that one little pill.....

So what do you do when you have a little ache or pain? Well my humans pop a little pill called Ibuprofen or Acetaminophen, pain killers commonly referred to as Advil or Tylenol.

That little pill eases the discomfort, makes them feel good again. So why not help us four-legged friends out, sometimes we have little aches and pains?

Because you may kill us if you do! True fact, these two medications are on the top ten list for the most common poisonings for your pet.

We often get a hold of the containers and chew and chew until we get to the inside and then we eat and eat.
What happens next isn't pretty. The drugs can destroy the lining of our stomachs as well as restrict blood flow to our kidneys and in turn destroy our kidneys. No kidney, no pet.

Sometimes you give us these medications because you think it is going to ease our pain. By doing this you are going to increase our pain. Pain medications are formulated especially for pets, humans for humans....

If you have given your pet these drugs you may begin to see vomiting of blood, high enough doses and seizures occur. The silent damage, failure of the kidneys is something that is not fixed.

If you suspect your pet has been poisoned by these human pain medications, call your veterinarian immediately. Symptoms are sometimes days in developing and by then trying to fix the damage may be too late. If your pet has pain issues such as arthritis contact your veterinarian. They can prescribe medications to ease the pain that in turn will not harm your pet.

Tata for now!

pretty poison

From a dog's perspective I don't quite understand why my mom can dig in the dirt but I can't! She spends hours digging things up, then she turns around and buries it? Very strange behavior. But then when I join her she becomes very upset. Guess this is what humans consider as their "alone time".

I learned this week at Small Animal Veterinary Emergency Services that dogs and cats digging in the garden could be a deadly act. So many of those pretty flowers and plants poking out of the ground are extremely poisonous. Beyond the neatly trimmed edge of the flower bed lurks wild mushrooms. Haven't you noticed right after a good rain the lawn in your yard is sprouting fungus?

My dad, known as Dr. Kelly to most people, spends much of his time in Lebanon, New Hampshire working as a detective. He is a really smart guy when it comes to medicine, but between you and me he isn't smart enough to talk to me!

 The veterinary staff works against the clock everyday to try and save pets that have eaten a poisonous product or plant. So how can this be prevented? Check out the ASPCA's website to learn more about which plants are poisonous and which aren't. They even have pictures! Some of the plants you probably have never even heard of but did you know that the tomato plant and onions are poisonous to us?

Call your veterinarian immediately if you suspect that your pet has eaten a poisonous plant! Timing is everything.
Tata for now