If your dog or puppy should eat a christmas tree bulb, light bulb, glass shards, or other small sharp objects, immediately soak 5 to 6 cotton balls in milk (real cotton, not synthetic) and encourage your dog/pup to swallow them. Take your pet straight to the vet. In most cases your pet will not require surgery, but still need to remain under observation to make sure the glass or other object pass through. The glass or sharp objects will stick to the cotton balls as they pass through the digestive tract and in most cases will keep the objects from perforating or gouging the soft tissues of the stomach and digestive tract. The cotton balls will not digest and will pass via defecation. This is a tried and true remedy and can mean the difference between life and death to your pet!


If your dog or puppy gets overheated, do not offer him/her ice or ice water to drink. Use a cloth or sponge dipped in cool water on the inside of the back legs in the groin area to cool the body. If he/she responds fairly quickly, you can offer them small amounts of cool water to drink until they apprear normal. If your dog or pup is in shock and not responding, wrap a cool, wet towel around the hind quarters and get them to the vet right away!


If your dog or puppy has gas, try putting 1 tablespoon of plain cultured yogurt in his or her food once a day. You should notice a difference within 2 to 3 days.


If your dog or puppy drinks antifreeze, give him or her 2 tablespoons of whiskey or brandy and take them to the vet immediately! The alcohol will help neutralize the poison in the antifreeze. (This tip was given to me by my vet several years ago)
Following is a list of 5 foods that you should NOT feed your dog.

1. Alcoholic Beverages. Ethanol is the component in alcoholic beverages that can be toxic when an excessive amount is ingested. Pets are much smaller than us and can be highly affected by small amounts of alcohol. Exercise caution when drinks and pets are together. Toxicity can cause a wide variety of signs and symptoms, and may result in death. Signs may include odor of alcohol on the animal's breath, staggering, behavioral changes, excitement, depression, increased urination, slowed respiratory rate or cardiac arrest and death. 


2. Apples, Apricots, Cherries, Peaches and Plums. Ingestion of large amounts of stems, seeds and leaves of these fruits can be toxic. They contain a cyanide type compound and signs of toxicity include apprehension, dilated pupils, difficulty breathing, hyperventilation and shock.

3. Avocados . The leaves, fruit, bark and seeds of avocados have all been reported to be toxic. The toxic component in the avocado is "persin," which is a fatty acid derivative. Symptoms of toxicity include difficulty breathing, abdominal enlargement and abnormal fluid accumulations in the chest, abdomen and sac around the heart. The amount that needs to be ingested to cause symptoms is unknown. Do not feed your pet any component of the avocado. 

4. Baking Powder and Baking Soda . Baking soda and baking powder are both leavening agents. A leavening agent is a common ingredient in baked goods that produces a gas causing batter and dough to rise. Baking soda is simply sodium bicarbonate. Baking powder consists of baking soda and an acid, usually cream of tartar, calcium acid phosphate, sodium aluminum sulfate or a mixture of the three. Ingestion of large amounts of baking soda or baking powder can lead to electrolyte abnormalities (low potassium, low calcium and/or high sodium), congestive heart failure or muscle spasms. 

5. Chocolate . Chocolate, in addition to having a high fat content, contains caffeine and theobromine. These two compounds are nervous system stimulants and can be toxic to your dog in high amounts. The levels of caffeine and theobromine vary between different types of chocolate. For example, white chocolate has the lowest concentration of stimulants and baking chocolate or cacao beans have the highest concentration. Depending on the type of chocolate ingested and the amount eaten, various problems can occur. 


If your dog should happen to eat any of these foods and show symptoms of a problem, seek treatment immediately.