News From Our Farmington, Missouri Veterinary Practice

Spring is upon us, and that means spending more time outdoors! If you'll be tending to a garden thing spring season, make sure you are sticking to pet-friendly plants! There are so many different types of plants and garden items that could quickly become dangerous to your pet if ingested, so talk to us if you have any questions about your plants. We've created this guide to help you create a safe outdoor space for your furry friend to enjoy. 

 

Research Plants Before Gardening

There are so many different types of plants that can quickly become dangerous to pets, so make sure you are researching before adding something to your garden. The most common poisonous plants include:

 

- lilies

- sago palm

- tulips

- oleander

- philodendrons

- azaleas

- autumn crocus

- marijuana plants

- yew

- cyclamen

- chrysanthemum

- english ivy

 

These are just some of the most common poisonous plants for pets, but there are many others. The best way to determine if a plant is safe for pets is to research the individual plant type before adding it to your garden. Many vegetables are also poisonous to pets, such as onions, garlic, leek, and chives. Tomato plants and unripe tomatoes can also induce vomiting if ingested due to a substance called tomatine. This substance fades as tomatoes ripen, which is why it is safe for pets to eat fully developed tomatoes. Other safe garden veggies include carrots, beans, peas, celery, and zucchini.

 

Keep Pets Out of Your Garden

Another way you can make sure that your pet does not ingest any potentially harmful plant is to take measures to keep them out of your garden entirely. That could mean adding fencing, potting plants out of reach of animals, or perhaps keeping plants in a greenhouse. Raising your garden beds or using hanging baskets can also keep your pet and plants safe. 

 

Choose the Right Mulch

Some mulch can be poisonous to pets, like cocoa bean mulch. This mulch has a sweet scent that could actually attract a curious nose, but it can be deadly if ingested by your pet. Avoid using this type of mulch, and instead go for something like pine, cedar, or hemlock mulch which is not poisonous. However, still make an effort to keep your pet out of these areas because some mulch can cause internal injuries, like the pine needles in pine mulch. 

 

Fertilizers, Pesticides & Herbicides

Pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers all help our gardens thrive, but they are absolutely dangerous for your pet to ingest. If you see a pesticide warning on neighboring lawns, try not to walk your pet in those areas. Make sure you wipe their paws after coming inside from a walk to make sure you remove any traces of pesticides that they may have picked up. It is possible for your pet to lick the chemicals off their paws and get sick, but a quick cleaning can avoid this problem. When putting down fertilizer, keep your pet indoors or far away from the area. Even organic fertilizer and compost is hazardous to pets, so just try to keep your pet away from any fertilizer whenever possible. Things like decaying plants, bones, fish meal, and blood can all smell interesting to your pet, but they can cause a variety of major health emergencies if ingested. Toxins that exist in these spaces can cause poisoning and even death if consumed by your pet, so keep them far away. 

 

This spring, make sure you are gardening with your pet's safety in mind! Call our office if you have any further questions about garden safety tips for your pets. 

The first five reasons for barking are rarely the cause of excessive or annoying barking. They are usually specific to certain situations and are short-lived. The sixth and seventh reasons are those most likely to be considered problem barking, and they are not unrelated. Barking for companionship can turn into barking for reward: The dog barks to get its owner’s attention, the owner comes to the dog to tell it to be quiet, perhaps petting it or playing with it, before going away again. The dog is quiet while the owner is there, but has learned that barking will bring the owner back. Thus the system of barking and reward is established.

 

A solution, again, is to spend more time with your dog and have it near you rather than tied up somewhere separate from you. However, if your dog is separated from you and it begins to bark to get your attention, do not immediately go to the dog. It must learn that barking will not guarantee your presence. By spending more time with the dog at regular intervals not instigated by barking, your dog will feel more assured that it will get sufficient attention from you and will not have as much inclination to bark for companionship.

 

 

Teach Your Dog To Stop Barking By Understanding Prevention Steps

 

How do you teach a barking dog to distinguish between friends and strangers?

The solution is to show the dog that certain individuals like garbage collectors or the mailman are, indeed, friends. To accomplish this, the dog has to be introduced to these people and given an opportunity to get to know them. While this is not always practical, it is nonetheless a potential solution. As you restrain your dog, stop delivery people and have a short conversation with them, letting them meet the dog for a brief period. Repeat and lengthen the process over the next few weeks. Eventually, your dog should accept these individuals and all should be well until your regular mailman is sick and another person takes his place.

 

What do you do with a dog that barks at guests in your house?

One solution is to take the dog to another room and give it something to do. Or, if the guest comes to your home often and you don’t want to have to lock up the dog every time, work to gradually introduce one to the other. Have the guest get on his knees, pet the dog, offer it a treat, and more or less become part of the family. Let your dog establish the speed at which this relationship develops: Don’t force it or your dog may become alarmed by a pushy guest.

 

How do you deal with a dog that barks at the phone?

This is simply a case of a dog that has been rewarded for barking at a ringing phone. When the dog barks, someone eventually answers the phone and it stops ringing. To stop your dog from doing this, have a friend call and let the phone ring until the dog loses interest. Continue over a period of days, and in time, the dog will learn that barking at the phone accomplishes nothing.

 

Finally, what do you do with the dog that barks while you are away from home?

There are several possible solutions. One is to act as if you are leaving, then stand outside the door until the dog barks. When it does, return and scold verbally. Another is to get your dog a companion—but you might end up with two barkers! A third is to use a sound-activated tape recorder. When the dog barks, the sound switch turns on the tape recorder for a minute. The tape plays your voice scolding the dog. Some systems can repeat as many as 45 times while you are away.

 

The best way to reduce your dog’s barking is to pay attention to the reasons for the barking. If you can satisfy the dog’s needs, barking will automatically be reduced. By the same token, learned barking can be extremely persistent. Internal rewards can cause the cycle to go on for years.

 

The best solution to barking is prevention, so be aware of the possibilities and work to stop problem barking before it starts.

As the leaves begin to change colors and the weather turns cooler, there are lots of activities to enjoy with your pet. Don’t go alone – bring your best friend with you.

 

Go to an Apple Orchard

Apples are ready to be picked, so you’ll find an abundance of apple orchards to visit. Most of them allow dogs and it’s a great way to enjoy the weather together. Apples are a great treat for you to share with your pet as they clean your dog’s teeth and make their breath fresh. Just be careful with the core and seeds because they are a choking concern and toxic.

 

Go Trick-Or-Treating

Halloween isn’t just for kids – your pet looks adorable dressed up. Head out with the kids and your pets to do some trick-or-treating. Carry some extra treats with you for other animals along the way.

 

 

With summer in the air, it’s getting particularly hard for some animals to breath. This is especially the case for short-nosed – or flat-faced dogs such as the Pekingese, pug, bulldog, boxer, Shih Tzu, and Chihuahua. However, these airway problems, which are typically due to narrow nostrils, a long soft palate or collapsed voice box, can also affect our feline friends, such as Himalayans and exotic shorthairs. This condition (known as the Brachycephalic airway syndrome) is largely due to the dog or cat’s unique head shape, so there isn’t much you can do to entirely avoid it.

 

However, there are certain factors that can increase the risk and further complicate their breathing condition. These include:

 

• Allergies

• Obesity

• Over-excitement

• Exercise: Panting may also naturally increase in the summer months as the weather gets hotter and more humid.

 

Treatment options largely depend on the symptoms exhibited by your dog or cat. In some cases, surgical procedures may be your pet’s best option. So don’t let the summer heat waves stop your pet from getting a breath of fresh air. For more information about symptoms and treatments, talk to your local veterinarian.