Dear Readers:
This is the third (and last!) issue of our Spring Newsletter series - Not a regular newsletter! This special edition will include per first aid tips, pet emergency management information as well as dog training advice from trainingyourlab.com.

Spring is a wonderful season. It gets us all out of the house. Time for hikes, more doggy park hours, longer horseback rides, kayaking trips, terrace lunches and dinners and so forth.

Ah, spring. It is nice to have a little color after a long winter. Easter and springtime decorations (and edibles) liven the scenery, but also pose a potential hazard to pets. Who knew that plastic Easter grass could be dangerous?

Spring is a great time to take an inventory of potential pet hazards. It's better than the alternative of spending time at the veterinary hospital. Here is are a few Quick Tips on what to watch for this spring.

Easter grass: Cats love anything that moves. This stuff moves easily in the breeze, makes interesting sounds, and, for some cats, it is simply irresistible and must be eaten. Stringy things like Easter grass or tinsel at Christmas, pose a deadly threat if ingested, creating something called a Linear Foreign Body. The first signs seen, aside from the material being visible from the mouth or anus, are vomiting or straining to defecate and a painful abdomen.
Trying to pull out visible grass or string is not recommended, as this can cause more damage if the piece is long and trapped far inside the body. Call your veterinarian if you suspect that your cat has sampled the Easter grass. While Linear Foreign Bodies are more common in cats, dogs may also ingest non-food material, and the same rules apply.

NB: A Linear Foreign Body is any sting-like object ingested (or partially ingested) that causes gastrointestinal obstruction. String, ribbon, thread (often with needle attached), rubber bands, Easter grass and tinsel are common linear foreign bodies.

• Chocolate: This is more of a dog hazard, as many dogs have a sweet tooth, a great nose, and the determination to find chocolate -- hidden or not. The toxic component in chocolate is called theobromine, and the level of toxicity is based on the type and quantity of chocolate consumed. Different types of chocolate have different amounts of theobromine; dark chocolate contains the highest concentrations and white "chocolate" contains the least. Early clinical signs are vomiting, diarrhea and trembling.

Chocolate - Related Reading
What Makes Chocolate Toxic, And What Are The Signs Seen With Toxicity?
Veterinary Q & A: Chocolate Toxicity
Candy and Food Gifts - - Prevent Pet Pilfering

Easter Lily (and related Lily plants): The Easter Lily is a common finding this time of year, and a plant that is highly toxic to cats if ingested. The first signs seen are vomiting and lethargy, and if untreated, may progress to kidney (renal) failure and death. Please call your veterinarian immediately if you suspect that your cat has eaten any part of a lily plant.

All parts of the plant should be considered toxic. Any ingestion should be considered serious. Consider as a medical emergency.

First of all, I wanted to let you know that I've received some good questions about Response Revolution and I passed them on to Lauren. She told me to send the answers out this way so that everyone is all on the same page. Here's what she wrote:

1. How much does Response Revolution cost?
“Here's the deal. I figure that you've probably seen enough of the flimsy dog-training ebooks and short, vague training guides that really get no one anywhere. What I've really attempted to do with Response Revolution is create a real, quality course that will help you to achieve your dog training goals instead of just confusing you more. I have put a lot of thought into the price for the course and while I was originally advised to price it high (upwards of $300!), I've decided to make the course available for around the price of an hour-long training session with a professional dog trainer. After all, I think that receiving a blueprint to a completely trained dog for the price of one training session is a pretty good deal. So I'm planning on selling the course for $97.”

2. What exactly is Response Revolution?
“Response Revolution is a complete dog training course that will walk you through the entire process of training the 5 core pillars to your dog. Once your dog knows these pillars, you'll be able to train him for ANYTHING else that you can imagine. Essentially, Response Revolution is your guide to putting an obedience foundation on your dog that can literally transform a dog from a problematic, stubborn animal who doesn't listen into a responsive, obedient dog-- revolutionizing his response to you. (That's where the name came from.) I wanted to make sure you'll be getting everything you need with Response Revolution, so if you decide to buy the course, you'll get:
The complete audio interview with Paula that transformed my dog training practices
The transcript of the interview so that you can read it, take notes, print it out, take it with you, etc.
A full-length guide to training in the form of an ebook that addresses the problem-areas some of you might be facing with your dogs: chewing, digging, puppy training, etc.
An action checklist (this is really what helped me actually DO the training) that outlines exactly what you need to do to achieve success
Several bonuses that I can't reveal just yet”

3. How many will be available?
“I was only planning on releasing 100 copies of the course. As part of the course, I was going to give my personal email to everyone who bought it so that they could send me their questions as they're going through the 5 Pillars training. Since I wasn't prepared for all the attention this release would build up, I can't give my email address to all of the 5000 people who are interested in the program! I wouldn't be able to answer everyone's questions. But I don't want to not offer my email address – I think it's important that people be able to get their questions answered as they're going through the course. So I've decided to do it like this: to the first 100 people who order Response Revolution, I'm going to give access to the “Core Success Team”, meaning that those people will get access to the private Response Revolution forum where they can post questions and the other members of the success team as well as myself will be able to help answer them. The Core Success team will also get my email address so they can contact me directly. I wish I didn't have to limit this, but I can only give my attention to so many people at once.”

Hope this sheds some light on the subject.

P.S.-- Lauren told me this morning that she might have to limit the total number of courses sold to 800 total. I'll let you know before April 7th if that has to happen-- if it does, I'll make sure you hear about it. If you ask me, I think Lauren's just trying to keep all the courses for her own subscribers. But I'll make sure you guys get a crack at it too.