New Poisonous Plants List for Pet Owners

The folks at the rover.com website have created a very useful new list of poisonous plants for dog and cat owners.

The list includes photographs of each plant to help in identification, as well as the plant’s common name and scientific name.

You can find plants that are toxic to dogs and/or cats, as well as review the list by toxicity level and whether the plant is a garden, house, or wild species.

The entry for each plant also includes a quick reference list of common symptoms to watch out for.

Be sure to check it out, and as always, keep the web address and phone number for the Animal Poison Control Center’s Pet Poison Helpline handy:

https://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/

(855) 764-7661

Thanks, Rover!

 

Video: Very Good Dog Saves Wild Bird

Need a smile?  Check out this sweet video of one very good dog named Gus.

A wild bird got trapped in the sun porch at his house and started to panic.  Gus quickly and gently took the bird in his mouth and placed it carefully on the ground outside.

The lucky little bird flew away unharmed.  Good boy, Gus!

Watch the video here:

 

CDC Investigates Salmonella in Pig Ear Dog Treats

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, along with the US Food and Drug Administration, recently issued a health warning to pet owners who feed their dogs pig ear treats.

They are advising people not to buy pig ear treats for their pets, and not to feed your dog any you might already have in the home.

There have been many cases of multi-drug resistant Salmonella, a bacterial infection, associated with these treats.  The Salmonella can affect both dogs and people who handle the treats.

The latest numbers from the CDC show that 127 people in 33 states have become infected.  26 people have been hospitalized, and 24 of the infections have occurred in children under 5 years of age.

While some companies have recalled their pig ear dog treats, the CDC and FDA advise pet owners to avoid all pig ears while the Salmonella outbreak is being investigated.

Here is a brief summary of their advice to dog owners.  Be sure to check out the CDC website for the full story.

• Avoid buying pig ear treats.
• Throw away any pig ear treats you might already have (make sure your dog can’t get to them in the trash).
• Wash areas where pig ear treats were stored.
• Signs of Salmonella in people include diarrhea, fever, stomach cramps.
• Signs in dogs include tiredness, vomiting, fever, bloody diarrhea.
• Report any suspected Salmonella infections to the FDA here.

 

August 4-10 is International Assistance Dog Week!

Mark your calendars, dog lovers…International Assistance Dog Week starts this Sunday, August 4^th!

IADW was created to recognize all the wonderful assistance dogs who help make life a little easier for people with disability-related limitations.

According to the official IADW website, assistance dogs help humans with both physical and mental disabilities by serving as devoted companions, helpers, aides, best friends, and family members!

The event organizers also work to recognize all the dedicated folks who raise and train puppies to become assistance dogs.

Be sure to check out the IADW website for lots of great information on the work assistance dogs do, as well as how you can participate in this annual awareness event!

 

Lost Pets and Pizza Boxes: NJ Pizzeria Owner Helps Find Missing Pets

The owner of Angelo’s Pizza in Matawan, New Jersey came up with a great idea to help find missing pets in his neighborhood:  posting lost pet flyers on pizza boxes!

He got the idea after a regular customer’s cat went missing.  Luckily the cat was found but John Sanfratello thought it was still a good idea to post flyers of lost pets on takeout pizza boxes.

As he explains to a local news station, “We want to reunite pets with their owners, but we also want other business to take up the initiative and do the same.”

Currently, they are posting pictures of another lost cat and a 10-month-old seeing eye dog in training who also went missing.

Here’s a link to a news video on the story, let’s hope other local businesses pick up on this great idea!

https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2019/07/17/we-want-to-reunite-pets-with-their-owners-n-j-pizzeria-puts-missing-pets-on-pizza-boxes/