3 posts tagged “dogs”

It’s no secret that I love dogs. I’ve got too many dogs at home as proof. Hahaha So when Seraph invited me to go to a dog show with him, of course I said yes. Since we saw the calendar event at PCCI the day before, we decided to check this out since his friend will also be there to showcase his husky.

The event was held at Marikina at an activity center right beside a hospital. I heard lots of dogs barking the moment I parked my car, I got so excited. It’s a good thing the event was held in an open space and at least there was a cool breeze that day or else the dogs might get tired out from the heat. There wasn’t a diverse breed lineup that day but at least it included beagles, chow chows and huskies. These were the breeds that I’m particularly inclined to watch.

There were so many chows and huskies and I had to stop myself from just going over to each of them and give them hugs!!! Or else I would have been kicked out of the hall. hahaha Good thing I restrained myself. One thing I observed though, the owners really took a lot of time and effort on bringing their dogs there at their best. There were some last minute grooming everywhere. The dogs were obviously trained, hmmmm if I brought my dogs there, they would’ve ran amok…being untrained. haha

The dogs competed on 3 things: form and stance, alertness and obedience. First they’ve got to be presented to the judges in their best form then they have to go around in a circle with their handlers doing a kind of gentle sprint on four legs (not a gallop or else they’d get disqualified). The judge will then test for alertness using a squeak toy and right after the dog will do a final run. Lastly, they’ll do a breed lineup where the dogs will have to hold the proper pose again.

                                  A dog has to be able to hold a pose as dictated by the handler.

                                                                   A quick sprint on four legs.
                                                                           The breed lineup.

Here are the dog breeds that we saw. We didn’t stay long though. We waited only til the huskies were shown so I never found out who came home as champs.

Chowchow

                    Of course I couldn’t resist the “butt” shot. Plus the chow with bib was just soooo adorable!

Beagle

Basenji
I’m not really familiar with this breed, but I was told that they had similarities with Egyptian dingos, that’s why they look like egyptian dogs depicted in most heiroglyphs. They were really small and wth really thin legs.

Pomeranian

                                                                         One word – Fluffy!

Keeshond

Another breed that I’m not familiar with, I love love their silver and black coat. I was told that they were originally called German Spitz, resembling a smaller cousin the Japanese Spitz.

Siberian Husky

Taking care of beagle pups can be quite a daunting task especially now that they are very active. They LOVE to play and we've scheduled playtimes for them throughout the day. During this time, the house turns into a beagle pandemonium.  We usually let them play around 2 hours before their mealtime. They have to be watched constantly because they can easily break or chew on stuff. That's why when I bought them rawhide chew toys, they got so busy chewing on them that I at least got to do the stuff that I had to do instead of just watching them all the time.

 

What is rawhide anyway? Well according to various articles I found on the net. It is made of the outerlayer of a cow hide that was dried and processed into pliable sheets that can then be shaped into a bone. The inner layer can be lined with diced up treats as a  special surprise for the dog. It contains a few calories but is never meant as a food substitute. Dogs love it because it satisfies their need to chew. However, it is not recommended to be given to dogs all the time. When it becomes too soft or too small, it has to be taken away from the dog because he might choke on it.

 

Well whoever invented it, my thanks to him. My dogs love chewing. Hehehe As you can see in the pictures below.

This was taken off http://www.dogtopics.com, for all the questions dog owners have about the toxicity of chocolate.

Why is chocolate poisonous?

The cocoa tree contains two naturally occurring substances - theobromine and caffeine - both of which are toxic to dogs. Cocoa beans contain theobromine a higher concentration than caffeine.

Dogs metabolise theobromine very slowly - it can stay in your dog's bloodstream for up to 20 hours. During that time it interferes with the body's functioning mainly stimulating the central nervous system and affecting the heart and kidneys.

What is the toxic level of theobromine?

The lethal dose for theobromine is between 100mg to 200mg per kg of bodyweight ; the lethal dose for caffeine is the same.

However, severe symptoms of theobromine poisoning may be evident at much lower doses .

According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' Animal Poison Control Center, mild signs of poisoning occur in animals ingesting 20 mg of theobromine and caffeine per kg of bodyweight, severe signs are seen at 40-50 mg/kg, and seizures occur at 60 mg/kg.

How your dog reacts to swallowing chocolate will be a function of his size, general health, sensitivity to theobromine and caffeine, and the type and quantity of chocolate eaten.

How much theobromine and caffeine is there in chocolate?

The level of theobromine and caffeine in chocolate varies between the type of chocolate, the brand and the fact that the natural occurrence of these substances in cocoa beans is variable.

Broadly:

• White chocolate - 1.1 mg of theobromine and caffeine per ounce of chocolate;
• Milk chocolate - 64 mg of theobromine and caffeine per ounce of chocolate;
• Dark sweet chocolate - 150 mg of theobromine and caffeine per ounce of chocolate;
• Instant cocoa powder - 151 mg of theobromine and caffeine per ounce of chocolate;
• Unsweetened baking chocolate - 440 mg of theobromine and caffeine per ounce of chocolate; and
• Dry coca powder - 808 mg of theobromine and caffeine per ounce of chocolate.

So how much chocolate can my dog eat?

White chocolate does not contain very much theobromine and caffeine, and your dog would need to eat a very large quantity before he would be at risk from theobromine poisoning.

Dogs get a taste for chocolate - they find the flavor of theobromine addictive. Even if your dog can eat small amounts of chocolate without any ill effect, don't give him a taste for it because he'll then try to sniff out and eat chocolate at every opportunity.

If you really want your dog to eat something that's like chocolate, you can always use carob which is a good alternative; here a link to a recipe for carob biscotti which your dog with love just as much as chocolate biscotti!

What are the signs of poisoning?

The symptoms of theobromine poisoning generally show within four to twenty four hours of your dog having eaten the chocolate.

The early symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, excessive thirst, increased urination and restlessness .

As time goes on, and your dog absorbs more theobromine into his system, symptoms such as lack of co-ordination, muscle twitching, hyperactivity, increased heart rate and raised blood pressure will be evident .

These can lead on to seizures, coma, heart arrhythmia, hyperthermia, and ultimately death .

Even if your dog eats a small amount of chocolate, he may show signs of vomiting and diarrhea due to the high fat and sugar content of the chocolate.

What do I do if my dog's eaten chocolate?

The first thing you should do is to call your vet and describe the symptoms your dog is showing (if any) and the type and quantity of chocolate your dog has, or you think he has, eaten.

Your vet will need to treat your dog, but may advise you to make your dog vomit before bringing him to the surgery. This will reduce the amount of theobromine that's in your dog's body that he can absorb.

Most dogs recover within 24 to 72 hours of treatment by their vet .