Hey,
Happy Wednesday!
I’ve mentioned before how there’s a national day, week or month for pretty much everything. Often, they’re just marketing gimmicks or some joke that expanded — like International Nose Picking Day, which is just around the corner (April
23rd).
But some are there to raise awareness of serious and useful matters. This is why we find ourselves 12 days into National Pet First Aid Awareness Month.
It got me thinking — which is the aim, I guess — about the edible hazards our dogs are
faced with.
You’ve got cooked bones, which are a common cause of choking — whether the remains of a delicious roast chicken dinner have been carelessly left lying around, or someone has directly fed them to a dog unaware of the risks.
Rawhide products, too, can splinter. What makes this worse is
that they become slimy and hard to grab with your fingers if they get lodged in your dog’s throat. (This is why you’ll never find rawhide products on our Best Dog Treats or Best Dental Chews lists.)
Senior dogs, some of whom are minus a few teeth, are particularly susceptible to choking because they find it harder to chew — something we take into account when picking our Best Senior Dog Foods list.
There’s poisoning, too. From casually discarded human foods like chocolate and raisins, to household cleaning products.
At this time of year, there’s an additional danger lurking: Spring bulbs and flowers. Almost all bulbs — and the flowers
that grow from them — are potentially poisonous to dogs.
I mean, all kinds of accidents can occur due to dogs' curiosity and, let’s face it, gluttony. If your dog is anything like mine, they’d literally walk over broken glass to get to a discarded pizza slice.
But would I know what to do in an emergency? Yesterday, the answer was probably no. Luckily,
the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has this very handy guide to pet first aid basics. It’s worth a
read.
I hope you and your pets stay safe.
