Christmas Health Care Tips for Pets
My-Dog.info > Dog Care
Christmas is a time of peace, joy and celebration. Part of
planning for a happy holiday season is the adequate preparation
of the home to ensure the safety of family, friends, and pets.
Pets are mischievous and their curiosity can get them into
trouble! Some of the concerns listed below may seem a little
far-fetched to the reader, but veterinarians do deal with these
unfortunate accidents during the holiday season, and pets do not
always come out of these episodes well, so serious consideration
should be given to prevention.
Tinsel, String and Decorative Wrapping:
Tinsel used as a tree decoration and fancy ribbons used on
presents are pleasing not only to our eyes, but to the eyes of
our four-legged companions (especially cats). String used to tie
a turkey or roast is also tempting to our pets' taste buds. If
any of these items are ingested by your pet, they may become
lodged in the digestive tract and require surgical removal. To
avoid these problems during the holiday season, avoid tinsel
unless you can keep the pet out of the room with the tree. Also
keep those nicely decorated Christmas gifts out of your pet's
reach and ensure that your pet doesn't get too involved in
preparation of Christmas dinner!
Christmas Trees:
To help your pet avoid injuries, ensure that your Christmas
tree is firmly set in place. A playful or curious pet may run
into or climb the tree, knocking it over. If the pets have access
to the tree room, suspending support wires to ceiling and walls,
and keeping the tree in a corner of the room are helpful
preventive steps. If using a real Christmas tree, be sure to
avoid the use of chemicals in the water. Pets may drink this
water and become ill. Note that glass ornaments can be dangerous
if they fall from the tree and break. Shards of sharp, fine glass
can become imbedded into the pads, or in the skin between the
toes, or perhaps even be chewed on! Keep them off the ends of
branches where traffic passes, or avoid them altogether.
Ornamental Plants:
Ornamental plants such as poinsettas, holly, and mistletoe,
found around the house during the holiday season, may be toxic to
pets if ingested and should be kept out of your pets' reach. The
ingestion of holly is most commonly associated with digestive
upset and nervous system depression. American Mistletoe produces
quite severe irritation of the digestive tract, as well as whole
body symptoms including low heart rate and temperature,
difficulty breathing, unsteadiness, excess thirst, and sometimes
seizures, coma, and even death. The ingestion of poinsetta leaves
generally results in mild to moderate digestive upsets. If it is
impossible to keep your pets and plants apart, there are a
variety of spray products on the market designed to keep pets
away from sprayed areas.
Christmas Chocolates:
Chocolate, a common addition to any festive occasion, is loved
by people and pets, especially dogs. In fact, dogs develop a
"chocolate-seeking behaviour", seeking this delicacy
wherever it can be found. Chocolates contain stimulants including
theobromine and caffeine. These are present at especially high
concentrations in unsweetened bakers chocolate. One ounce of
unsweetened baking chocolate is enough to cause chocolate
toxicity in a small dog. Milk chocolate contains about 1/7th to
1/10th the amount of toxic compounds of baking chocolate, but can
easily be a source of toxic levels especially in smaller dogs.
Symptoms of chocolate toxicity include vomiting, diarrhea,
hyperactivity, and heart irregularities. Therefore, DO NOT leave
chocolate unsupervised or within easy reach of your pet over the
holidays. Note also that chocolates contain fat, and if a large
quantity is consumed, irritation of the pancreas can also occur.
Pet Toys and Presents:
When choosing that special Christmas gift for your pet, it is
best to avoid toys that consist of string or that contain small,
potentially removable objects such as bells. Pets can easily
ingest these objects and surgery may be required for their
removal. When purchasing chew bones such as rawhides for your
dogs, be sure to purchase the appropriate size. Small-sized chewy
bones should not be given to large breed dogs. Large pieces may
be swallowed whole resulting in stomach upset, or sometimes they
will choke on the pieces. Some forms of animal-based chews are
potential sources of harmful bacteria, such as salmonella.
Table Scraps:
Feeding pets table scraps and other foods that are high in fat
content may cause inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis), a
potentially life-threatening situation in companion animals. This
is a potential problem any time that table scraps are fed but is
more prevalent during the holiday season. Avoid feeding raw meat
and bones to pets at all times of the year. There are many
zoonoses (diseases shared by people and humans) potentially
contaminating raw meat and bone products. You, your family
members or your pet could become ill with these conditions. Sharp
bone fragments are also a common source of intestinal puncture or
blockage requiring surgical treatment, so never offer bones.
Reprinted with permission from www.animalhealthcare.ca
|
 |
|
|
Save big on quality brand name pet meds and other pet supplies!
Pet Shed is the premier source for discount pet supplies on the Internet. Heartgard heartworm, Frontline Plus flea control, Advantage flea control, Revolution flea & heartworm, and many other pet medications.
|
