OT: pets - ASPCA Food Alert

[Guest guest]

Beings as there are so many pet lovers on this list I thought you might be

interested in this message forwarded to us.

THANKSGIVING SAFETY TIP: BREAD DOUGH'S A NO-NO FOR DOGS AND CATS

There'll be many cooks in the kitchen next Thursday--but don't spoil your pet by

giving him bread dough. According to veterinarians at the ASPCA Animal Poison

Control Center (APCC), when bread dough is ingested, an animal's body heat

causes the dough to rise in the stomach. As alcohol is produced during the

rising process, the dough expands. Pet's who've eaten bread dough may experience

abdominal pain, bloat, vomiting, disorientation and depression.

Take the case of the Labrador retriever who ingested several rolls that his

owner had placed on the oven to rise. The owner didn't think much of this, and

was more upset that the dog ate part of the holiday feast. But a few hours

later, the owner noticed that the dog looked very lethargic. It wasn't long

before the canine was reluctant to move and was retching.

As the symptoms intensified, the owner brought him to an emergency clinic, which

contacted the APCC. Unfortunately, the dog's stomach was so severely distended

that the only option at the time was to surgically remove the dough; he was also

treated for alcohol toxicosis, caused by fermentation of the dough. The Labrador

was kept at the clinic for the weekend and recovered completely.

Although this dog had ingested quite a bit of dough, an animal needs to eat only

a small amount to cause a problem, because bread dough can rise to many times

its size. Take care not to let Fluffy or Fido in the kitchen unsupervised when

you're baking this holiday season--especially if you've got a professional

chowhound who's always on the lookout for food.

In addition to offering poison prevention tips online, the APCC also runs an

emergency hotline--1---that provides round-the-clock telephone

assistance.

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[Guest guest]

> Although this dog had ingested quite a bit of dough, an animal needs to

eat only a small amount to cause a problem, because bread dough can rise to

many times its size.

This can happen to people to. It happened to a kid I went to high school

with, and he had to have the dough removed in surgery. (Yeah, he was

actually IN high school at the time, but he didn't know better, and his mom

was making something wonderful that he couldn't wait for.)

I wouldn't worry about US, but little kids, maybe.

~~ Lyn G