Ho Ho Ho and a Boo Hoo Hoo. The holidays are here, beware of your pets, there are many scary things out there. Vacations are fun times for humans and pets, but there are many dangers associated with vacations that can be avoided with a little awareness.
The obvious and most common cause of visits to the emergency room or vet is vomiting and bloody or non-bloody diarrhea. Why did this happened? Joy of course! Everyone loves their pets and is very happy to celebrate with family and friends. People love to eat rich foods and that is why they decide to share their food with their pets. For many cats and dogs this is not a problem because they have steel stomachs and could probably eat stones and be fine. But for others, a quick change in diet or an undetected sensitivity to certain foods can cause an overgrowth of bacteria that sends them into severe diarrhea. They usually come to see us the next day. The usual culprits are Halloween candy, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Hanukkah dinners.
The obvious dangers of Halloween are; costumes that are too tight or restrictive. Pets that are left unattended and eat their costumes (not cool!), Animals freak out in costumes and show aggressive behavior towards family members (such as children), pets that run away and run away due to the constant opening and closing of front doors (secure your pets), unattended candle burns (every holiday!), poisonous pet candies like chocolate, and especially candies that contain the artificial sweetener xylitol. A little xylitol can cause severe liver failure or death. I consider it a danger to pets and I think it should be withdrawn from the market. The other scary thing about Halloween is ingesting foreign bodies like; ropes, artificial spider webs, lace, etc. These are very dangerous, so be careful with their location and try not to leave them lying around, as cats are especially prone to these types of dangers.
As for Thanksgiving and Christmas, the same rules apply, decorations can be eaten and cause trouble. Don’t be a turkey! Be careful about the placement of Thanksgiving accessories and remember that cooked turkey bones stay on your pet. Keep ribbons, tinsel, and other decorations high up on the tree and not deep within your pet. The water at the base of the Christmas tree can be toxic if preservatives are added, so be careful! or cover it if it’s non-organic Christmas tree water.
Finally, beware of beautiful seasonal plants like Poinsettia, mistletoe, and holly because they are toxic too. So now that I’ve said all of that, I hope it didn’t rain on your Christmas parade and decorating plans, I’m just trying to keep you out of my office from things you can avoid!