dog's body.

You can also do a "capillary refill time" test to determine if a poison is impeding your dog's blood circulation. Lift the upper lip and press above a canine tooth with your thumb. Release your thumb then watch for a color change where you pressed. The gum color should change from white to pink within two seconds. If there is significant delay (more than three seconds), check with your veterinarian.


2) Take your dog’s pulse.

If a dog’s heart rate is over 180 beats per minute, and you have any reason to suspect poisoning, seek immediate medical attention. A normal resting adult dog’s heart rate is between 70 and 140 beats per minute. Larger dogs are typically at the lower end of the scale.

You can check your dog’s heart rate by placing your hand on the left side of its chest, behind its elbow, and then feeling for the heart beat. Count how many heart beats you feel in 15 seconds and multiply that number by four to get the beats per minute.

If you have enough foresight, write down your dog’s normal pulse rate in a dog journal for future reference. Some dog's heartbeats beat faster by nature.

3 Take your dog's temperature with a thermometer. 

The normal temperature range of a dog is between 100 and 102.5 degrees Fahrenheit (38.3 to 39.2 Celsius).  A fever does not necessarily indicate that your dog has been poisoned, but it does point to some general infirmity. If your pet is stressed or excited, you may get a falsely elevated temperature. If your pet is acting lethargic and ill and has an elevated temperature, contact your veterinarian immediately.

Ask a partner to help take your dog's temperature. One person should hold the dog's head while the other inserts the thermometer into the dog’s rectum, which is found directly under the tail. Lubricate the thermometer end with petroleum jelly or water based lubricant like K-Y. Use a digital thermometer.

Identifying Strange Behavior

1) Examine your dog's balance. 

If your dog is staggering, disoriented, or dizzy, it could be suffering from neurological or heart problems, as well as low blood sugar caused by poisoning. Again, seek veterinary medical attention immediately.


2) Watch for vomiting and diarrhea. 

Both are highly irregular in dogs. They are signs of your dog’s body attempting to expel foreign poisonous substances. Examine your dog’s vomit/stool for content, color, and consistency. Your dog’s stool should be firm and brown. If your dog’s stool becomes watery, loose, yellow, green, or deep black, contact your vet.


3) Pay attention to your dog’s breathing. 

Panting is normal for dogs most of the time. It is their way of expelling heat. Heavy panting lasting for longer than 30 minutes may be a sign of respiratory or cardiac difficulty. If you can hear wheezing or crackles as your dog breathes, seek immediate veterinary medical attention. If your dog ingested something, it could be affecting its lungs. 

You can determine your dog’s respiratory rate by watching the dog’s chest and counting how many breaths they take in 15 seconds and multiply by 4 to get the breaths per minute. The appropriate respiratory rate of a dog is 10-30 breaths per minute.

FOLLOW US!

Foods That You Should Never Give Your Dog

Does your dog beat you to the table? Looking up with those puppy dog  eyes … waiting for you to drop something down to them? Stop! … and think of what you are eating.  Ask yourself, is this going to hurt them?

The experts at the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center set the record straight. As the premier animal poison control center in North America, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center is your best resource for any animal poison-related emergency, 24 hours a day, 365  days a year. If you think that your pet may have ingested a potentially poisonous substance, make the call that can make all the difference: (888) 426-4435. A $65 consultation fee may be applied to your credit card. For more information visit them at ASPCA - People Foods.

Listed below are some of the foods that you should never give your dog.

Chocolate and Cocoa contain a chemical called theobromide that can adversely affect the heart, lungs, kidney and central nervous system.

Grapes and Raisins can cause irreversible damage to the kidneys, possible resulting in death.

Onions can cause a form of hemolytic anemia called Heinz body anemia, a condition that causes the destruction of red blood cells. Kidney damage may follow. Caffeine is quite similar to the toxic chemical in chocolate. It can damage the heart, lungs, kidney and central nervous system.

Macadamia nuts, while generally not considered fatal, can cause your dog to experience severe illness.

Alcoholic beverages contain ethanol - a seriously toxic chemical compound that causes central nervous system and respiratory depression.

Apple seeds, cherry pits, peach pits, and plum pits contain the toxin cyanide.

Baby food can contain onion powder, which can be toxic to dogs. It can also result in nutritional deficiencies, if fed in large amounts.

Milk and other Dairy Products  - Some adult dogs and cats do not have sufficient amounts of the enzyme lactase, which breaks down the lactose in milk. This can result in diarrhea. Lactose-free milk products are available for pets.

Raw Eggs contain an enzyme called avidin, which decreases the absorption of biotin (a B vitamin). This can lead to skin and hair coat problems. Raw eggs may also contain Salmonella.

Sugar-Free Gum - Xylitol is a sugar-free sweetener most often found in chewing gum and candy. In dogs, it stimulates the pancreas to secrete insulin, resulting in hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). Xylitol ingestion can also cause severe liver damage.

Moldy or Rotten foods can cause many problems for your dog, some more serious than others. Any food that seems "past its prime" should be kept out reach. Be especially careful to keep your dog away from trash cans.

Poison Control Hotline

888-232-8870  (TOLL FREE)

FOLLOW US!

Do You Know How to Tell if Your Dog is Sick? - Top 10 Warning Signs

Overview
As is the case with people, a dog’s health changes with age. Unfortunately, our pets age much faster than we do.

Symptoms
Regardless of your dog’s age, you play a key role in helping her combat illness and remain as healthy as possible. Remember, your dog cannot describe symptoms to you, but she can show you signs of disease. Awareness of the signs of the most common diseases is one way to help reduce your pet’s risk of being affected by them. It’s a little scary to consider that 10% of pets that appear healthy to their owners and their veterinarians during annual checkups have underlying diseases.1

The top 10 signs that your dog may be ill are:

• Bad breath or drooling
• Excessive drinking or urination
• Appetite change associated with weight loss or gain
• Change in activity level (e.g., lack of interest in doing things they once did)
• Stiffness or difficulty in rising or climbing stairs
• Sleeping more than normal, or other behavior or attitude changes 
• Coughing, sneezing, excessive panting, or labored breathing
• Dry or itchy skin, sores, lumps, or shaking of the head
• Frequent digestive upsets or change in bowel movements
• Dry, red, or cloudy eyes

If your best friend shows symptoms of being ill, you should contact your veterinarian immediately.

Unfortunately, you may not always recognize that your dog is sick. Often, even the most well-intentioned dog owners attribute the subtle signs of disease to aging.

Diagnosis/Treatment
Because signs of disease are not always obvious, your veterinarian may recommend preventive care testing as part of your dog’s annual exam.

Preventive care testing often includes the following:

• Chemistry tests to evaluate kidney, liver, and pancreatic function, as well as sugar levels
• Antibody tests to identify if your pet has been exposed to tick-borne or other infectious diseases
• A complete blood count to rule out blood-related conditions
• Electrolyte tests to ensure your dog isn’t dehydrated or suffering from an electrolyte imbalance
• Urine tests to screen for urinary tract infection and other disease and to evaluate the ability of the kidneys to concentrate urine
• A thyroid test to determine if the thyroid gland is producing too little thyroid hormone
• An ECG to screen for an abnormal heart rhythm, which may indicate underlying heart disease

Additional tests may be added on an individual basis. Your veterinarian will recommend the right course for your best friend.

Prevention
Preventive care screening not only helps to detect disease in its earlier stages, when it is most likely to respond to treatment, it also can help you avoid significant medical expense and risk to your dog’s health if an illness goes undetected. In addition, by establishing your pet’s normal baseline laboratory values during health, your veterinarian—and you—can more easily see when something is wrong with your pet. Annual screening is the best preventive medicine!

For more information about preventive testing, contact your veterinarian—your best resource for information about the health and well-being of your pet.

Please Share! FOLLOW US!

Why Is Your Pet Special To You?

We all know that our pets have a special place in our hearts! But is there something extra special about your Pet?

FOLLOW US!

Pet Loss – The Companion Pet Left Behind (True Story)

This is my true story, and what I experienced with my dog when he lost his companion.  I got Sugar my sweet little Shih-Tzu in February 1996, at the age of about 6 weeks old. My husband and I both worked so she was alone all day. She did not have the run of the house while we were gone. We had her area section off with a food, water, bed, toys and potty pads.

As she got a little older we purchased her a loveseat…yeah, a loveseat! We also purchased the little steps so that she could have access to get up on the loveseat. She soon learned to jump from the loveseat and sit up in the big picture window and look out.

One evening a neighbor stopped us and told us that she sits in that window all day looking for us.  The thought of her being lonely prompted me to get her a companion. I looked in the want ads and found that someone was selling Shih-Tzu puppies and had only 2 left. They were asking $200 which included shots and a can of dog food.

We took Sugar with us to pick out her companion. Sugar who was about 10 pounds now was much bigger than the 2 little puppies that they showed us. I had told my husband on the way over that “which ever one is attracted to her…will be the one we will get!”

It didn’t take long for little Domino to zero in on her. He started trying to chase her and he could barely walk. It was really funny because she was trying to avoid him. I decided then that he would be the one.

We had already came equipped with a carrier, and placed Domino in it on the backseat with Sugar. While riding along Sugar began to bark, I looked back and Domino was out of the carrier crawling up on her. We pulled over to put him back in. My husband swears that he latched the gate! We laughed and joked about calling him Houdini!

Sugar and Domino bonded immediately. Her motherly instincts kicked in and he started following her around everywhere. As time passed, I realized that was the best thing to do. When we would arrive home they would both be in the window and start having fits when they recognized the car! We would have to slowly open the door so that we would not hit one of them!

Sugar was the dominant one, always barking the loudest, pushing Domino back at treat time, pushing him away from the water…and trying to get all of the attention. Domino was very quiet, hardly ever barking and became submissive to her. He let her run the show! She would be the first at the door if anyone knocked. If I was on the phone, she would immediately start barking loud.  She could roll her eyes when she got mad…she was a little pistol!

In August of 2008, Sugar was diagnosed with heart problems. She was put on medications and eventually had to be returned to the animal hospital to be put on oxygen. Sugar crossed over the Rainbow Bridge on October 2, 2008.

The first couple of days after losing Sugar, Domino was walking the house, sniffing in every corner. I know he was looking for her. He would not eat and began to scratch himself. He scratched out a patch area on his leg. I took him to the Vet who ruled out any type of allergy.  He was put on medication and a few days later he began to take on her personality! He started barking loud, running to the door when someone came. His appetite picked up. Because I had lost her only a few days earlier I had not removed her bed. He started sleeping in her bed. He even started barking when I got on the phone! I called the Vet and asked what was going on with him.  He told me that sometime a companion pet will take on the deceased pet’s personality. He said that Domino did not know where she was, and that now he was the alpha dog…no more following her around, he was in charge now!

After a few days he stopped the sniffing and looking around the house. He no longer scratched himself…but wanted all the attention. If my husband and I were sitting down together, he would jump up in between us. Of course, hubby knew he had to move over!

He started this new thing of standing at the top of the stairs around 9:00 p.m. barking. The first time that he did it, I went up to see what was wrong. He beat me to the bedroom and jumped in the middle of the bed! Neither of them had ever slept in my bed at least now when hubby was home! They had beds downstairs and upstairs! I came downstairs and told my husband that he was calling us to go to bed. My husband replied with what, “now he is deciding when we need to go to bed!”  This went on for a few days until I decided to put a stop to it. I blocked the staircase off and finally he realized that he was not in charge of us!

You guessed it, a few days later I awakened in the morning to find him asleep at the bottom of our bed. My husband said, “maybe you should call the Vet.” I told him that he was just lonely and was missing Sugar. I would wait until my husband fell asleep and put him up in the bed with us. For some reason he would crawl over and sleep on my husband’s feet. I would pull him away hoping not to awaken hubby…and he would crawl right back. Finally, hubby gave in, and Domino was sleeping with us every night!

Domino crossed the Rainbow Bridge on February 25, 2011. I will be writing a story about him soon. It’s only been about 4 months since I lost him and I am still grieving my baby. I took it really hard when I lost Domino. When I lost Sugar I still had him. Now that he is gone, my house is really quiet…empty.

When my heart is ready I will be giving a forever home to a homeless animal…I will never pay for a pet again!

FOLLOW US!