Animals killed for their fur suffer terribly and are killed through horribly barbaric means such as anal or genital electrocution, clubbing, drowning, or neck-breaking. The Humane Society of the United States' Fur-Free Campaign works with designers, retailers, and consumers to stop the use of animal fur.
I was looking at the ingredients for two popular chewing gum's and, to my shock, found BHA and BHT, two cancer causing preservatives commonly found in pet food! I never feed my pets anything with those preservatives and I sure won't be eating (or chewing) anything with them either!
The chewing gum’s are:
Wrigley's Juicy Fruit - Strappleberry
Wrigley's Eclipse - Cherry Chill
I'm sure there are many more chewing gum, candy, and food products out there that contain these preservatives, so please everyone check the Ingredients on the back of all the products you and your pets plan on consuming. It could save your life in the long run.
Vets Warn Owners To Keep Sugar-Free Products Away From Pets
LANCASTER, Pa. -- If you've got a pet around the house, you may feed them the same things you eat.
But the ingredients of some human food could possibly kill man's best friend, Lancaster television station WGAL reported.
Xylitol is one of those unusual chemicals you may find listed under ingredients on a food item and wonder what it is.
The potential hazard of Xylitol became known to Cindy Stahl and her family a few weeks ago, when their 9-month-old boxer, Lucy, started acting strange.
While trying to figure out what was wrong with her dog, Stahl noticed something else.
"I turned around and saw that there was pink gum wrappers laying across the floor that she had chewed up," Stahl said.
Stahl said she instinctively shoved the gum wrappers in her pocket and rushed the dog to the veterinarian.
Blood work and X-rays were ordered and it was believed that Lucy was in a sort of diabetic seizure.
"The brain needs sugar almost as much as it needs oxygen, and so basically her brain wasn't functioning normally so she would have seemed disoriented," said veterinarian Dr. Mark Kapolka.
Then Stahl remembered the gum wrappers.
As they looked over the ingredients of the gum, Xylitol was recognized by one of Kapolka's assistants.
A bulletin from the Veterinary Medical Association issued one year ago warns that Xylitol could cause life-threatening problems for dogs. Consumed in large quantities, Xylitol may produce a sudden drop in a dog's blood-sugar levels.
Based on the amount of gum that was missing, it seemed that Lucy had ingested a large quantity of Xylitol.
"We estimated that she had 20 pieces of the gum," Stahl said.
"To give you some perspective, if gum is exclusively sweetened with Xylitol, one or two pieces of chewing gun is enough to cause serious consequences for a 20-pound dog," Kapolka said.
Lucy weighs about 50 pounds.
If the Stahl's had waited another hour or two to get to their vet, Lucy may not have survived.
Xylitol looks and tastes just like sugar. It's being used in more and more sugar-free foods, but does not affect humans the way it affects dogs.
The gum that Lucy ate, Koolerz, is made by Hershey Foods.
Contacted by the station regarding the story, Hershey issued a statement encouraging "all pet owners to follow the advice of animal experts and to keep any sugar-free products out of the reach of their pets."
But Stahl would like to see more.
"We want labels to indicate that Xylitol is very harmful to canines," she said.
Veterinarians said there are many foods that humans eat that are toxic for dogs, such as chocolate and many kinds of nuts.
If you feel your dog has consumed something that may be toxic, call your veterinarian or you can call the National Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435.
For more information, check out the American Veterinary Medical Association's Web site at avma.org.
Distributed by Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Problem: Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus (GDV) or BLOAT
Dogs most often affected: Big deep chested dogs.
What is it: GDV (bloat) has two components: gastric dilatation--an excessive accumulation of gas in the stomach--and volvulus--a twisting of the stomach, which can occur if the dilatation isn't relieved.
Effects or symptoms: Severe abdominal distension, restlessness, discomfort, excessive salivation, non-productive vomiting, shock and death, if untreated.
Prevention: Several factors increase a dog's risk of developing GDV, including deep-chested conformation; having a first-degree relative (parent, sibling or offspring) affected by GDV; age (older dogs are more susceptible); nervous personality; rapid eating and eating large meals; eating solely dry food; and eating from a raised food dish. Despite the common belief that water consumption during or after eating and that exercise after eating can cause GDV, the role of these factors, if any, has not been clearly demonstrated.
To reduce the risk of GDV, feed your dog a combination of dry and canned food from a dish placed on the floor. Encourage slower eating by feeding at least twice a day. If necessary, put an 8- to 10- inch piece of sturdy chain (1-inch links) in the food bowl--your dog will have to slow down to pick the food from around the chain. Avoid stressful situations either before or after mealtimes.
Treatment: Your vet will decompress the stomach using a stomach tube (if possible) or surgery; followed by gastropexy (a surgical procedure that secures the stomach to prevent recurrence); and concurrent administration of fluid therapy and medication for shock.
Article: Good Eats - By: Karla S. Rugh, D.V.M., PH.D.
Poodles - Popular Dogs Series - Volume 7, 2nd Edition - 2005
Pet Safety Warning: String, Thread, Yarn, Rope Toys, Etc. Danger!
Never let your pet play with String, Thread, Thread Spools, Yarn, Rope, String Toys, Rope Toys, Dental Floss, Fishing Line, Christmas Tree Tinsel, Shoe Laces, Etc. (or anything like this.) These items can be very dangerous to your pet. Small (or large) lengths of string can be inadvertently swallowed and lodge in the intestinal track. The workings of the intestine can cause the string to work like a cutter, causing damage and even death.
With the H1N1 vaccine
available in some areas,
some of us are opting to
be vaccinated.This
article invites
participation in a Poll
and Comments from
readers. Unfortunately it
doesn't provide the
answers we're all
seeking. However, the
discussion might...
Mass Animal Sacrifice
Planned in Nepal | Humane
Society International
Source: www.hsus.org
HSI is calling for an end
to mass animal sacrifice
at the Gahidmai Jatra
festival in Nepal.
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p;TAKE ACTION...
Shark Bill Advances : The
Humane Society of the
United States
Source:
www.humanesociety.org
The Humane Society of the
United States, Humane
Society International and
Humane Society
Legislative Fund commend
the U.S. Senate Committee
on Commerce, Sci...
Obama demands release of
Burma democracy champion
Aung San Suu Kyi - Times
Online
Source:
www.timesonline.co.uk
President Obama demanded
the release of Aung San
Suu Kyi, the Burmese
opposition leader, during
an unprecedented
encounter yesterday
tha...
McDonalds Takes Out Shame
Hat Trick in Food
Marketing Awards -
Parenting Australia
World (tags:
maccas, mcdonalds,
shame_award, shame,
australia, parenting,
children ) Jenny -
20 minutes ago -
parentingaustralia.com.au
--------------...
Pls *Promote C2NN
articles byC2 member
(Prof')
RogerJonesat http://
www.care2.com/news/member
/367228355?sort=submitted
and view the Climage
Change report co-written
by Jones for
the Australian
Gov't Dep't
ClimateChange
website ...
~Cherish The
Children~Walk through the
door, the cocaine is
cooking. The children are
near, but no one is
looking. Sitting around
passing the bowl, a
childs eyes can't take no
more! How can they do it?
How can't they care?
Drugs & our
childre...
www.examiner.com
Source: www.examiner.com
Every bit of plastic ever
made still exists, with
very few exceptions; only
3-5% is recycled and a
small amount is
incinerated. More than a
million seabirds, 100,000
marine mammals, and
countless fish ...
...
Phthalates Threat: Less
Boy, More Girl - On Men
(usnews.com)
Source: health.usnews.com
A common chemical in
plastic may make little
boys behave a bit more
like little girls.
Japan's whaling fleet
sets sail under pressure
Source: www.theage.com.au
JAPANESE whalers have set
out for waters off the
Australian Antarctic
Territory - the third
season since the Rudd
Government came to power
hoping to end Southern
Ocean whaling...
get the feed
