Coming in early February - Greyhound Only Obedience Class!  Edmonton area only.

Pre-registration required.  Space is limited!  Contact Deb for details.

Cocoa Mulch, which is a gardening mulch sold by Home Depot and other garden supply stores, contains a lethal ingredient called 'Theobromine'. It is lethal to dogs and cats. It smells like chocolate and it really attracts dogs. Cocoa Mulch is manufactured by Hershey's, and studies have shown that 50% of the dogs that eat Cocoa Mulch can suffer physical harm (to a variety of degrees depending on each individual dog). Theobromine is in all chocolate, especially dark or baker's chocolate which is toxic to dogs. Cocoa bean shells contain potentially toxic quantities of theobromine, axanthine compound similar in effects to caffeine and theophylline.  For more information, click on the following link:

http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/cocoamulch.asp 

The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center cautions animal owners that xylitol, a sweetener found in certain sugar-free chewing gums, candies, baked goods and other products can potentially cause serious and even life-threatening problems for pets.

According to Dr. Eric Dunayer, veterinarian and toxicologist for the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, dogs ingesting significant amounts of items sweetened with xylitol could develop a fairly sudden drop in blood sugar, resulting in depression, loss of coordination and seizures. Dr. Dunayer also stated that there appears to be a strong link between xylitol ingestions and the development of liver failure in dogs.

While it was previously thought that only large concentrations of xylitol could result in problems, this appears to no longer be the case. For more information, click on each of the links below:

http://www.aspca.org/site

http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/xylitol.asp

Hello Everyone,
The new Bach product Rescue Remedy Pastilles (candies) contain Xylitol, a sweetening substance that can be toxic to some dogs (also cats). Please DO NOT give these to your animals. (There is always a choking possibility as well with hard candies).
Upon receiving emails to this effect, I contacted the Bach Centre in the UK who were unaware of the effects of Xylitol on animals. They immediately notifed Nelson's, the manufacturer of the Bach line. I have yet to hear what will be done to the formulation.
The original liquid Remedies have not changed and can continue to be used.
I had not seen the Pastilles as they're not yet in my area, and would like to thank Deb Stanton and Jean Kingston for informing me of this situation.
As always, with any product you haven't used before, be sure to carefully read the label before giving to your precious animal friends - and to you and your family :-)

Best wishes to all,
Sue

Hello Friends,

There is a new FDA recall involving possible salmonella contamination in pet foods and treats made with peanuts and peanut butter from Peanut Corporation of America at its Georgia plant. Several human food products are also involved.

Check specific product names at this FDA webpage:

http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/peanutbutterrecall/index.cfm

Several 'Grreat Choice' products sold at Petsmart are included. They are voluntarily recalling these products which I understand can be returned for a refund.

In wellness,
Sue

Sue Becker BFRP, CTTP
Animal Communicator /Consultant
Guild Certified Tellington TTouch™ Practitioner
Bach Flower Remedies™ Registered Practitioner & Retail Trainer
Reconnective Healing™ Practitioner
Vet Recommended
519-896-2600 suebecker@cyg.net Kitchener, Ontario, Canada

Some of you might be interested in the latest dog food ratings. There are many brands on here that I have not even heard of!  Please note there is more than one page to each category:

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/

Remember that greyhounds newly retired normally cannot tolerate the high end foods such as Orijen or Innova Evo.  Nor do they do well on lamb based foods when they are right off the track.  This does not mean that you can never feed these foods to your greyhound.  It only means that you need to get their digestive systems stabilized first.  Talk to your adoption representative for information and recommendations.  Don't dismiss feeding your greyhound a raw diet either!  Greyhounds do well on raw as that makes up part of their diet as racers.  The biggest myth about a raw diet is that it's expensive; however, it's no more expensive to feed raw than to feed a good quality dry dog food.  For more information, do a google search, or talk to your adoption representative.

Meet Jackie

Jackie, a sweet, black tuxedo girl, however, was eventually sent back into foster care because she wasn’t well accepted by the resident female whippet in her adoptive home. Jackie had her spay while in foster care, and was soon to be, once again, ready for adoption.

www.calgarygreyhoundwalkingclub.com

www.edmontongreyhounds.ca.

In the fall of 2005, a Dog Flu Virus was reportedly making the rounds at racetracks and kennels across the United States.  When this was brought to our attention, we consulted with our veterinarian and kept close tabs on the situation. Even though the dog flu virus seems to be under control for the time being, it resulted in a new policy here at Chinook Winds Greyhound Rescue. For the protection of our adopters and our foster homes, and for the protection of any dog that comes into contact with our greyhounds, any greyhound coming into our system from the United States will be quarantined for a minimum 5-7 days upon arrival. These dogs are closely monitored and do not come out of quarantine until we are absolutely sure that none are symptomatic for ANY disease. As well, since greyhounds come from areas where ticks and fleas are a reality of life, the quarantine allows us to effectively rid the greyhounds of these parasites BEFORE they go into foster or adoptive homes. This ensures that the resident animals are kept free from any parasites that the greyhounds may inadvertently carry with them!

These steps, and any others deemed necessary by our veterinarian, will be taken so we do not inadvertently spread the highly contagious dog flu, or any other disease, around in the process of finding adoptive homes for our greyhounds.