Month: July 2011

While the occasional chocolate chip within one cookie may not be an issue, we worry about certain types of chocolate – the less sweet and the darker the chocolate, the more toxic it is to your pet. Baker’s chocolate and dark chocolate pose the biggest problem. Other sources include chewable, flavored multi-vitamins, baked goods, or…

Paint balls When pets ingest paint balls (and it’s mostly dogs who ingest them!), it can result in severe poisoning. Paint balls contain glycerol, glycerin, sorbitol, gelatin, propylene glycol, polyethylene glycol (PEG), mineral oil, dye, and other chemicals can result in poisoning. Clinical signs from paint ball poisoning include walking drug, vomiting, diarrhea, and tremors….

By Justine A Lee, DVM, DACVECC Associate Director of Veterinary Services You love your pet, but you won’t love an illness your dog or cat transmits to you. Here is how to prevent 3 of the most common diseases pets can pass to humans. Cat Scratch Disease Those bared claws can potentially pass on the bacterium…

Sometimes even the most attentive owners mistakenly dismiss signs of serious illness. Here are three you shouldn’t ignore: 1. Listlessness If your normally active cat or dog would suddenly rather sleep than play, don’t excuse this behavior as mere exhaustion. It’s actually the first, subtle sign your pet can give that something is very wrong….

Beautiful but deadly, the chemical responsible for the tiny phosphorescence of fireflies (genus Photinus) is responsible for reptile deaths every year. Bearded dragons are the most frequently reported victim although tree frogs may be a close second. It is thought that the lucibufagins responsible for the illumination are cardiotoxins, similar to the toxicity found in…