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Do Not Let Your Pets Eat These Foods/Plants:
Chocolate
Onions
Grapes
Raisins.
Yeast dough
Alcohol
Tobacco
Marijuana
Moldy or spoiled food
Wild mushrooms
Large amounts of raw fish
Potato, rhubarb or tomato leaves
Large amounts of raw liver
Large numbers of macadamia nuts
Fruit pits
Corn cobs
Hidden Danger: Keep Your Pet Safe from Electric Shock
 Winter’s chill may have settled in your neighborhood, but your energetic pooch still wants to go for walks in the great
outdoors. Take it slow and steady, pet parents. According to our experts, the danger of stray voltage on city streets can
turn a simple stroll into a devastating event for our furry friends.
Most common in northern climes and urban areas, stray voltage occurs when dormant utilities leak excess electricity. Combined
with wet streets and salt-based ice melts, this current can shock, injure or even prove fatal for those in its path. “Since
salt used to treat icy streets is a great conductor of electricity,” says Dr. Louise Murray, ASPCA Director of Medicine
and author of Vet Confidential, “the risk of shock from stray voltage is that much higher during the winter months.” The ASPCA offers the
following tips to help you avoid potentially hazardous areas, and advice on what to do if your pet has suffered an electrical
shock:
- Keep your dog away from metal fixtures, such as lampposts, grates or manhole covers. While these spots may be your
pet’s favorite place to relieve himself, they may also conduct hazardous electricity.
- Your dog's snazzy, rubber rain boots may look good, but they won't protect your pooch from a strong current. Don’t
depend on them to keep your pet safe. Some boots—those with metal studs, for example—may even make the situation
worse.
- Observe your dog’s behavior. Is he skittish, frightened, angry or upset for no apparent reason? These sudden behavioral
changes could be an indication of electric shock.
- If your dog is incapacitated due to shock, don’t try to touch or move him without protective gear. Your pooch may
pass the current to you, rendering you both incapable of seeking help. Instead, call your local fire department immediately.
Know of an area in your neighborhood that could be affected by stray voltage? Contact city services—in New York City,
dial 311—to alert the proper authorities. For more information about keeping your pet safe during the winter months,
please read our cold weather tips.
Warning! Dangerous dog toy! (the pimple ball) If you have a dog, look at this.
If you don't have a dog, send it to your friends who have a dog.
On Sunday, June 22, 2008 my 10-year old labmix, Chai, sustained a severe
injury from a product that the company Four Paws Inc, produces. The toy I'm referencing is the pimple ball with bell. (Item
#20227-001, UPC Code 0 4566320227 9)
While chewing on the toy, a vacuum was created and
it effectively sucked his tongue into the hole in the ball. From speaking with my vet, this likely occurred because there
is not a second hole in the ball preventing the vacuum effect from happening. I became aware of this when Chai approached
a friend at my home whimpering with the ball in his mouth. She tried unsuccessfully to remove the ball but the tongue had
swollen and cou ld not be released.
Chai was taken to the Animal Medical Center (an emergency
care facility in New York City) and was treated by Dr. Nicole Spurlock to have the ball removed. Because the size of the opening
on the ball was so small, all circulation to his tongue was cut off. The doctors had to sedate him in order to remove it.
Once the ball was removed, his tongue swelled to the point that he could no longer put it in his mouth. Chai was sent home
with care instructions and to be observed overnight for any changes.
By the following morning Chai's tongue had swollen
even more.
He was taken to his regular vet, Dr. Timnah Lee, for treatment. He was admitted and kept sedated for a
period of three days during which time they were treating his wounds and waiting to determine how much of his tongue could
be saved. On June 26, 2008 Chai had his tongue amputated.
He was kept in after-care for an additional three days. On
Sunday June 29th I brought Chai home from the vet with a barrage of home care instructions, to last for an additional 7 days.
His next visit was to have his mouth re-examined and have the feeding tube in his neck removed.
On the way home from the vet we stopped at Petland Discount where I purchased their product to speak to the manager
on duty. Upon meeting Chai and seeing his condition, he removed all of the balls in question from the shelves. He also gave
me the customer service number to their corporate headquarters to request that they refuse to continue purchasing all Four
Paws products, but I have not called them as of yet.
Additionally, I shared my story with friends who have
a French Bulldog named Petunia. Upon hearing my story their eyes widened. They explained that the
same thing happened twice in one night with a smaller version of the same ball to their dog. Fortunately, they were able to
pull it off before the tongue swelled, but not without tremendous effort and pain to the dog. They recalled how horrific it
was to hear their dog screaming while they had to pry the ball from her tongue.
To date, my veterinary bills total
over $5000.00 and I will have regular follow up appointments for some time. Additionally, Chai now requires a much more expensive
form of food because of this injury, averaging approximately $200 per month.
Also - I am Chai's sole caretaker a nd
the regime required to care for him following his surgery has forced me to lose a great deal of business. I am a hair stylist
and my salon is in my home. Given that Chai needs constant attention, and given that he has been wailing in pain, I have not
been able to see clients.
Additionally, I now have to re-teach my dog to eat, drink and adjust to life without his tongue.
Just walking him requires about 30min twice a day and we only make it three blocks. Feeding him takes me about 90 minutes
twice a day and for at least this first week he is not to be unattended for more than 20 minutes at time.
RESPONSE FROM FOUR PAWS:
Thank
you very much for your email message. Like you, Four Paws is deeply concerned about reports of injuries suffered by some dogs
as a result of a manufacturing defect in some of our Pimple Ball toys.
We want you to know that we have stopped shipping
these toys to our distributors and we have asked them to have retailers immediately remove the toys from their shelves and
return them at our expense.
We have also stopped all shipments of the toys from the manufacturer, and we are sending Executive
Vice President Barry Askin to personally inspect the manufacturer's facility in order to make sure that the defect has been
corrected. The ball was designed with two holes to eliminate risk of suction. Unfortunately, in the production
of some balls, the smaller second hole became blocked on t he inside, thus making it hard to detect the defect with the naked
eye.
As a result, in addition to repairing the toy molds, we are also changing the packaging of the Pimple Balls. The
packaging change will result in a tie that must clear both holes, thus insuring there ar e always two clear holes in the toy.
If you purchased a Four Paws Pimple Ball with Bell toy, please immediately take the toy away
from your pet. Instructions to return the toy are posted on our website www.fourpaws.com
Thank
you again for your message and your c oncern. Please be assured that the safety and well being of pets is our top priority
and we are doing everything we can to make sure that this problem is solved as quickly as possible.
Sincerely,
Allen
Simon
President/CEO
Best Regards,
Customer Service
Four Paws Products, LTD
50 Wireless Blvd.
Hauppauge, NY 11788
(631) 434-1100 - Phone
(631) 434-1183 - Fax
CustomerService@FourPaws.com
www.FourPaws.com
Support Brands That Do Not Test on Animals
After uncovering extensive abuse of animals at a testing laboratory for dog and cat food maker Iams, PETA contacted hundreds of companion-animal food companies to ask if they conduct laboratory tests on animals. None of these
tests is necessary or required by law, and humane alternatives do exist. Non-invasive, nonlethal, and cage-free "in-home"
testing is conducted by PetSci, and collaborative veterinary clinic studies allow sick animals who are volunteered by their guardians to participate in
humane feeding trials that can determine the beneficial effects of nutrition on a specific illness.
The following companies have assured PETA in writing that they do not test on animals in laboratories. Companies that are
not on this list either responded to let us know that they do conduct laboratory experiments on animals or failed to
respond to our numerous inquiries and are assumed to conduct laboratory experiments on animals.
[Important Note: If you have been feeding your companion animals commercial pet foods, you may be jeopardizing
their health. Supermarket pet foods are often composed of ground-up parts of animals deemed by U.S. Department of Agriculture
inspectors unfit for human consumption. The flesh of animals who fall into one of the categories of the four D's—dead,
dying, diseased, or disabled—is what often goes into pet food. Many of these animals have died of infections and other
diseases. In all but a few states, it is legal to remove unusable parts from chickens and sell them to pet food manufacturers.
Most pet foods contain the same hormones, pesticides, and antibiotics that are found in commercial meat products for humans.
If you are concerned about your companion animals' health and about the cruelty of the meat industry, now is the time to stop
buying meat-based commercial pet food. Learn more about healthy vegetarian dog and cat food options.] ( Click here for the U.K. version of this list.)
Active Life Pet Products
1-877-291-2913
www.activelifepp.com
Amoré Pet Services, Inc.
1-866-572-6673
www.amorepetfoods.com
Animal Food Services
1-800-743-0322
www.animalfood.com
Artemis Pet Food
1-800-282-5876
www.artemiscompany.com
Azmira Holistic Animal Care
1-800-497-5665
www.azmira.com
Bone Vivant, Inc. (entirely vegan)
479-366-5396
www.bonevivantstore.com
Boston Baked Bonz (entirely vegan)
781-752-4040
www.bostonbakedbonz.com
Bravo Raw Diet
1-866-922-9222
www.bravorawdiet.com
Burns Pet Health, Inc.
1-877-983-9651
www.burnspethealth.com
CaniSource
1-888-347-3523
www.canisource.com
CountryPet Pet Food
1-800-454-7387
www.countrypet.com
Dr. Harvey’s
1-866-362-4123
www.drharveys.com
Dry Fork Milling Co.
1-800-346-1360
Dynamite Marketing, Inc.
208-887-9410
www.dynamitemarketing.com
Eagle Pack Pet Foods
800-255-5959
www.eaglepack.com
Evanger’s Dog and Cat Food Co., Inc.
1-800-288-6796
www.evangersdogfood.com
Evolution Diet, Inc. (entirely vegan)
1-800-659-0104
www.petfoodshop.com
Feline’s Pride
www.felinespride.com
Fromm Family Foods
800-325-6331
www.frommfamily.com
GreenTripe.Com
831-726-3255
www.greentripe.com
Halo, Purely for Pets
1-800-426-4256
www.halopets.com
Happy Dog Food
1-800-359-9576
www.happydogfood.com
Harbingers of a New Age (entirely vegan)
406-295-4944
www.vegepet.com
Holistic Blend
1-800-954-1117
www.holisticblend.com
The Honest Kitchen
858-483-5995
www.thehonestkitchen.com
Know Better Dog Food
1-866-922-6463
www.knowbetterdogfood.com
KosherPets, Inc.
954-938-6270
www.kosherpets.com
Kumpi Pet Foods
303-699-8562
www.kumpi.com
Mark and Chappell
866-547 3368
www.markandchappell.com
Natural Balance Pet Foods, Inc. (has vegan options)
1-800-829-4493
www.naturalbalanceinc.com
Natural Life Pet Products, Inc. (has vegan options)
1-800-367-2391
www.nlpp.com
Nature’s Variety
1-888-519-7387
www.naturesvariety.com
Newman’s Own Organics
www.newmansownorganics.com
Oma’s Pride
1-800-678-6627
www.omaspride.com
Onesta Organics, Inc. (entirely vegan)
619-295-1136
www.onestaorganics.com
Pet Chef Express
604-916-2433
www.petchefexpress.ca
PetGuard (has vegan options)
1-800-874-3221
904-264-8500
www.petguard.com
Pied Piper Pet & Wildlife
1-800-338-4610
www.piedpiperpet.com
PoshNosh Inc.
613-747-1542
1-866-893-4006 (Outside Ottawa-Outaouais)
www.PoshNosh.ca
Raw Advantage, Inc.
360-387-5158
www.rawadvantagepetfood.com
Sauder Feeds, Inc.
260-627-2196
www.sauderfeeds.com
Solid Gold
800-364-4863
www.solidgoldhealth.com
Stella & Chewy’s LLC
718-522-9673
www.stellaandchewys.com
Timberwolf Organics, Inc.
407-877-8779
www.timberwolforganics.com
V-dogfood LLC (entirely vegan)
1-888-280-8364
www.V-dogfood.com
Veterinary Nutritional Formula
1-800-811-0530
www.vnfpetfood.com
Want A Cookie? (has vegan options)
250-665-7387
www.wantacookie.ca
Wow-Bow Distributors Ltd. (has vegan options)
1-800-326-0230
www.wow-bow.com
Wysong Canada
1-800-748-0188
www.wysongcanada.net
Wysong Professional Diets (has vegan options)
1-800-748-0188
www.wysong.net
Important Mulch
Warning !
Cocoa Mulch,which is sold by Home Depot and Garden Supply stores is lethal to dogs and cats.It contains a lethal ingredient
called "Theobromine".It smells like chocolate and it attracts pets.They will ingest this stuff and die.Several deaths have
already occured.A word of caution - check what you are using in your gardens and be aware of what your gardeners use as well.Theobromine
is the ingredient that is used to make all chocolate - especially dark or baker's chocolate,which is toxic to dogs.Cocoa bean
shells contain potentially toxic quantities of theobromine,a xanthine compound similar in effects to caffeine and theophylline.A
dog that ingested a lethal quanity of garden mulch made from cocoa bean shells developed severe convultions and died 17 hours
later.Analysis of the stomach contents and the ingested cocoa bean shells revealed the presence of lethal amounts of theobromine.Stay
alert to chemicals that can be deadly to your pets.
Please alert family,friends,neighborhood,nurseries and local newspapers of this danger.Hopefully this warning
will be publicized and retailers will post signs that these products contain ingredients that are deadly to pets.If not,at
least we can do our part to inform pet owners.
Holiday Warning : Holly,Mistletoe and Pointsettas are poisonus to pets.
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