NEW PET CARE - Amazon S3



NEW PUPPY CARE

• Housetraining: see training resources at bottom of page as well

o Recommend crate training for housetraining and so pet has own ‘den’

o Take outside after eat, play, and sleep

o Puppies need to go out AT LEAST every (n+1) hours, where n=months old (less in small breeds, i.e. = n; more in large breed dogs)

• Puppy-Proofing the Home: see next page(s)

o Google methods of baby-proofing the home, as puppy-proofing is similar

o See as well as

• Introduction to Resident Pets: STAGES, KEEP PUPPY ON A LEASH!

o Start by having in different rooms that abut with a door. Feed the dogs on each side of the door to start a positive association (food)

o Should be kept separate until at ease on other side of door, then at ease on other side of gate, then…

o When introduce face to face, have puppy on a leash (pull away if seems to annoy dog) and perform introduction in neutral/new territory for both

• Socialization and Training Classes: AGE SECTIONS, VACCINES REQUIRED

o Ideal if classes allow children as well for human socialization

o Critical between 8 and 12 weeks of age! Want positive association with other dogs, cats, children, and adults (treats!). BE CONSISTENT!

• Desensitize to “All-Over” Touching: WHEN SLEEPY (i.e. after play)

o Rubbing outer surface of teeth, lifting lips, handling ears and feet

o Move from petting toes to gently squeezing toes to trimming 1 paw/time

o Can start brushing teeth now to get used to procedure

• Biting/Mouthing Issues? BE CONSISTENT!

o Give frozen carrots to soothe ouchy gums from teething (6 wks-7 mos)

o Method 1: “YIP” or “OUCH!” and redirect to something okay to chew on

o Method 2: every time your pup nibbles, stand up and make like a tree, look away. Once she sits or freezes for an instant, give treats

o Method 3: pinch mouth back as long as puppy is biting you, saying “NO BITE!” forcefully and with authority

• Nutrition: MEAL FEED!

o Puppy-specific diet, especially Hill’s or Royal Canin (research, consistent)

▪ Small breed puppy specific: higher glucose level needed

▪ Large breed puppy specific: slows growth of long bones to reduce risk and/or progression of arthritis and hip dysplasia later in life

o Carrots, green beans, apples for treats—no other people food (one piece of our food is like a cheeseburger for them!)

o Eat too fast? Use toys that release bits of food or get a bowl with prongs in the bottom. Inhaling food can lead to bloat and to twisting the stomach around, which may be fatal.

• Toys: SIZE-APPROPRIATE!

o No socks, stuffed animals, or items that can be confused with nice stuff

o Kongs or rolling food-dispensing toys: take filler out of daily food intake

• Exercise? LIMITED!

o Any little jump can cause compression fractures of the growth plates, leading to deformities of legs as well as painful joint issues later in life

o No trails or running until at least 1 year old (same reason)

Training Resource: The Art of Raising a Puppy by the Monks of New Skete

See also , free training sheets

POISON-PROOFING YOUR HOME

Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pet

• Alcoholic beverages (drooling, retching, vomiting or attempting to vomit, bloat, elevated heart rate, weakness, collapse, low blood pressure, coma, death): even unbaked dough!

• Avocado (deadly for birds)

• Chocolate (all forms: causes kidney failure; also contains caffeine—see Coffee below)…smaller the dog and darker the chocolate, the worse the toxicity!

• Coffee (all forms: hyperactivity, restlessness, vomiting, high blood pressure, death)

• Fatty foods (causes pancreatitis: vomiting, belly pain in dog; anorexia, lethargy in cat)

• Macadamia nuts (muscle weakness—esp. hind end, tremors, vomiting, pancreatitis)

• Moldy or spoiled foods (tremorgenic mycotoxins: agitation, increased body temperature, hyper-responsiveness, panting, drooling, vomiting; progress to incoordination, seizures)

• Onions, onion powder (esp. Akita, Shiba Inu, cats; gastroenteritis = vomiting/diarrhea; anemia=pale gums, weakness, exercise intolerance)

• Raisins and grapes (causes kidney failure: excess or decreased thirst and urination)

• Salt (i.e. homemade play dough, deicers, paintballs; vomiting, diarrhea, inappetance, lethargy, walking drunk, excessive thirst or urination, tremors, seizures, coma, death)

• Yeast dough (expands in warm, moist environment of stomach leading to bloat/GDV = vomiting, non-productive retching, distended stomach, elevated heart rate, collapse)

• Garlic (see Onions: similar toxicity but 5x more potent than onions)

• Products sweetened with xylitol (low glucose = lethargy, incoordination, collapse, seizures; liver failure = lethargy, vomiting, problems clotting blood)

Warm Weather Hazards

• Animal toxins—toads, insects, spiders, snakes and scorpions (varies: irritation to death)

• Blue-green algae aka cyanobacteria in ponds (small mouthfuls may result in death; may result in liver damage/failure, neurotoxicity, or death)

• Citronella candles (drinking or eating leads to digestive upset)

• Cocoa mulch (significantly more toxic than milk or baker’s chocolate)

• Compost piles (see Moldy or spoiled foods above)

• Fertilizers (disulfoton or other organophosphates; in some cases may be fatal!)

• Flea products (permethrin toxic to cats in low doses; shake, tremors, seizures)

• Outdoor plants and plant bulbs (digestive irritation to death)

• Swimming-pool treatment supplies (corrosive: severe ulcers in mouth, esophagus, stomach; death due to puncture through GI wall)

• Fly baits containing methomyl (added to food in dogs by malicious intent; gastroenteritis, convulsions, death from respiratory failure)

• Slug and snail baits containing metaldehyde (‘shake and bake’: within 1 to 2 hours of ingestion, clinical signs of salivation, restlessness, vomiting, and incoordination are seen, which then progress to tremors, seizures, and secondary severe hyperthermia)

Cold Weather Hazards

• Antifreeze (ethylene glycol): 30 min-12h drunk/drooling, 12-24h fine, 36-72h kidneys fail

• Liquid potpourri (cats): severe chemical burns of mouth with a few licks (paw at mouth)

• Ice-melting products: irritates paws, see also Salt above if lick paws

• Rat/Mouse bait: may include vitamin D (toxic) or warfarin (pet spontaneous bleeds, die)

Top 10 Toxic Plants to Animals

Autumn Crocus: bloom in fall, highly toxic. Cause severe vomiting, gastrointestinal bleeding (may see dark brown stool or frank blood in feces, blood in vomit), liver/kidney damage, and respiratory failure. Signs may be immediate or days later.

Azalea: ingesting just a few leaves can result in vomiting, diarrhea, and excessive drooling. Without immediate veterinary attention, the pet could fall into a coma and possibly die.

Cyclamen (left): roots cause severe vomiting and even death.

Kalanchoe (right): vomiting, diarrhea, and heart arrhythmias.

Lilies: Peace, Peruvian, and Calla cause minor drooling. Tiger, Day, Asiatic, Easter, and Japanese Snow are highly toxic to cats: a few leaves can cause kidney failure!

Oleander: leaves and flowers extremely toxic, cause severe vomiting, slow the heart rate, and possibly even cause death.

Dieffenbachia: intense oral irritation, drooling, nausea, vomiting, and difficulty swallowing if ingested.

Daffodils: severe vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, cardiac arrhythmias, respiratory depression, drooling. May lead to more severe symptoms, contact vet immediately!

Lily of the Valley: vomiting, diarrhea, drop in heart rate, severe cardiac arrhythmias, possibly seizures.

Sago palm: leaves and seeds can cause vomiting, bloody stools, damage to stomach lining, severe liver failure, and—in some cases—death.

Tulips and Hyacinths: profuse drooling, vomiting, diarrhea. Large ingestion of bulb can cause increased heart rate, changes in respiration (esp. Labrador Retrievers).

Medication (possibly lethal, even in small doses)

• Pain killers (incl. Tylenol/Acetaminophen, Advil/Ibuprofen, Aspirin): liver/kidney disease

o ONE TYLENOL CAN KILL A CAT!

• Cold medicines (Pseudoephedrine: common decongestant): elevated blood pressure, heart rate, and temperature; nervousness and hyperactivity; seizures

• Anti-cancer drugs (i.e. 5-FU for superficial basal cell carcinoma or actinic keratosis, leads to acute gastrointestinal signs—vomit/diarrhea—and nervous system signs—seizures)

• Antidepressants (highest number of calls of to Pet Poison Helpine of all medications): neurological problems like sedation, incoordination, agitation, tremors, seizures

• Vitamins (VitD toxicity in dogs, VitA toxicity in cats—i.e. liver)

• Diet pills (See Coffee for caffeine)

Common Household Hazards

• Fabric softener sheets (some rub pets down with): irritation to kidney failure, lung fluid

• Mothballs (pesticides, esp. older with naphthalene): esp. cats; pale/brown gums, weak

• Post-1982 pennies (due to high concentration of zinc): pale/yellow gums, vomiting, death

Holiday Hazards

• Christmas tree water (fertilizers and bacteria can upset the stomach when ingested)

• Electrical cords (electrocution when chew)

• Ribbons or tinsel (get stuck in the intestines leading to obstruction, esp, in kittens!)

• Batteries (corrosive): drooling, oral pain, pawing at mouth, vomiting, difficulty swallowing

• Glass ornaments (gastrointestinal irritation to punctures leading to sepsis)

Non-toxic Substances for Dogs and Cats

The following substances are non-toxic to pets but may cause mild gastrointestinal upset in some animals:

• Water-based paints

• Toilet bowl water

• Silica gel

• Poinsettia

• Cat litter

• Glue traps

• Glow jewelry

Call Washington Poison Center if suspect item may be toxic: 1-800-222-1222 ($30 charge).

Visit for further information on toxic materials.

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