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How old is your dog?

Pre-Puppy
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Pre-Puppy

What’s better than puppies? That’s right: your own puppy. So, what do you need to know before you take the plunge into pet parenthood?

0-2 months
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0-2 months

Welcome to the world little one. It’s all grow-grow-grow for your puppy right now, so there’s many things to prepare.

2-3 months
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2-3 months

Your puppy is ready to come home and turn your world upside down. It’s time to put your preparation into practice – and remember to take it all in!

3-6 months
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3-6 months

You’re entering a period of immense growth, lots of learning and new adventures. Bring on the play date with the big wide world!

6-12 months
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6-12 months

Your fur-baby is nearing adulthood. Can you see their grown self coming through? Sigh…they grow up so fast, don’t they?

12-18 months
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12-18 months

Your puppy has turned one and they might not be so little anymore. Make sure to book their first annual check-up.

18 months - 3 years
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18 months - 3 years

Your dog is one an established family member now. Enjoy who they have become and the bond you now share at this special stage.

3 - 8 years
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3 - 8 years

Your dog is a full-grown adult now. They understand where their place is in your home and the wider world.

8+ years
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8+ years

Just like many senior citizens, senior dogs have some extra needs. Learn to look after your best friend and support their health as they grow older.

Things That Are Bad for Dogs

Dr Alice Marshall - Vet profile picture

Dr Alice Marshall - Vet

BVSc (Hons)

Alice is a honours degree veterinarian who has worked across private mixed veterinary practice, the animal nutrition and the animal pharmaceutical industries. She loves to communicate with owners about the importance of pet health and provide useful information to help them enjoy life with their pets.

Things That Are Bad for Dogs

Our dogs are adventurous and curious beings. Whether they're spending time indoors or outdoors, sniffing and chewing around the home can lead to pets ingesting common household items that can be toxic to them. These can include human food, baits, medications and even certain flowers or garbage.

We've put together some facts about the items in your home that could be harmful to your dog.

 

 

One of the most spoken about thing is chocolate.

And it's correct - chocolate is toxic to dogs.

It causes increased heart rate, hyperactivity and vomiting at low doses and can progress to tremors, seizures or death. Generally, the darker the chocolate, the higher the amount of the toxic component, theobromine. However the exact amount of theobromine in each chocolate can be difficult to estimate. If your dog has ingested chocolate, online toxicity calculators (such as this) can be used as a guide to see if it was a harmful dose.

Onions are also a well known potential toxin for dogs.

The toxin in onions has a delayed effect, taking several days from ingestion of onions to development of signs of illness (weakness and pale gums). Dogs can progress from being fine on Monday (after a barbeque onion pig-out on Sunday afternoon) to a life threatening condition on Friday. Some lesser known toxic foods include macadamia nuts, which can cause vomiting, depression and incoordination, and grapes, which can but will not always cause kidney failure.

Dogs, cats, humans, birds and other animals all metabolise different medications in different ways. A mild, gentle medication for humans could be fatal for your pet. Please remember to ensure all human medication is stored well away from your furry friends (and kids too!). It is also worthwhile remembering that many pet medications come in flavoured tablets for easy administration. Some dogs develop a taste for these tablets and will seek them out, consuming a whole prescription (including the plastic bottle) in a few quick mouthfuls.

Keep your pet’s medication out of your pet’s reach!

Thinking about household plants, the most common ones that are harmful to dogs include azaleas, daffodils, jasmine and wisteria. More information is available here.

Some accidental toxins are ones that are designed to kill. Rat baits and snail baits are all toxic to dogs and cats, even those that claim to be ‘pet friendly’. Some baits, such as metaldehyde, show toxic effects instantly, causing vomiting, diarrhoea, tremors and seizures. Other baits, such as rat bait and iron EDTA snail baits, can take days to weeks to show the full, potentially fatal, effect.

In contrast to cats and the beautiful lily, dogs often end up at the emergency veterinary clinic after eating large amounts of garbage, compost or fertilisers. The mix of rotting food and microorganisms can make any number of toxins, causing vomiting and diarrhoea at low doses, progressing to tremors, seizures and death at higher doses.

There are many other toxins we have not discussed here.

There are several smartphone apps you can download that list toxins your pet may be exposed to. These can be especially handy for photos of potentially toxic plants that may be growing in your yard or street. Remember the safest thing to feed your pets is high quality pet food. If you think your pet may have had access to any toxin, please seek urgent veterinary advice.

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