DogToys.com Blog

Five Dangerous Easter Plants

Dogs & Puppies, Health & Wellness, Spring No Responses »

Apr 202011

Here is a short list of plants that you see this time of year that are toxic to both dogs and cats.

Easter Lily (ALL Lilies)
While Easter Lilies are not toxic to dogs they are highly toxic to cats and can cause immediate kidney failure with only one leaf eaten. Other lilies such as the Calla Lily and the Day Lily are toxic to dogs. Symptoms include vomiting, lethargy, excessive drinking and urination.

Hyacinth
This flower is part of the lily family and can be highly poisonous. Symptoms include: Intense vomiting, diarrhea (occasionally with blood), depression and tremors.

Daffodil
The bulb of this flower is the most dangerous part, but any part of the plant can cause sever problems. Symptoms of ingestion are vomiting, salvation, and diarrhea. If a large amount is eaten it can cause convulsions, low blood pressure, tremors and cardiac arrhythmias.

Tulip
Again this flower is in the same family as the lily and like the Daffodil the bulb has the highest amounts of toxins. Symptoms to watch for are vomiting, depression, diarrhea, and extreme or hypersalivation.

Easter Rose
This plant is also known as Hellebore, Christmas Rose, or Lenten Rose. It is not a rose at all rather a bushy stalk with pinkish white flowers. Symptoms of ingestion are drooling, abdominal pain, diarrhea, colic, and depression.

For a complete list of toxic plants please see the ASPCA’s list of Plants Toxic to cats, dogs and horses.

Toy Donations - Thank YOU!

Dog News, Dogs & Puppies No Responses »

Feb 112011

For years we have be running our Toys for Pets Program on our online stores. Our customers simply add a treat or toy into their cart and we gather them and ship them off to our list of waiting shelters and rescues.

Our customers ROCK!

For February we sent out boxes to these great Non-Profit Organizations that help needy dogs across the country.

Teeny’s Friends — Austin, TX
Austin Pet’s Alive — Austin, TX
Upper Peninsula Animal Welfare Shelter — Negaunee, MI
FOWA – Friends of Wayne Animals — Wayne, NJ

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR KIND DONATIONS!

We will try to keep you updated more often on who and where your donations are going to.

Go Out and Play in the Dark

Dog Toys, Dogs & Puppies, Winter 1 Response »

Dec 302010

Winter is here and boy is it getting dark early these days. But that should not stop you from going out and playing ball with your pooch.

Were you a fan of the original Sun Pet Toys Buddy’s Glow Ball Dog Toys? Well it is back! Thanks to American Dog Toys. Now simply called the Fetch & Glow Balls, these have the same great quality, same great glow as that original Buddy’s Glow Ball.

The Fetch & Glow Ball is Soft, safe and loads of fun for you and your dog. It is great for both day and nighttime play. It is a very durable ball for bouncing and tossing for a great game of fetch.

The Fetch & Glow Ball for dogs is also airtight so it floats. This will make for some great water time fun!

To activate this glow-in-the-dark dog ball simply expose to light and go have fun. These great glowing balls are available in two sizes. (Fetch & Glow Ball – Large and the Fetch & Glow Ball – Small ).

There are also some cool light up balls from Niteize. Check out the K9 Meteorlite balls that are available in four fun colors. They also make light up frisbees too!

So get out there and have some fun in the dark!h

Toys For Pets Dontaions

Dog News, Dogs & Puppies No Responses »

Nov 282010

Our wonderful customers continue to donate toys and treats to needy animals through our Toys for Pets Donation Programs on our sites DogToys.com and CatToys.com.

Here are some of the recipients we just shipped boxes of dog toys to:

New Rattitude Rat Terrier Rescue, Martin, MI
Russell Rescue Inc, Santa Clarita, CA
Adopt a Spot Dalmatian Rescue, Chesapeake, VA
Boxer Buddies Rescue Inc, Bellingham, MA
Sioux Falls Area Humane Society, Sioux Falls, SD
Beaver County Humane Society, Monaca, PA
Humane Society of Berks County, Reading, PA

We want to thank everyone who donated to our Toys for Pets Program and let you know that your donations are greatly appreciated by these shelters and rescues across the USA.

Please consider helping with a small donation as it all adds up. Or if you live in any of these areas stop by and give them a visit and see what you can do to help.

November Marks 6th Annual National Pet Cancer Awareness Month

Dog News, Dogs & Puppies, Health & Wellness No Responses »

Nov 042010

Nation’s Largest Pet Insurer Teams With Animal Cancer Foundation in Fight Against One of the Most Common and Costly Pet Health Conditions

BREA, Calif., Nov. 1, 2010 (via PRNewswire) — Every year in the United States, millions of pets are diagnosed with and treated for cancer. For the sixth year in a row, Veterinary Pet Insurance Co. (VPI), the nation’s oldest and largest provider of pet health insurance, seeks to increase awareness about the prevalence, detection, and treatment of pet cancer by designating November as Pet Cancer Awareness Month. To raise funds for pet cancer research, VPI has once again partnered with the Animal Cancer Foundation (ACF) and organized the Long Beach K9K Pet Cancer Awareness Walk, which will take place on Saturday, Nov. 13, 2010.

VPI started Pet Cancer Awareness month in 2005 because cancer diagnoses often catch pet owners by surprise. Many do not know their pets can develop cancer, and others simply underestimate the cost of treating cancer in their pet. Below are the 10 most common pet cancers by claims received at VPI between 2003 and 2009:

Lymphosarcoma	34,457
Mast Cell Tumor	19,249
Bone Cancer	10,120
Cancer of the Eyelid	7,696
Cancer of the Spleen	7,283
Liver Cancer	6,198
Fibrosarcoma (which stem from connective tissues)	5,542
Cancer of the Thorax	5,289
Oral Cancer	4,362
Hemangiopericytoma (a tumor generally arising on a limb)	4,351

Treating these pet cancers can be a heavy burden. Between 2003 and 2009, VPI policyholders spent more than $51.2 million treating just these 10 most common cancerous conditions. The most expensive form of cancer, bone cancer, cost policyholders an average of $2,304 per claim. To ensure that VPI policyholders are able to pursue optimal cancer treatment, VPI’s medical policies include benefits for the diagnosis and treatment of cancerous conditions, including chemotherapy and radiation treatment, if required.

To detect cancer early, pet owners should be attentive to any growing lump or sore that fails to heal, drastic changes in a pet’s appetite or weight, unusually strong odors coming from a pet, discharge or bleeding from any body opening, difficulty chewing or swallowing, or an unwillingness to exercise. Further detection tips and information on Pet Cancer Awareness Month as well as registration information for the Long Beach K9K Pet Cancer Awareness Walk can be found by visiting www.petinsurance.com/cancer. For more information on the Animal Cancer Foundation, please visit www.acfoundation.org.

Note to editors: VPI can provide state-specific cancer data and arrange interviews with pet owners whose pets have survived cancer or are currently receiving treatment for cancer.

About Veterinary Pet Insurance

With more than 485,000 pets insured nationwide, Veterinary Pet Insurance Co./DVM Insurance Agency is the No. 1 veterinarian-recommended pet health insurance company and is a member of the Nationwide Insurance family of companies. Providing pet owners with peace of mind since 1982, the company is committed to being the trusted choice of America’s pet lovers and an advocate of pet health education. VPI Pet Insurance plans cover dogs, cats, birds and exotic pets for multiple medical problems and conditions relating to accidents, illnesses and injuries. Optional Pet CareGuard® for routine care is also available.

Medical plans are available in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. More than 2,000 companies nationwide offer VPI Pet Insurance as an employee benefit. Policies are underwritten by Veterinary Pet Insurance Company in California and in all other states by National Casualty Company, an A+15 rated company in Madison, Wisconsin. Pet owners can find VPI Pet Insurance on Facebook or follow @VPI on Twitter. For more information about VPI Pet Insurance, call 800-USA-PETS (800-872-7387) or visit www.petinsurance.com.

SOURCE Veterinary Pet Insurance Co.

Provincetown, MA Is America's Most Dog Friendly City

Dog News, Dogs & Puppies No Responses »

Nov 032010

IRVINE, Calif., July 12 (via PRNewswire) — Dog Fancy, the world’s most widely read dog magazine, has named Provincetown, Mass., the winner of the 2010 DogTown USA competition, saluting it as America’s most dog-friendly city.

This year’s contest, sponsored by WAHL® Clipper Corp., named the Top 40 dog-friendly cities across the U.S. in honor of Dog Fancy’s 40th anniversary celebration. The criteria used to select the winning city include plenty of dog-friendly open spaces and dog parks, events celebrating dogs and their owners, ample veterinary care, abundant pet supply and other services, and municipal laws that support and protect all pets.

“All dog owners know of a few local shops or restaurants that allow dogs, but it is remarkable to have an entire town where virtually every establishment opens its doors to dogs – even the bank,” says Ernie Slone, Dog Fancy editor. “Where else can you take your dog along for a whale-watching or sunset cruise, walk miles of off-leash scenic beaches year-round and enjoy one of the nation’s finest dog parks? Provincetown nearly swept our major awards this year, with its Pilgrim Bark Park finishing at No. 2 in our national ratings of dog parks.”

Rounding out the top 10 cities are:

Carmel, Calif.
Madison, Wis.
Benicia, Calif.
Fort Bragg, Calif.
Lincoln City, Ore.
San Diego, Calif.
Virginia Beach, Va.
Sioux Falls, S.D.
Salem, Ore.

Happy Halloween

Dog News, Dogs & Puppies, Health & Wellness No Responses »

Oct 292010

Happy Halloween everybody! We hope you and your pets have a wonderful and safe Halloween weekend.

Here are a few safety tips to make your weekend safe:

Not all dogs like costumes. Don’t force your pet to wear one if you see them starting to stress over getting dressed up. (Some dogs put up with them long enough for photos like our friend Buttons.)

Keep the candy out of reach. Sweets are for people not pets. Chocolate or sugar-free candies could kill a dog.

Watch out for pranksters and trouble makers. Animals are often their targets.

Keep those doors closed and ID tags on your dog at all times. Better safe then sorry!

For more helpful tips (& from a dogs point of view) check out PrestonSpeaks.com.

Meet Mattie The Star of Our Homepage

Dog Blogs, Dogs & Puppies 1 Response »

Oct 142010

Who’s that dog on our homepage? That is a special little guy named Mattie!

He is full of wisdom and love, but don’t take our word for it head on over to his blog and find out for yourself. Mattiedog: A Little Dog Making a Big Impact in this World!®

You may even wish to follow him on Twitter. He goes by @mattiedog on twitter and he has tons of anipals (animal pals …. get it? anipals) and I am sure he would like you to join him there.

He has recently started The MattieDog Foundation a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of non-lethal animal management. Way to go MattieDog!

Here is a little more about Mattie from the foundation’s website:

MattieDog is a little dog that has made a great impact in this world. MattieDog teaches, through his life and stories, that with some love, compassion, and a good dose of humor, you can change the world.

National Pet Fire Safety Day

Dog News No Responses »

Jul 152010

Today is National Pet Fire Safety Day. Started by the AKC and ADT Security Systems to make people aware that nearly 500,000 pets are affected by fires every year. That is a staggering number.

Here comes the truly amazing number, nearly 1000 fires are accidentally start by the family pet! There are plenty of things you can do to pet proof your home fire accidents. Check out the AKC’s website for their checklist. The one thing that really struck us was the glass water bowls on the decks and how they can act just like a magnifying glass starting a fire with the sun’s rays.

Most importantly on this fire safety day we want everyone to know that rescue workers will search for your pets if you have a Pet Alert on your windows, but you have to keep them up to date so they know what type and how many pets they are rescuing in the event on a fire. Also should you no longer have a pet you always want to remove the decals from your windows so you don’t waste their time either.

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