Lucky Penny

It's May 23.  And according to the crazy calendar, it's Lucky Penny Day.  I guess it comes from that old rhyme - Find a penny, pick it up; And all day you'll have good luck.  UNLESS you are a dog and you happen to swallow a coin minted in the US after 1982.  Because after that date, pennies were no longer made mostly of copper - they were made of zinc.  And if my resources are correct, it looks like pennies minted in Canada from 1997-1999 were also made mostly of zinc.  And if a dog swallows a zinc penny, it can result in BIG problems because zinc can cause kidney failure, anemia and in some cases even death!  Signs of zinc poisoning include weakness, pale or jaundiced gums, lack of appetite, vomiting and increased heart rate.  In small dogs, a single penny could cause death.  If an x-ray revels a penny in a dog's belly, surgery will most likely be the treatment.  So clearly, that is NO lucky penny.  Unless one happens to swallow one that is not zinc.  A copper penny is not as dangerous, but still not something to ingest.  In Canada, we stopped making pennies in 2012.  So when you purchase something at a store, and you are paying in cash, the vendor rounds your total to the nearest 5 cents. I need a calculator to figure it out.  Einstein can do it in his head.

So don't eat any pennies today - but I do wish you a day full of GOOD luck!!!