Xylitol Dangers

Every sweet has its sour

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Humans are always making resolutions. It's a new year, time to make promises, resolutions they call them. Maybe humans just have toooo many choices. Us dogs, not so much. We don't decide to get up in the morning, or eat, or play, or run.... it just happens. What else is there to worry about? Humans decide what we eat, when we exercise.....

Humans are always making promises to exercise more, spend less, eat less, eat healthier........ they just have way toooo many choices!

Another common trait of humans is instead of settling for what they have they change everything to make it better and faster. Sometimes this works well, other times not so much. Have you heard about the telephones that burst into flames while they're talking on them?

So instead of just skipping sweets, or maybe eating less of them, humans decided to create a substitute for sugar. In theory what a phenomenal idea, eat to your hearts content without all of the added calories. One such product on the market is called Xylitol. This sugar substitute is used in many products such as sugar-free gum, peanut butter, nicotine gum, toothpaste, and chewable vitamins (see the unbelievable list at the end of this page). You can buy bags of the substitute at the grocery store and use it to bake muffins, cakes and cookies without the guilt of sugar!

But did you know that this product is toxic to your dog? Xylitol causes an overproduction of insulin (tricks the body into thinking it is sugar) and your dog's blood sugar levels drop extremely low (hypoglysemia). The first sign is vomiting, usually within 30-60 minutes of xylitol ingestion but can be seen as far out as 12 hours. Poisoning progresses rapidly from ataxia, lethargy, collapse, seizure and death without medical intervention. Acute liver failure is also a very real outcome for your dog.

Dogs that are suspected of ingesting Xylitol should be seen by a veterinarian immediately. Because symptoms develop rapidly,  immediate detoxification, I.V. sugar supplementation, monitoring of blood glucose and potassium levels, liver protectants and supportive care should be provided to the patient quickly.

We have compiled a list of common places to find Xylitol, great care should be taken not to allow pets to have contact with any of these items:

Medications:

nasal sprays

vitamins

fiber supplements

Dental Products:

toothpaste

chewing gum

breath fresheners

dental floss

mints

mouth sprays

mouth wash

Food:

drink powders

peanut butter

instant coffee

barbecue sauces

ketchup 

candy

chocolates

pancake syrup

pudding

Personal Care items:

baby wipes

baby diapers

nose and face wipes 

sunscreen

lip balm

makeup

makeup remover

Pass this information to anyone you know that has a dog and uses sugar substitutes such as Xylitol. It could save their pet's life.

Ta ta for now

Oli

Bromethalin Poisoning

I just celebrated my 3rd birthday! Another year older... another year wiser?

I'm a dog, that much is true.... but are we really inferior? You humans make life so complicated. Always having to make things bigger and better, easier and quicker, cheaper and longer lasting. Sometimes old-fashioned may work as well or even better. Has anyone heard of mousetraps?

In 2008 the the U.S.Environmental Protection Agency prohibited the production of long-acting anticoagulants (stops the blood from clotting, a very necessary thing for staying alive) in rodenticides (rat and mole poisonings for example) used residential. They wanted to make these products safer for children, pets and wildlife. In doing so they have created a product that might contain Bromethalin, a neurotoxin that acts on the brain instead of the blood. The onset of poisoning is much faster (withing two to twenty-four hours) unlike traditional anticoagulants where bleeding didn't typically occur for up to a week after ingestion. Because of the rapid onset and (this is a big one) no antidote, accidental poisoning is deadly. Their is also no test to diagnose that your pet has eaten this!!

Traditional rodenticides were never "just a walk in the park". The difference is that if your veterinarian suspects poisoning they can administer long term Vitamin K and reverse the blood clotting deficiencies caused by the poison. If your pet starts showing signs of poisoning (bleeding from the nose is a common sighting) veterinarians can still typically save them with intensive medical support. Not the case with Bromethalin.

If you see your pet eat a Bromethalin product call your veterinarian immediately. They will want to see your pet as quickly as you can get to the hospital. Bring the package with you (this is the case with any poisoning, always bring the packaging). Because the poison is directed towards the brain, your pet will start to show signs of excitability or depression, changes in behavior, dizziness, uncoordinated movement, seizures, eventually coma and death.

So what now? Stay away from any products with Bromethalin in them such as Talpirid Bait, Fastrac, and Gladiator brands. Read your labels! If you have to use these products stick with d-Con, this company has refused to comply with the EPA and are still producing anticoagulant products currently. 

Until the EPA revisits this product with no known antidote, steer clear! This stuff is deadly.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! What a year it has been. So many new faces, new friends...... I feel very blessed to be a part of the SAVES and Stonecliff Animal Clinic of NH veterinary communities. A quick summary of my 2012 year.....

Petunia developed Liver Disease but is responding to her medication and new diet! She looked fine but went in to see my dad for some routine lab work and low and behold! Dad says the liver is one of those organs that can heal itself pretty well. He said we caught it early enough and she should have a bright and yappy future.

I fell in love with Lucy, the dog of my dreams!

And Kylie..... another girl of my dreams! Can you blame a dog? I like to spread my charm around you know..... soon I hope to get a picture of Rosie.... I met her in the park last night....

My brother played in the Shrine Bowl in August (unfortunately "No Dogs Allowed" in the Dartmouth Stadium) go figure.

We "Walked on the Wildside" for the Upper Valley Humane Society, and raised money for 

the FurryFriends Visiting Nurses Alliance Hospice Program.

Hoot Bing got sick and then got better after visiting SAVES.

I visited an island with my family and got to dive in the ocean for the first time. My sister thought it would be a good idea to make me into her sand castle.... girls!

and I even met some friends on the island, BIG HOT friends....

the only way for this big boy to cool down was laying in a bag of ice.....

we celebrated in a big way my sister turning 21 years old with huge fire that floated off into the sky...

another hurricane hit Vermont.....

old friends visited SAVES for knee surgery.....

and new ones for all different types of reasons....

63 Evans Drive is now home to North Country Crematorium as well as Dee Ganley, Sue Kenney and Kate Viles obedience and agility classes.

and thanks to Open MRI we now have the ability to offer such incredible advanced services to our patients.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! Thank you for making SAVES and Stonecliff Animal Clinic of New Hampshire the destination for all of your pet's needs from wellness care to emergency and critical care. We are always available, 24 hours a day, every day. Thank you for joining our family, we are honored to have you with us!

living on the edge

Today I hear is the first day of spring. Exactly a year ago I arrived in Vermont a small scared puppy. I cried a lot at night in the beginning, Petunia growled all the time when I came near her, and I almost drown in our pond!
Today I weigh 80 pounds, I snore instead of cry at night, Petunia LOVES me, and yesterday I accidentally almost drown my mom in our pond! Some advise, don't run up behind someone while they are standing by a half frozen pond and bump them..... not a good idea.
On the menu at S.A.V.E.S. this week was some pretty odd things. The first was Violet, a very (did I say very) pretty boxer. I wish we had met under different circumstances, I know she would have fallen for me. Instead Violet arrived with a strange appetite for razor blades.

Disposable Razor Blade

Violet was having a hard time keeping anything down, she wasn't eating and really felt awful. She came to S.A.V.E.S. because her veterinarian diagnosed  a foreign body in her stomach. Violet had eaten a disposable razor blade and it was stuck in her stomach. The first attempt to remove the object was performed by endoscopy. Endoscopy involves running a very small camera down into the stomach, locating the object and then retrieving it via the same equipment's "grabber" tool. Violet's razor did not want to come out in this manner.

Removing the Razor Blade

The next step was to surgically remove the blade. My dad took Violet to surgery and performed a gastrotomy. Once the stomach was located he made a small incision into her stomach wall and retrieved the razor blade.

Surgical Monitoring

It was pretty cool, I get to watch all the surgeries through the observation glass, someday I think I want to be a surgeon like my dad. My mom monitored the anesthesia with all sorts of machines that beeped and made funny sounds. Air kept filling the blood pressure cuff with a whoosh, the heart monitor showed every heartbeat on the screen, and another monitor showed how much oxygen was circulating in her bloodstream Really cool stuff. The table is even heated! Who would figure!

Violet Recovers From Surgery

After surgery Violet recovered in the recovery stall with Carm (that's what I call her but her real name is Carmelita) one of the nurses at S.A.V.E.S. She had lots of blankets and a big heating pad full of warm air. The nurses stay with the patients until they are fully recovered.

Violet My Love

Violet is home now and probably the only way I will ever get to see her again is if she decides to eat another razor. I know it sounds awful but I kind of hope she does so I can talk to her again! She was so pretty!

Appetite for Lingerie

This poor guy swallowed a bra! It also had to be removed with surgery! Think I will stick to my canned and dry food! Tata for now!

first aid, life-saving tips

Would you know what to do if your best friend was hurt? Did you know many common emergencies can turn deadly without the proper immediate care?

On  Sunday March 6th 4:00 pm – 8:00pm and Sunday April 17th 10:00 am – 2:00 pm  S.A.V.E.S. is very pleased to announce a Red Cross endorsed first aid and CPR course will be held at the Canine Club (training area adjacent to the S.A.V.E.S. emergency hospital). Michelle Grimes, owner of K-9 Insights and authorized American Red Cross Pet First Aid Instructor (and a really nice technician at Stonecliff Animal Clinic in West Lebanon) will be holding this really informative class.

Purpose: To teach individuals basic first aid techniques for dogs and cats due to common illness, injury, or a life-threatening condition.


Course Objectives: Participants should be able to:

 Explain how and when to call for emergency assistance for an injured pet

 Understand how to find out what is "normal" for their pet

 Identify signals of breathing emergencies, including choking, and demonstrate how to provide care

 Identify signals of cardiac arrest and demonstrate how to provide care

 Identify life-threatening bleeding and demonstrate how bleeding can be controlled

 Identify signals of various injuries and demonstrate how to care for them

 Identify signals of sudden illness, poisoning, seizures, heat & cold emergencies. Describe how to care for them

 Describe when and how to move an injured pet

 Describe components of a good "pet friendly" first aid kit

Additional information about this class can be found at Michelle's website K-9 Insights . Each participant will receive a certificate from the Red Cross and a manual (you choose either dog or cat) titled American Red Cross Pet First Aid. Be safe, be prepared!

And last but of course not least I am running a contest for this week! The first person to email me at info@savespet.com ,  put "Oli" in the subject line of your email with the correct answer will receive a fabulous prize! Hint: the answer can be found in my blog:
Who was the first to show up at S.A.V.E.S open house when the hospital tours began? Good Luck and Tata for now!