Dog Information » Big Dog Blog

SKYBARk is coming this Saturday, Nov 11th. This is the hip venue that dogs hop for. All night partying on a Downtown rooftop location featuring local artists, DJ’s spinning the latest music, catered food and drink, and of course the company of your own dog. Tickets are $30 per person, oh yes, and $15 for your dog. These wild parties are fast becoming a hit across the nation hitting many of the major metropolitan cities, LA, New York, Boston while attracting equally major celebrities, Elizabeth Taylor, Tori Spelling, Drew Barrymore. Celebrity dogs also take notice - Shaggy Dog will be there this weekend.

SKYBARk, the Downtown Club for Dogs

SKYBARk also exhibits doggy fashion, doggy bar, doggy bakery, gift bags, and more and it all supports notable charity for dogs - this one being for the Forte Animal Rescue.

Just in case you miss it, Big Paws Only will be there reporting! Bear missed the last one, he’s not gonna let this one go by!

After intense playing or long walks/jogs have you noticed your dog heavily panting? tongue hanging low? lacking focus?

As noted in the Sept/Oct issue of Bark magazine (www.thebark.com), they are all symptoms of dehydration.

Other symptoms to look for are: loose skin, dry and sunken eyes, dry mouth and nose.

Though temperatures are dropping outdoors, dogs can still suffer from dehydration.

Usually shade, water and a cold surface are enough to cool down your dog after physical activities. However, if your dog is severely dehydrated and you are not able to get him to a veterinarian immediately, “K9 Kitchen” author Monica Segal suggests the “Quick & Easy Hydration Solution.”

Quick & Easy Hydration Solution:

1 qt. water
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. regular table salt*

*For additional potassium, substitute:
½ tsp. regular table salt and
½ tsp. light salt

Severe dehydration in dogs can prove fatal. Avoid potential dangers by monitoring your dog during exercise and providing your pooch plenty of water and breaks. Also observe your dog for signs of dehydration during illness. If you think your dog is suffering from dehydration, contact your vet immediately.

A report in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association has just shown a link between the sugar substitue Xylitol, and illnesses in dogs. In fact, it is so bad, possibly causing acute liver failure that out of eight dogs found to have ingested xylitol, 5 died or had to be euthanized.

Xylitol is a commonly used sweetner used in sugar free gums, candies and even baked goods. So keep an eye on the ingredients when feeding your dog human treats.

California Govenor Arnold Schwarzenegger just signed into law a bill that would prohibit people from tethering their dog(s) to any stationary object for more than 3 hours.

From San Francisco Gate:

“We’re very excited the governor has joined other compassionate Californians in taking a stand against this practice,” said Pam Runquist, a member of the board of the California Animal Association, a coalition of 15 animal rights organizations.

Violation of the new law, which will go into effect Jan. 1, could result in an infraction or misdemeanor, depending on the offense, punishable by a fine not to exceed $1,000 per dog and up to six months in county jail.

I just received an email from a wholesaler this morning and this is the report:

There has been a recall of the Greenies Dental products. These items are no longer available for ordering through our wholesale site. At this time we don’t have any information as to when they will be available again, but we will let you know. This only affects the hard chewable Greenies and the Greenies Bits which are listed below, not the pill pockets or the treats.

GE-00319 4/ct Jumbo Size Greenies
GE-00317 8/ct Large Size Greenies
GE-00314 14/ct Regular Size Greenies
GE-00311 24/ct Petite Size Greenies
GE-01567 48/ct Teenie Size Greenies
GE-08351 10oz Greenies Lil’ Bits for Pocket Pets
GE-07311 16oz Greenies Lil’ Bits for Dogs

Does this mean a full recall?

Update: In my attempt to find out actual information I made two calls, one to Greenies® and one to Neeps Wholesale. The CSR person at Greenies®, sounding a bit flustered had said “no, they are not being recalled” and transferred me to a voicemail. I then spoke to Dawn of Neeps Wholesale, and although she wasn’t entirely sure of what exactly happened, she does know that Linda, I assume her associate, got an email Friday to pull all those listed above as they were being recalled. Dawn said they were likely to be recalled by the manufacturer, possibly the Heinz corporation as it owns Greenies®. She will hopefully call me back once she speaks to her associate.
So, bottom line, still unsure.

UPDATE:

Spoke with Janet, the Consumer Care Manager at Greenies today and she informed me that it was a reclaim, not a recall and that the difference is voluntary versus mandatory.