Happy Holidays from our family to yours!
We just wanted to send out a reminder in regards to Holiday dangers for our furry family members. Our holiday food and decorations often pose serious health risks. Here are some of the things you need to be cautious of.
Decorations – tinsel, ornaments, garland, etc. All pose a choking hazard as well as intestinal blockage if the item DOES manage to make its way to the stomach. We’ve seen many pets impaled by those harmless-looking hooks as well.
Guests – many pets don’t do well with routine changes. Having new people in the home, the unusual flurry of activity, extra noise and chaos can send even the mildest tempered pet into an anxious state. Be patient with your pet and always be sure to offer them a safe place to retreat to (unused room, kennel, etc.) and NEVER disturb them when they’ve retreated. Allow them to come back out on their own. Also be sure to instruct your guests not to feed your pet. If a family of 4 comes for a visit and each one gives Fido/Fluffy a little tidbit of table scraps, that’s A LOT of food and can cause severe gastric upset or other medical issues. Also, your guests may not have pets of their own or be familiar with them, so they may be unknowingly careless and leave unsafe items within reach of your pets (i.e., medications).
Christmas trees – cats LOVE to climb trees. Be sure to anchor your tree well to prevent it from toppling over due to a curious kitty. Also drinking the water out of the stand reservoir can cause an upset stomach.
Tree lights and other electric decorations – some dogs (and cats) just can’t resist the urge to taste those. Electric shock is a severe threat.
Turkey dinner & other snacks – Not only do these add unnecessary calories, but they can also wreak havoc on your pets’ gastric system. It’s not uncommon for us to see at least 1 or 2 patients, following Christmas, requiring hospitalisation due to Acute Pancreatitis brought on by his delicious turkey dinner, potatoes, carrots that have been smothered in fatty gravy. It’s safer to avoid the risk altogether and stick to your pets own food/treats. Remember, many human foods are toxic to our pets, like CHOCOLATE, grapes, some nuts etc. Keep these all safely out of reach!
Poinsettia, Holly and Mistletoe – All are highly toxic.
We hope you all have a safe holiday.
Written by Mountain Road Animal Hospital
