Holiday Safety Tips for Pet Owners—A Synopsis

During celebrations, friends, and family often gather in our homes. At these times it is easy to overlook your pet’s health and safety. To prevent mishaps for your companions you must recognise these potential dangers.

Kittens, young cats, and puppies are curious and playful and appear to see tinsel and ribbon as toys that need to be chased, pounced upon, chewed, or swallowed.

When swallowed, these “linear foreign bodies” can become entangled in the intestinal tract, leading to bunching of the intestines as the body tries unsuccessfully to pass the string or ribbon. The material can even cut through the intestinal wall. This is a life-threatening emergency requiring surgical intervention.
Wrapping paper can cause an intestinal obstruction if eaten, especially if it is made of foil or other indigestible material.

Do I have to worry about my pet playing in the Christmas tree?
Your curious pet can bring down the tree, so make sure it is set up securely and cannot fall if your pet decides to climb on board! Keep ornaments above tail height. Tree water can contain harmful fertilisers and /or be a breeding ground for bacteria that cause stomach upset should your pet decide to sample this new water bowl.

Do I need to worry about candles?
Candles should never be left unattended, as pets can knock them over with a flick of their tail. Use battery-powered candles.

Is there any food that I should avoid?
Sudden rich diet changes are likely to upset your pet’s stomach. Vomiting and diarrhoea are common medical problems that we see during holiday times.
If you want to give your pet a special treat, give them only a small amount of cooked lean meat. If you feed leftovers containing a lot of fat, your pet’s pancreas may become over-stressed and inflamed. Pancreatitis often requires hospitalisation and intensive medical treatment.
Make sure that any string or packaging that was used during the cooking of roasts is safely disposed of in a sealed garbage container.

If you have a dog don’t leave chocolates under the Christmas tree. Dogs have an acute sense of smell.
A little bit of common sense will help keep you and your pet out of the emergency clinic on Christmas Day.