Dogtopia of Danvers, MA Blog

After the snow that got dumped on the North Shore this weekend we are living in a winter wonderland.  And unfortunately that winter wonderland brings along ice!  Of course the trucks come along with sand and salt to make the roads safer for drivers, but that makes it more dangerous for our dogs.

Road salt can cause anything from slight irritation to severe chemical burning of a dog’s paws.  In addition to this, if a dog gets home and licks their paws they can get rather ill.  A friend’s dog went into seziures a couple of years ago as a result of licking her paws after a nice winter walk.  They were lucky that she was saved.  Some other dogs have not been as lucky.

So take precautions with your dogs when you bring them out in this weather.  There is a product called Musher’s Secret which can be used to coat the paw pads and that can prevent much of the irritation.  You can also use herbal products with a beeswax base that has been deemed safe for dogs.  After you come in from a walk, immediately rinse off your dog’s paws so that you prevent them from licking and injesting the salt.

As far as what you can use at home, they do have sand that does not contain salt so keep your eyes open for that (though most road sands do contain road salt).  You can also buy pet safe de-icing products such as Safe Paw to use on your walkway and steps.

So please keep your dog safe during your winter walks, and have fun in the snow!!

Sometimes when we sit at the dinner table we look at the leftovers on our plates and decide to give our dogs a treat, scraping our leftovers into their bowls and watching them chow down with delight.  While human food can be quite healthy for dogs, some of it can be down right dangerous!  So when you’re deciding whether to stuff yourself and finish the meal, or share some holiday delight with the dogs, keep these things in mind:

Just some of the common holiday foods that are toxic to dogs:
Raisins (and Grapes)
Onion
Chocolate
Macadamia Nuts

In addition to toxic foods, your delicious turkey may not be the best thing to share with your dog either.  Cooked bones are very dangerous to dogs, once chewed they splinter and can cause tears in their digestive tract, or can even cause blockages.  And though turkey in and of itself isn’t bad for dogs, quite often we’re tempted to give them the darker meat pieces from the bottom of the bird, the part that has been sitting in the juices.  These juices (and subsequently the gravy made from them) are extremely fatty and can actually cause your dog to suffer from some terrible stomach trouble, even can bring on a bout of pancreatitis, which is a painful condition that can cause diarrhea, vomiting, and subsequently dehydration.

So this holiday season, when deciding whether or not to share your delicious meal with your furry friend, keep the above in mind and decide whether or not it’s the best idea.  We want everyone to have a happy and healthy holiday, humans and dogs alike.

-Alyssa

The holidays are upon us.  The music, the decorations, the presents and the food; all things that we love, but there could be hidden dangers in there for our pets so I just wanted to post to remind everyone to keep their dogs safe this holiday season!  Today we will talk about . . .

Tinsel
Many of us have enjoyed dressing the Christmas tree with tinsel since we were little, quite often also decorating our younger siblings in tinsel, much to the dismay of our parents.  But this sparkly silver standard can be dangerous for our pets.  If ingested these long strings can cause blockages and their edges can even tear the walls of the intestines.  If you think your pet may have injested some tinsel watch for diarrhea, vomiting, or straining to do either, and be sure to have your vet’s phone number (and the emergency vet at well) on hand at all times.  So if you can keep your pets out of the room where the tree is, do so, or even just forgo the tinsel all together.  Though it may make your tree slightly less shiny, it will keep your pets happy and healthy over the holiday season.

-Alyssa