Keeping Your Pets Safe During the Holidays
By Dr. Carrie Schultz, Veterinarian
The Housepet Housevet
Bones and Table Scraps
Resist the urge to “treat” your pets with
meat, ham, turkey skin, bones, etc. to avoid spending the weekend after
Christmas at the emergency veterinary clinic.
After the big feast, it’s easy to want to let your pooch in on the
special treats.
But for many dogs, an
unexpected treat of “people food” can lead to severe gastroenteritis (vomiting,
diarrhea) or pancreatitis, a potentially fatal disease.
This is particularly a risk with foods that
are very fatty, spicy or rich.
Also, turkey and chicken
bones are prone to splintering, sending small pieces into the wall of the
stomach or intestine and may result in infection.
Steak and pork bones can often break into
small chunks or chips that can lodge in the throat, stomach or intestine
resulting in an obstruction.
For a safe special treat,
save the bones to make broth for pouring over your dog’s regular food.
Electrical cords
Cords seem very
attractive to cats and puppies.
Biting
into an electrical cord can result in severe burns to the mouth and
accumulation of dangerous fluid in the lungs.
These are extremely
attractive toys to cats and kittens, who may pounce, bat and chew on them.
Chewing and swallowing tinsel, string or
ribbon can cause a life threatening intestinal obstruction as the long material
moves along the GI tract.
Avoid using
tinsel at all if you have cats, and monitor animals playing with ribbons or
string very closely.
Christmas trees
The tree sap in the
water can cause an upset stomach and any preservatives put in can be
potentially toxic.
If your tree is tall,
beware of an overly adventurous car or dog knocking it over.
Try to stabilize the top of the tree by
anchoring it to a wall to keep it from falling.
Holly can cause
severe gastrointestinal upset.
Some
varieties of Mistletoe can be extremely toxic to dogs and cats.
Poinsettias, while often thought of as
extremely toxic, are mostly irritating to the mouth, throat and stomach of
animals who chew on them.
Keep your
decorative plants well out of pets’ reach, or use artificial versions.
Dangerous Snacks
Obviously, food and
treats are an ever-present part of the holiday season.
Again,
pets’ tummies can react unpredictably to any new food, so use caution
with all holiday treats.
There are some
ingredients, however, that can be especially harmful to pets, so keep anything
with these ingredients safely out of the pet’s reach:
- Macadamia nuts contain an unknown toxin that causes GI upset, muscle weakness, and neurological problems in dogs.
- Grapes and Raisins contain an unknown toxin that can cause kidney failure in some dogs and possibly cats.
- “Sugar Free” treats containing Xylitol can be very dangerous to dogs, as the xylitol can lead to life-threatening hypoglycemia or liver failure. Xylitol is very commonly used in sugar free gums, but can also be found in other treats.
-
Chocolate is one of the better-known dangers for
dogs, but many people are unaware of the risk.
The risk comes from a component in the chocolate called
theobromine as well as caffeine.
Dark chocolate has about 3 times as much
theobromine as milk chocolate.
Chocolate
can cause clinical signs such as excitability, restlessness,
tremors, vomiting and diarrhea.
Contact your
veterinarian or a veterinary emergency clinic immediately if your pet ingests
any of these dangerous foods.
With a few
precautions, you and your pets can enjoy a festive and safe holiday season.