Accidental Ingestion of Medications (pet or human drugs) 5,131
Rodenticide (mouse & rat poison) 4,028
Methylxanthine Toxicity (chocolate, caffeine) 3,661
Plant Poisoning 2,808
Household Chemicals 1,669
Metaldehyde (snail, slug poison) 396
Insecticide 323
Heavy Metal Toxicity (lead, zinc) 288
Toad Poisoning 270
Antifreeze Poisoning 213
Walnut Poisoning 100
Alcohol Toxicity 75
Strychnine 28

VPI policyholders spent more than $6.6 million between 2005 and 2009 treating their pets for poisoning. Accidental ingestion of pet or human medications, the most common type of poisoning, cost policyholders an average of $791 per claim. The most expensive type of poisoning, heavy metal poisoning, cost an average of $952 per claim.

“Not only can a poisoning incident be life-threatening for the pet, it’s traumatic for the pet owner as well,” said Dr. Carol McConnell, vice president and chief veterinary medical officer for VPI. “Depending on what substance the pet has ingested and the amount, the reaction can be sudden with the animal exhibiting alarming symptoms such as staggering, vomiting, drooling, seizures, and even loss of consciousness. We recommend that pet owners be aware of which items around their homes can be harmful to their pets – medications, insect poisons, chocolate, and certain nuts – and keep these items safely out of reach. Also, they shouldn’t assume that their pets will ignore that bottle of bleach in the laundry room or the Philodendron plant by the window. Our data shows this just isn’t so.”

In addition to taking steps to avoid poisoning emergencies, pet owners should be prepared for such an emergency should it arise. For example, owners should keep the phone number of their pets’ regular veterinarian and a phone number for an emergency veterinary hospital handy at all times. For more information about pet poisoning prevention and poisoning first-aid, please visit the Pet Poison Helpline at www.petpoisonhelpline.com.

Dogs like most animal life forms need the six basic nutrients for survival: carbohydrates, protein, fats, vitamins, and minerals. These nutrients serve different functions in sustaining the health and well-being of your dog. This guide will elaborate on dogs’ need of these nutrients.

1. Proteins: the building blocks of your dog’s health
Proteins are chemicals made of amino acids. Your dog can produce some of these chemicals in their own bodies. The rest has to be supplied through food. The best sources of these amino acids are meat and its byproducts. Dogs can extract proteins from these sources a lot easier than it would with plant sources.

Choose feeds that have an adequate amount of protein in them to help your puppies and working dogs grow. Too much of this, however, may cause kidney problems and has been known to cause temperament problems.

2. Fats: delivering other nutrients to the body
Fat sound like a bad word – everyone tries to avoid it because it causes tons of health problems. Dogs, however, just like man, also have a need for these nutrients – albeit in a moderate amount.

The right amount of fat is needed to promote good skin health, and to transport fat-soluble vitamins. Fats are also essential to kidney function and reproductive health. They make food tastier too. Too much fat will result in obesity and lethargy.

3. Carbohydrates: doggie fuel
Fifty percent of your dog’s diet should consist of carbohydrates since they need it for their energy. Corn is one of the more popular sources of this nutrient, along with soybeans. If this source is clean and of good nutritional quality then that should be fine as well.

4. Vitamins and Minerals: keeping your dog healthy
It would have been easier if your dog only had to splurge on vitamins and minerals to get optimal health. However, the opposite is true. Your dog needs an exact amount of vitamins and minerals to be healthy. Although, your dog may receive these nutrients from food, vitamin supplements for your dogs could be helpful. Specially formulated commercial feeds also make it easier for dog owners to give their dogs good nutrition.

Let Dog Insurance dot org help!

1) Don’t think that ‘cheap dog insurance’ is the one with the lowest / cheapest premium. That, my friends, is false economy

2) Compare dog insurance policies. Note: this is compare dog insurance policies NOT compare dog insurance premiums. When you buy dog insurance you are purchasing a financial instrument that is designed to SAVE you money as and when you may need to claim on the policy. So having a policy with a razor thin monthly premium might seem cheap – until the day you actually need to claim on it!

3) Look for life long cover. If you purchased a life insurance policy and realised it was invalid when you turned 60, you’d be upset knowing you’d spent so much money on a policy and, at the time you need it the most it becomes completely unusable – well that’s exactly what you’ll get if you but a dog insurance product which doesn’t actually cover the dog when it turns eight years old (or another age – you need the dog insurance to last for life – this is called a whole of life policy)

4) Make sure you shop around for deals. Dog insurance companies often run promotions because they want your business. Make sure you keep an eye out for these deals and offers – especially from the big, well trusted dog insurers – they have large marketing budgets and so can, occasionally offer pet insurance incentives which are really valuable to new customers.

5) It seems obvious but make full use of the Internet. Sites like this one (dog insurance dot org) are constantly on the look out for the best dog insurance deals and discounts so, by keeping an eye on us can put some money in your pocket!