Golden Retrievers For Dummies Cheat Sheet

How to dog-proof your home

Dog-proofing your home, yard, and garage is essential for keeping your Golden Retriever (and your house!) safe. Go through this list to create a pet-friendly place:

• Keep medication bottles and cleaning supplies out of reach.

• Don’t toss dental floss where your puppy can get into it.

• Unplug electrical cords.

• Beware of coins, socks, needles, and tinsel.

• Watch out for stringy stuff like yarn and sewing gear.

• Do not use roach or rodent poison or other pesticide in areas accessible to your puppy.

• Keep the toilet lid down and never use toilet bowl cleaners.

• Keep the diaper pail lid shut tight.

• Hide all trash.

• Hide your underwear.

• Beware of certain chemicals, such as treated lumber products and flea control products.

• Watch out for windows.

• Hide the antifreeze.

• Store weed killers, pesticides, and herbicides out of reach.

• Ban cigarettes or at least keep those ashtrays clean.

• Watch out for poisonous plants, such as Lily of the Valley, Oleander, Rhododendron, Japanese Yews, and Poinsettia.

• Beware of herbicide hazards.

Symptoms of dog emergencies

Keep this list handy to recognize your Golden Retrievers symptoms that signal a dog emergency or serious health problem so you can contact your veterinarian. Also, learn the types and dosages of medicines that are safe for your Golden:

Emergency!

• Diarrhea for more than 24 hours

• Bloody diarrhea, diarrhea with vomiting, fever, or other symptoms

• Vomiting for more than 24 hours (save the vomitus)

• Excessive panting, drooling, rapid pulse, dark red gums, frantic glazed expression (heatstroke)

• Abdominal swelling, discomfort with labored breathing, restlessness, roaching the back, drooling, gagvomiting (bloat)

• Very pale gums, shivering, lowered body temperature (under 100 degrees) (hypothermia)

• Depression, shivering, weak pulse, listlessness, lowered body temperature (shock from loss of blood orinjury)

• Sudden swelling around the head or other body part

Signs of serious health problems

• Poor appetite

• Prolonged or pronounced limping

• Shortness of breath

• Extreme lethargy or sleeping habits

• Frequent urination

• Sudden weight loss

• Excessive water intake

• Straining to move the bowels

• Lumps or black mole-like growths on any body part

• Unexplained change in attitude: fearful, shy, or aggressive