While technology is great, according to a new survey in Britain it can be dangerous to our pets health. The survey was done by Petplan using 3,000 animal owners.

It found that a number of pet owners are unwilling to take responsibility for an accident, saying the animal was the cause. Over a third blamed the pet for eating something it shouldn’t have, another third blamed their animals for getting hurt while jumping off furniture.

A number of strange incidents were revealed through the survey. There was a cat who singed her whiskers when sniffing a candle and a dog who swallowed a pair of knickers.

The survey also included owners of guinea pigs, rabbits, reptiles, birds and cats.  All of whom are potentially at risk from 21st century toys.

Top 10 Gadgets Most Likely To Injure Pets

1. iPod (15 per cent)

2. Laptop (10.8 per cent)

3. Remote Control (10.8 per cent)

4. Plasma TV (10.8 per cent)

5. Wii (10 per cent)

6. DVD Player (10 per cent)

7. Playstation (8.3 per cent)

8. Nintendo DS (5.8 per cent)

9. Mobile Phone (5.8 per cent)

10. Karaoke Machine (5.8 per cent)

Interesting, but the article doesn’t say exactly how these items caused injury.  It does make one wonder how a pet is injured by a karaoke machine, maybe the owner’s singing was the cause.

Usually we hear about sharks attacking humans, not so in this case.

Here’s a story with a  twist, human attacks shark to save his dog.

ISLAMORADA, Fla., Sept. 30 (UPI) — Greg LeNoir of Islamorada, Fla., says he had to overcome his own fear before he could save his 14-pound dog, Jake, from the jaws of a shark.

Jake, a 28-month-old rat terrier, was taking his daily swim retrieving soaked coconuts when LeNoir watched a 5-foot shark swim up and pull Jake under water, The Miami Herald reported Tuesday.

I would say Greg has some big kahunas, kudos to him.

“I clenched my fists and dove straight in with all my strength, like a battering ram,” LeNoir, 53, said. “I hit the back of the shark’s neck. It was like hitting concrete.”

The shark let go of Jake, who swam to shore trailing blood from punctures in his abdomen, chest and back, LeNoir said of Friday’s attack. Jake is expected to fully recover.

Jake was adopted from an animal shelter and is now part of the family.  The LeNoir’s have no two legged children so Jake is their four legged child.

It’s so nice to post a story with a happy ending.

* There was no picture of Jake so pictured above is Rocco, a Dogster member.

I received a message about a potential danger concerning the “Real Ham Bone” made by Dynamic Pet Products.

I have not been able to find any recall of this product, or any information for that matter.  Regardless, this is definitely something you’ll want to be aware of.

I would like to warn all dog lovers out there to be very careful about the dog treats that you give your dogs. Last week I bought a “Real Ham Bone” made by Dynamic Pet Products of Missouri from Walmart.

Here is what it looks like: . The label says it is made with “100% Food Grade Ingredients” and it isn’t made from China. I thought that meant that this would make a good treat for my dogs. Boy was I wrong.

Trace, my dog, enjoyed chewing on this bone. It did not splinter or anything, in fact there is quite a large piece of it still left. Then in the evening she started vomiting.

She spent the next day at a veterinarian’ s office where she was diagnosed with a blockage of the colon. That night she endured a 4 hour surgery at Brandon Veterinary Specialists where the vet picked out small round pellets of the bone, up to the size of about a b-b.

The next morning she was moved to Florida Veterinary Specialist critical care unit. Again in the evening she had another 2 hour surgery, because the blockage had caused poison in her body. She passed away at 4:30 the next afternoon.

Everyone who hears this horrible story immediately says “Well that sounds like a lawsuit to me”. That is what I thought also. Since then, I have learned that is not that easy to sue on behalf of a dog.

The lawyers say a dog is a possession just like a couch. So, so far, all I have been able to do is write a certified letter to Dynamic Pet Products of Missouri.

In it I requested my vet bills to be paid and their product to be relabeled or preferably removed from the shelf. I don’t know if I will get a response. If anyone else has any ideas about how I may address this issue, please let me know at djurgens12@aol. com.

In the memory of Trace, please pass this email on to all of the dog lovers that you know. This type of bone is sold in all of the stores under several different manufacturers names. I would assume they all may do the same thing. Even if they don’t splinter, they can cause a blockage.

I would like to pass on my condolences to Trace’s owner, and thank them for sharing this tragic story to help prevent it from happening again.

I received an email this morning warning the Swifter WetJet is potentially toxic to dogs.  The email tells about a dog that died due to their owner using this product. It claims anti-freeze, known to be toxic to dogs, is one of the ingredients.

Before I post anything I always try and verify the information,  sometimes it turns out to be  unfounded. I don’t know where the original letter started, or if it was done as a joke, but there seems to be no factual evidence backing it up.

Unfortunately, the rumor spreads quickly around the internet. These types of jokes prey on the feelings of honest people, knowing they can be used to help get the word out.

This is the original letter that is going around the internet.

Recently my neighbor had to have their 5-year old German Shepherd dog put down due to liver failure.The dog was completely healthy until a few weeks ago,so they had a necropsy done to see what the cause was.

The liver levels were unbelievable, as if the dog had ingested poison of some kind. The dog is kept inside,and when he’s outside, someones with him, so the idea of him getting into something unknown was hard to believe.

My neighbor started going through all the items in the house. When he got to the Swiffer Wetjet he noticed, in very tiny print, a warning which stated “may be harmful to small children and animals”.

He called the company to ask what the contents of the cleaning agent are and was astounded to find out that antifreeze is one of the ingredients (actually, he was told it’s a compound which is one molecule away from antifreeze).

Therefore, just by the dog walking on the floor cleaned with the solution, then licking its paws, it ingested enough of the solution to destroy his liver.

Soon after his dog’s death, his housekeepers’ two cats also died of liver failure. She also used the Swiffer Wetjet for quick cleanups on her floors. Necropsies weren’t done on the cats, but he asked that we spread the word to as many people as possible so they don’t lose their animals.

This is an anonymous message, it’s unverifiable and filled with untruths.  Go take a look at the snopes.com site, where they did a great job of going through each accusation and breaking it down.  As you’ll see, there does not seem to be any truth to this letter.

In April 2008 Joy was made aware, by Lucky’s mom, about an incident that occurred after using Sergeant’s Gold flea medication.   Joy posted an article, Sergeant’s Gold Flea Medication Almost Kills Dogsters Lucky and Nala, to make everyone aware of the potential danger.

Since that article was posted there have many comments from other Dogster members who have used this product and experienced issues, from minor to life-threatening.  Last week a comment came in from Julie, an Online Community Relations Liaison, working on behalf of Sergeant’s with some updated information as to what the company is doing in response to these complaints.

Sergeant’s is very sorry to hear about what all of your dogs have experienced. We really want to hear from each one of you who believes their pet has had an adverse reaction to any of our flea and tick control products. If you haven’t yet contacted our 24-hour consumer hotline at 800-224-7387, we strongly encourage you to do so for a couple of very important reasons:

• We want to make sure that each one of your dogs is now in good health. Naturally reading these posts are more than bothersome to us.

• Sergeant’s needs to gather information from you and your vet in order to start an investigation. Sergeant’s has a procedure in place where a complaint of a possible adverse reaction is given to a committee of independent veterinarians to review and investigate what may have caused the reaction or problem.

It’s important to remember that all flea and tick control product are pesticides and in order for these products to be as safe and effective as possible, they must be used as directed. It’s also important to understand that, just like human health care products, nothing can be 100% allergy-free, so some dogs will have a reaction. Most reactions are temporary, such as skin irritation, but some can be very serious.

Sergeant’s wants to help pet owners make safe choices, which is why we expanded our “Look at the Label” educational campaign and website www.lookatthelabel.com to educate consumers on proper application and use of flea and tick control products. Each case in this forum - and other forums - is different, which is why we think you will find the information on www.lookatthelabel.com helpful in answering many of the questions you may have at this point in time.

Sergeant’s President, Bob Scharf, wants pet owners to know this tool is available and encourages everyone to visit the website or call Sergeant’s hotline to answer any questions or concerns you may have - whether it is pre, post or after application. You can view a special message here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbONNAshrWo.

We really are very sorry to read the experiences here and want nothing but your pets to be healthy and happy! Visit www.lookatthelabel.com for useful tips. Please let us know if you have any questions at all, as we would be more than happy to assist you further.

When I read the comment I thanked Julie for sending it over. I also let her know that Dogster members, being the dog lovers they are, obviously get very upset when they  use a product that they feel makes their dog sick.

It is especially upsetting when people don’t think that a company cares what happens. I asked if there is any kind of reimbursement program if it can be proven the product is directly responsible for making the dog sick.  Or is it simply use at your own risk? According to Julie, there are measures being taken to deal with those situations.

Sergeant’s has a procedure in place for when a complaint of a possible adverse reaction is reported. In some cases, the complaint and information are given to independent veterinarians for further insight on what may have caused the reaction or problem.

Sergeant’s takes pride in being an extremely ethical company and stands behind all of the products offered to fellow pet lovers. Responsibility is taken for issues related to the product as long as the product was used as indicated by the label.

If the product was used as intended and instructed and then found to be the cause of the negative reaction, the customer will of course be reimbursed for any damage associated to the product.

This again is determined through a case investigation and why it is so important to hear from anyone and everyone that has had a negative experience with this product.

For anyone that has any issues with the Sergeant’s products I urge you to take Julie’s advice and go to the Look At The Label page so you can contact the appropriate party.  It is imperative that the company is able to track these incidents and that the injured party receive compensation, if so determined,  for any out of pocket expenses due to the use of this product.

I received a message from one of our pup pals, Bailey, about a heartbreaking incident that started with a very innocuous looking toy.  This is the story of Chai, a beautiful 10 year old lab mix. 

 On Sunday, June 22, 2008 my 10-year old lab mix, Chai, sustained a severe injury from a product that the company Four Paws Inc, produces. The toy I’m referencing is the pimple ball with bell. (Item #20227-001, UPC Code 0 4566320227 9)

While chewing on the toy, a vacuum was created and it effectively sucked his tongue into the hole in the ball. From speaking with my vet, this likely occurred because there is not a second hole in the ball preventing the vacuum effect from happening. I became aware of this when Chai approached a friend at my home whimpering with the ball in his mouth. She tried unsuccessfully to remove the ball but the tongue had swollen and could not be released.

Chai was taken to the Animal Medical Center (an emergency care facility in New York City) and was treated by Dr. Nicole Spurlock to have the ball removed. Because the size of the opening on the ball was so small, all circulation to his tongue was cut off. The doctors had to sedate him in order to remove it. Once the ball was removed, his tongue swelled to the point that he could no longer put it in his mouth. Chai was sent home with care instructions and to be observed overnight for any changes.

By the following morning his tongue continued to swell.

He was taken to his regular vet, Dr. Timnah Lee, for treatment. He was admitted and kept sedated for a period of three days during which time they were treating his wounds and waiting to determine how much of his tongue could be saved. On June 26, 2008 Chai had his tongue amputated.

He was kept in after-care for an additional three days. On Sunday June 29th I brought Chai home from the vet with a barrage of home care instructions, to last for an additional 7 days. His next visit was to have his mouth re-examined and have the feeding tube in his neck removed.

The following is a link to an animal treatment clinic that has also documented the same injury to a Shepard mix.

www.logcabinanimalhospital.com/index.php/toy-ball-stuck-on-dogs-tongue/

I sent this information along with the reference to Petunia the french bulldog to Four Paws Inc, and it is their position that there just aren’t enough instances to do anything about this. I told their Insurance company’s case manager that was not a good enough excuse, It was inferred that my dogs value wasn’t much and that his pain and suffering don’t count as he is just a piece of property.

This should never happen to another animal again!

Chai’s owner now has over $5000 in vet bills as well as countless other bills that are  associated with his care.  Please take a minute to read the entire story of Chai so that we can get the word out about the Pimple Ball with bell toy.  If the company refuses to take responsibility for its product then it’s our responsibility, as consumers, to take a stand and protect our innocent pets.

This is a must read for every dog lover out there who loves to have their precious ones groomed.

Lisa and I were watching The Today Show this morning when Meridith Viera did a segment on the dangers lurking at the groomers.  She told of a story about her assistant’s dog, Sushi, who died while getting groomed.  Tragically Sushi was put in a cage dryer, set at 100 degrees, for 30 minutes.

Since we usually bathe our dogs at home we had no idea there were such things as cage dryers.  We have, however, on occasion had them bathed when they were boarded so that they would be nice and clean when we brought them home. This was a real wake-up call to us,  as I’m sure it will be to many of you.  The most disturbing fact is that the pet grooming industry is unregulated, anyone could be working those machines.

The horrifying story of a dog that died after being left in a kennel drying machine is a tragic warning about an unregulated industry, an expert said Friday - and a wake-up call to pet owners who need to do their homework about the facilities they trust with their beloved animals.

It’s hard to think of anything more awful than your beloved pet dying while getting a routine bath.

Groomer and instructor Joey Villan gives important tips on how to find a qualified groomer. Hopefully, making everyone aware of this heartbreaking tragedy  will prevent it from happening again.

Villani encourages every pet owner do research on the facility they’ve chosen before handing over their pooch or kitty. And his tips go beyond inquiring about the usage of kennel dryers.

“You have to ask questions,” he said. “But first, a groomer should really be asking you questions. They should be professional. The place should look and smell clean. They should ask you to tour the facilities. They should show you where the dog is going to be caged, what the procedures are going to be.

“If they don’t, ask them,” Villani continued. “Get a little bit more involved and ask, ‘OK, what’s the procedure here? What are you doing to my dog?’ And if they’re reluctant about showing you the place, walk away.”

In addition, Villani says pet owners should inquire about the products and foods used at a facility. They should also investigate safety procedures, to the point of examining the length of leashes and their safety nooses on grooming decks.

“A lot of people call it a noose, but I call it a safety noose because it sounds better,” he said. “If that’s not adjusted properly and it has a little bit of play in it, when a dog jumps off the table and that snaps, it will break the dog’s neck. Groomers need to be within hands-reach of the dog at all times.”

Thanks to Amanda and Keith Bushey for sharing their very sad story so that others won’t have to experience the pain and loss they did.