Boney Bits are Bad

Trying to convince my husband that the bone from his recently demolished Eisbein should not be fed to Bakkies (our Jack Russell) is a painful process. They both look at me with traitorous disbelief and watch as I throw it away into the bin. We have a firm stance on feeding bones to dogs here at Longmarket Vet Clinic because we have seen what terrible harm comes of it. We receive remarkable comments from Owners like: “It’s just chicken bones that you must worry about” and the classic mantra :”I’ve been feeding him bones for years” which makes us realise that the general awareness amongst pet owners requires attention. Yes, it is not to say that your emergency afterhours vet visit to us is a guarantee but we cannot stress enough that when a bone does get lodged how massively painful the process is, both for your four legged family and for your wallet. I say “when” because the Owners that continue to feed bones to their dogs will be requiring our services in the definite future. It’s just a matter of time. My favourite replacement for the “good old fashioned” dog bone is a chew toy we got from Rogz. It has a small cavity on the inside where you may pop in a few treats. As Bakkies frantically chews away on the plastic toy he progressively nibbles out bits of the treat which, if you choose wisely, have a world of health benefits and it delivers the same kind of stimulation that a dog bone would.

Here is a short article I came across www.thedogfiles.com/2010/04/22/fda-dont-give-your-dog-bones-of-any-size-2

Chocolate, Coffee and Chewing Gum

We often forget just how curious animals are and that a lot of the poisons on the market are quite palatable for dogs and cats. Sure most of us understand products like Ratex andFinale but what about some of the more unusual ones like Cycad seeds, antifreeze and my favourite misconception: Chocolate. Yes, that delightful treat that you and I cherish so much is in fact toxic to your four legged family members. I was scrolling through a few articles on Facebook and came across this very handy chart. Obviously the telephone numbers won’t work in RSA but the lessons from the illustrations are something that I believe every pet owner should understand. Perhaps print it out and keep it in the pantry to remind you and your family:

Please remember that we do not own the I.P on any of these illustrations. If you are interested then please get a hold of the designer.

A Warmer Winter: Dog Jackets

I was heading to work today thinking: “Wow, Winter is finally here”. She seems to have a taken a few weeks longer than normal but Mother Nature is back on track. We were blessed here in Pietermaritzburg last week with sunshine for the Royal Show Concert followed by the most beautiful Comrades weather. Well, for us as the spectators at least. However over the past few days, with the winds blowing a gust which forced Arts in the Park to pack up earlier, I got to thinking about my two little dogs sitting outside in the cold while I am at work. Although most of us as owners ceremoniously dress our pets in their little dog jackets it is still very important for us all to realise that physical shelter from the elements is just as, if not more, important than cute pet clothing. However, that being said, here are two of my favourites from this week:

Fallon's dog (Mouse) in Hong Kong sporting her prawn jacket.

Picture of Marco’s dog (Chili) cuddled up in her winter warmer.