Holidays are often spent with loved ones, and for most that includes your pet. Recognize and avoid these common holiday hazards to keep your pet safe!
Reduce Stress
If you’re hosting the holidays this year you might consider putting your pets bed, crate, or favorite blankets in a room away from the party. Giving your pet the option to separate themselves from guests can help with their stress.
Oftentimes pets get less supervision since owners can be distracted by guests or holiday activities. This can lead to pets escaping, especially if doors are being frequently opened. To help avoid this issue it’s best to set up baby gates or containing your pet to an area away from outside doors. It’s natural for pets to be curious, and in some cases, run away when stressed. It’s also important to make sure your pets are microchipped and the information is up to date. In the event your pet gets out and someone finds them they can go the the nearest vet to have them scanned for a microchip
Avoid Bones
We strongly advise NOT to give your dog or cat animal bones, especially poultry or pork bones, which in addition to lodging in the throat, can splinter and penetrate your pet’s intestines, potentially causing a fatal infection.
Around big holidays like Thanksgiving, we see many pets— especially dogs— present with acute abdominal pain. When X-rays are taken there are sometimes shards of bone perforating the small intestine, which would mean emergency surgery to save the pet’s life.
We advise you to ask guests to not feed your pet leftovers or bones to and help keep your pet safe by making sure kids don’t feed them, either. After the meal, bag up trash and place it out of reach. If your pet is really stubborn about begging, you may need to keep them out of the dining area altogether.
Don’t Feed Table Scraps
Bones aren’t the only thing that can make your pet sick. Any sudden change in diet can cause a shift in GI microflora— the tiny microbes that aid in digestion and maintain a normal gut environment. Microbes keep the intestines healthy, and new or strange foods can disrupt the gut biome and cause problems.
High-fat foods, such as ham or turkey fat, can send the pancreas into overdrive, where the powerful enzymes essentially attack the pancreas itself, causing inflammation. The result: Intense pain, inflammation, fever, inappetence, vomiting, and shock.
Foods like mashed potatoes, gravy, dressing, and casseroles may also contain milk and other ingredients dogs can’t digest, leading to gas, vomiting, or diarrhea. Also avoid any dishes containing garlic, onion, leeks, or chives as these common ingredients can cause destruction of red blood cells
While your pet may want to share your food, resist their begging to keep them safe! To be on the safe side, it is best to never feed table scraps to your dog or cat. If you want to give them something special, you can offer them plain canned pumpkin or cooked plain green beans. Only offer them small amounts as too much may upset their stomach and give them diarrhea.
Be aware of your trash can and any food left on the counters. Some pets like to take advantage of people being distracted and help themselves to tasty treats in the garbage or on the counter.
Update Vaccines
Another common cause of emergency visits around the holidays is Kennel Cough, a bacterial infection transmitted by close contact between dogs at boarding facilities, dog parks, and daycares. The primary sign of kennel cough is a distinctive, hacking cough that sounds a bit like choking.
What we think of as Kennel Cough is really a complex mix of diseases, some bacterial and some viral. We vaccinate for the most common ones like Bordetella and Canine Influenza, which does a great job of keeping most dogs safe. Good boarding facilities require Kennel Cough and Flu boosters, but people forget to update vaccines before they bring their dogs to family gatherings. We see sick animals around the holidays where the only exposure was from visiting family with pets. Usually, they respond to symptomatic treatment plus or minus antibiotics, but sometimes Kennel Cough becomes pneumonia— and can be life threatening.
If you plan to board, groom, or travel with your pet, the best time to booster is 2 to 3 weeks prior so your pet’s immune system can build up antibodies to fight possible exposure.
We hope this helps you recognize and avoid common hazards that lead to emergency veterinary visits at Thanksgiving and other holidays. Thanks for reading, and for helping us keep your pet healthy all year round!