Foods You Should Avoid Feeding Your Dog

Some foods which are edible for humans, and even other species of animals, can pose hazards for dogs because of their different metabolism. Some may cause only mild digestive upsets, whereas, others can cause severe illness, and even death. The following common food items should not be fed (intentionally or unintentionally) to dogs. This list is, of course, incomplete because we can not possibly list everything your dog should not eat.

Items to avoid Reasons to avoid:

Alcoholic beverages Can cause intoxication, coma, and death.

Avocado The leaves, seeds, fruit, and bark contain persin, which can cause vomiting and diarrhea.

Bones from fish, poultry, or other meat sources Can cause obstruction or laceration of the digestive system.

Cat food Generally too high in protein and fats.

Chocolate, coffee, tea, and other caffeine Contain caffeine, theobromine, or theophylline, which can cause vomiting and diarrhea and be toxic to the heart and nervous systems.

Citrus oil extracts Can cause vomiting.

Fat trimmings Can cause pancreatitis.

Fish (raw, canned or cooked) If fed exclusively or in high amounts can result in a thiamine (a B vitamin) deficiency leading to loss of appetite, seizures, and in severe cases, death.

Grapes, raisins and currants Contain an unknown toxin, which can damage the kidneys. There have been no problems associated with grape seed extract.

Hops Unknown compound causes panting, increased heart rate, elevated temperature, seizures, and death.

Human vitamin supplements containing iron Can damage the lining of the digestive system and be toxic to the other organs including the liver and kidneys.

Macadamia nuts Contain an unknown toxin, which can affect the digestive and nervous systems and muscle.

Marijuana Can depress the nervous system, cause vomiting, and changes in the heart rate.

Milk and other dairy products Some adult dogs and cats may develop diarrhea if given large amounts of dairy products.

Moldy or spoiled food, garbage Can contain multiple toxins causing vomiting and diarrhea and can also affect other organs.

Mushrooms Can contain toxins, which may affect multiple systems in the body, cause shock, and result in death.

Onions and garlic (raw, cooked, or powder) Contain sulfoxides and disulfides, which can damage red blood cells and cause anemia. Cats are more susceptible than dogs. Garlic is less toxic than onions.

Persimmons Seeds can cause intestinal obstruction and enteritis.

Pits from peaches and plums Can cause obstruction of the digestive tract.

Raw eggs Contain an enzyme called avidin, which decreases the absorption of biotin (a B vitamin). This can lead to skin and hair coat problems. Raw eggs may also contain Salmonella.

Raw meat May contain bacteria such as Salmonella and E. coli, which can cause vomiting and diarrhea.

Rhubarb leaves Contain oxalates, which can affect the digestive, nervous, and urinary systems.

Salt If eaten in large quantities it may lead to electrolyte imbalances.

String Can become trapped in the digestive system; called a "string foreign body."

Sugary foods Can lead to obesity, dental problems, and possibly diabetes mellitus.

Table scraps (in large amounts) Table scraps are not nutritionally balanced. They should never be more than 10% of the diet. Fat should be trimmed from meat; bones should not be fed.

Tobacco Contains nicotine, which affects the digestive and nervous systems. Can result in rapid heart beat, collapse, coma, and death.

Yeast dough Can expand and produce gas in the digestive system, causing pain and possible rupture of the stomach or intestines.

Xylitol (artificial sweetener) Can cause very low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), which can result in vomiting, weakness and collapse. In high doses can cause liver failure.

Help Twizzler - 11 wk kitten, blind from reaction to anesthesia during spay surgery

Rescuing an animal can be the best decision you have ever made!

Did you know nearly 4 million adoptable dogs are put to sleep each year because they cannot find a home.

Choosing a rescue animal over a purchased one will not solve the pet overpopulation problem, only responsible pet owners and breeders can do that,  But it does give many animals a chance they otherwise would not have had. Beyond doing a “good deed”, adopting a Rescue dog can be the best decision and addition to the family you ever made!

Have you heard of 'Black Dog Syndrome?'

Rescue organizations across America claim that black dogs and cats are last to be adopted and are more likely to be euthanized. Contrary to Ordinary–an organization devoted to rescuing black dogs–has dubbed this phenomenon "black dog syndrome."

Reasons Black Animals are Left Behind

No scientific studies have been done to determine the cause of this phenomenon. It is likely that many factors are at work. Perhaps one of the key reasons is that photographs of black dogs and cats do not show up as well online. As more and more potential pet owners search for their pets on the Internet rather than face-to-face, black animals, which don't have features that stand out and are not as visible, are quickly passed by on an Internet search.

Even face-to-face in a shelter, people are drawn to the animals that stand out to them right away. Black animals tend to fade into the background with the poor lighting and crowded conditions found in many animal shelters.

Superstition may be another factor. Although people may not claim to be superstitious about black animals, they still may be influenced by movies, TV shows, and books that portray black cats and dogs as villainous or cruel. Large, black dogs can also seem more threatening than other dogs.

Are Black Animals Actually Less Likely to be Adopted?

There is no proof that black cats and dogs suffer because of their coloration. No scientific study has been done to determine the legitimacy of the phenomenon. Shelter employees across the country, however, have noticed that their black animals stay longer than others.

It is possible that shelters are seeing more black animals for longer because there simply are more black animals around. Siamese cats, a very common breed, tend to produce black kittens when mixed with other breeds. Black Labrador retrievers and black pit bulls are common breeds that often end up in shelters.

Anecdotal evidence from shelters does seem to indicate that people overlook black dogs, however. There is no way of knowing if this is truly the case unless a controlled study is done, but the available evidence does seem to support the theory.

Solutions for "Black Dog Syndrome"

Whether black cats and dogs have a harder time getting adopted or not, many shelters have special programs for their black animals to find them homes. Some shelters offer discounts on adoption fees for their black animals. Others photograph them with costumes on to make them stand out online.

The best way to ensure that black dogs and cats get good homes is to encourage anyone searching for a pet to look carefully at the black animals and to pay attention to personality rather than looks. Potential pet owners should also visit animals in person and be careful not to ignore the black cats and dogs available for adoption.

Read more at Suite101: Are Black Dogs and Cats Less Likely to Be Adopted? http://petcare.suite101.com/article.cfm/the-plight-of-black-animals-in-shelters#ixzz0u4lOMw2l

Cat & Kitten Adoption Fees Reduced!

All cat and kitten adoption fees have been reduced to $75 each!! This includes spay/neuter surgery, 2 distemper shots and deworming.

How can you resist a face like this?!

See all of our available cats and kittens here.

If You Love Animals, Why Not Foster a Dog?

If you love animals, why not donate your time by fostering a dog? PAWS and other rescues look towards foster parents as a means to rescue as many needy dogs as possible. Foster parents step in once the dog has been rescued by welcoming these abandoned dogs into their home. The foster family does not merely serve as a kennel for the dog; great foster families treat these dogs as a part of their own family, loving them, training them and nurturing them back to health, if necessary.

The process is simple. A family interested in fostering a dog would need to contact PAWS and fill out a foster application. The reason for the application is to determine if the family is prepared to handle an abandoned dog. When the dog is rescued, he/she is given an examination by a veterinarian to determine his/her overall health. Then, foster parents on file are contacted to see if they have room at that time to take in this new dog. Once a foster family has been located, the dog is brought over to see how well he gets along with the new family and any other pets the family may already have. If things go well, the foster family takes in the new dog until he is ready to be permanently adopted by another family.

PAWS pays for any medical bills the dog may have (including treatments for any disease or injury), including spays/neuters, examinations and treatments. Since the foster family is the best source of information as to the dog’s temperament and character, they usually play a vital role in the adoption process.

While there is no payment for fostering a dog, the joy of nurturing a formerly unwanted dog into a lovable and happy dog is priceless. Not only do foster families house the dogs, they provide a warm home for the dogs to feel safe in, a loving family for the dogs to feel secure with and a sense of happiness for the dogs to be grateful for.

Pet Overpopulation

Pet overpopulation is a huge problem all over the country. The simple truth is there are too many homeless dogs and not enough good homes. Having our pets altered is a solid and effective defense against overpopulation in that it places few and fewer offspring in kill-shelters. Below are a few of the grisly statistics compiled by national publications and animal rights organizations.
If we are aware of the problem, perhaps we can be part of the solution.

• It costs U.S. taxpayers an estimated $2 billion each year to round up, house, kill, and dispose of homeless animals. (USA Today)
• Over 56% of dogs and puppies entering shelters are killed, based on reports from over 1,055 facilities across America. (National Counsel on Pet Population Study)
• An estimated 5 million cats and dogs are killed in shelters each year. That's one about every six and one half seconds. (The Humane Society of the United States) Millions more are abandoned, only to suffer from illness or injury before dying. (Doris Day Animal League)
• In six years one unspayed female and her offspring, can reproduce 67,000 dogs (Spay USA)
• The perceived high cost of altering is not the problem, but the lack of education on its benefits. On average it costs approximately $100 to capture, house, feed and eventually kill a homeless animal - a cost that ultimately comes out of our pocket. Low cost spay/neuter services are far below that amount. (Doris Day Animal League)
• The cost of having a pregnant female can be much higher than the cost of spaying
• Seven dogs & cats are born every day for each person born in the U.S. Of those, only 1 in 5 puppies and kittens say in their original home for their natural lifetime. The remaining 4 are abandoned to the streets or end up at a shelter (The Humane Society of the United States)
• Each day 10,000 humans are born in the U.S. and each day 70,000 puppies and kittens are born. As long as these birth rates exist, there will never be enough homes for all the animals (Spay USA)
• The public acquires only 14% of its pets from shelters; 48% get their pets as strays, from friends, from animal rescuers, 38% get their pets from breeders or pet stores (The Humane Society of the United States)
• In a study of relinquishment of cats and dogs in 12 U.S. animal shelters, 30% of the surrendered dogs were purebreds. The same study indicated that 55% of the surrendered dogs and 47% of the surrendered cats were unaltered. (Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science)

The Humane Society of the United States provided these statistics:

• Number of cats and dogs entering shelters each year: 8–10 million (HSUS estimate)
• Number of cats and dogs euthanized by shelters each year:4–5 million (HSUS estimate)
• Number of cats and dogs adopted from shelters each year: 3–5 million (HSUS estimate)
• Number of cats and dogs reclaimed by owners from shelters each year:  Between 600,000 and 750,000—15–30% of dogs and 2–5% of cats entering shelters (HSUS estimate)
• Number of animal shelters in the United States: Between 4,000 and 6,000 (HSUS estimate)
• Percentage of dogs in shelters who are purebred:  25% (HSUS estimate)
• Average number of litters a fertile dog can produce in one year: 2
• Average number of puppies in a canine litter: 6–10

Adopting a Dog - The First 7 Days

Click here to check out this article aimed at helping potential adopters realize how rewarding adopting a rescue dog can be!

The Importance of Spaying/Neutering Your Pets

Anyone who adopts a pet from PAWS Rescue will have one very important thing accomplished - their pet will already be spayed or neutered.  Spaying and neutering animals is a very important process for pet owners. The most obvious benefit for spaying and neutering is avoiding unwanted litters.  The Humane Society of the U.S. estimates that between 6 - 8 million homeless animals enter shelters across the U.S. every year.  This is a result of irresponsible pet owners refusing to spay or neuter their animals resulting in massive over population.  

Aside from the very obvious reason to prevent over-population, there are several little known reasons to spay and neuter your pets.  

• Animals are more relaxed and less anxious.  Anxiety exhibits itself in animals with hyperactivity, aggression, and other common behavioral problems.  
• Increased life expectancy.  Spaying decreases uterine infection and lessens the risk of mammary cancer in females.  Neutering foils the chance of getting testicular and prostate cancer.  

A FEW FACTS ABOUT DOG BEHAVIOR:

Most bites to humans are by UN-NEUTERED MALES.

The largest percentage of roaming dogs are UN-NEUTERED MALES.

The largest incidence of dog to dog aggression is in UN-NEUTERED MALES. 

(Facts found on: http://www.diamondsintheruff.com/whyspayneuter.html)

ACCORDING TO THE HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE UNITED STATES:

• 5 million dogs and cats are killed yearly in U.S. shelters. That is 13,800 every day or 575 dogs and cats killed every hour, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
• In six years, one female dog and her off spring can theoretically be the source of 67,000 dogs.
• In seven years, one female cat and her off spring can theoretically be the source of 420,000 cats.

(Facts found on : http://community.gorge.net/prod/spayneuter.html)

In the words of Bob Barker, "Help control the pet population.  Have your pets spayed or neutered."

Just one Dog....

The story of how you can make a difference for just one dog....

What happens after adoption?

PAWS Rescue is committed to working hard and finding adoptive forever homes for all dogs we bring into our care.  We've had dogs from a few days to several months.  The time and care that we put into these animals will be most apparent when they are eventually adopted.  There will most likely be some anxiety and confusion on the part of a dog for several days until they are used to their new environment.

Adopting a dog in a big responsibility.  Are you prepared to add this responsibility to your family?  Read our article here to help you decide.  Once you have decided that you are ready for this added responsibility, there are several things you need to be prepared.  Food, bowls, a leash and collar, bed, and maybe a few toys are a necessity.  You might also consider whether a crate is needed based on the dog/puppy you are adopting.  

After your new pet is home, they will mostly likely be very confused and unsure of what is happening to them.  It is important to remain calm and loving with them while also providing them with the structure and discipline they need to know that you are going to keep them safe.   Your pet's foster family will most likely tell you what brand of food they have been eating.  We highly recommend starting them at your home with the same diet as to decrease any sickness or stomach upset that might occur.  Once your pet has had a chance to adjust, you can slowly change their diet to one that you prefer.  If your pet does get stomach upset such as vomiting and/or diarrhea, you can simply boil chicken with rice and feed them small portions until they are back to normal.

From the very beginning you want to remain consistent with your new pet.  Take them out to a regular spot to use the restroom at regular times.  Establish the rules from the beginning.  Give firm corrections but not harsh.  Giving lots of love and attention and frequent walks will help reassure your pet that you are going to take care of them and respect them and they can look up to you and feel safe.

         

Keep in mind the first few weeks of adopting a pet can be a little uneasy. Accidents will occur and things may not always go as planned, but please remember to be tolerant with your new pet. Give them at least 2-3 weeks to adjust to their new environment.  If possible seek out the services of a professional trainer to help ease the transition for both you and your new friend.  It is also uncomfortable on the pet to adjust and become familiar with a new home and owners. 

Save a life, adopt a pet!

The fun side of Adoption

Thanks to the Public Relations Class of GMU for making such a fun video and keeping our blog up to date.  Couldn't have done it without you!!

Fun Facts About Dogs

     

When you think of a dog what comes to mind? Four legs, wet nose, wagging tail? Although we have a lot in common with dogs, like both being mammals, there are also some other characteristics about “man’s best friend” that are quite interesting. For example, did you know that all dogs have three eyelids? It’s true! Their third eyelid keeps their eyes lubricated and protected from dirt. 

     Dogs are also mentioned in the bible 14 times; that’s makes them pretty popular. Another interesting fact about dogs is that their hearts beat fifty percent faster than ours. Our heart beats an average of 80 times per minute while a dog’s heart beats up to 120. No wonder why they’re always so excited. 

     A dog’s nose is the most unique part of their body. Its nose is similar to our fingerprints. You can use a dog’s nose to identify them just like our fingerprints can identify us. 

     All of these fun facts can be helpful for you to learn more about your dog. Getting to know them better will build a stronger bond between you two as well as allow you develop a better understanding of them. Be the best dog owner that you can be and don’t just see your dog as a “pet” but as a part of your family. Don’t have a dog yet? Don’t worry! The United States has the highest population of dogs in the entire world, use that towards your advantage and adopt one today!    

Bibliography:

Photos courtesy of Google images. 

"RandomHistory.com". Random Facts. March 10 2010 .

Wall, Janet. "http://www.loveyourdog.com". How to Love your Dog. March 10 2010 .

Help PAWS save those puppies!!!

PAWS along with MJ's Sanctuary in MD have been trying desperately to save dogs in Robeson County, North Carolina who are being abused and brutally killed by staff of the shelter. There have been witnesses who have seen bleach poured on sick dogs as well as tiny puppies while their mother frantically tried to save them.   Witnesses have also seen shelter staff paying strangers off the street $20 per dog for every dog they bring into the shelter.  Though gas chambers and heart-sticking are legal forms of euthanasia in North Carolina, there have been reports that this Robeson County shelter is not abiding by the regulations of heart-sticking.


When pets are considered “unadoptable,” they can be killed through heart-sticking, which is when a poison-filled syringe is stabbed through the chest of a dog and if it hits the heart, the syringe pulsates.  When the syringe pulsates, “blue juice,” technically known as sodium pentobarbital, is injected. According to regulations, these dogs are supposed to be heavily sedated during the heart-sticking procedure and these procedures are supposed to be performed by trained personnel.


Here is a video from 1997 showing this gruesome procedure being performed on conscious, non-sedated dogs and by untrained people, resulting in excruciating pain and abuse for these abandoned dogs.  After this video was made public, a law suit was filed against Robeson County and many changes took place.  However, recent eye witness accounts suggests that these practices are still in place.  


WARNING!!!  This video is very difficult to watch and is unsuitable for underage viewers.





For over a decade, Robeson County has been caught in a battle with animal protection groups nationwide due to the inhumane treatment of it's animals.  According to the North Carolina Coalition for Humane Euthanasia’s website, “More than 250,000 homeless animals are killed in North Carolina shelters each year. According to shelter records and information from employees and volunteers, the majority of animals in many shelters are not feral, sick, or injured."


While many NC shelters still use gassing as their primary form of Euthanasia, Robeson County does not use this method.  Their predominate form of euthanasia is heart-sticking.  


It is PAWS’ mission to save these dogs from these horrific conditions in Robeson County, North Carolina. Please help PAWS save these animals by donating Pennies for Puppies, or by opening your home to an abused dog that desperately needs your help.   Click here to learn more about Pennies for Puppies.

Can you help these animals?

This week a massive fire severely damaged a rural shelter in WV killing 65+ cats and dogs. The shelter is struggling to find places for the surviving animals.

Visit their website to view a listing of animals that are still searching for a place to go.

http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=14460768

If you can foster or adopt one of these animals, let us know and we can make arrangements to get the pet to you. Thanks for your generous donations and support.

PAWS made the news!!!

Shelly was interviewed along with Percy and Scout this morning on FOX 5 news in DC. It was a great opportunity for PAWS. Please spread the word how important it is to have fosters as well as donations. Because PAWS doesn't have a physical shelter we can only save as many dogs as we have foster homes.

PAWS also gets a lot of dogs that need medical treatment when they come to us. We can only help them if we have money to pay the medical bills. Donations in any amount is always appreciated.

Take a look at our video and pass it around.