Pet News
Tips for the Holiday Season to Keep
Your Pet Safe
During the Holiday Season, we may unintentionally expose our furry loved ones to risks that are easily avoided. Some of our more popular traditions are actually toxins in disguise. Here is a short list of precautions for this time of year.
- Toxic plants: Cats seem to be particularly prone to nibbling at things including plants that can make them very sick. Dogs need to avoid many of these too.
- All lilies (Tiger, Asian, Japanese Show, Stargazer and Casa Blanca) can cause kidney failure in cats.
- Mistletoe, if eaten, can cause vomiting and diarrhea as well as heart arrhythmias.
- Holly can cause gastrointestinal upsets.
- Poinsettias, though low in toxicity, can irritate the inside of your pet’s mouth and cause vomiting.
- Foods to avoid (Poisons/Toxins you may not be aware of):
- Chocolate is extremely toxic to cats and dogs. Dark chocolate is worse. Signs of chocolate toxicity include vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, hyperactivity and increased thirst, urination and heart rate.
- Macadamia nut toxicity has been seen in dogs, but the exact cause of the problem is not yet known. Within 12 hours of eating these tasty treats, dogs can become depressed, weak in the hind end, display tremors and run a fever.
- Grapes and Raisins can cause kidney failure.
- Fowl bones (turkey, chicken, goose, guinea hens, pheasant…) can splinter if chewed by your pet. When swallowed, these splintered bones can be extremely irritating to the gastrointestinal tract and even perforate it. The only sign you might see is constipation.
- Christmas Tree decorations:
- Tinsel, string and other “linear” objects are favourites for cats to play with, though dogs are not immune. If swallowed, these can get caught around the base of your pet’s tongue or further down the intestinal tract where they can “saw” through a loop of bowel. Not to mention that if they do manage to pass it through without issue, they can have a piece of tinsel stuck in/out of their bum. Not much fun to pull out as you can imagine.
- Electrical cords can be fatal or cause serious burns if your pet chews through one. Always examine cords when you install them and every once and a while take a look at them to ensure they have not found a new chew toy by accident.
These situations above represent a few of the potential hazards and poisons our Christmas/Seasonal decorations and food may cause for your family member. There are others not listed so as a rough rule of thumb, vomiting that persists for more than a few hours should be considered abnormal. And when your furry family members eat something they should not and it gets stuck, the signs of an obstruction can include persistent vomiting without any passage of stool. Obstructed pets may continue to eat, but can’t keep food down as the food has no where to go.
Any of these situations mentioned above can be significant and very serious and may require medical attention. Please use this material above for informational purposes only and if for any reason you are concerned about your furry family member, contact us immediately. We are here to help.
From all of us at the pet clinic we wish you every bit of happiness at this wonderful time of year.
From your Westmount Neighbourhood Pet Clinic Team.
