Pet Obesity

Is your pet overweight? Remember some of the main causes of pet obesity are the consumption of human food and inactivity. Be sure to keep all human food out of the reach of your pet and when possible, keep your young pets from knowing about human food at all! Keeping your pet from becoming a beggar can be essential to helping them remain at a healthy weight. And don’t forget to give your pet plenty of exercise to keep their bones and joints healthy, and to keep them lean.

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Fall Football Gatherings & Pets

Are you going to a football game or tailgate party this fall? We encourage you to keep your pet safe during these kinds of events. Portable grills can be extremely dangerous because they can be knocked over by rambunctious children and pets, and can burn them. Also, many of the junk foods that we eat when we’re at games and tailgate parties can be dangerous for our pets to eat. Keep your pet safe this season.
 

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Pets & the Dangers of Chocolates

We have all heard “Don’t give your dog chocolate-it could kill him”.

Chocolate contains a xanthine compound, theobromine, which is toxic in sufficient quantities. Caffeine is another xanthine compound. Xanthines affect primarily the central nervous system, the cardiovascular system, and peripheral nerves. There is a diuretic effect as well. Clinical signs include hyperexcitability, hyperirritability, increased heart rate, restlessness, increased urination, muscle tremors, seizures, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Fortunately, it takes a fairly large amount of theobromine (100-150 mg/kg) to cause a toxic reaction. On average, milk chocolate contains 44 mg of theobromine per ounce. Semisweet chocolate contains 150 mg/oz. Baker’s chocolate contains 390mg/oz.

There is no specific antidote for theobromine toxicity. Medical treatment is supportive. Inducing vomiting can help if the ingestion is known and has occurred within one to two hours. Administration of activated charcoal may inhibit absorption of the toxin from the digestive tract. It may be necessary to use medications to control the effects of the poisoning, especially seizure control medications, oxygen therapy, IV fluids, and medications to control the effects on the heart. Xanthines may be reabsorbed from the bladder, so urinary catheterization is recommended in order to prevent this.

If your pet consumes chocolate, call Affordable Pet Care N.W. right away. 

You will be asked 1) what kind of chocolate was ingested, 2) the amount ingested, 3) how much the animal weighs, and 4) when the chocolate was ingested.

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Happy Birthday wishes to Dr. Jim Jensen! The team at Affordable Pet Care N.W. is grateful to have Dr. Jensen providing excellent veterinary care to the pets in our community! Thank you for all that you do for our team and we hope you have a PAWSitively PURRfect birthday today!

Visit us online at www.apcnw.com for more details about Affordable Pet Care N.W.