Latest news with #Persin
Daily Record
07-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Record
Nine surprising foods that are toxic for dogs 'even in small amounts'
Dogs are known for getting their paws on forbidden treats- but be careful to make sure they never eat these nine things. Being a dog parent comes with a lot of responsibility. Being able to walk, feed, groom and love your pet are all non-negotiables for owning a furry friend. And while we sometimes want to share the love by offering some food off our plate to our pooch, there are certain foods that are completely toxic for dogs. So it's vital to make sure your dog never gets their paws on something they're not supposed to eat. With this in mind, Battersea Dog and Cat Home have listed nine surprising foods that your dog should never eat under any circumstances, as they could become extremely unwell. So definitely never feed these to your dog on purpose, and if they get some by accident, take them to the vet. Battersea said on their website: "If consumed, even small amounts of these items can be fatal so always act immediately and take your dog to the vets." Nine surprising foods that are toxic for dogs 1. Onions, garlic and chives The onion family, whether dry, raw or cooked, is particularly toxic to dogs, said the pet experts. Eating onions, garlic or chives can cause gastrointestinal irritation and red blood cell damage in your pooch. Signs of illness caused by eating toxic foods are not always immediate and can occur up to a few days later, so keep an eye on your pet if they've recently eaten a forbidden snack. 2. Chocolate Battersea said: "However enticing chocolate is for humans and dogs alike, chocolate is another poisonous food for dogs. " Chocolate contains a stimulant called theobromine (dark chocolate has the highest content of this) which is toxic to dogs and can cause kidney failure." 3. Macadamia nuts Macadamia nuts contain a toxin that can affect your dog's muscles and nervous system. If eaten, this can result in weakness, swollen limbs and panting, said the dog experts. 4. Corn on the cob Battersea added: "Corn on the cob could potentially be fatal if eaten by your dog. "Although the corn is digested by dogs, the cob can cause a blockage in your dog's intestine." 5. Avocado Avocados are another poisonous food for dogs, as their plants contain a substance called Persin. This substance, which is found in the plant's leaves, fruit and seed can cause vomiting and diarrhoea in our four-legged companions. 6. Artificial sweetener (Xylitol) "Our desire for sweet treats, chewing gum and drinks together with low-fat, diet and sugar-free products (including some peanut butters so always check the label before using this as a treat) are often laced with an artificial sweetener called Xylitol", said Battersea. This causes an insulin release in our bodies, but if your dog digests one of these sweetened foods they can go into hypoglycaemia, which is linked to liver failure and blood clotting disorders. 7. Alcohol Even in small amounts, alcohol has a huge impact on dogs. It not only causes intoxication as it does in humans, but it can lead to sickness, diarrhoea and can even damage the central nervous system. 8. Cooked bones Giving your dog a raw uncooked bone to chew on is a great treat idea for your pet. But the dog experts say to avoid giving your pooch cooked bones at all costs. When chewed or eaten, these can easily splinter and in large quantities cause constipation or at worst, a perforation of the gut which can be fatal. 9. Grapes and raisins Raisins are in many of the foods that we love to eat, such as cakes, biscuits and cereals. So it's not just the fruit form of raisins we should be concerned with when trying to prevent our dogs from getting their peckish paws on them. The active ingredient in raisins which causes the toxin for dogs is unknown, however both grapes and raisins may cause severe liver damage and kidney failure for our precious pets. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!
The Independent
27-01-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Inside Demi Moore's Oscar-nominated Substance transformation: 20,000 litres of ‘blood' and 5 hours of make-up
Hailed as one of the most grotesque films in recent times, Coralie Fargeat's body horror The Substance has made waves with its striking visuals and gruesome depictions of the female body. Fargeat's insistence on practical effects over VFX meant that Demi Moore, who has scored her first Oscar nomination for her performance in the film, endured hours of prosthetic enhancements. The film follows Moore's character, Elizabeth Sparkle, a has-been actor desperately clinging on to relevance by taking a mysterious substance to retain her youth. Pierre Olivier Persin, the lead special effects and make-up designer, who has also been Oscar nominated for Best Make-Up and Hairstyling, oversaw a team of 15 people across a gruelling 11-month process to implement Fargeat's vision. The result were scenes that catapulted the film to unprecedented word-of-mouth and award-winning success. 'Demi was like the best friend you can have from a professional make-up artist's point of view,' Persin tells The Independent of working with the movie star. 'Her make-up took an average of four to five hours and she could be up in the chair for up to six or seven. But she was a consummate professional, she wasn't scrolling on her phone for hours or asking for breaks every 15 minutes like some people do. She had her little dog, a chihuahua, on her lap and that was it.' Some of the movie's most memorable moments include Sparkle birthing her younger double, Sue (played by Margaret Qualley), as her skin splits open all the way down her spine. The double then sews up the torso-long gash, and viewers are treated to close-ups of the needle piercing flesh, complete with juicy sound effects. 'We were like kids in a candy store,' says Persin. 'I really enjoyed doing the back ripping effect.' He used a mixture of a soft appliance and special silicone for the edges of the wound to achieve its flesh-like appearance, with a special form of the plastic used for the inside lip for the needle to pierce through. Another unforgettable scene that's already achieved cult status is the creation of the monster, named Monstro Elisasue. The grotesque creature is an amalgamation of both Moore and Qualley's characters, the result of taking their obsessions too far. Persin's Elephant Man -inspired designs for the bulbous horror covered in boobs, stray hairs, teeth, and Moore's screaming face protruding from its back, are what earned him the gig on the film after Fargeat deemed alternatives too 'masculine'. 'They'd submitted designs that made her look like a hag. Coralie said: 'You can tell straight away that a man did these,'' shares Persin. 'The suit was worn by a stunt double, she was a gymnast but it was really difficult for her,' Persin explains. 'It wasn't as heavy as it looks because it had suspenders to hold the various parts, so it was quite hollow actually. 'We used Margaret for the close-up of her eye because Coralie wanted the scene to have a tragic quality to it.' As for Moore's face, which is trapped in the flesh of the creature in a permanent scream, Persin says that Coralie had written the visual into the script as a non-negotiable. 'She was very clear about that,' he says. Persin keeps the body of the Monstro in his workshop basement and says that it smells as pungent as it did on set. 'It smells like the set of The Substance – just lots of chemicals and latex. A monstrous smell, actually.' In a climactic scene that had audiences running for the doors, a fire hose sprays the film's extras with 20,000 litres of fake blood after Monstro Elisasue's head explodes on stage. 'That was Coralie's idea,' says Persin. 'When we did the blood rig, it was quite powerful but she said, 'I want it twice as powerful'.' The film has been considered groundbreaking as a rare example of a horror breaking through to the mainstream. 'Some days I was unhappy with what I was doing,' says Persin reflecting on the film's success. With a small budget of $17m (£13m), it went on to gross over $76m (£61m) worldwide, granting Moore her first taste of awards success by the industry, including her first Golden Globe for Best Actress. 'When you love what you're doing, you don't think about how many hours you're working. On The Substance, I'd go back to my car some days and you know, you're dirty and sticky and whatever,' he says. 'You only see the little details and you miss the big picture. So, it's such a surprise to be nominated, it's been a blur.'
