Dog Chocolate Consumption Warning

Dog chocolate consumption is never more likely than at Easter time. For those unaware (what happens if my dog eats chocolate?), one of the favourite human treats can actually kill a dog. Now a shocking new survey from a prominent animal welfare charity has revealed that over 57% of pet dogs have eaten chocolate intended for humans and over 1 in 10 have become ill from it. Of these, 8% have died due to the effects and nearly a quarter have required urgent veterinary treatment.

  To prevent the number of dogs that end up hopping to the vet with chocolate poisoning, Dogs Trust, the UK’s largest dog welfare charity, is today launching a new “Chocs Away!” awareness drive to highlight the tragic consequences of feeding your dog human chocolate this Easter.

Sadly many dog owners are simply unaware of the dangers. Over 39% of dogs who ate human chocolate were given the treat by their owners and 61% found it themselves after it was left in easy to find places in the home.

Dogs Trust Veterinary Director, Paula Boyden, comments:
 
“Apart from the risks of obesity and the obvious dangers of eating the foil wrapping, the biggest risk of eating human chocolate is poisoning, resulting in an emergency dash to the vet and sadly even death.
Chocolate contains theobromine, which, although tolerated by humans, is extremely toxic to man’s best friend. The darker the chocolate, the greater the amount of theobromine. Toxic doses vary according to the size of dog and cocoa solid content of the chocolate. As a rough guide, Dogs Trust estimates that 50g of plain chocolate could be enough to kill a small dog, such as a Yorkshire Terrier*, while just 400g could be enough to kill an average size dog.”

So, if you are partial to Easter Eggs and want to keep your dog safe, follow these simple rules:

•     Keep your “Chocs Away” – this means hidden out of sight and unavailable to your dog
•     NEVER feed your dog chocolate intended for humans
•     If your egg is missing and you suspect the dog is the culprit, contact your vet straight away
•     Look out for any of the following symptoms; vomiting containing blood, a sore tummy, excessive     thirst, excitability, drooling, rapid heart rate.  and in severe cases, epileptic-type fits
•     If your dog is displaying any of these signs then take him immediately to your vet 
•     There is no antidote for theobromine poisoning with treatment being symptomatic. Therefore the sooner treatment is implemented, the greater the chance of recovery
•     If you want to treat your dog this Easter stick to natural doggy snacks that are kinder to your canine

Article added by Jasmine Kleine for mydogmagazine.com 
 

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Dog Carries Oxygen Tank for Ailing Toddler

Two years ago Aaron and Debbie Knobloch learned that their baby daughter Alida was suffering from a rare lung disease and that she would need a portable oxygen tank to help her breathe. The good news was that the oxygen tank would make their little girl healthy. The bad news was that she’d have to be tethered to the 6-pound tank most of the time.

Alida Knobloch, 3, cuddles with her service dog Mr. Gibbs, a golden doodle who carries her oxygen tank everywhere.

The Knoblochs struggled to find a way to give Alida a normal life. Aaron built a walker with a pocket for the oxygen tank so she wouldn’t always have to be tied to one of her parents. But as the little girl grew older – and more mobile – the walker wasn’t enough.

When Aaron saw a TV program about service dogs, he knew he had the answer: with a dog carrying her oxygen tank, little Alida would be free to roam and play with other kids. Enter Mr. Gibbs, a golden doodle trained to be Alida’s constant companion, ever at her side whether it’s scampering down the slide at the playground or trotting alongside as she rides her bike.

"He's been a great addition to the family and just awesome help for her," Aaron told TODAY's Matt Lauer. Next to him, 3-year-old Alida giggled as she alternated between wrestling and cuddling Mr. Gibbs, who patiently rested his head on her lap.

It hasn’t been an easy journey for the Knoblochs.

Though she was a little premature, Alida initially seemed healthy. But by the time she was 6 months old, the little girl started having breathing problems. Sometimes her heart would start racing for no apparent reason. Other times she seemed to be breathing too fast. Then one day she turned blue and the Knoblochs rushed her to the hospital. Though she was quickly stabilized, doctors couldn't explain what was happening to Alida.

Aaron and Debbie went from doctor to doctor searching for answers. The relief was palpable when a specialist finally figured out what was wrong:  8-month-old Alida was suffering from a rare lung condition called neuroendocrine cell hyperplasia of infancy, or NEHI, that made it hard for her body to get enough oxygen from the air she breathed.

The condition was discovered just seven years ago, and there have only been 500 confirmed cases, according to the Children’s Interstitial and Diffuse Lung Disease Foundation (chILD).

So far, nobody has figured out exactly what causes the children’s labored breathing, says NEHI specialist Dr. Megan Dishop, a pediatric pathologist at the Children’s Hospital Colorado and an associate professor of pathology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Researchers just know that there is an overabundance of neuroendocrine cells in children with NEHI. It’s possible that when there are too many of these cells, there’s a breakdown in communication in the airways, resulting in too little oxygen getting into the bloodstream, Dishop says.

While the Knoblochs were happy they finally had a diagnosis, they quickly recognized that it would change their lives.

Mr. Gibbs is learning to keep up with Alida everywhere she goes, including up and down the slide on the playground.

“After we were told how rare it was and that there wasn't a lot of information available there were about a million more questions,” Aaron told TODAY.com. “How does she get her oxygen? How do we make sure she is getting enough? Where to do we get it from? Will she be able to play with other kids? How is a baby going to grow up having to be tied to an oxygen bottle? Will she ever be able to play sports, or just go play outside? And that was just the first second.”

Getting oxygen was the easy part, it turned out. With the help of a small portable oxygen tank, Alida was able to return to good health. The tough part for the Knoblochs was figuring out how they could give their little girl a normal life – until they found Mr. Gibbs.

The dog was living with Ashleigh Kinsleigh, who trains service dogs near the Knobloch's home in Loganville, Ga. The puppy had finished up his initial obedience training when the Knoblochs came for their first visit.

Alida hit it off with the shaggy puppy right away.

“They weren’t sure they wanted to go with a golden doodle,” Kinsleigh told TODAY.com. “But she went crazy for him.”

So Kinsleigh began the specialized training a dog would need to take care of an especially young charge.
“He had to learn to get under the table at restaurants,” she says. “He had to learn that if there were other animals he couldn’t just go and play with them. He had to stay right next to his girl and ignore all the fun things around him. He also had to build up to be able to carry around the full weight of the 6 pound tank.”
Kinsleigh calls Mr. Gibbs “a work in progress” because he’s still learning to be a little girl’s constant companion. “His job is to go wherever she goes and do whatever she does,” Kinsleigh explains. “If she wants to get on the bike and go down the driveway he has to learn to run alongside. If she’s going to ride on a slide, he has to learn to climb up and slide down behind her.”

Most service dogs don't work with children younger than 5. Teaching Mr. Gibbs to pay attention to a 3-year-old has been a challenge.

Aaron Knobloch told Lauer. “This hasn’t been done with a child this young. He does really well with Debbie and I, but it’s tough for him to listen to a 3-year-old.”

Little Alida gets her share of training, too.

“She actually gets frustrated when he doesn’t listen,” Aaron said. “That’s what we’re working on right now – helping him understand that that is the command. And she doesn’t always speak real clearly, so it’s been tough for him.”

The Knoblochs hope that by the time Alida’s ready to start school, everything will be running smoothly.
“That’s why we’re doing this so early,” Aaron told Lauer. “We’re hoping by the time she gets to kindergarten it will all be figured out and there won’t be any training left to be done and they’ll just go to school.”

Mr. Gibbs may not always have to carry around Alida’s oxygen tank.

Experts say that children seem to “grow out of” NEHI – or at least the need to breath with the help of an oxygen tank. “The general thinking is that these children will only have mild residual disease long term,” Dishop says.

Maybe one day Gibbs' only job description will be: girl’s best friend.


Article written by Linda Carroll for Today.  All rights including photos belong to Today.

New night safety products

Be safer when going for those evening walks by taking advantage of Scruff's new safety products, now available in store!

Canac K9 Lites Safety collar - Flashing


Canac Flashing K9 Lites Collar is a unique collar that is a highly visible and will keep your dog visible in poor light.

This innovative and durable collar is visible for up to 300m with the ultra bright LED flashing lights.

Made of high visibility fluorescent reflective material, this collar will shine brightly under street lighting and car headlights.

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Day and Night Safety Blinki

Great for Night Safety

Visible up to 800 metres and Waterproof...which is perfect for the Great British Climate!

Easy to Fit Reflective Dog ID name tag - reflective for night time safety

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New arrivals at Scruff MacDuff

Scruff has new products in-store, just in time for outside fun as the weather picks up!

Karlie Clicker Training Aid

Use your clicker to train your dog sitting, luring, tricks or teaching them to think for themselves from free shaping.   

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Petkin Dog Wipes - XL and Wipes to go

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Dog loves his toy mouse

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UK more unfriendly to dogs - survey

The UK is Europe's least accommodating country towards small dogs, according to new research.

More than half (52%) of the 7.3 million dog owners in the UK agreed that, when compared with our European neighbours, Britain falls behind in the dog-friendly stakes.

One in three (32%) French and 40% of Belgians agree.

More than half of all UK dog owners surveyed agreed that Britain is less dog-friendly than Europe

The study of more than 3,000 dog owners across the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, France and Belgium was carried out to explore European attitudes towards dogs, with findings revealing that perceived levels of dog-friendliness within retail and hospitality are considerably lower in the UK than in any other country.

Findings show that only 6% of British retailers open their doors to small dogs, when there are 5.4 million dog owners in the UK who state they would go to more cafes, shops and other retailers if they felt their dogs were welcome.

The traditional British pub has always been a home from home for many dog owners and a welcome pit-stop while out walking. However, almost three quarters of dog owners (73%) state they do not feel welcome in pubs with their dogs, meaning pets are left in cars, outside or at home alone.

The sentiment extends to cafe culture, as only 7% of dog owners agree they feel welcome to spend time relaxing with their dog in coffee shops - compared with a quarter (26%) of dog owners in Germany.

The research was carried out by Cesar, which has launched the Paws in Places campaign to encourage dog owners to spend more quality time with their dogs and to raise awareness of the issue of closed door policies towards small dogs.

Dog lover and model Jodie Kidd said: "We love our dogs in the UK and consider them part of the family. I've got three dogs and I would love to be able to spend more time with them. Unfortunately, like many other dog owners, I don't always feel welcome with my dogs in a number of establishments."

The top five spaces and places that UK dog owners believe they should be allowed to spend more time with their dogs are public transport (61%), bars and pubs (52%), hotels (46%), cafes (43%) and small shops (42%) respectively.

Copyright © 2012 The Press Association. All rights reserved.