My First Product Endorsement

One Week & Counting....

My Pops finally found a rubber ball that I haven't been able to destroy in a few minutes - let alone a few days.

For those of you who are like me - Welshies keen on de-squeakifying their rubber toys as quickly as possible - you might want to check out this one - the Kong Squeezz Ball .

My Pops bought this at our local pet supplies store - it's been one week - it's still squeaking - and I LOVE it !

My Mum & Pops tell me it’s winter, but where the heck is the snow???

I can’t believe it’s mid-January in Michigan because we really haven’t had much snow so far this year.  I personally really enjoy a good snow storm because it gives me a chance to play outside with lots of the fun, fluffy white stuff.  Check out this picture of me last year as I sported one of my new coats:

My parents like the snow too.  Sometimes we go on hikes on the trails in the park near our house.  My Pops creates snow trails with our snow blower in the back yard so I can run around and chase my toys.  Last winter the snow was so deep that when I ran through the tunnels, all you saw was my tail sticking up like a radio antenna.

We also like to go to the places where my parents snow ski.  They ski during the day and we take lots of great walks and eat great food.  I like ski trips.  Here I am modeling my new boots – I’m ready to go !!

 

So, I’d like to know where the snow is anyway!  According to the Farmer’s Almanac, the winter of 2011–12, we should be expecting “clime and punishment,” a season of unusually cold and stormy weather. For some parts of the country, that means a frigid climate; while for others, it will mean lots of rain and snow.  The upcoming winter looks to be cold to very cold for the Northern Plains, parts of the Northern Rockies, and the western Great Lakes.

I think it’s all a bunch of hooey.

Kathryn Hiegl's PSA for Animal Neutering

Hi Everybody.

I know it’s been a while since I’ve been online – my Pops/Ambassador of Kwan/webmaster has been really busy at work.

I’ve been thinking lately about how great it is to be a dog.  Specifically, how great it is to be a female dog.  My life is awesome.  I can be a little bitch all day, and my humans still love me and shower me with attention.  I go outside and do my business and my humans praise me & feed me treats like I just won the Kentucky Derby !  Please see below – this is another GREAT reason that I’m glad I’m a female.  You’ll find out why in a minute...

I wonder how my male dog friends feel about Katherine Heigl’s little video about neutering dogs.  Now don’t get me wrong: I’m okay with being neutered.  Personally, I had my ovaries removed when I was eight months old & I don’t even remember what I’m missing.

But Ms. Heigl’s unconventional Public Service Announcement while well-intentioned, makes me cringe and leaves me feeling a little queasy - and I don’t even have a set of balls.  I know it’s dark humor, and there is a reason behind what she’s doing.  But I think of my Cousin Sparty, and well... I feel for ya buddy !

Before you click the play button, please be warned: The video is not for everyone, and I’m not just talkin’ sensitive dogs.  While she doesn’t come across as a humanitarian in this video, she really is.  As a matter of fact, her and her mom founded an animal welfare organization in memory of her brother.  If it’s all the same to you though, I’ll keep my distance, thank you.

Hey Everybody:

Working through my email...

I received a great email from a blogger in Tampa. In it, he sent this link:  When Sibling Rivalry Is Man Versus Dog.  I smiled all through the article; sounds like the author had met a superior Welshie !

The Gulf of Mexico totally looks like a Welsh Terrier !!

I received this in an email today & it's so true !!!

Dog's just weren't built for chocolate

This weeks email comes to me from a housewife in Chicago.  She writes:

Hi Sophie.  I just love your blog.  You capture the essence of the terrier experience for those who don’t have a terrier in their life.  Your blog is refreshingly original and forthright.  Keep up the great work !

On to my question.  Every year, at this time of year, I have the same argument with my Jack Russell Terrier.  I have candy everywhere for Halloween, and he wants some of it.  I take that back – he wants all of it!!  How can I convince him that I’m really on his side and that chocolate just isn’t good for dogs?  Eve, Chicago, Il. 

 

Thanks for your email & the kind words.  I do my best to represent my breed; I think one dog can make a difference ! 

You are right, dogs just aren't built for chocolate.  Chocolate contains an alkaloid called “theobromine”.  Theobromine is in the same family as caffeine and is a type of stimulant (they both are mythylxanines).  Theobromine stimulates the central nervous system, cardiovascular system, and causes a slightly increases blood pressure.

Dogs and certain other animals, such as horses and cats, cannot metabolize theobromine as quickly as humans can; this causes the above effects to be much more severe than is the case with humans.   The specific notable side effects of toxic levels of theobromine in dogs includes: diarrhea; vomiting; increased urination; muscle twitching; excessive panting; hyperactive behavior; whining; dehydration; digestive problems; seizures; and rapid heart rate.  Some of these symptoms, like the rapid heart rate, could ultimately be fatal to the dog.

So how much chocolate is too much for a dog?  That depends on the size and age of the dog, as well as what type of chocolate was consumed.  The larger the dog, the more theobromine they can handle without dying and older dogs tend to have more problems with the side effects, as noted above.  The general rules for the amount of chocolate that will be toxic for a dog:

• Milk chocolate: one ounce per pound of body weight (so, without intervention, a 16 pound dog (7.2 kg) would likely die from eating one pound of milk chocolate)
• Dark chocolate: 1/3 of an ounce per pound of body weight (around 5 ounces of dark chocolate for that same 16 pound dog)
• Baker’s chocolate: 1/9 of an ounce per pound of body weight (around 1.8 ounces of baker’s chocolate for a 16 pound dog)
• Cocoa powder: 1/16 of an ounce per pound of dog (around 1 ounce of cocoa powder to kill a 16 pound dog)

On the other extreme end, it would take about 200 pounds of white chocolate consumed within a 17 hour period to reach toxic levels of theobromine for a 16 pound dog.  The low quantity of theobromine here is because white chocolate is made from cocoa butter, sugar, and milk, but no cocoa solids.

How to Treat a Dog That Has Eaten Chocolate

There is little that can be done for the dog, particularly at home, to treat the theobromine poisoning once it’s in the dog’s bloodstream.  Thus, the general methods of treatment tend to be ways to try to stop the consumed theobromine from reaching the bloodstream.  These include:

1.       Inducing vomiting in the dog immediately, which helps remove much of the chocolate.

2.       After that, try to get the dog to eat a small amount of activated charcoal, which binds to the theobromine and keeps it from entering the bloodstream.

3.       Try to get the dog to consume as much water as possible to keep them hydrated.

4.       At the vet, certain drugs can be used to help the dog survive, such as anti-convulsants, which can help if the dog is having seizures.

In order to induce vomiting, the easiest way, aside from sticking your finger down their throat or the like, which isn’t at all recommended, is to get the dog to eat something like 1-2 tsp of hydrogen peroxide, which should shortly induce vomiting and can be repeated a few times every 15 minutes, if it does not.  Alternatively, 2-3 tsp of Syrup of Ipecac should do the trick, though this one should NOT be repeated, even if it doesn’t work the first time.

For the activated charcoal, about 1-2 tsp of activated charcoal mixed thoroughly with water should be fed to the dog.  This also works well for certain other types of toxins that dogs and cats can sometimes consume, such as: carbamate insecticides, herbicides, and rodenticides.

If your Jack Russell has any questions, just ask him to contact me & I'll set him straight !

Sophie

I'm now # 2 in Google Search Rankings

To all of you who've visited my pages, thank you !!

If you type in Sophie the Welsh Terrier, my facebook page is now the second highest ranking result - and my blog now ranks # 9.  This is awesome news.  Rest assured that neither my parents nor I will rest until we rank #1 !!!  

Keep your emails coming, and keep following my exploits on my facebook page and here on the blog !