Loss of a Beloved Pet After Ingesting Christmas Ornament Made Out of Salt Dough

Lexi, a 2-1/2-old dog, snuck downstairs Tuesday morning and ate an ornament made out of salt dough. Her owners, couple Larry and Hope Pospisil, made the ornament with their daughter, Alice, for the holidays.

It appears the salt content in the ornament is what made Lexi so sick. It is toxic to cats and dogs, according to the Pet Poison Helpline.

In a Facebook post, Hope Pospisil said,"when we got home around 5 P.M., she peed [in] her kennel and was shaking uncontrollably. She couldn't even make it back up the stairs, as she fell backwards. We immediately took her to the vet and we had only two options because her body temp was 107 and already caused neurological damage." In his own post, her husband, Larry, added that Lexi "was constantly seizing in her kennel and urinating and foaming at the mouth."

The family made the difficult decision to have Lexi humanely euthanized.

Hope Pospisil shared the devastating news "as a warning to everyone." Following the post, the family has received an outpouring of support. In response, Hope said,“I'm so happy that Lexi is being a voice for all other dogs that could have had the same outcome.”

With tear filled eyes, I'm writing this as a warning to everyone. Lexi snuck downstairs today around 7-8am and ate Alice's salt dough ornament(she NEVER does this). We were, of course, so mad at her. She seemed to act normal. We left here at 1pm, thinking she was ok. When we got home around 5pm, she had peed all through her kennel and was shaking uncontrollably. She couldn't even make it back up the stairs, as she fell backwards. We immediately took her to the Vets & we had only 2 options because her body temp was 107 and already caused neurological damage. We could either take her to A-Vets & possibly,if she even made it that far, save her but be a completely different dog or put her to sleep. With heavy hearts, we decided to put her to sleep. We are so heartbroken for not only her but for Alice because Alice & Lexi LOVED each other and she was the best dog anyone could ask for. So please, if you make these ornaments, watch your animals around them. This is not something we ever thought we would have to do to our 2.5 year old dog. 😔 Rest in Peace sweet Lexi girl. We miss you so much.

Ultra HD 4K Televisions: Big Hit with Dogs

Washington, DC - With Christmas coming up soon, one of the hottest gift items this year are the new Ultra HD 4K televisions. But it turns out these new sets are not only popular with people, they are a big hit with dogs.

The resolution is so clear that many dog owners are reporting their pups can't stop watching them.

Charlie is one dog we met that likes to get outside. He loves long walks, but watching TV is not his thing.

"Not at much as other dogs, but he watches some,” said Grant Kessler, Charlie’s owner.

But Kessler wants to change Charlie's mind and the reason is a viral YouTube video of dogs and other animals watching an LG Ultra 4K TV. It has racked up over a million views.

Francis Hall of Graffiti Audio Video in Northwest D.C. said 4K TVs generate the same reaction every time people see one – “Wow!”

But will Charlie behave like the dogs in the YouTube video and become Kessler’s television-watching buddy? We fired up a new 4K television to see what would happen.

"He likes the stuff of animals making sounds and stuff on the Serengeti the most,” said Kessler.

With a few searches, we found Charlie some Ultra 4K Serengeti cheetahs, and yep, Charlie ate up the big cats in all their 4K glory until it got a little too real.

"When the four lions were coming at him, that's when his ears definitely peaked up when he saw them walking towards him,” Kessler said.

Canine experts said the difference may be in how dogs see things differently than people.

"Dogs eyes, they can't see the same way that we can, so the higher the resolution, the clearer the picture actually becomes to the dog,” said Jordon Rolnick, who works at the PetMAC Marketplace and Adoption Center in Washington D.C.

For Charlie, it means his owner is going to have a nice surprise this holiday, and it's not a new bone.

"Actually, I am getting one,” Kessler laughs. “It's going to be my Christmas present to myself -- the 65-inch version of this Sony.

These Ultra HD 4K television sets are not cheap. Some models can run up to $5,000.

But this comes as new networks are rolling out programming scientifically designed and created for dogs as viewers. DOGTV started hitting both DIRECTV and streaming video systems as it is being billed as the first TV channel for dogs.

Meet the Woman Who Owns Over 1,000 Cats

Parlier, California  — "You can't really call me a crazy cat lady, I'm obsessive." Those are the words of Lynea Lattanzio.

Watch Lattanzio's story below:

Does Your Pet Sleep with You? A New Study Suggest it Might Not Be a Bad Idea

Do you ban your dog from the bed in the hopes of getting a better night's sleep?

It may be time to beg your pooch's forgiveness and hope he'll join you at bedtime, after all.

A recent study finds that sleeping with pets actually helps some people sleep better because it gives them a sense of security — and despite what sleep experts have said for years, pets don't really disrupt our sleep.

"I'm not sure that there's a hard and fast rule about pets [in bed]. My community of colleagues do think that it is just always a risk," says Dr. Lois Krahn, a sleep medicine specialist at Mayo Clinic Center for Sleep Medicine in Arizona, and one of the paper's authors

The study's findings are good news for many. Half of American households own pets and half of those pets sleep either right in the bed with us or somewhere in the bedroom.

To conduct the study, Krahn asked 150 respondents fill out a sleep questionnaire that included questions about their companion animals. It asked for details about the type and number of animals in the home as well as what their sleeping habits were. During a subsequent interview, respondents were asked where the pets slept, how the pets behaved, and whether or not pets affected their own sleep.

Washington, DC - Love Turtles? Come Adopt Red, Teal, Orange, Blue, Slippy or Philly Today – Washington Humane Society

Radical news! We have a bunch of totally tubular turtles waiting for forever homes at our New York Avenue Adoption Center right now. Adopt Red, Teal, Orange, Blue, Slippy, or Philly today!

Blue

Animal ID: 28599041

Species: Reptile

Age:  

Sex: Unknown

Color: Brown/Black

Declawed: No

Site: Washington Humane Society

Teal

Animal ID: 29312140

Species: Reptile

Age:  

Sex: Female

Color: Green/Brown

Declawed: No

Site: Washington Humane Society

Orange

Animal ID: 29569011

Species: Reptile

Age:  

Sex: Male

Color: Green

Declawed: No

Site: Washington Humane Society

Slippy

Animal ID: 29791299

Species: Reptile

Age:  

Sex: Female

Color: Black/Green

Declawed: No

Site: Washington Humane Society

Nam

Animal ID: 30209351

Species: Reptile

Age: 2 years 28 days

Sex:  Unknown

Color: Brown/Yellow

Declawed: No

Site: Washington Humane Society

Comet

Animal ID: 30285226

Species: Reptile

Age: 1 year 17 days

Sex: Male

Color: Brown

Declawed: No

Site: Washington Humane Society

Vixen

Animal ID: 30285230

Species:  Reptile

Age: 1 year 17 days

Sex: Male

Color: Brown

Declawed: No

Site: Washington Humane Society

Red

Animal ID: 29289234

Species:  Reptile

Age: 1 year 4 months 10 days

Sex: Male

Color: Green

Declawed: No

Site:  Washington Humane Society

Please Share!

Shelter Animals Count: The National Database Project is Now Online

Los Angeles, California - Millions of dogs and cats end up in animal shelters or rescues every year, but there are no comprehensive statistics on how many, how they got there, if they were adopted, if a rescue saved them or if their time ran out and they were euthanized. But a new website is aiming to remedy the lack of data.

Animal welfare workers talked about creating a database for years. Now, four years after the work began, "Shelter Animals Count: The National Database Project" is online.

When enough information is input, "we should have a sense of how dogs and cats move in and out of these rescues and shelters that are dedicated to their care," said Jodi Lytle Buckman, board chair for Shelter Animals Count. Data organization is modeled on the U.S. Census, so comparisons will be possible at the county level, she said.

Until now, individual agencies have used estimates when statistics were needed. As a result, figures often varied from group to group and state to state. Even the precise number of shelters and rescues is not known.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, often cited by The Associated Press, estimates there are 13,600 shelters across the country taking in 7.6 million companion animals a year. Of those, 2.7 million are euthanized, 2.7 million are adopted and 649,000 are returned to their owners (with the other 1.5 million including animals besides cats and dogs, feral animals and other categories).

For every dog or cat relinquished to a shelter by an owner, two strays were brought in, according to ASPCA estimates.

Rescues are usually dedicated to saving one breed and can be operated out of a home, so they are even harder to count than shelters, which are most often run by counties or cities.

The new database at www.shelteranimalscount.org is incorporated as an independent non-profit. Two employees will be hired, one to look at the data and one to recruit shelters and rescues to sign up.

"This database is precisely what the animal welfare world needs to guide good decision-making and help enable a greater understanding of the issues facing rescues and shelters in this country," Buckman said.

The database is funded entirely through grants from board members. Board members include: Animal Assistance Foundation; Animal Humane Society in Minnesota; the ASPCA; Association of Shelter Veterinarians; Best Friends Animal Society; Humane Society of the Pike's Peak Region; The Humane Society of the United States; Maddie's Fund; National Animal Care & Control Association; National Council on Pet Population; Petco Foundation; PetSmart Charities; Society of Animal Welfare Administrators; University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine; University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine; and Wisconsin Humane Society.