Take your pets to the vet ASAP if you notice any of these behaviors. Recognizing the behavior could save their lives.
Healthy Pets will show:
- Pink gums
- Clean Ears
- Bright Eyes
- Full and shiny coat of hair
General behaviors that something may be wrong:
- Lack of interest in playing or walking
- Restless and irritable
- Loss of appetite
- Not drinking water
- Accelerated or slow breathing while resting. (20 inhalations per minute for cats/20 inhalations per minute for dogs)
- Head pressing: Neurological or nerve damage
- Vomiting or diarrhea
- Any trauma or fall
- Known or suspected toxic exposure
Top 3 most common causes of accidental pet deaths:
- Poisoning: Keep chemicals away and watch what they nibble on.
- Drowning: Put a life vest on if near large bodies of water.
- Weather: Never expose them in high heat or low cold temperatures.
Some signs to watch out for prior to going to the vet:
Dehydration:
- It sets after 18 hours of not drinking water
- Dry and sticky gums
Common Cold:
- Shivering
- Dry and warm nose
Cardiomyopathy: (heart disease)
- Affects 20 o 40% of pets
- Coughing
- Easy Tiring
Statistics on pet fatalities:
- Birds: Window collisions: estimated to kill 97 to 976 million birds/year.
- Dogs: Homeless/ starvation, dehydration or weather conditions: Each year, approximately 2.7 million dogs.
- Cats: (we listed more since it’s said they have 9 lives) Old age, Cancer, Kidney failure and Traffic accidents
Top 10 Toxic foods to keep your household pets away from:
- Alcoholic beverages
- Avocados
- Candy (particularly chocolate—which is toxic to dogs, cats, and ferrets—and any candy containing the toxic sweetener Xylitol)
- Coffee (grounds, beans, and chocolate-covered espresso beans)
- Garlic
- Onions and onion powder
- Raisins and grapes
- Salt
- Tea (because it contains caffeine)
- Xylitol (artificial sweetener that is toxic to pets)
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