Can You Name The Top 10 Dog Poisons?

I’ve been a dog mom for 15 years now so you’d think I’d have all the foods and substances that are dangerous to dogs memorized. But I’ve just learned a new one from a WebMD article: macadamia nuts.

What’s scary is that recently I dropped a container of the things on the kitchen floor and about 30 of them rolled around Mason’s little feet. I told him to wait at the kitchen door while I set about crawling around, cleaning (and cursing a little, I must admit) and pondering over whether macadamia nuts are bad for dogs. As soon as I decided they must be, I heard little feet behind me. I turned to see Mason had just returned to his position at the door. He was licking his lips and a wet nut was on the floor in front of him. Thank goodness he didn’t like it.

Check out the article, ”10 Dog Poisons: Plants, Food, Medicines and More” here.

Posted in At-Home Care, Newshound, Senior Status, Tips | Leave a comment

The Snap Spot

Editor’s Note: Today, we’re looking back on a post from this time last year. As we’re marking one year since we adopted Mason, DDY’s director of off-leash development and I have been thinking back fondly on how the little guy charmed us inside of two minutes. The laundry basket incident took place two days before we adopted Mason. He already had our hearts but that day we got a taste of the giggles that he continues to bring out in us every day — they are the very best kind of frosting on the cake!

After our foster dog, Mason, had been with us for a few days, he asked if he could have some friends over. “You’d like to have a party?” I asked. He gave a few happy pants in reply.

Duckie, Big Head and Mr. Peepers showed up about 9 p.m. and the group dug into the snacks and refreshments while I put on some tunes.

There was some dancing …

Some deep conversation …

More refreshments …

And that’s where things get fuzzy.

In the wee hours of the morning, I found Mason passed out in the laundry basket.

Duckie ended up on the front lawn!

The next day, we found out that the two of them had gone online and booked a day trip on Furry Tails Cruises!

As we bid them bon voyage, we knew that Mason’s foster days were over. Any dogger that can party like that needs to stick with us. Welcome to our family, Mason! And … party on!

Posted in "Less Adoptable" Dogs, DDY Family Files, FOG* Files, Keep it on the QL (Quality of Life), The Snap Spot | 2 Comments

From The DDY Family Files:

Happy Gotcha Day to Mason! One year ago today, my husband and I adopted Mason from Oregon Dog Rescue after fostering him for two weeks. On the way home from signing the paperwork, we stopped off for lunch in SE Portland and while we were looking for parking, we happened upon this huge business sign with Mason’s name on it. It was too perfect!

We picked today as Mason’s birthday as well so … Happy 4th Birthday to you, tiny dancer! Love you, kid!

Posted in "Less Adoptable" Dogs, DDY Family Files, Events | 3 Comments

From The Special Events Desk:

Happy Mother’s Day! To all the ladies out there who every day think of others before they think of themselves: Thank you! You make this world a better place for all of us.

To my mom, who’s also Walter’s mom and angel Daley’s grandma and Mason’s grandma, you are the best! We are so lucky to be loved by you and we love you, too!

Posted in DDY Family Files, Events | 1 Comment

From The DDY Social Calendar: Pugs And Pints Party To Aid Portland’s Homeless Animals

Oregon Humane Society’s popular Pug Crawl is set for May 20! Here are the details—click on the images if you’d like a larger view.

If you’ll be visiting from out of town, drop me a line here and I’ll recommend hotels and some sights, shops, parks and eats!

Posted in "Less Adoptable" Dogs, Cause It's Saturday, Events, Keep it on the QL (Quality of Life), Lifestyle, Newshound, Senior Dog Rescue, Travel | 1 Comment

Top Health Concerns For The Most Popular Breeds And Their Geriatric Buddies

Labrador Retrievers, German Shepherds and Beagles top the AKC’s current list of the most popular purebred dogs in the U.S. The 2012 results mark the 21st year that Labs have been the most popular so that’s not exactly new news but here’s an interesting sidebar to the annual rankings from DVM, a veterinary newsmagazine.

DVM compiled the top health concerns for the top of the list. The information was drawn from the Canine Health Information Center, a breed database sponsored by the AKC Canine Health Foundation and the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals.

According to DVM, the top 3 health issues that occur in the top 2 breeds are:

Labrador Retrievers: Hip dysplasia (12.1%), elbow dysplasia (11.1%), patellar luxation (10.3%)

German Shepherds: Degenerative Myelopathy (21%), elbow dysplasia (19.4%), hip dysplasia (19.1%)

Find the DVM article listing for the most common diseases found in the top 5 breeds here.

So, what does a list of common health problems for senior dogs across a variety of breeds look like?

This handsome fellow's name is Jake so of course, I call him Jake Ryan! Jake has no plans for a formal protest of the AKC's breed rankings but he does think the numbers are on his side. Jake Ryan's punk rock haircut in this photo is due to surgery that successfully removed two tumors. Yet another reason why this sweet senior is a winner!

The pet hospital chain Banfield combed its patient list to come up with the top 10 diagnoses lists of 2009. According to Banfield’s findings, here are the top 5 diagnoses in the geriatric group (dogs age 10 years or more):

63% of seniors had tartar buildup

20% of seniors had an ear infection

16% of seniors had nuclear sclerosis (cloudiness of the eye)

14% of seniors had skin tumors (no distinction was given between numbers of benign versus cancerous tumors)

12% of seniors were overweight

If you consider the two groups of statistics together, you can see why a senior dog who is predisposed to certain health issues due to his breed can be overloaded once problems that may be age-related come into play. So keep an eye out for the common ailments and curb them before they have a chance to complicate other issues and cause your senior dog more trouble than they’re worth!

Posted in Newshound, Senior Status, Tips | 2 Comments

The Snap Spot

Sniff, sniff ...

Smile!

How sweet is Pumpkin?! This five-year-old cutie pie who loves belly rubs is in the care of Labradors and Friends Dog Rescue Group and would love to stay with a foster family in San Diego County while she waits for her forever home. I can tell you she gives super kisses! Find Pumpkin’s profile here and LFDRG’s contact information here.

Posted in Newshound, The Snap Spot | 1 Comment