Lifestyles Dec 07

Lifestyles

December 2007

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[ A DOG’S LIFE ]

Holiday Hazards: Foods That Are Toxic To Dogs

By Jennifer Clark
Ledger Columnist

A version of this story has previously been published in the Los Feliz Ledger.

   Think twice before you share your holiday treats with Fido.
Chocolate can be lethal if consumed by dogs. It contains both theobromine and caffeine, dangerous chemical agents. The darker the chocolate, the more potential for harm. Once ingested, dogs may exhibit restlessness, hyperactivity, vomiting, rapid irregular heartbeat, diarrhea and muscle tremors.
   Grapes, a healthy dessert alternative for humans, can also pose a threat. Some experts speculate the pesticides used while growing on the vine are the harmful agent. Grapes and raisins can cause vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy and renal failure in dogs.
   Onions and garlic also pose a controversial threat. Garlic, for humans, is thought to boost the immune system. But the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says to avoid giving your dog onions and garlic in cooked or raw form as it contains thiosulphate which can cause anemia.
   If you are cooking fresh baked breads this holiday season, ensure your canine companion doesn’t lay a paw on the unbaked yeast dough. If ingested, it continues to rise in the gastrointestinal tract, which can potentially lead to a blockage or rupture.
   If your dog eats something on the list, stay calm, monitor the dog for signs of distress and after evaluation, contact your veterinarian. If you do need to take your dog to the hospital, most likely vomiting will be induced to get the item out of the dog’s stomach and activated charcoal may be administered in order to delay or prevent the absorption of the ingested food.
   One last hazard: avoid kissing your dog under the mistletoe, those berries are poisonous.
   ASPCA poison control hotline (888) 426-4435, www.aspca.org. National Animal Poison Control Center (900) 680-0000.

[ GOOD LIFE ]

Consider Books on Booze
This Holiday
By Chris Rubin
Ledger Wine & Spirits Columnist

   Many give gifts of wine and spirits over the winter holidays. I often do. That’s never a bad idea—as long as the recipient enjoys that kind of thing and isn’t presently attempting sobriety. But consider another approach to this topic if you’ve given one too many chardonnays or single malts in years past: books on booze.
   Esquire columnist and former college professor David Wondrich takes a cerebral approach to the history of the cocktail—which he labels “the first legitimate American culinary art”—in IMBIBE!, focusing on legendary bartender “Professor” Jerry Thomas.
   Among the first true mixologists, Thomas was a colorful, bejeweled character and Wondrich charts the history of modern beverages through his life. The book includes 100 original recipes plus 20 more inspired by Thomas from present-day bartenders. He also tells you how to shake a mean drink at home.
   Dan Dunn writes about drinking for the Metro papers around the country, and he brings a jaundiced eye—and perhaps more—to his first book, Nobody Likes A Quitter: The Loaded Life Of An Outlaw Booze Writer. I have tippled and traveled with Dunn, and I know that at least some of these stories have some connection to the truth. As they say on television, do not try this at home.
   Anyone who enjoys these books would probably enjoy a good drink, too, so here are a couple of unusual bottles.
   Vérité is the work of Pierre Seillan, a top French winemaker toiling in Sonoma. He produces three bottles—La Joie, La Muse and Le Désir—each emulating a different region in Bordeaux. Le Désir, for example, goes heavy on the merlot à la Pomerol.
   Chivas Regal 25 Year Old ($300) marks a return to the label’s origins, when the blend debuted in 1909. The product was so successful and created such a surge in interest in Scotch that sufficiently old barrels of the stuff were in short supply and younger whiskies were used. Smooth and balanced with a long finish, this long-aged whisky should satisfy even those who typically drink only single malts.
   For something exotic, how about a bottle of rum from Maui? Somebody had to figure out what to do with all that sugarcane, and Maui Rum (http://haleakaladistillers.com) is one of the answers. Look for Gold, Platinum and Dark bottles ($20), as well as Braddah Kimoh’s Da [end]Bomb, which is nearly 80% alcohol, roughly double the usual amount. Again, not for amateurs.