HOLIDAY SAFETY TIPS
As the Holiday Season arrives, so do new challenges for pet parents, particularly new ones. With adoption levels lower this season than in prior years, we wanted to spend some time helping those who may be new to being a pet parent during the busiest time of year for all of us. Especially for delicious holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas where pitfalls come in larger volumes and potential dangers are around every corner for the novice pet parent.
THANKSGIVING:
The most popular holiday for family gatherings is Thanksgiving. This celebration often involves decadent tables full of tasty treats as well as travel to your family or hosting visiting guests in your home.
• Remember that turkey in moderation is fine for most pets, but your pet largely eats the same diet for every meal every day and may have a negative reaction to new treats. If you want your pet to enjoy in the festivities of the meal, please restrict access to a limited amount of lean protein if they can tolerate that. Avoid any skin or bones that can cause GI obstruction or pancreatitis.
• Not every pet is welcoming of new people in their home, so if your pet struggles with this, talk to your vet at least a week before the holiday to discuss how to manage this. Their recommendations may include medication to be given, so you need some time to obtain the medication and make sure it has the intended effects on your pet.
• If travel is in your plans, please make sure your pet is up to date on vaccines. You may also need sedatives, so ask your vet well in advance. Also, if your pet is on medication make sure you have plenty for the duration of the trip. Finally, if travel is not inclusive of your pet, make sure you have a trusted pet sitter or day care facility lined up. This is a busy time of year in which case you may run into limited availability!
CHRISTMAS AND HANNUKAH:
Between wrapping paper, tinsel on the trees and Holly plants, a decorated home is beautiful, but it can also be lethal to a pet.
• Dogs love to chase crumpled wrapping paper. However, many of these papers (usually the cheaper versions that come from China) contain chemicals that can be harmful to your pet. You can still throw the crumpled-up ball of Christmas joy down the hall for your dog to chase it, but make sure that he or she does not ingest it.
• Holly plants are lethal to dogs, and children. Specifically, the berries on these beautiful, seasonal plants are toxic. If you want to have them in your home, please make sure that they are out of reach of your dog, cat or child. Signs of toxicity include vomiting, diarrhea and lethargy, but it is safest to just not allow your pet access to these plants at all. Other toxic plants include Lilies and poinsettia; Lily toxicity can be fatal to cats and Poinsettia can cause irritation of the mouth, stomach and esophagus, so again, please prevent access for your pets.
• Tinsel is one of those things that families love to argue about. Many love them for their simple shine and ability to add accent to a Christmas tree. Then again, many hate them because they are messy and when the family dog eats them, their poop is often lined with silver-streaks. Tinsel is okay to use, like many things, but please use in moderation. Just be mindful that if your dog does ingest tinsel, you must monitor the dog’s defecation. If your dog is having trouble passing tinsel, and you see some hanging out of their rectum as they poop, please do not pull the tinsel string out. You can damage your dog’s rectum and intestines. Normally, a dog can express these kinds of things out with some effort (you will note the dog may “rock back and forth” on its hind legs a little as it tries to ease the tinsel out). However, if your dog is distressed and this is the reason, then you need to contact your vet or an animal ER (we recommend Veterinary Emergency Group). It is better to err on the side of caution here.
The same rules for Thanksgiving apply to other holidays this season in terms of treats, decadent foods and more. The last thing anyone wants to do is have their furrever friend not feeling well during the holidays. Not only does it add stress to an already stressful time, but it can also be heart-breaking to watch your pet being sick.
