VALLEY PRINCESS PUPPIES

If your new puppy is lethargic or comatose it may be caused by HYPOGLYCEMIA. This can be a life threatening condition brought on by the stress of its new environment and the resulting lack of nutrition. It usually occurs in puppies from 4 to 5 months old but older toy dogs can also get it.

New puppies can also be stressed by lack of sleep and over-handling. They may refuse to eat because their food has changed or they don't know where the food is. Changes in the ambient temperature of the room that they are used to can also be the cause of stress.

A lifeless or limp lethargic puppy with grayish-blue gums and tongue is another indication of Hypoglycemia. A sub-normal temperature, with the puppy seeming to shiver and shake requires immediate attention. If left untreated the puppy may go into a coma with resulting convulsions and death could be the tragic result if treatment is withheld.

Low blood sugar is the cause and the blood glucose level must be raised at once. Care from a Vet is the best choice but don't wait; every second counts. Mix Corn Syrup (Karo) or plain Sugar with equal proportion of water and, using a syringe, feed the pup 10cc orally four times a day.

Hypoglycemia, treated in time, should leave no lasting affects and as long as the stress is eliminated it shouldn't occur again.

Chocolate:

Chocolate contains methylxanthine alkaloids in the form of theobromine and caffeine, that cause constriction of arteries, increased heart rate, and central nervous system stimulation. These effects can lead to vomiting, diarrhea, restlessness, and increased urinations. More advanced symptoms of toxicity include excitability, increased respirations and heartbeat, stiffness, seizures and exaggerated reflexes.

Certain types of chocolate contain higher amounts of methylxanthines, baking chocolate containing the highest and white chocolate containing the least. Dogs freely ingest toxic amounts of chocolate if it is left accessible. A potentially lethal dose in a 16 pound. dog is only one pound of milk chocolate and only about 2 oz of bakers chocolate.

Cardiac failure, seizures, coma, and death can result if the chocolate ingestion is not found within four to six hours and treated appropriately. The length of action of the methylxanthines is usually 12 to 36 hours. In dogs that chocolate ingestion is detected early, the prognosis is good.

Grapes and Raisins:

Grapes and raisins can be toxic to dogs when ingested in large quantities. The grapes and raisins came from varied sources, including being eaten off the vine directly. The dogs exhibited gastrointestinal signs including vomiting and diarrhea and then signs of kidney failure with an onset of severe kidney signs starting about 24 hours after ingestion of the grapes or raisins. The amount of grapes eaten varied between 9oz. and 2 lbs., which worked out to be between 0.41 and 1.1 oz/kg of body weight. Two dogs died directly from the toxicity, three were euthanized due to poor response to treatment and five dogs lived. Due to the severity of the signs and the potential for death, the veterinarians as the poison control center advocate aggressive treatment for any dogs suggested of ingesting excessive amounts of grapes or raisins, including inducing vomiting, stomach lavage (stomach pumping) and administration of activated charcoal, followed by intravenous fluid therapy for at least 48 hours or as indicated based on the results of blood tests for kidney damage.

Turkey:

While white turkey meat, properly cooked and in reasonable quantities doesn't pose a danger to most dogs but turkey skin can be extremely harmful to your dog. The high fat content of turkey skin and dark turkey meat is known to cause pancreatitis leading to death if not properly treated in a timely manner. Pancreatitis is extremely painful to a dog. The protocol for treatment of Pancreatitis consists of withdrawal of all food for a period of up to three days while IV hydration is implemented to keep the dog from getting dehydrated while resting the pancreas.

Nuts:

Walnuts are poisonous to dogs and should be avoided. In particular, there is a type of fungus common to walnuts (especially wet deadfall walnuts) that will cause severe episodes of seizuring. Many nuts are not good for dogs in general, their high phosphorous content is said to possibly lead to bladder stones.

Macadamia nuts are another concern. The toxic compound is unknown but the affect of macadamia nuts is to cause locomotory difficulties. Dogs develop a tremor of the skeletal muscles, and weakness or paralysis of the hindquarters. Affected dogs are often unable to rise and are distressed, usually panting. Some affected dogs have swollen limbs and show pain when the limbs are manipulated.

Dogs have been affected by eating as few as six macadamia kernels (nuts without the shell) while others had eaten approximately forty kernels. Some dogs had also been given macadamia butter.

Luckily, the muscle weakness, while painful, seems to be of short duration and all dogs recovered from the toxicity. All dogs were taken to their veterinary surgeon.

Onions:

Onions, and to a lesser degree garlic, are other dangerous food ingredients that cause sickness in dogs, cats and also livestock. Onions and garlic contain the toxic ingredient thiosulphate. Onions are more of a danger.

Pets affected by onion toxicity will develop haemolytic anaemia, where the pet’s red blood cells burst while circulating in its body.

Sugarless Candy:

Sugarless candies can be toxic to pets. Candies containing xylitol have been recognized by the National Animal Poison Control Center to be a risk to pets. This information was first published in July 2004. This compound can cause liver damage and death in dogs susceptible to being poisoned with xylitol. It is possible your vet will not be familiar with this source of poisoning as this information is fairly new and candies have not usually been associated with poisonings in dogs if they did not contain chocolate as the major ingredient.

Antifreeze:

Although not a food antifreeze can pose an eminent danger to a dog or cat. The most commonly used antifreeze compounds contain ethylene glycol, which is toxic to dogs and cats if ingested. The minimal lethal dosage for cats is 1.4ml/kg of body weight and for dogs 4.4 to 6.6 ml/kg of undiluted ethylene glycol.

This means that 1 teaspoonful of antifreeze (5ml) could kill a 7 pound cat. Antifreeze is normally diluted for use in automobiles so more of the diluted solution would have to be ingested to achieve toxic levels. Unfortunately, antifreeze seems to be palatable to dogs and cats and ingestion of large amounts of the solution can occur.

There are other foods, plants, cleaning products and various other compounds that can be harmful to your dog. The Internet provides a tremendous resource to search for these items that can be fatal to your beloved pet.