From chocolate to raisins, here’s what not to feed Fido — even if he begs

It feels good to treat your pet to human food every once in a while. Those puppy-dog eyes are hard to resist as they watch you eat and try to convince you that they are starving! It makes you want to give them a taste of everything you eat. But beware: Giving in to those eyes and giving dogs human foods can actually harm them.

In 2007, the ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center received more than 130,000 calls. Most cases of animal poisoning were caused by common human foods and household items.

Many foods we enjoy can be dangerous to animals. It’s best to stick to pet food and a diet recommended by your vet. Here are a few of the most toxic foods that can harm your pet:

Bad news foods
Avocados
They contain a toxic component called persin, which can damage heart, lung and other tissue in many animals. This fruit is very toxic to dogs, cats and most animals.

Beer
Alcoholic beverages can cause the same damage to an animal’s liver and brain as they cause in humans. But the effects can be deadly on animals since they are much smaller than us. The smaller the animal, the more deadly the effects can be. Even a small amount of alcohol may cause vomiting and damage the liver and brain.

Nuts
Walnuts and macadamia nuts are especially toxic. Effects can be anything from vomiting to paralysis to death. Within 12 hours of eating the nuts, pets start to develop symptoms such as an inability to stand or walk, vomiting, hyperthermia (elevated body temperature), weakness, and an elevated heart rate. These symptoms can be even worse if your dog eats some chocolate with the nuts. The effect can cause kidney failure, often leading to death.

Chocolate
Chocolate contains theobromine, which can kill your pet if eaten in large quantities. Dark and unsweetened baking chocolates are especially dangerous. Giving your pup a piece of chocolate cake or even letting him lick the chocolate icing on the cake could cause him to become ill. Theobromine can also cause a dog or cat’s heart to beat very rapidly or irregularly, which could result in death if the pet is exercising or overly active.

Candy
Candy or anything containing Xylitol (a common sweetener found in some diet products) can cause a sudden drop in an animal’s blood sugar, loss of coordination and seizures. If left untreated, the animal could die.

Caffeine
Coffee, tea or any product that contains caffeine stimulates an animal’s central nervous and cardiac systems. This can lead to restlessness, heart palpitations and death, depending on how much the animal consumes.

Grapes and raisins
Grapes and raisins can lead to kidney failure in dogs. As little as a single serving of raisins can kill them. And the effects are cumulative, which means that even if a dog eats just one or two grapes or raisins regularly, the toxin that builds in his system will eventually kill him.

Onions
Onions are another common food that can be highly toxic to pets. They can destroy an animal’s red blood cells and lead to anemia, weakness and breathing difficulties. Their effects are also cumulative over time.
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ATLANTA — Often when pets are in pain their owners suffer and don’t know what to do.

Acupuncture technique involves using stainless steel needles inserted into specific points based on specific individual problems.

Dr. Steve Winkour practices veterinary acupuncture, which he began after mainstream methods did not work for some patients.

“I can understand how people need to see the hard core science behind it, but when you see the response and improvement, it’s hard not to believe,” Winkour said.

One pet owner, Jennie Medeiros, said she took her dog in for pet acupuncture after her dog, Buffet, stopped being active and stopped eating. Buffet was diagnosed with arthritis, but Medeiros turned to veterinary acupuncture.
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From dietary changes to medicines to acupuncture, there’s help for Rogue Valley dogs and cats with arthritis

By Meg Landers
Mail Tribune Oregon

Mark and Julie Hunter of Medford thought they’d have to euthanize their dog, Roxy, after the 125-pound bull mastiff developed debilitating arthritis in her spine and could barely move a year ago.

“She didn’t walk for a month,” said Julie Hunter. The X-rays revealed that their family dog had arthritic spondylosis, a degenerative spinal disorder.

“It’s fusing her spine together,” said Mark Hunter.

But with the help of their veterinarian, they put Roxy on anti-inflammatory drugs and other medication, began including glucosamine supplements in her diet, and began giving her massages.

Now Roxy is dogged by pain no more. Though she still has arthritis, the 5-year-old canine is able to walk to the park with them again.

“She is not on any medications anymore,” said Julie Hunter, although she noted that her husband does have to pick up Roxy to load her into their truck.

Arthritis is common in many dogs and cats, says the Hunter’s veterinarian, Dr. Michael Morrow of Crater Animal Clinic in Central Point.

But there are an increasing number of treatments available for young and old furry companions alike to relieve joint pain and maintain mobility.

Morrow will give a talk on managing arthritis in pets at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Medford’s Central Library, 205 S. Central Ave., Medford. The public talk is free and refreshments will be provided. (Sorry, pets aren’t invited.)

Signs that a pet may have arthritis include stiffness after an activity or after lying down, limping and the inability to climb or descend stairs, he said. Arthritis commonly shows up in dogs in hips, knees and elbows.

“In cats we tend to see it more in the elbows and pelvic area,” he said, adding that it’s harder to notice in cats, and likely goes undiagnosed often.

Morrow suggests alleviating pain through dietary changes, keeping a low weight and exercise. There are also joint supplements people can give to their pets, and many pets respond well to acupuncture.

Robyn Stearns of Prospect said she took in Duke, a border collie, several years ago because he had a broken leg and his owner was going to shoot him. A veterinarian helped mend the Duke’s leg, but now the 8-year-old dog seems to have trouble with the leg.

“We’ve noticed in the last couple years he started to limp,” she said.

Medication, food supplements and acupuncture have helped, she said, but it’s not enough.

“He really hurts,” said Stearns. So Duke is beginning stem cell therapy this week, which uses stem cells extracted from the dog’s own fat.

Stearns, who rescues border collies and currently has 18 of them, has another, named Rau (pronounced “roo.”) Stearns said, after noticing a dramatic decline in Rau’s activity level, she learned the 7-year-old male had arthritis. The vet began acupuncture treatments and dietary supplements. They’ve worked.

“He’s running and he’s running sheep,” she said. “He’s even gotten to the point that he’s running cows.”

Morrow said acupuncture is an alternative therapy that seems to alleviate pain in some, but not all, pets.

April 23, 2008 — From Scientific American

WASHINGTON - U.S. makers of pet food and all other animal feed will be prevented from using certain materials from cattle at the greatest risk for spreading mad cow disease under a rule that regulators finalized on Wednesday.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which oversees animal feed, said excluding high-risk materials from cattle 30 months of age or older from all animal feed will prevent any accidental cross-contamination between ruminant feed (intended for animals such as cattle) and non-ruminant feed or feed ingredients.

The new rule takes effect in April, 2009.

Contamination could occur during manufacture, transport or through the accidental misfeeding of non-ruminant feed to ruminant animals.

Canada and the United States banned the inclusion of protein from cows and other ruminant animals such as goats and sheep in cattle feed in 1997, following a mad cow outbreak in Britain.

The measure issued today finalizes a proposed rule opened for public comment in October 2005. It goes into effect on April 23, 2009.

The major U.S. safeguards against mad cow disease are the feed ban, a prohibition against slaughtering most “downer” cattle — animals too sick to walk on their own — for human food, and a requirement for meatpackers to remove from carcasses the brains, spinal cords and other parts most likely to contain the malformed proteins blamed for the disease.

Mad cow disease is a fatal, brain-wasting disease believed to be spread by contaminated feed. People can contract a human version of the disease, know as Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, or vCJD, which scientists believe can be spread by eating contaminated parts from an infected animal.

The United States has found three cases of mad cow disease, including the first one detected in December of 2003. Soon after, U.S. beef exports were virtually halted. U.S. official have been slowly working to resume beef shipments.

FDA bans certain cattle parts from all animal feed………..
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