The holidays are chaotic at best, and with presents to buy, dinners to create, decorations to hang and people to entertain, there is a lot to focus on during December and our furry friends may not be top of mind.
Many of our favorite holiday traditions pose dangers to the animals in our lives, but Colorado State University veterinarian Dr. Heather Weir has tips to keep everyone happy and healthy this holiday season.
“I think anytime you have a change in routine and you have visitors and things like that there’s always more potential for something unpleasant to happen,” Weir said.
One of the biggest dangers for pets are the snacks and treats they may get into unintentionally, or that well-intentioned guests may feed to them. There are the well-known foods that pets cannot enjoy, like chocolate, xylitol, garlic, onions and raisins, but even various meats and other dinner items are best kept on human plates.
“Probably the biggest thing or the most common reason we see them coming to the emergency room would be gastrointestinal upset just from eating things, they’re not used to, especially visitors giving their pets things that that they’re not accustomed to eating,” Weir said. “It’s best to just stick to what the pets are used to, and if you’re going to give any people food just make it very small amounts to try to avoid any upset stomachs.”
Foods like ham, turkey and salami may seem harmless for pets, after all, they eat meat naturally, but they often contain high levels of salt and fat that the animals are not used to consuming. This can lead to diarrhea and other gastrointestinal issues like pancreatitis and diabetes.
Be sure to let your guests know not to feed your pet anything off of their plates, and keep an eye on loose table scraps.
String-based decorations can also pose a threat to your pets’ stomachs. String lights and tinsel often look like a fun treat or toy to cats and dogs, and can accidentally be consumed, and make your pets sick. Even the water that keeps your tree alive can contain chemicals or other dangerous substances, so it is smart to just keep your creatures away.
“Different pets are going to have different levels of interest in the Christmas decorations and such things, but if you have a pet that’s definitely very interested in them, especially when people aren’t home, consider keeping the pet away from the area,” Weir said.
When having loved ones over, they can present several dangers to pets. It’s important to let your guests know how you would like them to store their items and guard the doors to keep your smallest family members safe. Baby gates and closed doors help quite a bit with this.
“I think explaining that pets, especially if you have a pet that’s very into getting into things, explaining about keeping medications out of their reach, keeping doors closed, and then, of course, just not feeding them from the table,” Weir said.
Open conversations with those around you, combined with an awareness of different hazards that the holiday season can present, are important steps to keeping pets safe and making sure that every member of the family has a successful holiday. For more information about how to keep your animals safe this holiday season, Dr. Weir and CSU offer a guidebook at bit.ly/34WcRZL.
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December 24, 2019 at 07:27AM
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Veterinarian advises ways to give your pets a happy holiday - Loveland Reporter-Herald
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