Guess what today is? It's the first day of summer. And Independence Day is just two weeks away!
So I thought I'd post some reminders about keeping your pets safe and healthy in the summer heat and during the 4th of July holiday.
First and foremost, please do not leave your pets in the car! The interior of a vehicle can heat up very quickly and can far exceed the outdoor temperature. Just last week, a young labrador mix died after being left in a car for two hours at a Canadian shopping center, and the young couple who caused his death have been charged with animal cruelty. At this time of year, it is best to leave your companions at home.
Avoid walking your dogs in the heat of the day. Hot asphalt can burn paws and cause the body temperature to rise rapidly. Hot summer sun can also cause heat stroke, as well as sun burn, particularly in pets with light coats and skin.
Know the signs of overheating and dehydration. Heavy panting, disorientation, collapse, vomiting and diarrhea are some of them. If you suspect your pet is overheated, rush them to veterinary care immediately. Call the office while en route, so they can be prepared to act quickly when you arrive. Time is of the essence in successful treatment.
The following are some other hazards to your pets that warm weather brings:
And of course, that last item brings us to the 4th of July. This is a tough holiday for two of our greyhounds, Maddox and Chipmunk. They both have noise phobias, and the sound of fireworks tops the list.
This is not an uncommon issue for dogs, and sadly it makes July 5th the busiest day of the year for many animal shelters. Please be sensitive to your pets' needs and take proper precautions for keeping your companions safe.
Wishing you and all of your family members a fun summer season!
ProHeart 6 is an injection for dogs that prevents heartworm
for 6 months. Its primary ingredient is
moxidectin. This product was originally approved by the FDA in 2001. Nearly 6,000 adverse reactions were reported in dogs following the administration of the drug over a three-year period, and sadly over 600 dogs died. It was recalled by the manufacturer at the FDA's request in 2004.
The first time I heard of ProHeart 6 was when my vet
recommended it for my Rottweiler Katie in Orlando, Florida in 2002. Unfortunately, I was not informed of
possible adverse reactions, and I allowed her to be injected with the drug.
Within an hour of the administration after we returned home,
Katie was lethargic, began vomiting and was unsteady on her feet. I called the vet and was told to bring her
back immediately. She was treated for
the reaction and fortunately was okay.
It was later that year that I began hearing about ever-increasing safety
concerns about ProHeart 6.
Surprisingly, the FDA announced the ‘limited reintroduction’ of ProHeart 6 in June 2008.
But get
this...
1. Proheart 6 is the
first veterinary drug to be marketed under a risk minimization and restricted distribution program.
2. The drug can only be administered by veterinarians who take a course and are certified by the manufacturer.
3. It should not be administered within one month of vaccinations.
4. It must be used ‘with caution’ in dogs who have had allergic conditions, and should not be given to dogs that are sick, underweight or debilitated.
5. An owner must be advised of the risks of ProHeart 6 AND sign a consent form prior to its administration.
I don’t know about you, but that sure seems to me like a
whole lot of CYA by both the FDA and Pfizer Animal Health.
I found this video in which a veterinarian expresses his concerns and recommendation regarding ProHeart 6.
I appreciate Dr. Pinney’s candor, and hope that his
conservative approach to this drug is echoed throughout the veterinary
community.
My personal recommendation is to stick with heartworm
preventatives for your dogs that have been on the market for many years and are
widely considered safer. Most dogs happily
chow down their monthly heartworm preventative like a treat, and the amount of
time that takes each month (15 seconds?) is a lot less time than having to take
your dog to the vet every six months for an injection.
Please share this information with your dog-loving friends,
family and co-workers! Already, new concerns are being raised about this questionable drug. Hopefully the
‘reintroduction’ of ProHeart 6 won’t cause the suffering and pain in dogs and their humans that it did when it was first put on the market.
In response to a request for recipes for other types of dog treats, I thought I'd share two that I found out there on the web, and one that I have in a recipe book for dogs - The Good Treats Cookbook for Dogs by Barbara Burg.
Many of the dog treat recipes out there use whole wheat flour. I try to avoid wheat as much as possible in what I feed our dogs. Wheat is one of what I call the 'three nasties' for pets - wheat, corn and soy. I don't think any of our dogs have allergies to these three ingredients, but I avoid them nonetheless.
Here's a link on substituting wheat flour with other types of flour - http://forum.lowcarber.org/archive/index.php/t-214051.html. Personally I would favor rye flour, barley flour, millet flour or rice flour. I'm not sure how much the substitution of wheat flour with any of those would affect the consistency of many of the dog treat recipes out there, so that would be something you'd have to try.
Here's a soft treat using rice flour and rolled oats:
Ingredients:
1 cup rice flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup applesauce, unsweetened
1/2 cup finely grated carrot
2 eggs
3 tbsp molasses
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl, stir together the rice flour, rolled oats and cinnamon.
In a small bowl, combine the applesauce, grated carrot, eggs and molasses.
Make a well in the medium bowl's ingredients and pour in the applesauce mixture.
Mix thoroughly until well combined.
Lightly spray a baking sheet with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
Drop teaspoon-sized clusters on the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
These treats will last in the refrigerator
for up to 3 weeks. They will be good in the freezer
for 4 months. The yield is approximately 70 teaspoon sized
treats. You can make them larger for a larger breed dog, just be sure to bake
them an additional 5-10 minutes.
Here's a peanut butter biscuit recipe that doesn't specify the type of flour to use:
Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup milk
2 Tbs. peanut butter
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 Tbs. chicken broth*
1 egg white
1 tsp baking powder
Instructions:
Mix flour and milk until lumpy and then add peanut butter and broth.
Add parmesan cheese to the mixture followed by egg white. Mix well until it has the consistency of pancake batter. Add baking powder.
Place on greased cooke cheet, making 2 inch drops. Bake at 400°F for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool before serving.
* A note about broth - if you use store-bought broth, I'd recommend low-sodium, organic broth. Preferably, it is easy to make your own!
And here's Ms. Burg's recipe for Carob Chip Cookies:
Ingredients:
3/4 cup whole rolled oats
2 cups rye flour
1 cup all-natural peanut butter
1 cup milk
1/4 cup unsweetened carob chips
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine oats and flour.
In another bowl, combine peanut butter and milk.
Add peanut butter mixture to dry mixture and blend well. Fold in carob chips.
On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough and roll out to 1/4" thickness.
Use cookie cutters to cut into shapes, repeating rolling and cutting until all dough is used.
Place biscuits on lightly greased baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes.
Cool on rack and store in a sealed container.
I hope your dogs love their home made treats. Happy baking!
In my first post, I mentioned that renewed concerns about chicken jerky from China causing illness in dogs was one of the things that motivated me to make good on my long-time intent to create a Family Friend Pet Sitting blog.
This topic has been in the news as recently as May 23, 2012, and I saw a warning being circulated on Facebook about it again this afternoon.
Here's what Snopes.com has to say about it: UNDETERMINED.
Here's what I say about it: DON'T RISK IT!
Here's what the Krebs greyhounds say about it: WE WANT OUR CHICKEN JERKY!
So, we decided to start making our dog treats at home. I did some research on the internet about making homemade chicken jerky for dogs. I learned you can use your conventional oven, or you can use a food dehydrator.
We purchased a Nesco food dehydrator on Amazon for around $60 about a month ago. We have successfully made several batches of jerky using chicken breast, turkey breast, very lean beef steak and beef liver. All of it has been given 16 enthusiastic paws up!
Here's what I've learned so far -
1. Select very lean meat. Meats with higher fat content takes longer to dry, and jerky made with fattier meats can spoil if not refrigerated.
2. Consider buying organic meats for your dogs. Yes, it's more expensive. It's also healthier, and hopefully the animals were treated more humanely on the farm they were raised on.
3. The thinner you slice the meat, the quicker it will dry. Slicing the meat while still partially frozen allows you to slice it more thinly. Be sure to use a very sharp knife!
4. We start our dehydrator before going to bed and 8 hours later - voila! Fresh, healthy dog treats we feel good about giving to our dogs. Peace of mind is priceless!
5. Some people use seasonings or marinades on the meat prior to making the jerky. I personally follow the KISS method - it saves me time, and I don't have to be concerned about sodium, etc. Dogs don't need meat to be enhanced - it's MEAT!
6. Beef liver REALLY STINKS. I've never been squeamish about meat before, but handling raw beef liver and preparing it for the dehydrator had me gagging. It stinks when it's raw, it feels horrible, and it stinks while it's dehydrating! For that batch, the dehydrator did its overnight shift in the garage. Phew!
Finally, you can make homemade biscuits and cookies for your dogs using a dehydrator too. We haven't tried that yet, but I'll let you know The Krebs Crew Review when we do!
Creating a blog has been something I've been wanting to do for my pet sitting clients for quite a while. In today's digital world, we get inundated daily with bits and pieces of news and information from the internet, social media like Facebook, and other forms of communication with friends, family and co-workers.
The recent news about chicken jerky from China and the Diamond Pet Foods Salmonella outbreak and recall renewed my interest in taking FFPS into the blogosphere, in an effort to create a 'one-stop shop' for pet news and information.
I routinely get questions from my clients about nutrition, vaccinations, training and health concerns. As both a professional pet sitter and as a pet parent I strive to stay informed from a variety of resources, and I look forward to sharing that information with you here.
I'd also like to share some of my personal experiences with animals at home and at work, and would love to have you do the same with me. Please give me feedback on what you see, and what you want to see, on this blog!
If you'd like to have future blog posts delivered directly to your e-mail, please enter your e-mail address in the field at the bottom left-hand corner of the page and click 'Submit'. You'll receive a confirmation e-mail to complete the request.
It is a privilege to care for your companion animals, and Family Friend Pet Sitting is a success because of you.
Thank you so much for your continued support and patronage.