KILLER ON THE LOSE

Jet (my foster mom) was buzzing around like a hornet the other day. I inquired about her anxious energy and she said it was all about a killer on the loose. I was intrigued. Was she referring to a TV murder mystery? (Other than dog programs, I just love cop shows.) Perhaps Jet was referring to a new whodunit story to share with me?

Boy was I wrong.

It turns out that the ‘bad guy’ Jet was referring to is the number one killer of women. Nope, it’s not cancer. No, it’s not strokes. No, it’s not diabetes. It’s heart attacks. (Who’d a thunk?)

Jet says that she is so frustrated that most women (and men) don’t realize how deadly heart disease is for girl humans. She’s on a rampage to attack the disease with a special project. A women’s group called WE (Women Entrepreneurs) is going to help. They are telling the nation (very big job) about this problem and trying to make sure that female humans are aware that signs of a heart attack for them are completely different than signs of a heart attack for men.

For example, one seemingly odd sign of a heart attack for women is shortness of breath. Jet is short of breath after working out so who would think this is a sign of a heart attack? You think that’s surprising, look at the other warning signs for women experiencing a heart attack:

The women's major symptoms prior to their heart attack included: (Source: National Institutes of Health)

• Unusual fatigue - 70%

• Sleep disturbance - 48%

• Shortness of breath - 42%

• Indigestion - 39%

• Anxiety - 35%

The WE group has a friend who makes little human hearts for women to buy and carry on their keychain. (No, they are not real.) These tiny hearts are called Aspirinpods™. I asked Jet if this was anything like an iPod. She assured me it was not but instead it’s a tiny pouch to hold Aspirin (thus the name).

Why you must be asking would someone carry around an Aspirinpod™. In many cases, if a heart attack appears imminent (word of the day) then you dissolve an aspirin in your mouth to help prevent the attack and/or reduce the damage to the heart if the human does have a heart attack. It seems every grown up human (which Jet says excludes her ex-husband) is not walking around with one of these nifty lifesavers. Heck, I could even wear one on my collar. In case one of my readers is less in-the-know than me, I put a link and graphic of the Aspirinpod™ below. Seriously dogs, this is the must-have gift for your human mothers.

Did you realize that dogs (male and female) are also in danger of having their heart attacked? Yep! Our hearts are attacked by heartworms. These vicious killers (yes-they can kill dogs) live inside our heart until it fails. Look at the diagram below. Have you ever seen such a disgusting picture in your life? It makes me wonder how humans eat spaghetti.

Diagram of heart worm heart: try to use something like these photos

This brings me to the lesson of the day. Killers aren’t just bad guys on cop shows. Sometimes they are every day events or diseases that make our hearts die. The good news is that humans can defend themselves against this type of bad guy by recognizing when a heart attack is imminent. Dogs can defend themselves by making sure they take heartworm prevention medicine – YEAR ROUND.




Okay, here’s the question of the day from T-Bone who asked: My human is running around the house moving everything I can reach. This includes some of pantry items I like to get in to off and on. Why is she limiting what I can snag?

Dear T-Bone:

Cool name dude. Here’s the drill. Just as there are things (like heart attacks) that can kill humans, there are things that can kill dogs (like heart worms). My guess is your human is doing ‘spring cleaning’ (which Jet says people should do year round) and in doing so is ridding the house of things that are poisonous or harmful to you. Give your human a big lick on the face for making sure you’re safe.

In case you decide to help instead of complain, I have a list below of common items that dude’s like you often die from because you ingest them.
(See list at link: http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/guide/top-10-dog-poisons?ecd=wnl_pet_051910. Share this list (all three pages) with your human and dog pals to keep them safe. You’ve seen some of these before but make sure your humans memorize all items on this list.

Top 10 Dog Poisons

Dog poison No. 1: Medications for people. Drugs that might be beneficial, or even life-saving, for people can have the opposite effect in pets. And it doesn’t always take a large dose to do major damage.

Some of the most common and harmful medications that poison dogs include:

- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications, such as ibuprofen or naproxen, which can cause stomach and intestinal ulcers or kidney failure.

- Antidepressants, which may cause vomiting and, in more serious instances, serotonin syndrome - a dangerous condition that raises temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure, and may cause seizures.

- Isoniazid, a tuberculosis drug, is difficult for dogs to process. Even one tablet can cause problems in a small dog. Signs of poisoning include seizures and coma.

Dog poison No. 2: Flea and tick products. You may think you’re doing your dog a favor when you apply products marketed to fight fleas and ticks, but thousands of animals are unintentionally poisoned by these products every year. Problems can occur if dogs accidentally ingest these products or if small dogs receive excessive amounts.

Dog poison No. 3: People food. Your canine companion may look so cute as he sits there begging for a bite of your chocolate cake or a chip covered in guacamole, but not giving him what he wants could save his life. Animals have different metabolisms than people. Some foods and beverages that are perfectly safe for people can be dangerous, and sometimes fatal, for dogs.

- Chocolate. Though not harmful to people, chocolate products contain substances called methylxanthines that can cause vomiting in small doses, and death if ingested in larger quantities. Darker chocolate contains more of these dangerous substances than do white or milk chocolate. The amount of chocolate that could result in death depends on the type of chocolate and the size of the dog. For smaller breeds, just half an ounce of baking chocolate can be fatal, while a larger dog might survive eating 4 to 8 ounces. Coffee and caffeine have similarly dangerous chemicals.

- Alcohol. Symptoms of alcohol poisoning in animals are similar to those in people, and may include vomiting, breathing problems, coma and, in severe cases, death.

- Avocado. You might think of them as healthy, but avocadoes have a substance called persin that can act as a dog poison, causing vomiting and diarrhea.

- Macadamia nuts. Dogs may suffer from a series of symptoms, including weakness, overheating, and vomiting, after consumption of macadamia nuts.

- Grapes and raisins. Experts aren’t sure why, but these fruits can induce kidney failure in dogs. Even a small number may cause problems in some dogs.

Xylitol. This sweetener is found in many products, including sugar-free gum and candy. It causes a rapid drop in blood sugar, resulting in weakness and seizures. Liver failure also has been reported in some dogs.


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