The Beagle Bugler
April 2007
Plans Underway for 10th Annual Specialty
Notes from the General and Board Meetings
Field Trials - Reserved same weekends in January and February as this year for trials at E.E Wilson next year (2008).
CERF Clinic / Supported Entry - Ellen Par is heading the CERF clinic and she has already arranged for ophthalmologist to work 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. on Saturday, November 10.
Motion passed to hold July meeting at the Specialty show on July 20 after the specialty meal.
Columbia Willamette Beagle Rescue Board appointed as
Judy Eckhart - - President
Jean Applegate - - Vice President
John Eckhart - - Secretary / Treasurer
Happy Tails!
Ruby
Ruby came to CWBR from the Corvallis area. The animal control authorities knew Ruby well because she would regularly be found wandering in the neighborhoods. Ruby was also used non-stop for breeding and had recently given birth to a litter of pups. Ruby was tuckered out and needed a secure home and a real family who would give her lots of love and attention. Animal control contacted Susan Faria of Senior Dog Rescue who is in the Corvallis area for help. Susan immediately contacted CWBR knowing that we would do right by Ruby.
Ruby was spotted on the website by the Eubanks family. They are a wonderful couple who had previously owned a female beagle named Bailey. The Eubanks had Bailey for 11 years, until she passed away from cancer. Since the Eubanks had owned a beagle before, they knew all about how to care for Ruby and had a nice, solid 7 foot high fence constructed around their yard to prevent escapes.
When the Eubanks saw Ruby’s cute face, they knew they had to meet her and brought one of their 8 granddaughters up with them. Ruby was immediately drawn to them and began showing off by doing her routine of happy kisses and “sit up and beg” tricks. There was lots of giggling and laughter and a tail wagging good time was had by all. No doubt, Ruby had at last found her forever family
The Eubanks took Ruby home along with her U of O leash, which matched Mr. Eubank’s jacket (Go Ducks!), a Kong and a bag full of goodies. Ruby is a very lucky little dog and CWBR thanks the Eubanks family for taking the time to seek out a rescue dog in need of a good and loving home.
RESCUE REGROUPING
The Columbia-Willamette Beagle Rescue Board of Directors is discussing temporarily closing rescue or otherwise regrouping. President Judy Eckhart’s health will not allow rescue to continue as it is now. If you would be willing to help in this time of transition, please contact Judy or Jean Applegate who is vice-president of Columbia-Willamette Beagle Rescue.
Easter Goodie Warning by Judy Eckhart
Around Easter it is customary to have lots of chocolate around. At least in our home, chocolate bunnies rule! However, I’m sure that most of you know that chocolate can be toxic to dogs. Holidays are especially dangerous time when large quantities of candy and other chocolate treats maybe found in the home. Since our dogs are often considered members of the family, it is natural to wish to share our treats. But, what we think of as the ultimate treat can be deadly to dogs. A healthy beagle finding and gobbling down an open bag of chocolate morsels could be dead within hours.
The element in chocolate that is so deadly to dogs is a substance called Theobromide. The size of the dog and type of chocolate have a bearing on the amount of chocolate that will cause toxic results. Chocolate is not a treat that pet’s owners should dole out to their loving beagles.
The unsweetened or baking chocolate is the most dangerous as it contains the highest percentage of Theobromide per ounce: 400 MG per ounce as compared to 45 MG per ounce to milk chocolate. Usually toxic symptoms will occur when 100 MG of Theobromide are ingested per 2.2 pound of the animal’s body weight. So a 20 pound beagle can succumb with the ingestion of just two ounces of baking chocolate.
The symptoms of Theobromide poisoning are numerous and they appear within a few hours or up to a day after the chocolate ingestion since chocolate can stay in the dog’s stomach a long time. As the Theobromide is absorbed into the bloodstream, the dog can exhibit the following symptoms: Vomiting, Diarrhea, Urinary incontinence, Hyperactivity, Rapid breathing/heartbeat, Muscle tremors, Seizures, Coma.
There is no antidote to Theobromide poisoning. Treatment is geared toward supporting the dog’s basic life functions, preventing further absorption of the chocolate, hastening elimination, and treating the symptoms.
If less that two hours have passed since the ingestion, the first step is to induce vomiting. This should get rid of 70% of the stomach’s contents. To induce vomiting, I have used hydrogen peroxide. I gave my Bleu 2 teaspoons full and within 30 minutes, oh baby, was his stomach empty!
But, if your dog has eaten an amount that can be toxic, it is not enough to just induce vomiting. The dog should be taken to your veterinarian immediately and kept under veterinary supervision until the danger has passed. The vet will give the dog repeated doses of activated charcoal to move the poison through the system faster and with less absorption. The vital signs (heart rate and respiration) must be carefully monitored during this treatment.
The chart below shows the toxic amount of milk chocolate and baking chocolate for various weights of dogs. Although these show life-threatening levels, ingestion of smaller amounts can cause your beagle to experience considerable discomfort.
Dog's Weight Amount of Milk Chocolate Amount of Unsweetened Chocolate MG of Theobromide
5 pounds 4 oz 1/2 oz 200
10 pounds 8 oz 1 oz 400
20 pounds 16oz 1.5 oz 900
30 pounds 1.25 lbs 3.75 oz 1300
Of course, the best treatment is prevention of ingestion. With this in mind:
1. Never leave chocolate unattended within reach of your beagle.
2. Never feed chocolate candy as a treat.
3. Never assume a dog is fine if it vomits after eating chocolate.
If you think your beagle has ingested a dangerous amount of chocolate, consult a veterinarian at once.
I hope this information is helpful. It is not my intention to give veterinary advice but only to share information I have come across in my research to be a better beagle mom.
Or pick an issue
