Animal Poison Control: Side-Stepping Tragedy

Voice of Experience- Roach Bait is Peanut-Butter Flavored and Smells Yummy to Dogs

If you're an animal lover, there's two things you might want to keep handy: the number to the National Animal Poison Control Center (University of Illinois) at 1-800-548-2423 and a bottle of ordinary 3% hydrogen peroxide like you buy at any drug store, in case you are instructed to make your animal throw up (amount depend on the dog's weight, breed and health). For some poisons, throwing up may not be the right thing to do, so call first. There is a fee for the service but they are actual on-site vets and let you make follow-up calls.

My Shelties and I tried out this service this afternoon when I returned from a meeting to discover them snacking on a package of roach baits I didn't put up high enough in the kitchen (I was going to put the baits out tonight). That's how I learned about the peanut butter thing and the peroxide.

We had a fun session in the back yard on lead tossing up whole wheat bagels soaked with peroxide and the remains of the baits. Smokey was the main culprit, a good thing since he's a heavyweight compared to my old lady Lacey. They tell me he will metabolize the poison and should be OK. I have a 24 hour watch and know the signs and symptoms to look out for. We had some animal-loving angel watching out over our household this afternoon, I'll tell you!

Someone's Killing Our Pets

Someone's killing our pets, and I'm damned angry about it.

In case you've been living under a rock, the company Menu Foods has been recalling pet food right and left along with some other manufacturer's products because they have been contaminated with a poison or more likely poisons that are killing cats and dogs at a much higher rate than the "official" death toll of 16.

How do I know this? I've been following the reports in the news, that's how. Numbers are put at least in the hundreds if not thousands, with many more being affected with renal failure that will shorten their lives. My heart aches at all the deaths and the bereaved owners, many now blaming themselves for feeding their pets poison when all they were trying to do was take care of them the best they could.

So far the smoking gun points squarely at China, source of the wheat gluten suspected of being the primary contaminated ingredient, but there may well be more. Not all animals are having signs of renal failure. There have been reports of pancreatitis and liver failure as well. The recalls may spread from just wet and foil pouch food to dry, sending many of us into a frantic search for a pet food that doesn't contain wheat gluten or hasn't been manufactured by Menu Foods.

One good thing that is coming from all this - people are looking at labels now and insisting on an explanation for the piss-poor ingredients in our pet food. Another is that people are looking to the FDA for more oversight on our food supply in general and testing in specific.

It is possible to feed a raw diet as well as cooking at home for the pet. Google around for recipes and instructions but remember that cats and dogs need specific (and different) nutrients to have a balanced diet. Be sure the web sites you visit take that into account. Canned tuna as a diet for your kitty can have disastrous consequences long term. Your best bet may be to contact your vet or failing that a good book on the subject.

Let's not let up the pressure on our elected and appointed officials and local and national news agencies so we get to the bottom of this. Our pets deserve no less.