Poodle Information
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Poodle Dangers & Safety
Overview
While just about all dog owners understand the common sense guidelines to keeping their puppy or dog safe, there are many elements that do not immediately come to mind. Since your Poodle's safety is of the utmost importance, let's take a look at the details of the some things that are sometimes overlooked.
Hypoglycemia
One of the most important health issues to understand and be ready for is the possibility of hypoglycemia. All puppies are vulnerable to developing this...and if it happens, it happens very quickly. Toy and Miniatures are going to be more prone to this, however any puppy can develop hypoglycemia particularly from birth to 4 months.
This is a very sudden drop in blood sugar levels. It can be fatal. An owner must, at all times, keep Karo syrup on hand until the puppy is older than 4 months. It is not just to be kept at home. It is highly suggested to keep this in your pocket book or any time of carrying case for when you are with your Poodle outside of the home.
What causes this? While this can happen even if your Poodle does not experience the following, however it can happen more easily if:
The treatment is to very quickly raise the blood sugar levels in the puppy and this must be done before you seek help at the veterinarian or animal hospital. This is done by gently rubbing Karo syrup on your Poodle's gums. It will be absorbed directly into the blood stream to work quickly. If you do not have Karo syrup you can offer warm water with dissolved sugar, best hand fed with a small spoon. Within minutes you should see improvement. It is then that your Poodle should be brought to the nearest vet or animal clinic. In severe cases, a puppy may need an IV to balance out blood sugar levels and be monitored until they are out of the "danger zone". If you are not sure if your Poodle is experiencing this, to be safe you can offer your puppy 1 or 2 teaspoons of sugar water, it will not cause damage, it will simply make for 1 very hyper puppy for a short amount of time.
Are You Sure You Puppy-Proofed the Home?
While some things are "givens", such as wrapping up electrical cords and putting away dangerous items such as bug spray and cleaners... there are some elements that owners do not think about.
One of the saddest moments for our Poodle Experts was to hear from an owner whose Poodle puppy was poisoned and then eventually passed away from swallowing a penny. Dogs, puppies in particular, are so curious about their world. When you bring a puppy home, they will be extra curious to explore their new "world". Dogs, as you know, use their mouths in replace of "hands" to figure out what something is. Therefore, before you bring your puppy home the house must be puppy-proofed...and just as important is to check the floors daily for any small objects that can be swallowed. This is the one area that many owners to not think about as time goes by, but is so vital. Every day, owners must do a quick check of the floors in all rooms accessible to the Poodle to check for anything. Even items that you would never assume that a puppy would ingest. This, and it may seem strange, includes:
Other Dangers Not Thought About Often
Steps can be very dangerous for 2 reasons. A puppy may struggle to get up as far as they can on a staircase, only to fall backwards and an owner who has no idea that their Poodle picked that day to learn about stairs can easily trip over a small pup!
Underfoot
While it is more often said of Toy & Miniature dogs, even standard sized Poodles will be underfoot dogs when a puppy. What does this mean exactly? It means that when you least expect it, your Poodle is going to be right under your feet. Your puppy may cuddle up under your computer chair while you are typing away...and you may have no idea that they are there. Or your Poodle may wander into the kitchen while you are watching TV and when you walk into the kitchen to grab a drink, your Poodle will suddenly be under your feet. It is so very important to teach all family members, young and old, the very serious harm that can come to a Poodle who is stepped on. While many times it will be a "close call" as the Poodle will let out a loud "Yelp" before the full weight of a person goes down onto them... it has happened too many times that a pup suffered broken limps from accidents like this.
It Was Only Around the Corner!
One of the biggest mistakes that a Poodle owner can make is to not safely secure their dog in the car. Statistically speaking, most car accidents happen with 3 miles (4.82 kilometers) from home. Sometimes an owner will skip over this part and hold their dog in their lap for several reasons:
Accidental Poisoning
While most people know that dogs cannot have chocolate, there are many other foods that are toxic to dogs. Even when owners know which foods must not be fed to their Poodle, the danger comes when an owner offers a piece of their dinner to their Poodle. Meals can contain the toxic ingredients. An example is pasta with sauce. While this seems as if it is a simple dinner (and most Poodles absolutely love pasta)...the sauce can often contain onions... one of the foods that is toxic to canines. While we very highly recommend home cooking (the only way to ensure that your Poodle is eating wholesome, real food for optimal health and happiness), please never give any of the food from your plate to your Poodle. Not only will this keep them safe, it also eliminates the issue of begging... once begging begins and an owner gives in just once...it is hard work to reverse the behavior.
To ensure the safety of your Poodle, let's take a look at the food that must not be feed to your puppy or dog:
While just about all dog owners understand the common sense guidelines to keeping their puppy or dog safe, there are many elements that do not immediately come to mind. Since your Poodle's safety is of the utmost importance, let's take a look at the details of the some things that are sometimes overlooked.
Hypoglycemia
One of the most important health issues to understand and be ready for is the possibility of hypoglycemia. All puppies are vulnerable to developing this...and if it happens, it happens very quickly. Toy and Miniatures are going to be more prone to this, however any puppy can develop hypoglycemia particularly from birth to 4 months.
This is a very sudden drop in blood sugar levels. It can be fatal. An owner must, at all times, keep Karo syrup on hand until the puppy is older than 4 months. It is not just to be kept at home. It is highly suggested to keep this in your pocket book or any time of carrying case for when you are with your Poodle outside of the home.
What causes this? While this can happen even if your Poodle does not experience the following, however it can happen more easily if:
- Your puppy has not been eating enough
- Your puppy has any time of stress - Many owners do not understand that a Poodle puppy (or any puppy for that matter) does feel stress when going to a new home to live. Even under the best circumstances and even in the most loving home with the best intentions... a Poodle puppy will feel a certain amount of stress. Why? Because it is one of the largest changes that a puppy will experience...leaving his or her mother and littermates...suddenly not being in the only environment that they are used to...getting used to a new family...seeing new faces, hearing new sounds...smelling new odors...it is very overwhelming.
- Weakness
- Walking clumsily
- Appearing to be confused
- Falling down
-
Slowed breathing
- Slip into a coma
- The puppy may pass away
The treatment is to very quickly raise the blood sugar levels in the puppy and this must be done before you seek help at the veterinarian or animal hospital. This is done by gently rubbing Karo syrup on your Poodle's gums. It will be absorbed directly into the blood stream to work quickly. If you do not have Karo syrup you can offer warm water with dissolved sugar, best hand fed with a small spoon. Within minutes you should see improvement. It is then that your Poodle should be brought to the nearest vet or animal clinic. In severe cases, a puppy may need an IV to balance out blood sugar levels and be monitored until they are out of the "danger zone". If you are not sure if your Poodle is experiencing this, to be safe you can offer your puppy 1 or 2 teaspoons of sugar water, it will not cause damage, it will simply make for 1 very hyper puppy for a short amount of time.
Are You Sure You Puppy-Proofed the Home?
While some things are "givens", such as wrapping up electrical cords and putting away dangerous items such as bug spray and cleaners... there are some elements that owners do not think about.
One of the saddest moments for our Poodle Experts was to hear from an owner whose Poodle puppy was poisoned and then eventually passed away from swallowing a penny. Dogs, puppies in particular, are so curious about their world. When you bring a puppy home, they will be extra curious to explore their new "world". Dogs, as you know, use their mouths in replace of "hands" to figure out what something is. Therefore, before you bring your puppy home the house must be puppy-proofed...and just as important is to check the floors daily for any small objects that can be swallowed. This is the one area that many owners to not think about as time goes by, but is so vital. Every day, owners must do a quick check of the floors in all rooms accessible to the Poodle to check for anything. Even items that you would never assume that a puppy would ingest. This, and it may seem strange, includes:
- nylons
- sock
- coins
- pens & pen caps
- tobacco products - ingesting any tobacco products is highly toxic to dogs
Other Dangers Not Thought About Often
Steps can be very dangerous for 2 reasons. A puppy may struggle to get up as far as they can on a staircase, only to fall backwards and an owner who has no idea that their Poodle picked that day to learn about stairs can easily trip over a small pup!
Underfoot
While it is more often said of Toy & Miniature dogs, even standard sized Poodles will be underfoot dogs when a puppy. What does this mean exactly? It means that when you least expect it, your Poodle is going to be right under your feet. Your puppy may cuddle up under your computer chair while you are typing away...and you may have no idea that they are there. Or your Poodle may wander into the kitchen while you are watching TV and when you walk into the kitchen to grab a drink, your Poodle will suddenly be under your feet. It is so very important to teach all family members, young and old, the very serious harm that can come to a Poodle who is stepped on. While many times it will be a "close call" as the Poodle will let out a loud "Yelp" before the full weight of a person goes down onto them... it has happened too many times that a pup suffered broken limps from accidents like this.
It Was Only Around the Corner!
One of the biggest mistakes that a Poodle owner can make is to not safely secure their dog in the car. Statistically speaking, most car accidents happen with 3 miles (4.82 kilometers) from home. Sometimes an owner will skip over this part and hold their dog in their lap for several reasons:
- They feel that since the destination is so close to home and such a short ride, that it is easier to just hold their dog
- They are in a hurry and do not want to "deal" with a dog car seat for a short drive
-
Their Poodle has not been allowed a slow socialization to the canine safety seat and they don't want to see/hear their dog fussing
- They make the mistake of trusting their own driving - when the truth is that no matter how good of a driver someone is...you have zero control over other drivers
Accidental Poisoning
While most people know that dogs cannot have chocolate, there are many other foods that are toxic to dogs. Even when owners know which foods must not be fed to their Poodle, the danger comes when an owner offers a piece of their dinner to their Poodle. Meals can contain the toxic ingredients. An example is pasta with sauce. While this seems as if it is a simple dinner (and most Poodles absolutely love pasta)...the sauce can often contain onions... one of the foods that is toxic to canines. While we very highly recommend home cooking (the only way to ensure that your Poodle is eating wholesome, real food for optimal health and happiness), please never give any of the food from your plate to your Poodle. Not only will this keep them safe, it also eliminates the issue of begging... once begging begins and an owner gives in just once...it is hard work to reverse the behavior.
To ensure the safety of your Poodle, let's take a look at the food that must not be feed to your puppy or dog:
- Avocado (all parts) - the toxic ingredient in avocado is called persin
- Pear pips, the kernels of plums, peaches and apricots, apple core pips ( these contain cyanogenic glycosides resulting in cyanide poisoning)
- Uncooked Potato skins and green looking potatoes
- Yeast dough
- Coffee grounds, beans & tea (caffeine)
- Hops (used in home brewing)
- Tomato leaves & stems (green parts)
- Raisins and grapes
- Xylitol (sweetener often found in sugar-free gum)
- Chocolate
- Garlic - Please note that this does not include garlic salt. In fact, some of the best recipes for dogs contain small amounts of garlic salt, which is perfectly safe. In addition, adding garlic salt to your Poodle's meals is a natural flea repellent.
NOTE: Toy & Miniature Poodles are like babies. They are small and need to be protected. All Poodles need protection from outside elements and sometimes, from themselves! To learn what all owners must know to keep their puppy or dog happy & safe, click here to see what the AllPoodleInfo Experts have for you.
