A very Merry and dog friendly Christmas menu!

Today, we've launched a new veterinary approved Doggy Christmas Menu in a bid to raise awareness of the dangers some traditional Christmas treats can pose to man’s best friend.

Christmas is always a time of indulgence as we tuck into our mince pies and much favoured Christmas puddings! Sadly, many people also unwittingly over-indulge their dogs with festive treats and human foods (or the pooches are very sneaky and help themselves). Unfortunately, in some cases, this can prove fatal.

Dog poisoning is a serious problem and every Christmas a worrying number of dogs become seriously ill after eating human foods such as chocolate and raisins. Feeding your dog human foods can have dire consequences such as vomiting, diarrhoea, lethargy and in some cases chronic breathing difficulties. Other dangerous foods for dogs include dates, grapes, mince pies, Christmas puddings, whole brazil nuts, excessive amounts of cheese, alcohol, onion, raw potato (green), turkey bones and high content cocoa chocolate.

Dogs Trust Veterinary Director, Chris Laurence, suggests:

“As a vet I have seen some terrible examples of dog poisoning over the Christmas period. In many cases the owner was totally unaware of the hidden dangers and was simply intending to be kind to their dog who was eager to share in the festive treats. Like with humans, all foods should be given in moderation. Other festive items to avoid giving your dog include Hollie berries, Mistletoe, xylitol based sweetner and alcohol such as mulled wine.”

However, help is at hand. Dogs Trust has devised a delicious, healthy and safe three-course Doggy Christmas Menu specially designed with dogs in mind. Veterinary approved dishes include Mutt Nog, Cranberry and Turkey Goble Gobble, Pooches Glazed Vegetables and Doggy Mince Pies.

TV actor and presenter, Jeremy Edwards’ much loved dog, Molly, was the first to take part in a canine taste test. Jeremy explains:

“Molly has certainly given her paw of approval to this risk-free Christmas treat. Despite being a fussy eater, she particularly adores the doggy mince pies - she devoured them in 30 seconds flat!”

Anyone wanting to give their canine a special treat this Christmas can download the complete doggy menu amd recipes (opens new browser window).

http://www.flickr.com/photos/balakov/ / CC BY-NC 2.0

How to have a Happy Halloween and keep those pups safe and sound!

We posted a blog back in April, around Easter time, to remind all dog owners about the dangers of feeding chocolate to dogs. As it is coming up to Halloween, when sweets and chocolates are out and about for some pooches to get hold of, we thought we’d post a little refresher on how to prevent and deal with this very serious issue.

Too much chocolate might be unhealthy for us, for a dog it’s actually poisonous. Here are a few tips and tricks to remember:

• Keep your chocolate treats out of reach of intrepid hounds
• Don't let family and friends give them chocolatey treats
• Distract them with special dog "choc" drops if it helps!

The toxin is a chemical called theobromine in chocolate and cocoa (including that cocoa mulch gardeners use; dogs love the smell but it is also harmful if eaten).

Humans can cope with it, but dogs can’t, and the darker the chocolate, the higher the concentration of theobromine. If you suspect your dog has eaten some chocolate and you observe any of the following symptoms, please take them to the vet straight away:

• Vomiting (with blood)
• Sore tummy
• Excessive thirst
• Excitability
• Drooling
• Slow heart rate
• In the later stages, epileptic-type fits

Remember, it’s better to be safe than sorry! Early symptoms of theobromine poisoning can be treated, but it's possible that as little as a regular bar and a half of dark chocolate could be fatal to a small dog. Make sure you notify a vet if you have any concerns.

Around the holidays, it can be tougher to keep these things under control but also remember that raisins, grapes, onions and the sweetener xylitol are also on the do-not-feed list.

For more tips on Halloween safety beyond chocolate, please see the Dog Trust website. Hope everyone has a happy (and safe) Halloween!

By the way, if you’re interested in original post, feel free to check it out!

[Image property of user: klickthis on Flickr]

Easter chocolate can lead to poorly, poisoned pooches

Increasing numbers of dog owners now know that there are a few foods that us people munch on that dogs definitely shouldn't. Raisins, grapes, onions and sweetener xylitol are a few, and chocolate is definitely on the list.

At Easter-time, there's generally a lot more of the gooey sweet stuff around the place, and dogs are inquisitive souls. The smell is inviting, and before you know it they've munched down the lot and made themselves very ill indeed. I still hear people saying "it's because they can become diabetic" but actually it's much more immediate and frightening even than that: they can suffer poisoning.

A chemical called theobromine is present in chocolate and is something us people can handle, but dogs cannot. The higher the cocoa content, the more theobromine is present, which is why things like cocoa powder and cocoa mulch for the garden have been known to kill dogs when they have ingested some.

So please keep a look out this Easter and remember:

• Keep your chocolate treats out of reach of intrepid hounds
• Don't let family and friends give them chocolatey treats
• Distract them with special dog "choc" drops if it helps!
• If you're a gardener, make sure you're not using cocoa mulch

If you suspect your dog has eaten some chocolate and you observe any of the following symptoms, please take them to the vet straight away:

• Vomiting (with blood)
• Sore tummy
• Excessive thirst
• Excitability
• Drooling
• Slow heart rate
• In the later stages, epileptic-type fits

Early symptoms of theobromine poisoning can be treated, but it's possible that as little as a regular bar and a half of dark chocolate could be fatal to a small dog.