The Bad Foods For Dogs List

This page is a list of common foods that are bad or poisonous for your dog. If you suspect that your dog might have eaten any food that might be toxic, contact his/her vet immediately.

Kissing bugs (Triatoma) and the skin

Kissing bugs (Family Reduviidae) can be the source of nocturnal dermatologic wounds in the mid to southern latitudes in the United States. The insects are obligate blood feeders and though the bites may be asymptomatic, a variety of dermatologic eruptions or death from anaphylaxis can result. The various dermatologic forms of the bite can be mistaken for herpes zoster, erythema multiforme and the ubiquitous catch-all diagnoses of "spider-bite."

Triatoma are predominantly nocturnal and feed off of a sleeping person's exposed human body parts.

Typically, they position themselves next to the recumbent human, rather than on top of the host, to feed with the proboscis being the only contacting body part. Subjects describe the bite of Triatoma as virtually painless with a slight tingling sensation.

In laboratory observations, the insects fed for 8 to 15 minutes on humans before repletion and interfeeding duration was typically 3 weeks. However, the insects were able to survive 3 to 6 months between meals.

Firefighters' latest gear: pet oxygen masks

Fire helmet? Check. Gloves? Check. Axe? Check. Pet oxygen masks? Check.

Increasingly, little oxygen masks for pets are becoming standard equipment for firefighters. Hoping to save cats, dogs and other pets caught in house fires, animal advocacy groups and pet-products suppliers are equipping departments all over the country with them.

The cone-shaped plastic masks, which come in three sizes and fit snugly on snouts, can resuscitate animals suffering from smoke inhalation. They can be used on dogs, cats, ferrets, rabbits, guinea pigs, even birds.

"In the past, we used regular air masks like the firefighters use. In a pinch, it works," said Norman Flanders, fire chief in this small Vermont town, which was given a set of pet masks by a local animal welfare group Tuesday. "But these masks are designed specifically to fit over the muzzle of a cat or a dog."

Spiders prefer malaria-infested mosquitoes

Scientists say East African spiders could help control lethal disease

A jumping spider in East Africa is known to crave mosquitoes engorged with blood. Now scientists find the spider prefers a particular type of them—mosquitoes infested with the deadly malaria parasite.

These predatory spiders could help control the lethal disease, scientists say. Malaria leads to more than one million deaths per year worldwide, mostly children.

"My dream would be that people could be educated to recognize this little animal and not kill it when found inside houses, as it often is, apparently in search of food," behavioral ecologist Ximena Nelson at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, told LiveScience. "If these spiders are left in these houses, they may diminish the number of blood-fed mosquitoes leaving the house, and thus prevent someone else from becoming infected."

Fat dog will return to its owners

Two brothers penalised by a court for allowing their pet Labrador to get too fat are hoping to be reunited with the dog later in the week.

Derek Benton, 62, and his brother David, 53, were convicted of causing unnecessary suffering after a trial at Ely Magistrates' Court, Cambridgeshire.

The brothers, who received conditional discharges, are allowed to have Rusty back if he is properly cared for.

Rusty ballooned to 11 stone (69.8kg) at the Bentons' home in Fordham, Cambs.

Scourge Of Early Mexico: Spain, Or Rats?

Mexicans have long been taught to blame diseases brought by the Spaniards for wiping out most of their Indian ancestors. But recent research suggests things may not be that simple.

While the initial big die-offs are still blamed on the Conquistadors who started arriving in 1519, even more virulent epidemics in 1545 and 1576 may have been caused by a native blood-hemorrhaging fever spread by rats, Mexican researchers say.

The idea has sparked heated debate in Mexican academic circles.

Mystery as thousands of birds fall from sky

THOUSANDS of birds have fallen from the skies over Esperance (Australia)and no one knows why.
Is it an illness, toxins or a natural phenomenon? A string of autopsies in Perth have shed no light on the mystery.

All the residents of flood-devastated Esperance know is that their "dawn chorus" of singing birds is missing.

The main casualties are wattle birds, yellow-throated miners, new holland honeyeaters and singing honeyeaters, although some dead crows, hawks and pigeons have also been found.

Wildlife officers are baffled by the "catastrophic" event, which the Department of Environment and Conservation said began well before last week's freak storm.

On Monday, Esperance, 725km southeast of Perth, was declared a natural disaster zone.

District nature conservation co-ordinator Mike Fitzgerald said the first reports of birds dropping dead in people's yards came in three weeks ago. More than 500 deaths had since been notified. But the calls stopped suddenly last week, reportedly because no birds were left.

"It's very substantial. We estimate several thousand birds are dead, although we don't have a clear number because of the large areas of bushland," Mr Fitzgerald said.
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Scientists baffled by U.S. stranding of dolphins

Scientists are struggling to explain the stranding of 31 dolphins and a pilot whale off the coast of Massachusetts since the start of the year, including some found with brain deformities or chronic diseases.

Eight Atlantic White-sided dolphins were found on Tuesday, following 23 dolphins, a pilot whale and a seal discovered since January 1 in the hook-shaped Cape Cod region and its maze of sandbars and marshes that are a magnet for tourists in summer.

The number is unusually high, according to the Cape Cod Stranding Network that oversees rescue efforts. It typically averages 200 rescues a year, compared to 31 rescues performed in the last 10 days alone.

At least 14 of the dolphins have died, including two which were euthanized, the network said. The strandings involved Atlantic White-sided dolphins and so-called common dolphins, neither of which are endangered.

Fido's little helper

THEY are the new "Prozac Nation": cats, dogs, birds, horses and an assortment of zoo animals whose behavior has been changed, whose anxieties and fears have been quelled and whose owners' furniture has been spared by the use of antidepressants. Over the last decade, Prozac, Buspar, Amitriptyline, Clomicalm — clomipromine that is marketed expressly for dogs — and other drugs have been used to treat inappropriate, destructive and self-injuring behavior in animals.

It's not a big nation yet. But "over the past five years, use has gone up quite a bit," said veterinarian Richard Martin of the Brentwood Pet Clinic in West Los Angeles. Half a decade ago, no more than 1% of his patients were on antidepressants. Now, Martin estimates that 5% of the 8,000 cats and dogs seen at the clinic are taking drugs for their behavior.

The use of antidepressants is another example of the growing sophistication of medical care available to animals and willingly financed by owners who see pets as cherished companions. For these owners, drug therapy is not just another indulgence like Louis Vuitton carriers and day spas for the pampered pet. In their eyes, medication is urgent. Indeed, the new Prozac Nation is not populated with the worried well of the animal kingdom; it's filled with animals behaving so badly they're in danger of being cast off to a shelter and, possibly, a death sentence.

FDA Approves the First Drug for Obese Dogs

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the approval of Slentrol (dirlotapide), a prescription drug for the management of obesity in dogs. Slentrol reduces appetite and fat absorption to produce weight loss. A veterinarian will determine whether the dog should be treated, based on the dog's weight and general health.

"This is a welcome addition to animal therapies, because dog obesity appears to be increasing," said Stephen Sundlof, D.V.M., Ph.D., director of FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine. "Veterinarians are well aware that overweight pets are at a higher risk of developing various health problems, from cardiovascular conditions to diabetes to joint problems."

World's Tallest Man Saves Ailing Dolphins

The long arms of the world's tallest man reached in and saved two dolphins by pulling out plastic from their stomachs, state media and an aquarium official said Thursday.

The dolphins got sick after nibbling on plastic from the edge of their pool at an aquarium in Liaoning province. Attempts to use surgical instruments to remove the plastic failed because the dolphins' stomachs contracted in response to the instruments, the China Daily newspaper reported.

Veterinarians then decided to ask for help from Bao Xishun, a 7-foot-9 herdsman from Inner Mongolia with 41.7-inch arms, state media said. Bao, 54, was confirmed last year by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's tallest living man.

Over 1,000 Mallard Ducks Die in Idaho

More than 1,000 mallard ducks have died along a single creek in southern Idaho, and officials on Wednesday tested tissue samples to find out why.

The symptoms _ lesions in the lungs and hemorrhaging in the heart wall _ likely point to a bacterial infection, not avian flu, said Dave Parrish, regional supervisor for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.

State wildlife biologists and U.S. Department of Homeland Security investigators were not ruling out any cause of death.

The Puppy Love Project

The Puppylove Project asked 36 designers and artists to create something unique from a plasticene model of a bulbous-nosed, short-legged canine. The resulting brood will be auctioned beginning December 6, with 100% of the proceeds going to the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.

A tour of the kennel reveals puppies who are furry, fancy, and floral. One doggie called Charlie boasts over 500 Swarovski crystals and 1,000 sticks. Another, dubbed PFLIP, is festooned with computer hardware and electronic components. The appropriately named Goldy flaunts an entire coat of 24K gold leaf. You wouldn't want to leave these pups at the dog park.

Find your favorite, download a bid form, and you just may win a new baby to snuggle with by the fire while helping to fight cancer. And remember: You don't have to pick up after a plastic pooch.

Cats Can Succumb To Feline Alzheimer's Disease

Aging cats can develop a feline form of Alzheimer's disease, a new study reveals. Scientists at the Universities of Edinburgh, St Andrews, Bristol and California have identified a key protein which can build up in the nerve cells of a cat's brain and cause mental deterioration.

In humans with Alzheimer's disease, this protein creates 'tangles' inside the nerve cells which inhibit messages being processed by the brain. The team says that the presence of this protein in cats is proof that they too can develop this type of disease.

By carrying out post-mortem examination of cats which have succumbed naturally to the disease, scientists may now be able to uncover vital clues about how the condition develops. This may eventually help scientists to come up with possible treatments.

Exotic Pets in U.S. May Pose Health Risk

Exotic animals captured in the wild are streaming across the U.S. border by the millions with little or no screening for disease, leaving Americans vulnerable to a virulent outbreak that could rival a terrorist act.

Demand for such wildlife is booming as parents try to get their kids the latest pets fancied by Hollywood stars and zoos and research scientists seek to fill their cages.

More than 650 million critters _ from kangaroos and kinkajous to iguanas and tropical fish _ were imported legally into the United States in the past three years, according to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service documents obtained by The Associated Press under the Freedom of Information Act.