Sunday, March 16, 2014

When Is Canine Vomiting and Diarrhea Something Serious?


Ask yourself,

1. Is the dog still interested in eating, will they eat their favorite treat, even a small one?

2. Do they have diarrhea?

3. Is there any blood in their vomit or diarrhea?

4. Do they have a temperature, always have a thermometer for your dog and know that a dog's temperature should be 101. A dog can be very sick and NOT have a fever, but it is a warning sign.

5. Is the dog dehydrated? Grasp the skin between the shoulder blades; it should bounce back upon releasing the skin almost immediately. Skin that takes more than 2 seconds to bounce back or stands up in the position grasped is a sign of dehydration and in need of immediate veterinary attention.

6. Does the dog have good blood circulation and oxygenation? Check the color of your pet's gums. Lift your pet's upper or lower lip and observe the color of the inner lip and gums. A healthy animal should have a pink color to the gums. Brick red or brown, pale light pink, white, yellow or blue colors of the mucous membranes are colors indicative of an emergency (shock, loss of blood, or anemia). Some breeds have dark pigmentation in their inner lips and gums making observations difficult and misleading, know the color of your dogs gums when healthy. For these dogs check for color by gently pulling down on the skin just below the eye with your thumb and observe the color in the inner eyelid.

7. Will the dog play? Grab their favorite toy and see if they will play.

8. Will the dog stand? Move them to their feet and see what their reactions are.

9. Call your veterinarian and tell them the answers to these questions. If you vet is closed and any of these questions are of concern, go immediately to an emergency room.

Toxic items

First all dog owners should know where their emergency vet is located. The last thing you want is to be looking for the place when your dog is ill, late at night, so be prepared and do a dry run during the day. It may save a life.

Second you need to be aware how to make a dog throw up if he or she does ingest something they should not. This can be anything from a sock to the following foods. Please call your vet or emergency vet clinic for advice on if inducing vomiting is a good idea based on the item and time.

Vomiting will not help in some situations and could harm him or her even more, please:

??Do not induce if the dog has already started vomiting.
??Do not induce if the dog has lost consciousness, has trouble breathing, or she has become too weak to stand.
??Do not induce if the dog has swallowed bleach, drain cleaner or a petroleum distillate product. These products will burn the esophagus and mouth parts again on the way up.
??Do not induce if the dog swallowed the material more than two hours ago because the item or substance has likely passed into the small intestine, at which point your dog can't vomit it back up.

You can induce if...
??your vet has advised you to do it during your phone call;
??your dog has ingested antifreeze (ethylene glycol) no more than two hours ago

That said, follow these steps to induce vomiting.

1. Into a small bowl, glass or mug, pour some three percent hydrogen peroxide, the same you have for a childs cut.
2. Pour about 3 cc's for every 20 pounds of your dog's weight into a small cup.
3. Open her mouth slightly tilting her head back, pour a steady stream of the hydrogen peroxide toward the back of her mouth, which will force her to swallow it.
4. Wait ten minutes. If she hasn't yet started to vomit, repeat steps 2 and 3.
5. Call your vet immediately if she doesn't vomit after the second dose.

So what is toxic to your dog besides the obvious, antifreeze? Well here is a list of those that will cause harm.

??Grapes, Raisins
??Candy, gum containing xylitol
??Mushrooms
??Castor Bean
??Cocoa powder, cooking chocolate, semi sweet chocolate, dark chocolate, milk chocolate in order of most toxic
??Onions and garlic
??Macadamia nuts
??Pear pits, the kernels of plums, peaches and apricots, apple core pits (contain cyanogenic glycosides in cyanide poisoning)
??Potato peelings and green looking potatoes
??Rhubarb leaves
??Moldy/ spoiled foods
??Alcohol
??Yeast dough
??Coffee grounds, beans and tea (caffeine)
??Hops (used in home brewing)
??Tomato leaves and stems (green parts)
??Broccoli
??Raw salmon
??Apple (stem and leaves)
??Yew (American, English, Western)
??Wild Cherry
??Japanese Plum
??Ficus(Cuban Laurel)
??Cherry
??Balsam Pear
??Ficus Lyrata (Fiddle-Leaf)
??Oak
??Philodendron (Devil's Ivy)
??English Ivy
??Jasmine
??Vine
??Matrimony Vine
??Virginia Creeper
??Asparagus Fern
??Caladium
??Colocasia (Elephant's Ear)
??Deiffenbachia (Dumb Cane)
??Philodendron (Saddle Leaf, Split Leaf)
??Poinsetta
??Mum (Pot and Spider)
??Umbrella Plant
??Aloe Vera
??Mistletoe

For more information on us and our dogs please visit, http://www.labradoodle-breeder.com, Rainmaker Ranch Labradoodles

No comments:

Post a Comment