Handy guide to being owned by a pug!

Keep Holidays Safe

New plants, decorative lights, candles and colorful ornaments, plus a whole menu of delicious smells - the holidays must be a puzzling yet amazing time of year for pets. But to a curious creature, these good things can be hazardous and painful. Electrocution, intestinal blockage and bleeding, frostbite, cuts, scrapes, burns, and poisonings occur more often during the holidays than any other time of year.

For a safe and happy holiday season, keep these safety tips in mind:

Avoid tinsel and glass ornaments or decorations made from food. Tinsel can cause intestinal blockage; broken glass ornaments can cause cuts or, if eaten, intestinal bleeding; and ornaments made from dried food can be poisonous for pets.

Keep fallen tree needles, real or artificial, cleaned up.

Cover your tree stand so pets cannot drink the water, especially if you add any type of tree preservative.

Unplug lights when you leave home. Pets could get shocked or even electrocuted chewing on cords.

Don't feed pets poultry bones or leave bones uncovered and accessible. They are brittle and breakable and cause intestinal bleeding if eaten.

Don't feed pets holiday foods that are rich and potentially toxic. This list includes chocolate and alcohol, plus foods such as potato latkes, gravies, and poultry skin, which can cause gastrointestinal upset.

Keep poinsettias, mistletoe, and holly out of paws' reach - they're poisonous if eaten.

Place candles out of reach or playful paws and wagging tails.

Watch for flying embers from the fireplace; keep pets from getting too close to burning fires.

Holiday Pet Tips:

Holiday Dangers to Pets

Pet Tips

Refresh Your Pet IQ: Holiday Pet Tips

Winter Holiday Pet Safety Tips

Pet Etiquette:

Pet Etiquette Tips

This may already be on the thread, but thought I'd add it just in case.

I had to give vaccinations yesterday and one of my pugs (the 3 year old) started having an allergic reaction. Her little face swelled up like a Shar-Pei! I had a Benedryl Fast-Melt tablet on hand, and (literally) crammed it down her throat. For those of you who don't know what a Fast-Melt is, it's a tablet made for kids (in a childs dose) that melts rapidly so you don't have to rely on the child to chew and swallow it. It works fantastic for the dogs too!

There is another product on the market called Childrens Benedryl Quick Dissolve Strips. They come in a small foil wrapper and they look like the breath fresheners that are made. Anyway, they work even better than the tablets because instead of shoving it down the throat, you can put it on the tongue, the roof of the mouth or inside the cheek. It doesn't need much saliva to melt and the effects are immediate.

Another nice product to have on hand for the dogs First Aid Kit.

Karla L

Animal CPR (See Choking pug) Animal CPR Guidelines PDF (178K)~ Thanks, Jeanne and Saira.

How To Dremel Dog Nails and http://pug.meetup.com...

Rashes http://pug.meetup.com...

An information article on Pugs by Catherine Marien

http://www.puginforma...

PDE Testing

To all of you who have cross-posted the following PDE Research Information to your local pug meetup message boards, THANK YOU! To those who have not yet done so, please check your local board to see if it has already been posted, and if not, please do so.

THANKS, EVERYONE!

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Cross-post source (please copy this link when cross-posting to your local pug meetup message board: http://pug.meetup.com... )

To help clear up some of the "muddied" information regarding the new PDE research, the following is an email message that I received from Dr. Kimberly Greer:

I have been working on solving the problem of PDE in our Pugs for several years. I am currently funded for this research through the American Kennel Club, Canine Health Foundation. The process involves reviewing my research theory, evaluating my methods, and seeking approval of the work from many sources, including review by peers. I am currently seeking cheek brushes for DNA isolation from Pugs that have not been affected by Pug Dog Encephalitis. While the DNA will be analyzed molecularly at UC Davis with a group I'm collaborating with, I would prefer that the brushes be sent to my lab in Texas. This is necessary so that I can catalogue and assign an identity code to each participant. The codes are randomly generated by a computer and the identity of each participant is not revealed at any stage of the work. For each participating dog, I would like to receive basic information (as per the attached form) and a pedigree, if available.

Please let me know if you have any questions about this study. I am happy to share any and all current information regarding the work. I appreciate your seeking clarification, especially for our Pugs!

Sincerely,

KA Greer

Kits can be ordered from Kit Requests or by contacting Dr. Greer.

I have received the PDE Research Participant Information Form from Dr. Greer and uploaded it to the File Folder of The Albany-Capital District Pug Lovers Meetup Group at http://pug.meetup.com... . You can also download directly from PDE Research Participant Information Form . Please include this form with your completed kit and mail ALL KITS to:

Kimberly A. Greer, Ph.D.
Research Assistant Professor
College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
Texas A&M University
VMA rm. 204 MS 4467
College Station, TX 77843-4467

Thanks!