Dog Training Nuggets Blog

Coming home with a puppy is a wondrous feeling. This cute little being arouses a storm of emotions in most of us. Congratulations to the start of another kind of life!

On Snopes.com I found this article. Beware, dog owners!!

This week I had the first case in history of raisin toxicity ever
seen at MedVet. My patient was a 56-pound, 5 yr old male neutered
lab mix that ate half a canister of raisins sometime between 7:30
AM and 4:30 PM on Tuesday.  He started with vomiting, diarrhea and
shaking about 1AM on Wednesday but the owner didn’t call my
emergency service until 7AM.

I had heard somewhere about raisins AND grapes causing acute Renal
failure but hadn’t seen any formal paper on the subject. We had her
bring the dog in immediately. In the meantime, I called the ER
service at MedVet, and the doctor there was like me - had heard
something about it, but….Anyway, we contacted the ASPCA National
Animal Poison Control Center and they said to give IV fluids at 1 ½
times maintenance and watch the kidney values for the next 48-72
hours.

The dog’s BUN (blood urea nitrogen level) was already at 32
(normal less than 27) and creatinine over 5 (1.9 is the high end of
normal). Both are monitors of kidney function in the bloodstream.
We placed an IV catheter and started the fluids. Rechecked the
renal values at 5 PM and the BUN was over 40 and creatinine over 7
with no urine production after a liter of fluids.  At the point I
felt the dog was in acute renal failure and sent him on to MedVet
for a urinary catheter to monitor urine output overnight as well as
overnight care.

He started vomiting again overnight at MedVet and his renal values
have continued to incr ease daily. He produced urine when given
lasix as a diuretic. He was on 3 different anti-vomiting
medications and they still couldn’t control his vomiting. Today his
urine output decreased again , his BUN was over 120, his creatinine
was at 10, his phosphorus was very elevated and his blood pressure,
which had been staying around 150, skyrocketed to 220.. He
continued to vomit and the owners elected to euthanize.

This is a very sad case - great dog, great owners who had no idea
raisins could be a toxin. Please alert everyone you know who has a
dog of this very serious risk. Poison control said as few as 7
raisins or grapes could be toxic. Many people I know give their
dogs grapes or raisins as treats including our ex-handler’s. Any
exposure should give rise to immediate concern.”

Laurinda Morris, DVM
Danville Veterinary Clinic
Danville , Ohio

Original article here: http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/raisins.asp

A dog’s life runs through different stages of “social ages”. It looks something like this:

0-1 year:  Puppy and youngster; plays with everything and everyone. Tests their language. What is what?

1-2 years:  The young dog has gained a little more integrity, they might dare snarling and stand up against another dog

2-4 years:  Begins to need more space. The bitch snarls at male dogs Begins to be more thorough and polite when they meet other dogs. Social politeness becomes very important. They demand to be listened to. Conflicts are not unusual. Can be harsh in contacts with puppys and youngsters.

4-6 years:  The dog begins to realize that many other dogs are younger, real urchins totally impossible to talk to. They seem to think: “In my days it was different….”

6-8 years:  The dog matures, becomes much more tolerant and doesn’t get easily angry. She is good at signalling: “I don’t wish to fight you”

8-  years:  From now on you can in most cases look forward to a calm relationship. You know each other well, and the dog is grown up and tolerant.

A healthy dog who gets its needs fulfilled develops like above, in general.

How about us??

This means that, in the wilds, a dog needs to cooperate with others dogs -  the pack -  for its survival. And in order to survive the individual must follow the “rules and laws” of the pack.

ADSENSE 

This is, among other things, why the dog is the most social, loved and common pet. Her instinctive will to work in the pack/family  makes her, compared to most other animals, easier to teach a behaviour that we consider important and enjoyable.

The pack meets a lot of basic needs for the individual dog. The pack community provides for example food, company, safety, warmth, body contact, play and physical as well as mental activity. The dog thinks of her owner and his/her family as her pack. Therefore, it’s our responsibility as pack leader to see to our dog’s basic needs - physically as well as mentally.

A puppy should not be left alone from her pack (you!) in more than very short periods. Even an adult dog should not have to be alone more than max. 4 hrs a day. They need to be able to be with her pack most of the day, in order to fullfill her need of company and to stay mentally healthy.

Can you fulfill this, and the dog’s other needs 24/7 for the next, say, 10 years? If that’s the case, you can look forward to a fun and stimulating - and at times troublesome! - time.

As a dog owner!