Keeping pets safe during the holidays, what you need to know to avoid a costly vet trip
The holidays can be fun for the entire family, but if you aren't careful, they could turn dangerous quickly, especially for our furry friends.
During the holidays, pets are exposed to a variety of factors they don't typically experience on a daily basis. Those situations can lead to stress and anxiety for some pets, and in some cases, a trip to an emergency clinic.
Your dog’s stress levels may not be considered a life-threatening hazard, but it can create an unpleasant or potentially dangerous situation if it isn’t properly addressed. In fact, stress & anxiety can cause health problems for your pet. That's why experts say it's important you create a safe environment for your four-legged friend.
You can do this by creating an escape from the hustle and bustle, and it must be in a separate room from the activity. Good places include your bedroom or washroom, especially if your pet is used to sleeping in your bedroom, a guest room, an office, or even a quiet hallway. Use a crate, safety gate, or exercise pen to keep your pet safely contained in this space. Include some of their favorite things like blankets, toys, and treats.
It's also important to remember that our pets can't eat everything that humans can. And even more important, is that animals can't always tell the difference between things that are edible and not. Several plants used for typical Christmas decorations are actually toxic to cats and dogs.
According to Dr. Juan Partida, a veterinarian at Veterinary Urgent Care of the Desert, his office sees a spike in emergency cases during the holidays.
"We get a lot of emergency cases that come in that are really beyond what we could probably do as an urgent care," said Partida. He says a majority of cases were instances where a pet ingested food that is toxic to animals.
"The number one reason pets are coming in through urgent care for this season would be chocolate ingestion," said Dr. Partida. "Especially dark chocolate, definitely. And the thing is it's pretty avoidable."
Partida says locking up food, and keeping it out of reach for pets is the best way to prevent deadly mistakes.
"Sometimes accidents happen. Maybe your pets got on the counter, that happens a lot, especially if they're well known counter surfers," explained Partida. "If that's the case then you will want to take those extra precautions and put away those foods."
He also recommends being careful with Christmas decorations too. "Pets may try to eat them," said Partida. "Any type of strings, ribbons, objects that can hang off the Christmas tree. You know, ingestion of those could be lethal as well."
Things that can be toxic to pets include:
Tinsel
Poinsettias
Holly
Mistletoe
Lillies
Chocolate
Onions
Batteries
Ornaments
Toys
If your pet experiences an emergency during the holidays and needs urgent care, you can seek help here: https://www.vucd.vet/home
