Important Read! Thousands of dogs could be poisoned this Christmas by gobbling down festive chocolate, Christmas cake or mince pies.
More than 6,000 dogs in the UK are expected to have suffered chocolate poisoning in 2016 -with a quarter of cases expected in December alone
Thousands of curious dogs could be fatally poisoned this festive season by gobbling down chocolate left around the house by their owners.
Pet owners have been warned to keep the sweet treats out of sniffing distance of their pooches to stop them suffering chocolate poisoning.
By the end of 2016 an estimated 6,609 dogs in the UK will have suffered chocolate poisoning, with over a quarter of cases (27 per cent) expected in December alone.
Reported cases have leapt by an estimated 25 per cent since 2015, according to figures from a pet insurance company.
Pet owners have been warned to keep the sweet treats out of sniffing distance of their pooches.
The effects of chocolate poisoning – just one of the perils facing pooches this season – are very serious and can be extremely dangerous to dogs, warn vets.
Chocolate contains theobromine – a stimulant similar to caffeine – which is highly toxic to dogs.
Pet owners are also being warned to keep animals away from other common items that crop up more often during Christmas.
These include bones, Christmas cake and mince pies, nuts, pine needles and tinsel.
Vets have warned dog owners to keep tinsel away from their pooches.
According to insurance provider AnimalFriends.co.uk , which commissioned the research, the average cost of treatment for chocolate poisoning in dogs is £297.
Westley Pearson, Claims & Marketing Director commented: “If your dog has consumed a small amount of chocolate, you may find they experience vomiting or diarrhoea, either immediately or over the few hours after ingestion.
“Vomiting is a good sign, as it means your dog is getting rid of the poison, however you should still take your pet to your local vet.
“If your dog has eaten an excessive amount of chocolate, they may experience a feeling of restlessness and a sense of increased energy.
“This is followed by tremors, weakness and balance problems.
“It’s very important that as soon as your dog has eaten the chocolate, you get them examined by a vet.
“Symptoms such as seizures, muscle spasms and even comas can occur as a result of chocolate poisoning, so take every precaution you can.”
The figures were calculated using data on the number of chocolate-related claims filed to Animal Friends which was then extrapolated across the UK dog population.
The top 7 things than can harm your pet over the festive period:
Bones – Even when cooked, animal bones can become brittle and splinter, causing severe internal issues for your pets. Turkey bones are especially dangerous as they’re hollow, meaning that they splinter whether cooked or raw.
Christmas Cake and Mince Pies – While humans love them, Christmas pies and cakes contain dried fruit such as raisins, which are toxic to dogs and can make them seriously ill. Not to mention the fact that they are usually extremely high in fat and possibly alcohol, which is a no-no for your furry friend.
Nuts – Nuts have become a Christmas favourite, but not only could these be a choking hazard for your dog, but some nuts can cause them to suffer from vomiting and diarrhoea. Smaller dogs are particularly susceptible to stomach upset or obstruction when consuming nuts such as walnuts or pecans.
Christmas tree – You should ensure that your tree is secured properly, as they are commonly knocked over by dogs and climbed by cats, which can potentially result in injury.
Pine needles – Ideally these should be cleaned up as soon as they drop because they can become embedded in paws and if left untreated may cause an infection.
Seasonal plants – Decorative Christmas plants like Mistletoe and Holly will give your dog extreme intestinal problems and abdominal pain if eaten, so should be kept well away from pets.
Tinsel and ribbons – While they look great draped over our picture frames, if decorations such as tinsel are eaten by our pets, they will not only cause stomach problems but your pet could choke on them, so keep them out of reach.
Amazing Dog story. Harris the Border Terrier went missing halfway up Ben Nevis amid temperatures of minus three.
A pet dog survived getting lost on Britain’s highest mountain thanks to two kind-hearted climbers – who sent him home in a taxi.
Border Terrier Harris, went missing halfway up 1345m (4,411ft) Ben Nevis amid temperatures of minus three degrees centigrade and fading light.
Owners Christoff and Alison Du Plessis, both dentists in nearby Fort William, feared the worst after friends phoned with the bad news that Harris had run off chasing deer.
Two climbers found Harris later in the afternoon, an hour’s walk away from where he was last seen, and called the number on his tag.
The call was picked up hundreds of miles away in Spalding, Lincolnshire, by Christoff’s mother at the address where the couple used to live, the Daily Record reports.
She gave the rescuers their new address and they then arranged for a local taxi to ferry the pooch – none the worse for his ordeal – back home.
Thank goodness Harris was wearing his dog collar and Tag!
It’s Monday! Have a great week all Four Paws Doggies and their Families!
Four Paws Dorset’s Max having a wonderful time on his dog walk yesterday at Recotts Recreation Ground, Wimborne.
Here is Max doing what dogs like doing best, sniffing and exploring!
The Autum leaves are just perfect for that. Max definitely agrees. Way to go Max!
Moreton is a village and civil parish in Dorset, England, situated on the River Frome about 8 miles east of Dorchester.
* Dog bin at Moreton Village only.
Accessibility: Some paths were relatively flat and even at the time of visit and may be accessible for some pushchair and wheelchair users and those with mobility or other issues; a reccying visit is advised to check out which paths are suitable for particular requirements, if doing this it’s probably worth looking at the route starting from Moreton Village.
Moreton Forest Grid ref SY819911
Moreton Forest is an attractive, large and varied woodland with options for short and long circular walks along its network of paths. Dogs will love it! There is also a wide ford and footbridge with walking links through to Moreton village and surrounding countryside. The Jubilee Trail crosses the woodland.
There are tea rooms at Moreton village, near the ford.
The Forest has many different types of trees, heathland areas and a wide, shallow ford (dependent on weather conditions) which is crossed by a footbridge.
Parking areas are available at several laybys bordering the northern edge of the woodland along theTincleton road and some parking is also available at Moreton village. The nearest public transport links are at Bovington, see bus stop map for more information. It is then possible to access Morden Forest from Bovington via a public footpath.
Please be aware there are free range sheep and
hens near the ford!
In Wimborne having fun in the Autumn leaves!
Here is Diesel having a lovely time on his walk yesterday.
Diesel suffers a little with Arthritis, so I encourage him on our walks and varying them daily.
A gentle hill, level only and then a loop including both.
Quote Diesel “Okay, you have my picture, now let me carrry on sniffing in the leaves!”
Diesel you’re adorable!
Dogs understand what we say AND how we say it: Researchers find canine brains are far more capable than thought.
A groundbreaking study to investigate how dog brains process speech has revealed canines care about both what we say and how we say it.
It discovered that dogs, like people, use the left hemisphere to process words, and the right hemisphere brain region to process intonation.
It found praise activates dog’s reward centre only when both words and intonation match, according to the new study in Science.
Trained dogs around the fMRI scanner used in the study: Dogs, like people, use the left hemisphere to process words, and the right hemisphere brain region to process intonation, according to the new study in Science.
WHAT THEY FOUND
The brain activation images showed that dogs prefer to use their left hemisphere to process meaningful but not meaningless words.
This left bias was present for weak and strong levels of brain activations as well, and it was independent of intonation.
Dogs activate a right hemisphere brain area to tell apart praising and non-praising intonation.
Researchers also say dogs developed the neural mechanisms to process words much earlier than thought.
‘The human brain not only separately analyzes what we say and how we say it, but also integrates the two types of information, to arrive at a unified meaning.
‘Our findings suggest that dogs can also do all that, and they use very similar brain mechanisms,’ said lead researcher Attila Andics of Department of Ethology and MTA-ELTE Comparative Ethology Research Group at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest.
Andics and colleagues also found that praise activated dogs’ reward centre – the brain region which responds to all sorts of pleasurable stimuli, like food, sex, being petted, or even nice music in humans.
In the Guardian.
John Lewis Christmas advert: Buster the boxer is a sledgehammer to 2016
John Lewis thought a dog bouncing on a trampoline couldn’t offend anyone? Oh how wrong they were
‘This is the story of a little girl called Bridget who loves to bounce,” says the John Lewis website as it introduces its new Christmas advert. Bridget has always loved to bounce. She’s put in the hours, endlessly springing up and down on her bed as her dog Buster watches from the sidelines. Arguably, there is no individual better qualified to bounce than Bridget. She’s been preparing for this her whole life.
Finally, Bridget is given her big shot. Someone has assembled the trampoline of her dreams in her back garden. On Christmas morning, Bridget wakes up and sees the thing she’s always longed for. She races downstairs. She has a clear shot at the trampoline. But then, at the last moment, Buster barges in ahead of her and grabs the trampoline for himself. Bridget stands on, astonished that something as stupid as a dog could have beaten her to it. Meanwhile, Buster gets his stupid dog mouth and his stupid dog parasites all over the trampoline, ruining it for anyone who ever wanted to use it afterwards.
That’s right, Buster the dog is Donald Trump. Buster the dog is Donald Trump, Bridget is Hillary Clinton and the trampoline is America. Thanks for rubbing it in, John Lewis.
They’ve done the impossible … made 2016 worse.
Perhaps I’m reading too much into this. Perhaps the John Lewis brain-trust got together and looked around them. Perhaps they looked at the state of the world, with Brexit and Trump and the rise of the right and all our dead heroes. Perhaps they looked at their own past offerings, where a woman relentlessly ages and a penguin is forced to seek companionship with a monstrous cadaver and the world’s loneliest man dies in space. Perhaps they took stock of all this and shrugged “surely a dog on a trampoline won’t upset anyone”.
In theory, the intention was admirable. But this year has been such a domino stack of heartbreaking disappointment that John Lewis wouldn’t have had to do much to make everyone cry. An advert where a weekend dad saves up to buy a toy for his son, soundtracked by a sad cover of Heroes by David Bowie. An advert where an old man sits on the white cliffs of Dover watching Europe fade into the distance, until he cheers up when a cartoon Belgian monkey gives him a gift voucher. Literally just a static card reading “2016”. Any of these would have been a shot straight to the tear ducts.
There is no individual better qualified to bounce than Bridget. She’s been preparing for this her whole life.
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There is no individual better qualified to bounce than Bridget. She’s been preparing for this her whole life. Photograph: John Lewis/PA
But no. This year John Lewis tried to be happy. It tried to show us something as innocent and gleeful as an animal on a trampoline, in a bid to remind us that there’s still some good left in the world. Our lives are flat and grey and trodden on, but so long as there’s a dog bouncing next to a weirdly anachronistic telephone box, we’ll still be fine.
And what did it make? A sledgehammer allegory for Donald Trump. A woman who gets shoved aside by an unthinking, self-interested animal even though she’s much more suited to the task at hand. Watch the advert while listening to Hillary Clinton’s concession speech. I dare you. It’s heartbreaking. John Lewis, you’ve done the impossible. You’ve made 2016 worse.
Dog Pic to make you Smile!
Happy Friday!
Lol! I’m a Dog.
Everday is Friday!
Tip for Today. Vomiting in Dogs.
Get the dog checked by a Vet if it displays prolonged or repeated vomiting, or if the dog is lethargic or in obvious pain.
Do not feed the dog until it has seen a vet.
