Tag Archives: vet care

Health

Chewy Introduces Free Vet Chat

Vet ChatThe good folks at Chewy recognize that the pandemic has changed everything, including vet care. They’ve now introduced a feature allowing you to chat with a licensed veterinarian for free, right from home. To participate, you must be an autoship customer, which means you set up your pet’s food and other items to ship to you automatically on the schedule you choose. The service is available 8 AM – 8 PM, Monday through Friday, for dogs and cats residing in the following states: Connecticut, District Of Columbia, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, and West Virginia.

Once you are an autoship customer, simply sign into your Chewy.com account and navigate to the Connect With a Vet page to get started.

Chewy continues to amaze with excellent customer service, and this is just one more example. Kudos!

Until next time,
Good day, and good dog!

Dog Advocacy, Health

Tucker Receives Random Act of Huge Kindness

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Courtesy Christina Summitt via CNN.com
Courtesy Christina Summitt via CNN.com
From the CNN iReport, which brings us good news: Christina Summitt works three jobs, trying to support her three step-children, as well as her work in dog rescue. Her own dog, Tucker, a Great Dane-Black Lab mix, is never far from her thoughts. He recently swallowed a plastic ball, and she knew he’d need surgery to remove it, but the estimated cost was $2,700.
Continue reading Tucker Receives Random Act of Huge Kindness →

Health, Welcome

Xylitol Warning

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My local news last night reported on a pet ferret that got into a pack of sugar-free gum and died from eating the Xylitol it contained.  This seemed kind of far-fetched to me, so I checked it out.  Turns out this very common sugar-substitute is indeed fatal to animals.  I know my dogs have gotten into my purse to pull out gum before, but they are so big, I guess it wasn’t enough to hurt them. 

The Knowles Animal Clinic in Miami has this to say on the subject:

“Xylitol is a sugar alcohol that is used in sugar-free products such as gum and candy, as well as for baking and is used in the production of certain low-carbohydrate products now on the market.

As early as the 1960’s, experiments indicated a link between the ingestion of xylitol
and hypoglycemia in dogs. However, it has only been recently that the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center has begun to receive reports of xylitol toxicosis in dogs. It is believed that this recent rise is likely due to the increased use of products containing xylitol in the United States.”

 

When a dog eats Xylitol, it causes a huge insulin rush, throwing the dog into a coma similar to how a diabetic ends up when his blood sugar gets too low.  In as little as 30 minutes, your dog may begin to show the symptoms such as : 

  •  

    • Weakness

    • Vomiting

    • Ataxia (uncoordinated movements)

    • Depression

    • Hypokalemia (decreased potassium)

    • Seizures

    • Coma

    • Liver dysfunction and/or failure

                              Pretty scary stuff!

  

So, until next time, keep that sugar-free candy and gum away from all of your pets.

 

Good day, and good dog!