Claymaniacs - Introduce Your Pets!

[Pepe]

FRANKIE, what sweethearts they are!!!!!!!!!  Wished I could have been there with you taking a walk on actual grass and not snow!!! Haven't seen grass since November 12.
Are you enjoying all the extra space you have since the remodel?  I saw where you mentioned Lewis is keeping all the baby chicks?  What will  you do when you get lots more??    Gumbo will like his harem!!!!!!!!!   

[fhmmany2]

  Pepe - no more chicks!  Lewis is collecting the eggs every day (only Rice lays them now - the chicks are still too young) and is giving them to a neighbor! We are enjoying the house except when I think about all of the work we will have this summer getting the yard back in order! 

[fhmmany2]

 

Back before Christmas we kept seeing TV ads for "Peticure" - a motorized thing to cut pets' nails. We bought one when we saw them in a store, but have not tried it until tonight. Lewis tried it on Jack (he is scared of Tuffy!  ) and it worked pretty well. It is very quiet, which is good - not as scary to the dogs. Lewis watched a video on the company's web site, and read the book that came with it, and it says that the more it is used, the better a pet's nails will be. I said if we bought one I would report - and I guess what I am saying is, so far, so good. We did not want to stress Jack, so only his front paws were done tonight - and he surprised us by being very good!

[Pepe]

FRANKIE, I have been wondering about that almost everyday.  Glad you told me about it.  I have to give Pepe a tranquilizer to cut his nails plus when I have tried to cut Alli's nails I have always drawn blood for some reason, even if I barely clip the end of them.  Don't understand that.  It is a nerve wrecking event when I have to clip the nails so usually wait till they get to long.  Does it grind the nail down pretty fast?

[Moonshot]

Back before Christmas we kept seeing TV ads for "Peticure" - a motorized thing to cut pets' nails. We bought one when we saw them in a store, but have not tried it until tonight. Lewis tried it on Jack (he is scared of Tuffy!  ) and it worked pretty well. It is very quiet, which is good - not as scary to the dogs. Lewis watched a video on the company's web site, and read the book that came with it, and it says that the more it is used, the better a pet's nails will be. I said if we bought one I would report - and I guess what I am saying is, so far, so good. We did not want to stress Jack, so only his front paws were done tonight - and he surprised us by being very good!

Me too!  Kept seeing the ads and wanted to try it. Finally saw a PediPaws (same thing as Peticure just a different name) and bought it. Moonshot wasn't thrilled but trimming went MUCH better than with the old clipper type. After a while he became resigned to the fact that the trim was going to happen. Just like you said it is fairly quiet and doesn't grind the nails too fast. It takes a while but overall I'm pleased with how it works.

[Prissy]

  Pepe, Frankie, and Michelle!

I have been wondering about those trimmers, too.  We have a lot of driveway (concrete) area that the dogs run on and that seems  to act like a "file" for their nails.  I know their is another nail called a ?dewclaw?  and Skip trims that himself.

Shadow and Sandy are still getting us up in the wee hours of the morning to let them out.  I did notice that after I did my "driveway walk" and let the dogs run in the backyard for a while that they slept the whole night.  I think they just need more exercise during the day so that they will be more tired at night.

The  dogs have discovered they can jump a 4 foot fence, probably even higher, so we are not keen on leaving them outside in the backyard when we are gone.  I don't know what we can do to contain them but to go to a 5 or 6 foot fence in the yard.   Or one of the "shock" devices on top of the fences!!  I kind of hate to do that, but we need to discourage the fence jumping.

Any ideas from you all?

 

[Pepe]

PRISSY, Pepe has his front dew claws too.  I could strangle the breeder for not having them taken out as a puppy.  It is hard to cut as they tend to curve as they grow and trying to get Pepe's hair away so I can try and get the dew claw drives me insane.  If I just touch his front paws he is jerking his feet all over the place.  First dog I have ever had that I have to tranquilize him a little to do his nails.  I looked at Walmart and didn't see that new nail tool, MICHELLE where did  you find yours at.  They are quite expensive aren't they?

PRISSY, don't know about the fence jumping.  Your yard is so big don't know what you would do.  Usually if a dog is bound and determined to jump a fence you aren't going to stop them if they can't jump it they will climb it.  You have my sympathy on this one my friend.   

[fhmmany2]

Pepe - as Michelle said, the tool does not cut the nails too fast. We bought ours at Walgreens ($19.99), then saw them at Walmart for the same price. It runs on, I believe, 3 "C" bateries).

Prissy - I think it would be cheaper for you to buy a large kennel (complete with roof) than to try to change your whole fence. You can get large ones - some are 8 by 10 feet, and you can put them in a shaded area, or put a tarp on top for shade. You could even get a fencing company to build a large dog run for you with fencing over the top - that way the dogs could exercise while you are gone. You are like us - you probably only leave your dogs a couple hours at a time. They can still have the full run of the yard when you are at home. This summer we are going to build something like this in our yard, so our neighbor won't have to babysit every time we go somewhere. Lewis spent a lot of time (and $600!) lining our fence with chicken wire last Spring, thinking the boys would not get out. But wild things (Possums, racoons, rabbits, etc.) push under the fence every night, and the boys find the holes and still leave sometimes.  Our female dogs never left this yard - we are finding out that boy dogs are a whole other story.

[Prissy]

We have fed our dogs, Shadow and Sandy, Jerky treats from CostCo for a couple of years. The vet that writes a column that appears in our Saturday paper repeated a warning out about the jerky treats made in China causing serious illnesses in dogs.  We have not noticed any affect on our dogs, but don't plan to feed them any more of these treats in the near future. 
Ironic that we just bought two bags of these treats from CostCo this past week but have not opened them yet.

Here is an article I found on line about this problem:

The Eagle-Tribune    (New Hampshire)

Published: December 29, 2008 03:01 am   
 
FDA warns about tainted dog treats
By Margo Sullivan
margosulli...@eagletribune.com

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued another caution about
tainted pet food from China. This time, no specific brands are being
recalled, but the government is letting pet owners know imported dog treats
made with chicken jerky are suspected of making pets sick.

This is not the first time the government has warned dog owners some serious
illnesses, including kidney failure, have been associated with treats sold
in the pet food aisle under names like chicken tenders and chicken strips. A
previous caution was issued in September 2007.

But according to Mike Herndon, press officer with the FDA, the problems with
chicken jerky treats apparently are still being reported.

"This is an update," he said. "It's more of a public health notice because
there have been so many complaints."

So far, the investigators have not found the ingredient causing
contamination. The cause of illnesses may ultimately be identified as
something other than chicken jerky from China, according to the FDA
announcement.

But meanwhile, some dogs have died after eating chicken jerky products made
in China.

Chicken jerky treats are still on supermarket shelves in New England chains
such Hannaford, which has stores in both New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

The Londonderry, N.H., store, for example, has not received any recall
notices, a spokeswoman said.

"Chicken jerky is very popular," said Traci Denver, assistant manager at
Londonderry's Pets Plus. Her store sells a line of "all natural, holistic"
treats, which are not from China and not included in the FDA warning. But
Denver has had to pull low-end chicken jerky products off the shelf in the
past.

"We do that as soon as we get any kind of notice," she said.

Veterinarian Gene Handel, owner of Handel with Care in Derry, said the
supermarket aisles are stocked with all kinds of treats, and it's hard for
consumers to guess which chicken jerky treats are safe.

"Consumers are not aware of all the multiple food products that go into a
treat," he said. "Some ingredients come from many parts of the world." Given
the different safety standards internationally, Handel said, it would be
almost impossible for dog owners to figure out which products have been
checked thoroughly for safety.

People give their dogs jerky for "a variety of reasons," Handel said.
"People love their dogs. It's a way of showing affection and letting their
dog enjoy something they can provide. It's like a little gift."

The FDA advises dog owners to watch their pets carefully if they feed them
chicken jerky treats, and call a veterinarian if symptoms, including loss of
appetite, decreased activity, vomiting, diarrhea, thirst or increased
urination, persist 24 hours.

Otherwise, dog owners should not substitute jerky treats for a balanced diet
and should use these products "only occasionally" and in small quantities.

Small-dog owners should take special precautions to limit their pet's
consumption of chicken jerky treats.

The FDA caution also notifies dog owners the Australian government is
recalling some chicken jerky products made in China.

[Prissy]

Pepe and Frankie,

I'm not sure what we will do about the fence situation.  I think if we can have a fence in the middle of the woods high enough, we can keep them in the main part of the backyard.  The very back woods just before the creek is not totally closed off.  I also liked being able to contain the dogs on the driveway part of the yard between three gates and also fenced.  We need a new gate to replace one removed near the pool, and to add height to a fence that connects the two gates near the back of the driveway area.  (Kind of hard to describe.)

[fhmmany2]

Thanks for the information, Prissy. Our dogs like the chicken strip treats from Walmart - they are soft, not a jerky type treat - but I am going to check to see where they are made! 

[Prissy]

Here is what the vet, Dr. Michael W. Fox, had in his column Saturday about the treats:


DEAR READERS:  The Food and Drug Administration continues to caution consumers of a potential association between the development of illness in dogs and the consumption of chicken-jerky products (also described as chicken tenders, strips or treats) imported to the U.S. from China.

[fhmmany2]

Prissy - I did check the treats - and they are made in China.    Sadly, all of the treats (and we have several different types in the cabinet) I checked were made in China. I have a friend who will only give her dogs toast for a treat - she toasts the bread that she cuts into strips - maybe she has the right idea.  We don't give them treats all of the time, but you just hate to never give them anything (they are so good at making us feel guilty!) 

[Pepe]

Oh my what in the heck is wrong with China?  Are they so interested in making money they are producing things so fast that quality and health don't count to them anymore.  I have tons of treats and I give my dogs a lot of them.  I have chicken strips from Walmart also but they don't care for them.  They like the real expensive stuff, wouldn't you know.  THey love the bags of Pepporoni, and the treats made by Milkbone.  I am on my way to check where they are made right now.  I also notice that some boxes and bags of things only say where they were distributed from not where they were made.  So it could be distributed from New Jersey but actually it was made in China.  My dogs get treats in the morning when we get up, that is their routine while I have my coffee they have their treats.  After their dinner they get one treat like a dessert.  Than when they go to bed they get 2 1/2 treats each. 

[Prissy]

Pepe and Frankie,

We are going to return the two bags of chicken-jerky treats we bought at Costco.   They were expensive, $17 each!   Too expensive just to toss out.

I hope we can come up with a safe treat for our dogs.  Shadow and Sandy just love these chicken-jerky treats.  I have to find something else they will like.


Prissy

[fhmmany2]

This scares me because I will always believe (although our Vet denies it) that Scooter and Peanut died from contaminated dog food. They were on very expensive ($42 for a 20 pound bag) of diabetic dog food, since Scooter had diabetes. The Walmart chicken treats (Old Roy brand) do not say where they are made - just has point of distibution. And the treats that are "meat" flavored sometimes contain chicken, too 

[JoAnn Moody]

URGENT--PLEASE READ!

  Hello everyone, I just received an email from a friend about  anotehr pet danger!

  Watch out for a  "pimple" ball (with bell) from Four Paws Inc.  #20227001 upc code #04566320227 9.
    The original person had a 10 year old dog playing with this ball.  It only has one hole in the ball and a vaccum suction caused the dog to get his tongue stuck in the hole.  It started to swell.  Once the vet got the  ball off, the tongue continued to swell and the vet had to amputate the tongue. 
   The pet store removed the ball from it's shelves.  The dog owner ended up having a $5,000 vet bill and  must "reteach" her dog how to eat, drink and live without his tongue.   

MY MISTAKE WITH MY OWN SAMMY!!!!!
  I accidently left our pincushion on a small table last night.  Sammy "thought" the lamb pinchushion was his"baby" on the table.  Thirty minutes later, I found the pinchushion in another room from where I had left  it and several pins on the floor.  I PANICKED - picked Sammy up and Mom and I rushed him to the emergency vet across town.  Of course, this happened at 8pm last night and drove in the  dark, rainy traffic.
   3 xrays proved that he had not swallowed anything.  I was so relieved and like they said "babies" no matter human or animal, can't be left alone unless you know exactly what they could get into.
After many kisses from me, Sammy and his Momma(me) finally fell asleep.
   JoAnn

[Pepe]

JoAnn, oh my goodness what an frightening experience for all of you , Sammy included, so glad he didn't swallow anything.  Yep puppies and babies are just alike.

[Anniebell]

JoAnn
I sure am happy to hear that Sammy is alright.

[JoAnn Moody]

Pepe and Carol, thank you!  Yes, it was frightening not to  know if he did swallow or not.  In his puppy class, one of his  commmands  was to "leave it" or  "drop it" if already in the mouth.  He was getting good at that command, but this time, I was not in the same room when  he made the choice to take it.
  Here is his latest photo taken yesterday(Tuesday) morning.  As you can see, he is grwoing to be quite the big boy and spoiled rotten.   He was 8 months old on Jan. 21.  He is now aprrox.14 inches tall and weighs 24 lbs.  The emergency vet said that I could let him loose about 2-3pounds, but she said he didn't need to loose more.  She also told me that he "apppears" to be at or about his full hieght.   Randy, my other male shelite was a wee bit taller then Sammy.  I'm hoping that he does  stay at this height.  He "fits" perfectly behind my legs when he "cuddles" to sleep each night.
JoAnn