animals – Page 2 – Born To Be Wild

Dogs are opportunistic eaters. If you leave tasty smelling food where they can get at it, chances are, they will get at it. But what we, as humans, may find appetizing and delicious can be deadly to dogs. This is due to dogs having a different metabolism to humans, plus, some small foods can be a choking hazard to a dog.

There are various reasons why certain foods are dangerous to dogs.

It can be because of their ingredients, their size or simply because they cause bad reactions to our beloved animals. Some human foods are good for dogs in limited amounts, and can even be healthy, but too much can cause serious problems.

While this is an extensive list of what human foods dogs can and can’t eat, there could be something we have missed. So, if you are unsure about any food, you might want to give your pet that is not on this list, do some research online or contact your vet for more information.

Foods Dogs Cannot Eat

This list is in alphabetical order and covers a wide range of products that, while they are safe for humans, can be deadly for dogs.

Alcohol causes the usual effects it has on humans, intoxication, loss of coordination and abnormal acidity. But it can also potentially cause comas and death. Never give your dog alcohol on purpose.

Avocados contain persin and this can cause diarrhea, vomiting and heart congestion. While a small accidental piece of avocado is not likely to cause your dog any harm, you should monitor them and call your vet for future care. The pit is the most dangerous part. It contains high levels of persin as well as being a choking hazard.

Cat food is made for cats. The protein and fat levels in cat food are unsafe for dogs. They can lead to obesity, an upset stomach and pancreatitis.

Chocolate is one we are sure everyone has heard of before. The delicious human treat contains caffeine and theobromine, which can cause vomiting, diarrhea, restlessness, increased heart rate, seizures and even death.

Depending on the size and weight of your dog and how much chocolate they ate will factor into how sick your dog will get. Here is a short list, in order of most dangerous to least dangerous, chocolates to dogs:

– Cocoa powder

– Unsweetened baker’s chocolate

– Semisweet chocolate

– Dark chocolate

– Milk chocolate

– White chocolate

Coffee, tea & other forms of caffeine can also be lethal to dogs. It takes only 1-2 hours before your dog can start feeling some level of hyperactivity, restlessness, elevated heart rate, vomiting, high blood pressure and worst cases, seizures and death.

Cooked bones are a major hazard to dogs. Bones are fine for dogs to eat, but only when they are UNCOOKED. Cooked bones become brittle, which means they can splinter and cause internal damage to your beloved pet.

Corn on the cob is another choking hazard for dogs. While corn off the cob and cooked is fine in small quantities, dogs have determined eaters and will try to eat the cob too, if the corn is on the cob. The cob can then become a choking hazard or cause blocks in their digestive system.

Fat trimmings regardless of being cooked or uncooked, can cause pancreatitis in dogs.

Garlic must be controlled. While a small amount can be okay, and even healthy, helping with flea treatments, large amounts can be dangerous.

Garlic (like onions, which will be covered later on in this list) cause the death of red blood cells and thus cause anemia. Signs can be vomiting, weakness and breathing troubles.

The Definitive Service Dog

Service dogs require proper certification and this allows them to be allowed to any type of business, including food businesses.

When they are in public, they are generally harnessed and perform their tasks while in close proximity with their owner.

Types of Service Dogs

Now that we understand what a service dog is, it is time to look at the types of service dogs working today.

There are quite a few of them and while you may be familiar with many different branches of service dog careers, you may be surprised by some of them as well.

The types of service dogs are:

Guide Dogs for the Blind

Obviously, the first type of service dog on our list is a guide dog for the blind or visually impaired. They are the most commonly known service dog and have a long history of providing their owners with independence, security and freedom. In public, the guide dog helps navigate the world around their owner while providing them with safety from unseen hazards. The dogs work closely with their owners and need to be able to make quick decisions for the benefit of their owner.Although they provide a very important service in public, guide dogs are also helpful at home and are often trained to help with tasks such as retrieving dropped items, opening doors and other tasks.

Mobility Assistance Dogs

With mobility assistance dogs, there are several different sub-categories but the primary task of a mobility dog is to assist their owner with mobility. This can be by providing them with stability and balance, turning on lights or even answering the phone.
They can work as:

Wheelchair assistance dogs: Assist their owners with tasks such as retrieving dropped objects, providing stability when they are moving from their wheelchair to another seat or bed, opening doors and even picking up the phone for answering. In addition, they may help pull the wheelchair or anything else that is needed by their owner.

Mobility Support: Also known as a brace dog, this is a dog who is trained to work as a brace for someone with a balance disability. In addition, they will help open doors, turn on lights and retrieve dropped items among many other tasks. Only larger dogs over 23 inches in height can be mobility support dogs.

Medical Assistance Dogs: This can be for mobility or it can be for any disability that doesn’t fit into other categories. Like other service dogs, their tasks are customized to the needs of their owner.

Mobility support dogs, and all of the tasks they perform, help their owners live a more independent life.

Mental Health Service Dogs

Also known as psychiatric service dogs or PSD’s, mental health service dogs are difficult to describe. The main reason for this is because their roles vary greatly depending on the diagnosis of their owners. They can perform tasks from things such as pulling back blankets, turning on lights, to opening curtains and answering phones.

In addition, they can be trained to identify when an anxiety attack is about to occur and they will use calming tasks such as deep pressure stimulation to help calm their owners. The scope of their training will range but they are trained to work with people who have an emotional or psychiatric disability such as PTSD, anxiety or ADHD to name a few.