10 things you should know as a dog owner

1. The foods and plants that can kill a dog

These are the ones to know by heart or write them down. Keep them out of reach, and if your dog gets into any of them, call your vet or a poison line right away, even if your dog seems fine.

• Grapes and raisins: In large amounts (for your dogs weight and breed), they can cause kidney damage, and the ASPCA's poison control center advises against giving any amount of either to any dog. Better to be safe than sorry.
• Xylitol: This sweetener in sugar free gum, some peanut and other nut butters, baked goods and supplements, can drop a dog's blood sugar within 30 minutes to 2 hours and, at higher doses, cause liver failure over the next day or two, according to VCA. Check the label on anything sugar free.
• Cooked bones: Cooked bones are brittle and splinter. The FDA warns that bones can get stuck in a dog's throat, stomach or intestines. Sharp pieces can puncture the gut as they pass, and it has had reports of choking, blockages, and mouth wounds.
• Chocolate: it carries theobromine and caffeine, and the Merck Veterinary Manual says deaths are usually from abnormal heart rhythms, overheating or breathing failure. The darker the chocolate, the less it takes: for a 20 pound dog, heart trouble can start at around 2 to 3 ounces of dark chocolate or about 1 ounce of baking chocolate.
• Onions, garlic and chives: ASPCA says they can damage red blood cells and lead to anemia.
• Coffee and caffeine: Pet Poison Helpline says a lick of coffee usually isn't a problem, but grounds, beans, tea bags and caffeine pills can cause a racing heart, abnormal heart rhythm, tremors and seizures.
• Sago palm: a common yard and house plant. The ASPCA lists liver failure among the signs, and says one or two seeds can be fatal. If we're on the topic of seeds, wisteria seeds are fatal to dogs as well as humans. Even two wisteria seeds can kill an adult human.

Save these numbers: ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (888) 426-4435 (a fee may apply) and Pet Poison Helpline (855) 764-7661 (a fee applies).

2. Lemon for the spot they keep peeing on

1. Dogs pee where they smell pee, and the scent left in the floor or the bottom of the wall keeps calling them back even after it smells clean to you. So clean the spot first with an enzyme cleaner made for pet urine, which breaks down what's left instead of covering it, and let it dry.

2. Then dab lemon juice on the spot and rub the cut side of a lemon along the baseboards around it. Most dogs don't like the smell of citrus, so the spot stops smelling like a bathroom to them. Lemon on its own only covers the smell for you, which is why the enzyme step comes first.

Two cautions. The ASPCA lists lemon as toxic to dogs, mostly the peel and plant, so don't leave slices where a chewer can get them. And lemon juice is an acid, so test it on a hidden patch of carpet or stone first.

3. Red gums and bad breath usually mean dental disease

According to the AVMA, periodontal disease affects nearly 80% of dogs by age 3. Bad breath, tartar and red gums are the early signs, and it doesn't stay in the mouth: untreated, it can lead to tooth loss and pain.

The AVMA calls regular brushing the single most effective thing you can do at home. Daily is best, and a few times a week still helps. Use a toothpaste made for dogs.

If you want a chew, food or powder to help, look for the VOHC seal. The Veterinary Oral Health Council reviews trial results against its standards and gives the seal to products shown to help control plaque, tartar or both. There's a list of accepted products on vohc.org.

4. Once a day feeding: what the study actually found

You may have seen that feeding a dog three times a day cuts their life short. That isn't what the research says. The Dog Aging Project studied more than 24,000 dogs (Bray and others, GeroScience, 2022) and found that adult dogs fed once a day had lower odds of some age related problems, including gastrointestinal, dental, orthopedic, kidney and urinary, and liver conditions, and better scores on a cognitive test. It's kind of like ketosis benefits on cellular aging.

That's an association, not proof. The authors say they need long term data to show cause, and the Dog Aging Project itself says the results are not a recommendation for how often to feed your dog. There's also a catch for big dogs: vet sources, including the American College of Veterinary Surgeons, list feeding one large meal a day as a risk factor for bloat (tip 7). Talk to your vet before you change your dog's schedule.

5. Why tear stains turn red, and how to clean them

The reddish brown color comes from porphyrins, iron containing pigments in tears that are made when the body breaks down red blood cells. In many dogs it's down to face shape and isn't a health problem.

Ask your vet first, since too many tears can come from blocked tear ducts, allergies, infection or eyelashes rubbing the eye. Once you get the all clear, keep the fur around the eyes trimmed and gently wipe the area with a cotton pad dampened with saline or warm water, then dry it well.

See a vet soon if the staining is new, only on one side, or the eye looks red, squinty or cloudy.

6. Think twice about letting your dog lick your face

Dog mouths commonly carry Capnocytophaga bacteria. Most people who are around dogs never get sick from it, but it can cause serious illness in people with weakened immune systems, and it gets in through broken skin and the mouth, nose and eyes. The CDC advises not letting dogs lick open wounds or broken skin, and not letting them lick around your mouth and face.

Dogs also eat things you'd rather not think about, and dog poop can carry roundworms and hookworms that can infect people, even when the dog looks healthy. Pick up poop right away, keep kids away from where dogs go to poo, and wash your hands after cleaning up after them.

7. Bloat can kill a deep chested dog within hours

Gastric dilatation and volvulus (GDV), or bloat, is when the stomach fills with gas and can twist. Large, deep chested dogs are most at risk, though any dog can get it. Eating or drinking fast and exercising right after eating as risk factors. Feeding one large meal a day is on the list too. Keep hard play away from mealtimes.

If your dog is trying to throw up with nothing coming out, has a swollen belly, or is restless and drooling, go to an emergency vet right away. For high risk breeds, ask your vet about a preventive gastropexy, a surgery that tacks the stomach in place.

8. Stay out of water with scum on it

Blue green algae (cyanobacteria) blooms in ponds and lakes can make toxins, and animals can get very sick or die within hours of swallowing them. Dogs are exposed by drinking the water, swallowing it while swimming, or licking it off their fur. A bloom can look like foam, scum, mats or spilled paint on the water, but some are hard to see.

Keep your dog out of water that looks or smells off, and call your vet right away if they've been in it and start acting sick.

9. Too much water can be dangerous too

A dog that spends a long time fetching in a pool or lake can swallow so much water that the sodium in their blood drops, called water intoxication. AKC says it's more likely in small dogs and in dogs that swim with their mouth open or keep grabbing toys in the water. Signs include vomiting, bloating, loss of coordination, drooling and glazed eyes, and it needs a vet right away. Take breaks, and use a flat toy that's easier to grab.

10. Corn cobs are a classic blockage

Corn cobs top the list of things that dogs swallow that end up needing surgery to get out. A cob doesn't break down, so it can lodge in the intestines. Throw cobs away in a bin your dog can't open, and if your dog has eaten one and is vomiting, straining or seems sore in the belly, see your vet right away.

Sources: ASPCA, People Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pets · VCA, Xylitol · FDA, Potentially Dangerous Items for Your Pet · FDA, No Bones (or Bone Treats) About It · Merck Veterinary Manual, Chocolate Toxicosis in Animals · Pet Poison Helpline, Caffeine · ASPCA, Sago Palm · ASPCA, Lemon · AVMA, Doggie breath could be a sign of serious disease · AVMA, Pet dental care · Veterinary Oral Health Council · Bray and others, Once-daily feeding is associated with better health in companion dogs, GeroScience 2022 · Dog Aging Project, Once-daily feeding results · VCA, Puppy Tear Stains · VCA, Eye Discharge (Epiphora) in Dogs · CDC, About Capnocytophaga · CDC, Preventing Campylobacter Infection from Puppies · CDC, Roundworms and Hookworms · VCA, Bloat in Dogs · ACVS, Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus · CDC, Preventing Pet Illnesses Caused by Harmful Algal Blooms · AKC, The Dangers of Water Intoxication · ASPCA, Pup Swallows Corn Cob · VCA, Ingestion of Foreign Bodies in Dogs