Water Safety for Your Dog: High Risk Breeds & Puppy First Aid

Many puppies leap before they look, or simply fall into the swimming pool, hot tub or break through ice on the lake and can’t get out. Dog paddling may be instinctive but they can still drown if they can’t climb out, get too tired to float, or are at risk of being top-heavy.

High Risk Breeds

Some puppy breeds adore the water but others have a hard time staying afloat. For instance, Labrador Retrievers especially love the water. Puppy breeds with heavy coats such as Collies become waterlogged and tend to dislike puddle jumping. Heavy-bodied breeds like Bulldogs have trouble staying afloat and actually could sink and be unable to get out of the pool.

All pets are at risk but especially small breeds and puppies are most prone to drowning. Their inexperience, curiosity, and fearlessness prompt them to explore but they may be unable to climb out of even small bodies of water. The steep sides of backyard pools and hot tubs prove particularly dangerous during the summer.

Water Safety for Puppy Swimming

Pool safety is just as important for puppies as it is for children. Most backyard pools have steps in the deep end along with a shallow end. Teach your pup to find these easy exits through guidance and praise. Never ever leave pets unsupervised around the pool.

Does your pup enjoy a nice boat ride on the gulf? Camping and spending time with our furry friends on water can be tons of fun, but pets can easily lose their footing on slippery boat decks. Even if your pup manages the trek back to land, they may become lost on the beach or sandbar, so it is important that they have their identification tags/collars on, as well as microchipped.

To avoid your pup hurdling into the water at 40 mph, provide double-sided rubber mats on boat decks for a more secure footing for your pet. A harness and a strong lead or tether also helps assure your pet stays secure onboard. Don’t forget safety life vests for pets. You can find these products at most any pet store these days to assure even if they fall into the water, they have some assistance. Most of these floatation harnesses provide a handle for you to lift your pup upwards out of the water with.

First Aid for Drowning

Please, pet-proof pools and other water adventures to prevent tragedies all year round. Supervise your water-babies so cooling off during the summer stays safe. Water games should be fun for the entire family.

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Related: We have more information under our dog health tags.

Simple tips on how to pet proof your garden

How do I create a pet-friendly garden or yard?

Your garden is the perfect place to enjoy with your pets. However, while you may be in the safety of your home, there are a number of hazards present in your garden which could harm your pet.

Here are a few cat and dog-friendly garden ideas to help protect your garden and keep your pet safe.

Raise your flower beds

Raising your flower beds help keep dogs out of flowerbeds and protect your more delicate plants. For areas where dogs and children will be rough housing, choose tougher, hardy plants or shrubs that can withstand a bit of rough-n-tumble.

Identify toxic plants

There are quite a few plants out there that are toxic to animals, so make sure that your garden only contains cat and dog-friendly plants and flowers if you are to leave them left to their own devices in your garden. Common toxic plants include: crocuses, azaleas, bleeding heart (dicentra), box, bluebells, broom, cyclamen, daffodils, dieffenbachia, hyacinth bulbs, mistletoe, yew, onions, and rhubarb. Although most plants are not attractive to pets, puppies and kittens are especially inquisitive and dogs can chew on sticks where you were pruning.

Secure fencing or enclosure

Ensure that your fencing is secure and without gaps or holes to prevent little escape artists. Consider your pet’s habits as well. Do they tend to dig? If so, give them an area to dig in and encourage him to use this area by hiding toys or treats, rather than your nicely cared for lawn. For cats, consider planting cat nip (Nepeta cataria) or cat grass that is safe for them to chew on.

Pet-friendly garden checklist

- Clear pathways

- Raise flower beds

- Secure fencing

- Provide shade

- Store chemicals and fertilizers in a safe place

- Identify toxic plants

- Keep compost out of reach

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Hill's Pet Nutrition Wet Dog Food Recall

Hill’s Pet Nutrition has issued a voluntary recall of select canned dog food for possible elevated levels of vitamin D.

This recall includes the items listed below:

Consumers should stop feeding the products listed above. Vitamin D is an essential nutrient for dogs, ingestion of elevated levels can lead to potential health issues depending on the level of vitamin D and the length of exposure, and dogs may exhibit symptoms such as vomiting, loss of appetite, increased thirst, increased urination, excessive drooling, and weight loss. Vitamin D, when consumed at very high levels, can lead to serious health issues in dogs including renal dysfunction. Pet parents with dogs who have consumed any of the products listed above and are exhibiting any of these signs should contact their veterinarian. In most cases, complete recovery is expected after discontinuation of feeding.

No other items manufactured by Hill’s Pet Nutrition are impacted by this issue.

If a patient of ours has purchased food through us, you may can contact us directly, and we can check the product number to see if it's a match. We will handle it case by case. If you have purchased your product through an online vendor, you will need to reach out to that vendor directly or contact Hills at 1-800-445-5777. 

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Toxic Medications & Products For Pets

It’s natural to want to ease your pet’s pain if they are experiencing illness or discomfort. But before you act, you must be aware that common medications used for adults and even children can be toxic and even fatal to your pet.

It is always recommended that you contact your veterinarian before administering any medications to your pets. It could be the difference between life and death.

Danger Lurks in the Medicine Cabinet

Tylenol: Acetaminophen, the active ingredient in this pain reliever, is very toxic in cats. The drug interferes with oxygen uptake in the blood of cats and can result in death if not treated promptly. Acetaminophen (also used in Excedrin and other aspirin-free drugs) can be used in dogs, but there is a fine line between the effective dose and the toxic dose. Consult with your veterinarian. Acetaminophen overdose in dogs can cause severe liver damage.

Aspirin: This drug is also very toxic to cats except in a very low dose. At times, veterinarians will use aspirin as an anticoagulant for cats with heart disease. This should only be done under a veterinarian’s supervision, as aspirin can be fatal. Dogs can tolerate this drug, and veterinarians will sometimes recommend it for use as a pain reliever. Chronic use of the drug produces side effects.

Ibuprofen: This is the active ingredient in over-the-counter medications such as Advil, Motrin, and "cold and flu" medications, and is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID). This drug is never recommended for cats or dogs, as it can result in severe gastric ulcers or acute kidney failure. Accidental ingestion should be treated immediately. Ibuprofen and other human NSAIDS should never be used in pets, as there are veterinary specific NSAIDS that are less toxic. Drugs like Rimadyl, Deramaxx, and Meloxicam are veterinary prescribed NSAIDS, and are much safer for pets.

Naproxen: This is the active ingredient in Aleve or Anaprox, and is a very potent NSAID. Even the smallest of doses can result in severe symptoms of gastric ulcers, stomach perforations, or acute kidney failure in animals, and should never be used in animals.

DID YOU KNOW?

Ibuprofen and acetaminophen are two of the most common pet poisons.

Over-The-Counter Products to Skip

Tear supplements with antibiotics: Dogs with chronically dry eyes (commonly a problem in short-faced dogs with protruding eyes) need tear supplements to help with lubrication and keep them comfortable. But read the label: Some of these products contain neomycin, an antibacterial that should be administered under the advice of your veterinarian only.

Alcohol-based ear treatments: Alcohol burns and inflames the sensitive tissues of the ear canal while drying them out, which actually makes problematic ears worse. And yet, a quick internet search will show you all kinds of “home remedy” sites encouraging its use. (Along with gentian violet, another Internet “cure” that’s not recommended by veterinarians.) If your pet has an ear infection, you need to take him to your veterinarian. After that is resolved, you can use a veterinary-recommended cleaner on a regular basis to help keep the ears clean and healthy.

Hydrogen peroxide: While commonly, effectively and safely used to induce vomiting in dogs, hydrogen peroxide should not be used on wounds. The fizz created when it interacts with tissue makes it seem like something good is happening, hydrogen peroxide, in fact, inflames the healthy skin around a wound, which increases healing time. However, recent studies have shown that it’s not even an effective antibacterial.

Steroid creams: We all know how miserable itching makes us, and when your dog is scratching, you’re almost as miserable as they are, just from watching and listening. But don’t just slap a steroid cream on the itchy spot; you may be making an infection worse, or you may just be wasting your money. Your veterinarian has many ways to help stop the itch, but the problem needs to be correctly diagnosed before any of them will work properly.

What to Do If Your Pet Is Poisoned

If you suspect that your pet has been poisoned by a medication, call your veterinarian immediately. If your veterinarian is not available, call an animal poison control. There is often a charge with these services, but paying a minimal fee could save your pet’s life.

• Pet Poison Helpline: 1-800-213-6680

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Homemade Slime: Toxicity and Health Risks for Pets

There has been a rise in a love of crafting homemade slime in households. While not a threat to creativity, some ingredients in slime pose a threat to our beloved pets.

Table Salt

This is often the most concerning ingredient in many slime recipes. Pets can develop salt toxicity or hypernatremia. Depending on the amount of salt ingested symptoms can range from GI upset to Central Nervous System signs such as lethargy, tremors, seizures, coma, and death. Signs of toxicity can be seen at 2 g/kg , or 0.13 tablespoons/kg of body weight. To put this into perspective, a 10lb dog (4.54 kg) could began to show signs of toxicity after ingesting just over 0.5 tablespoons of table salt. For that same 10 lb dog a fatal dose is possible at 1.5 tablespoons of salt ingested. Some slime recipes do not contain a particular amount of salt but just instructions to continue adding salt until the desired consistency/texture is achieved. This can make it difficult to gauge the amount of salt in the finished product. Some homemade slimes contain epsom salt instead of table salt. It would generally take more epsom salt than table salt to cause toxicity but this is still an ingredient that should not be ingested in large amounts as significant GI signs can result.

School glue

This is a common ingredient that does not usually hold significant potential for toxicity. When ingested GI irritation (vomiting, diarrhea, anorexia) is possible.

Shaving cream, hand soap, dish soap, shampoo and most hand lotions

These ingredients cause not much more than GI irritation but variations in ingredients are possible that may increase the risk for toxicity. For example, there are shampoos and lotions that contain cocoa bean (Theobroma Cacao) extract which is an ingredient of concern for chocolate toxicity.

Boric Acid

Generally, in acute (one time) doses, this is a GI irritant that can cause vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, or anorexia.

Saline Contact Lens Solution

While some contact lens solutions are just saline, in addition to the salt concern, many (usually the ones used to make slime) contain Boric Acid or Borate which is a GI irritant.

Laundry detergent

Laundry detergent, when ingested, can be a GI irritant or for some products even cause corrosive injury to the oral cavity and GI tract. Mixed into a product like a slime it would be diluted and less likely to cause corrosive injury but if not well mixed and if an area of concentrated laundry detergent came into contact with the GI tract there would still be potential for injury.

Toothpaste

Many kinds of toothpaste contain xylitol which can pose significant toxicity risk for dogs.  Depending on the dose ingested, xylitol can cause profound hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and in higher doses liver failure. Both of these levels of toxicity can be life-threatening for your dog.

Liquid Starch

Most liquid starches contain ingredients that would be expected to cause GI irritation at most when ingested in a slime mixture.

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There are other concerns in addition to toxicity when our pets ingest slime. Large amounts of slime could pose a risk for a foreign body obstruction or blockage in the GI tract.

When slime contains decorative additives such as sequins, tinsel, or glitter, injury to the GI tract is also possible. Tinsel is of particular concern as if long enough strands (more than a couple of inches long) are ingested, linear foreign body (a condition where string type materials can cause injury to the GI tract by bunching it up and causing blockage or necrotic damage)is possible.

Another concern is that slime is by nature slimy, and viscous. If your pet vomits this material back up there is a risk for aspiration of the product into the lungs which can quickly become a life threatening situation.

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How do we prevent our pets from ingesting homemade slime?

1. When the slime is not in use keep it somewhere that is not accessible to your pet.

2. Keep your pets out of areas where slime is in use.

3. Teach your children not to walk away from their slime project without putting it somewhere that is inaccessible to pets.

4. Store the slime making ingredients out of reach of your pets at all times.

5. Slime ingestion is also harmful for wildlife. Please dispose of your used slime responsibly.

What should you do if your pet ingests slime?

1. Do not attempt to induce vomiting at home or treat your pet in any other way without advice from your veterinarian or an animal poison control center. Some at home treatments can do more harm than good.

2. Call your veterinarian or Pet Poison Helpline.

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