Don't Be A Dope

Mom keeps the television on for us all day to keep us entertained. We watch lots of news. Stories about making it okay for peoples to have marijuana seems to be getting lots of attention as more and more places say it is okay.

There are stories about making it okay for people who are sick to use marijuana and other stories about recreational use.

We understand that marijuana is good for helping peoples who have nerve pain or bad diseases like cancer. We were wondering what would happen if a dog got curious and ate some of their human’s marijuana or if they smelled some when their human was smoking it.

Like most questions, the answer is, it depends. The size of the dog and how much they ate or smelled is important. A dog that got some marijuana COULD be in real trouble. Marijuana could lower their heart rate and blood pressure and could make them go into a coma or have seizures.

Veterinarians know how to treat dogs for marijuana that eat too much and get poisoned.

Dogs can get high too. Getting high can be a very scary experience because they wouldn’t know what was happening to them. They might stumble around and be scared by sudden noises.

If the marijuana they eat is baked into a yummy treat it can be really bad. Dogs love to eat so they may eat way too much and if it has chocolate baked in, it is really, really bad. We all know that chocolate is poison to dogs all by itself.

Can medical marijuana be good for dogs? Doctors and scientists are checking into it. Medical marijuana would be really helpful for dogs who get cancer but since dogs react differently than humans, there needs to be more checking about how much would be safe.

This subject is way too much for my brain to figure right now and besides,  North Woods Law New Hampshire is coming on the television. It’s one of our favorite programs. They show how Animal Police help humans and undomesticated animals live together better.

If I can get Mom to give us a cookie, we’ll be all set.

Stay healthy,

Love

Zeva

P.S. Blatant self-promotion. For the bestest pet gift baskets in the universe, go to pawpalsboutique.com

Dining With Zeva

I just saw another post listing names of dog treats coming out of China that may be causing dogs to become sick or even died!  The list is getting longer and longer.

My mom tries to buy only good treats for me, made in the USA, that we can get at the pet food store, not at the supermarket.  We buy my regular food from the pet food store too. Our pet food store is called Dave's Soda and Pet City.  Dave and his people know a lot about pets and they help Mom find the food that is best for me.  Buying really good food at the pet food store costs a little more but, hey, I'm worth it!

Anyway, Mom recently changed my food again and boy, am I glad she did!  I like my old food but I LOVE my new food.  To me, it's all about the taste but to Mom, it's about keeping me healthy.  She recently switched me to Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream cuz I have dry skin and she's hoping the good salmon and other omega stuff will help.

Mom reads labels on all the food that we buy, canine and human, and she knows that the first word listed is what is most in the food.  Can you believe Salmon is the first word on the label for my new food.  Salmon is soooooo yummy.  Just ask any bear.

Also near the top of the list is sweet potato (another yummy food).  A little farther down are tomatoes, blueberries, raspberries!  Of course there are the vitamins and mineral stuff too but no grain.  Lots of dogs are allergic to grains and even if I'm not allergic, I would rather have real meat and salmon than soy meal.

Do you know what is in some dog food.  Meat by products.  I looked up what meat by products are and yuck!!!!

Meat by products are anything that is not strictly speaking meat (like liver, spleen, bone, blood, cleaned/washed intestines, brain, lungs, etc.) but does not include questionable items like feathers, hoofs, hair, horns teeth, etc.
I'm glad my Mom gets me food with stuff like salmon and sweet potato in it and not stuff like intestines and brains!

Some day I may get Mom to make food for me at home like some of friends humans do, but for now, I'm totally happy, except I could use an extra cup or two every day.

What dog food do you eat and what do you like best about it?

Bone appetite,
Your friend,
Zeva

P.S. Shameless self promotion  A pretty dog dish is the "basket" in our To The Rescue Dog Gift Basket! Photo above.

 

STOP! THIEF!

We've been seeing alot of posts recently about dogs that have been stolen! Figuring out which pets were stolen or simply lost is not easy.   According to the American Kennel Club 224 dogs stolen during the first seven months of 2011, that's 49% more than the same period in 2010.  In 2008 there were 71 cases reported.  WOW!

Some people say the economy is to blame for the increase in dognapping.  They say that stolen dogs are being sold over the Internet, are being held for ransom or that because people don't have the money to get a pet from a shelter, they are stealing other people's pets.  Yorkies, Pomeranians and other small breed dogs are especially popular breeds of dognappers since they are easy to snatch and hide.

As if that's not scary enough, really, really, really bad people are stealing dogs to use as bait dogs.  Bait dogs are used to train fighting dogs.  They use dogs that are stolen from happy homes and teach other dogs to kill them. Remember the Michael Vick story?  Yeah, I belive he has been rehabilitated.

Here are some things people can do to help protect their dogs from dognappers.

1.  Don't leave your dog unattended.  It only takes a minute to untie the leash from a parking meter or post outside of your favorite coffee shop.

2.  Heatstroke is not the only bad thing that can happen to a dog left unattended in a car.  They can get stolen.

3.  Never let your dog roam free in the neighborhood.

4.  Don't leave your dog in a fenced in yard when you are not home.  It only takes a minute to open your gate and walk away with your pet.

5.  Make sure your dog ALWAYS wears a collar and they id tags. 

6.  Microchip your pet and make sure you register with the proper agency.  A microchip that is not registered is useless.

7.  Keep proof of ownership papers handy.  They can simply be the paperwork that you got with your town tags or from your vet.

8.  Keep a recent photo handy.


If your dog should go missing.  Report it immediately to the local aurhorities and shelters.   Print up fliers and post them around your neighborhood.  Post a photo and other information with on line rescue services.  And most importantly  NEVER, NEVER, NEVER give up hope.  Sometimes it takes months or even years for us to find our ways back home.  We depend on you to keepus safe and if we do get lost or stolen, to keep on looking for us.

Be safe,

Your friend,

Zeva

How Much Exercise Does A Dog Need?

How much exercise does a dog need?  The answer is, it depends.  It depends on the age and breed of the dog.  Puppies need lots of exercise while older dogs may not need much.  Like humans, dogs need to exercise every day.  Thirty to sixty minutes a day is a good average.
I come from a long line of working dogs.  I am part Border Collie so many of my cousins work on ranches and farms, herding sheep and cattle.  Some of my other cousins are Labradors who spend their time hunting birds.  They work hard and get plenty of exercise. 
My job as product tester for the pet division of our gift basket company and greeter at our store keeps me inside most days so we make sure that I get some type of exercise every day.  When we can't go for long walks, we play inside.  We play catch, fetch, tug-of-war and hide and seek.  I have dogs friends that I get to play with too.  We play in our yards or at the dog park.  I really like it when I get to go to day care and spend a whole day playing with all of the other dogs.  I am so tired after a day at day care, I fall asleep on the way home.
When dogs don't get enough exercise we find ways to entertain ourselves that can get us in trouble.  We find fun things to do like chew on shoes or furniture or dig holes or bark a lot.
Remember, a tired dog is a good dog so help your dog get lots of exercise every day.
How much exercise do you get every day?
Your friend,
Zeva