For First Time Ever, OTC Medications Top ASPCA’s List of Pet Toxins

Be sure to keep any over-the-counter medications, including herbal supplements, out of your dog’s reach. For the first time ever, these medications topped the 2015 ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) list of the 10 toxins most commonly ingested by pets.

“We’ve seen numerous new vitamins, herbal supplements and joint supplements hit the market over the last year, exposing more pets to these types of products, and more of these products to our pets,” said Dr. Tina Wismer, medical director of the APCC, in a press release.

“Just as we recommend for prescription medications, it’s crucial that pet owners keep these potentially toxic items out of their pets’ reach and keep them behind closed doors.”

Prescription drugs, which formerly held the No. 1 spot, dropped to No. 2 last year. Here’s the complete list.

1. Over-the-counter medications

More than 28,500 cases of pets ingesting these meds and supplements were reported in 2015. This includes about 7,000 items, including everything from aspirin to topical ointments.

2. Prescription medications

About 16 percent of pets who were poisoned last year ate prescribed meds intended for humans.

3. Insecticides

More than 15,000 pets ingested insect poison.

4. Food

There were more than 14,600 APCC cases of pets, mostly dogs, becoming sick after eating toxic human foods such as onions, garlic, grapes and items containing the artificial sweetener xylitol.

5. Household items

Cleaning products, fire logs and paint were the most common household items ingested by pets last year.

6. Veterinary medications

More than 7 percent of APCC’s cases last year were pets who overdosed on their own meds, especially chewable ones.

7. Chocolate

Although it seems like it should be included with No. 4, so many pets are sickened by chocolate that it got its own spot on the list. In fact,the APCC averaged more than 30 cases of chocolate poisoning a day last year.

8. Plants

About 5 percent of pets, mostly cats, were sickened by eating indoor and outdoor plants last year.

9. Rodenticides

There are more humane ways to kill rodents and save your pets, as well. In 2015 the APCC had more than 8,100 cases of pets who ingested rat poison.

10. Lawn and garden products

About 3 percent of pets ingested herbicides and fungicides.

March happens to be National Animal Poison Prevention Month, but protecting your pet from these toxins is something that needs to be done all year long.

If you think your pet may have ingested something poisonous, immediately call your veterinarian or the APCC at 888-426-4435.

Photos via Twitter; ASPCA

PetSmart Employees Apparently OK with Customer Carrying Dog by Collar

Earlier this week, a customer at a PetSmart store in Greenville, N.C., carried his puppy around by its collar, sometimes giving the dangling dog a good shake.

Perhaps taking the saying, “The customer is always right,” way too far, not a single PetSmart employee confronted the man about the abusive way he was carrying his dog.

A photo of the man holding the dog by its collar at the checkout stand is going viral. “He put the dog on the conveyor belt to have the harness rang up,” the caption says.

The photo, taken late Tuesday afternoon, was posted the next day on Facebook by Tammy Mitchell Whaley. An employee told her friend she was afraid to say anything to the man because she feared losing her job if she did so. Whaley called the store manager, who told her he didn’t know why no one reported the incident.

“This is suppose to be a place of business that cares and supports animals?” Whaley wrote.

On Thursday, Sheriff Neil Elks posted the photo on the Pitt County Sheriff Facebook page.

“Thank you for caring about our community and the people and creatures that live here,” he wrote.

“We have gotten other messages from you, the concerned public, and want you to know that this behavior is disturbing to us, as well. Because the location is in Greenville city limits, the sheriff has directed the witness to contact Greenville Animal Control.”

PetSmart has not commented on the photo. If you want to voice your concern, the corporate office can be reached by phone at 888-839-9638 or by filling out this form.

More disturbingly, Elks wrote that his department has “seen several alarming cases recently of animal abuse.”

Photo via Facebook

Dog Run Over by 13 Trains Lives to Bark About It

Loki, a 14-month-old Pit Bull/American Bulldog mix, escaped from his yard in Kuna, Idaho, the morning of Feb. 17, and wandered to the train tracks about 100 yards away.

Around 10:30 a.m., he was struck by a train. And then another. And then 11 more throughout the day.

“They hate hitting animals, but they can’t stop that train,” Loki’s dog dad, Ryan Rossi, told ABC News today. “They just considered [Loki] was dead after they hit him.”

Finally, around 4:30 p.m., the conductor of the 13th train that hit Loki saw the dog lift his head. The conductor called animal control.

Rossi and his wife, who had spent the day looking for Loki and posting Lost Dog messages on social media, got a phone call that evening that Loki had been hit by a train.

“Oh my god. It was devastating,” Rossi told KTVB.

Fearing the worst, Rossi, his wife and their two kids drove to the WestVet Animal Emergency Center.

“When we went back to say our final goodbye, he lifted his head and smiled,” Rossi told ABC News. “If he’s fighting, we’re fighting.”

Loki was laying in the middle of the train track when he was run over multiple times. “He’s not a huge dog, and so thank god he was low enough,” Rossi told KTVB.

Although he lost his rear left leg, left eye and tail, Loki is making a remarkable recovery. The Rossi family brought him home from the hospital Saturday, and by the next day, Loki was having no problem getting around on three legs.

“Every day I look at him and he’s moving more and more,” Rossi told ABC News. “He’s adapting so quickly. It’s just a miracle.”

A “Lucky Loki” GoFundMe page has been created by a family friend to help cover the cost of Loki’s surgeries. As of this morning, about $7,100 of the $10,000 goal has been raised.

Photos via Twitter; Twitter

Puppy Shot 18 Times with BB Gun Adopted by Girl Who Lost Therapy Dog

Brody, a tiny, 6-week-old Lab mix who somehow managed to survive being shot with a BB gun 18 times by two loser teenagers, will soon be in a very loving forever home.

After Brody’s story gained international attention earlier this week, hundreds of adoption offers poured in to Project Safe Pet.

The “winners” of this sweet and very resilient puppy are Carla and her 10-year-old daughter, Kailey, of Rock Hill, S.C. Just last month, the family had to euthanize Kailey’s 15-year-old therapy dog, a Lab named Woodrow who Kailey had grown up with.

“She was with him when he was put to sleep. “Right there, laying beside him on the bed, holding him the whole time,” Carla, who asked that their last name not be used, told The Herald.

“He was her best friend. She looked forward to coming home every day. Every day, he was at the school bus stop.”

Alicia Schwartz, vice president of Project Safe Pet, told The Herald the selection process was difficult. The connection between Kailey and Brody was “really cool,” she said.

Brody was found by a maintenance worker who saw a group of about 20 teenagers playing with the puppy outside the Wildwood Springs Apartments complex in Rock Hill. When he saw the puppy was bleeding heavily, he notified the police, who were told that someone who lived in the complex had shot Brody and had also thrown a knife at the puppy.

The police took Brody to Ebenezer Animal Hospital, where he was treated for his wounds. Fortunately the thugs who shot Brody had really bad aim, and missed his major organs.

“There is no doubt here, this is one of the worst acts I’ve ever seen and it’s hard to think that someone could be capable of doing something to an animal this young and defenseless,” Dr. Jay Hreiz told WSOC.

Brody is too young to have the 18 BBs surgically removed. Since they’re not lodged near any vital organs, they may stay in Brody’s body for the rest of his life.

“He’s really young, so he has a remarkable ability to heal at his age,” Hreiz told WSOC. “Brody may be able to live a healthy, normal life with all those BBs in him.”

Brody and his littermates had been given away by someone in a Wal-mart parking lot, The Herald reports.

Two arrests were made Tuesday in connection with the shooting. De’Monte Ty’Juan Douglas, 17, and an unidentified 14-year-old are facing animal cruelty charges. As of Tuesday afternoon, Douglas remained without bond in the Rock City jail, the News & Observer reported, while the other loser was released to one of his parents pending a court appearance.

Animal cruelty is a felony in South Carolina. If found guilty, Brody’s two torturers face up to five years in prison.

Despite everything his poor young pup went through, Brody is “so trusting of people, which amazes me,” Carla told The Herald. “You would think he would be fearful of people or younger kids. It was amazing how he took to the kids.”

Kailey told her mom that when she looks in Brody’s eyes, she sees her beloved Woodrow.

“I see the same eyes,” she said. “I feel like he sent him to me.”

Photo via Twitter

Labrador Retrievers Celebrate Record-Breaking 25th Year as America’s Favorite Dog

For the 25th consecutive year, the Labrador Retriever was the most popular breed in the United States in 2015, the American Kennel Club (AKC) announced today. It’s the longest run at No. 1 of any breed in the AKC’s 122-year history.

“The versatile, lovable Lab has firmly planted its paw print in AKC’s history,” said AKC Vice President Gina DiNardo.

Continuing to grow in popularity is the French Bulldog. In 2014, for the first time in a century, the breed cracked the top 10, and it jumped from No. 9 to No. 6 last year.

“Keep your eye on the French Bulldog,” DiNardo advised. “The Frenchie has risen 32 spots over the past decade and shows no signs of stopping.”

These are some of the other breeds that are becoming more popular:

  • Cane Corso (jumped from 47th place in 2014 to 35th last year)
  • Norwegian Elkhound (100th to 88th)
  • Wirehaired Pointing Griffon (74th to 35th)
  • Belgian Malinois (59th to 51st)
  • Leonberger (101st to 93rd)

These were the 10 most popular breeds of 2015, with their 2014 ranking in parentheses. I’ve also included helpful links to national rescue organizations for these breeds. Adopt, don’t shop!

  1. Labrador Retriever (1)
  2. German Shepherd (2)
  3. Golden Retriever (3)
  4. Bulldog (4)
  5. Beagle (5)
  6. French Bulldog (9)
  7. Yorkshire Terrier (6)
  8. Poodle (7)
  9. Rottweiler (10)
  10. Boxer (8)

Here’s the complete 2015 AKC breed popularity list.

Photo credit: Jose Roberto V Moraes

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