LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
CAMP Fitness |
by Rick Moore |
Going to the Dogs Can you believe it's October already? I can't. Seems like summer was only a couple of weeks okay, but we've got the holiday season coming up quickly. There's Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukah, Christmas, Kwanza and New Years. Did I leave anyone out? These are the tempting daysfull of snacks, buffets, desserts, and sit down dinners. And oh, those leftovers! They can kill your hard work and derail your diet, which leads me to this week's subjectfood taboos for your pet doggie. I kid you not. What we feed ourselves may be downright unhealthy, but what we feed our canine pets may be doggone deadly. Are you aware that as we gain weight during the holiday season, so do our pets? What we don't finish eating goes to Fido as a treat. With all these holidays piled up in the coming months we should be aware of our pet's health as well as our own. Think fit dognot fat dog. Our pets are like our kids. We want the best for them, but spoiling them with excess calories will only lead to health problems down the road. Those vet bills can be murder, too! Did you know there are foods that will do serious harm to your pooch? Depending on their size, weight, and how much is eaten, you could be endangering Fido's very life. Take garlic for instance. Garlic can break down a dog's red blood cells. This causes the hemoglobin to break down causing anemia and, in the worst case, kidney failure. Onions can have the same effect on your puppy. Small tastes of onion, over time, can lead to damaged hemoglobin also. So, Italian doggies beware! Now, who would have guessed that grapes or raisins could do damage to a doggie. Well, they do and scientists are confounded. They can't explain why it causes renal failure in canines. Testing is still going on. Stop feeding your doggie macadamia nuts! You can cause temporary paralysis in his hind quarters. It doesn't take many of these nuts to cause tremors in your poochie, so these are definitely off limits. You know how coffee can jazz us up in the morning? Well, if your doggie drinks your coffee it can jazz up his heart rate, too, and cause a seizure. The cream you put in your coffee makes it more appealing to you and your dog would like the sweeter taste, as well. But the caffeine in coffee has a compound that could put your dog downpermanently! Another drink proven harmful, and even deadly, is alcohol. It not only depresses your brain, but your dogs brain, too. It may be funny to feed Fido a beer at a party while trying to entertain friends and family, but it isn't worth it if it puts your dog in a coma. That's exactly what will happen if you feed your dog any type of alcohol beer, hard liquor, even wine. No booze hounds! The chemical in chocolate (mmm....chocolate) can be deadly to your pet. Called Theobromine, it can prove fatal. For example, just three ounces of dark chocolate or seven ounces of milk chocolate can make a fifty pound dog violently ill. You may be reserving a space in doggie heaven if you feed your pet any type of chocolate, so why take the risk. And here is one that I was completely unaware of. You know all these food products out now that are low-cal, no-cal, no-fat, and low-fat, even the ones that are sugar free. Well, there is an ingredient that food manufacturers put in called xylitol. I'm very familiar with xylitol and it's sister, sorbitol. These artificial ingredients cause me severe stomach and abdominal distress. I am deadly allergic to this stuff. And guess what, so is Fido, it seems. The ASPCA's Animal Poison Control Center in Urbana Illinois, had nearly 200 phone calls to the center's hot line with questions concerning xylitol and consumption by pets. Eric Dunayer, a senior toxicologist, stated that "we often see vomiting, followed by weakness, staggering, collapse, and possible seizures as sugar drops." There should be a warning, don't you think? So for the upcoming holiday season that's quickly on it's way, be aware of not only your health issues, but your pet's too. You'll be glad you did. And don't woof down your food. Both of you ! Read more about your pet's health issues in "Canine Taboos" in the Health Section of October's National Geographic Magazine. Rick Moore is a personal trainer certified by the American Fitness Professionals & Associates. Visit him at www.ricksfitness.net. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 17, No. 14 October 12, 2007 |