Recently in Pets and holidays Category

The veterinarians at the Pet Poison Helpline are reminding pet owners about some of the hazards to pets during the Easter season.

Here's one I really wasn't aware of:

"Unbeknownst to many pet owners, Easter lilies are highly toxic to cats," said Ahna Brutlag, DVM, assistant director at Pet Poison Helpline. "All parts of the Easter lily plant are poisonous -- the petals, the leaves, the stem and even the pollen. Cats that ingest as few as one or two leaves, or even a small amount of pollen while grooming their fur, can suffer severe kidney failure."

In most situations, symptoms of poisoning will develop within six to 12 hours of exposure. Early signs include vomiting, loss of appetite, lethargy and dehydration. Symptoms worsen as kidney failure develops. Some cats will experience disorientation, staggering and seizures.

"There is no effective antidote to counteract lily poisoning, so the sooner you can get your cat to the veterinarian, the better his chances of survival will be," said Brutlag. "If you see your cat licking or eating any part of an Easter lily, call your veterinarian or the Pet Poison Helpline immediately. If left untreated, his chances of survival are low."

Chocolate is another seasonal hazard, with the hotline saying calls about dogs poisoned by chocolate increase by nearly 200 percent during the week of Easter.

Find out more on the group's website.

Or check out the site's new "Ask-the-Vet" videos on keeping pets safe from toxins inside and outside the home.


The phone # is 800-213-6680 and there is a one-time $35 consultation fee per incident, which also covers followup calls.

The Palos Verdes/South Bay Audubon Society has issued a public awareness notice about that plastic Easter "grass" that comes in all the baskets and winds up in many Easter egg hunts.

It seems that the grass can be picked up by Bluebirds and other cavity nesters such as Tree

Swallows that build their nests out of grass.

They weave it into their nests, but the material can be dangerous to adults and chicks alike. Birds get tangled in the strong plastic grass and get trapped, unable to leave the nest to feed or fly away.





If you want to help spread the word about this little-known danger, here's how you can help:

Now in its third year, the Bluebird Nest Box Project has first-hand experience with this danger, especially in the spring. Our nest box monitors have continually removed strands that have been woven into the nests, as well as picked up and disposed of in clusters found on the ground.

This year, in an attempt to educate the public about this danger, we're working with the staff at Harbor (Ken Malloy - Regional) Park to get the word out. We've created an informational flier on poles and picnic tables, and the nest box monitors will be giving them to park visitors during our weekly nest box checks.

The flier is available on our website at:

http://pvsb-audubon.org/bluebirdproject.html or click here.

You can help by either passing the word to family and friends or by joining the group at Harbor Park to hand out fliers. Go to the website for contact information.

And if you see the plastic grass lying in a park or your yard, pick it up!

Here's another article on the topic.

Bluebirds are pictured below.

The pet industry has all kinds of fun gifts  you can get for your pets to celebrate Valentine's Day. 

That's right, email them in.

Your dogs in antlers, cats in Santa hats. Guinea pigs in tiny strings of glittery garland or sporting a New Year's eve party hat. Horses in jingle bell harnesses.

Or maybe dressing dogs up in silly clothes and headgear isn't your thing. It can be frivolous, we know. Your tastes may be more subdued and understated.

We understand. Costumes and goofy props are not required. We can do dignified.

Perhaps just a simple bandana, or a backdrop or wintery setting -- a nice snow scene works for us -- that's kind of seasonal. It may -- or may not -- quietly (or noisily) reflect a particular holiday, whether it be Christmas, Hanukkah or New Year's.  

 

We'll post the photos here. 

Yes, that's right. Your pet can have the thrill of being featured here at the Daily Breeze's South Bay Pets blog. The invitation remains open through New Year's week.

And don't forget to include some information about your pet.

Send photos and text to:

donna.littlejohn@dailybreeze.com or

josh.grossberg@dailybreeze.com.

We sit here, waiting .....

 

 

(See the post below.)

You can get some photo ideas from the Border Collies in Need site as well.

 

 

 

Silly. But just what you need on a Monday.

I had to pick up a refill of medicine for Tess this morning at my veterinarian's office and while I was waiting, one of the front counter gals asked how the new cat, Annie, was doing with the border collies. 

Yes, it's true. Rascal, the certified World's Ugliest Dog, has released a holiday video.

The squinty, 7-pound Chinese Crested even has some backup singers.

Rascal -- who hails from Sunnyvale -- has also appeared in movies and on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

But the carol singing is special. Play it for your dogs one night.

 

 

You're probably pretty bored with turkey sandwiches by now.

So here's the good news if you still have left-overs: You can turn them into dog treats!

Check out this recipe for Turkey Dog Treats.

 

Your dog will love you.

 

 

Yeah, I know. We should have posted this yesterday.

But did you know there were dogs aboard the Mayflower? (Why is the associated smell the first thought that comes to my mind?)

I got to thinking about the Mayflower dogs this week since I've been reading Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community and War in which author Nathaniel Philbrick mentions the dogs early on. 

From the opening pages of the book:

     For 65 days, the Mayflower had blundered her way through   storms and headwinds, her bottom a shaggy pelt of seaweed and barnacles, her leaky decks spewing salt water onto her passengers' devoted heads. There were 102 of them -- 104 if you counted the two dogs: a spaniel and a giant, slobbery mastiff.

According to an article at ancestry.com (thanks to Horst Hoefinger over at Dogster for the link) there are records of at least two dogs that participated in the settling of Plymouth Colony:

(Edward Winslow, writing in 1622) tells us a mastiff and a spaniel were involved in the first explorations of discovery on Cape Cod and activities of homebuilding during the first winter ashore. Although there may have been other pets aboard Mayflower during her historic voyage, they are not mentioned. ...

So there you go. It's belated, but we hope you all had a wonderful holiday!