Wintertime can be a beautiful and entertaining time to get your pets outside. The snow-covered fields and sidewalks offer a new playground for your pets, but with that often comes the ice. The salt and chemicals used to remove the ice can lead to irritation and/or burns to your pets feet, so if they will tolerate them, booties are a great way to help reduce this. And if they won’t keep them on, as many won’t, wash their feet in warm water and dry thoroughly with a towel as soon as you get home.
Many people celebrate Christmas in December, and as fun as the festivities surrounding it are, your animals can be at risk of harm whether it be from certain human foods, ingesting tinsel, decorations, toys, flowers, etc, or just simply from being stressed by all the activity.
Chocolate can be toxic to animals, and especially dark chocolate. It contains an ingredient called theobromine that can cause your pet to vomit, have diarrhea, have a seizure, as well as increased thirst, urination, and heart rate. Sweet or fatty foods can also cause diarrhea and can lead to pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas). As well, garlic and onions can cause low blood cells, and with this you will be able to see your pets gums become pale, and turkey bones can lead to a foreign body if ingested. Symptoms of a foreign body are vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and depression, and this often requires an emergency surgery.
Holiday flowers such as mistletoe and lilies are a lovely way to brighten up a home for the season, but they too can be harmful or fatal if ingested. Mistletoe can cause diarrhea, nausea and vomiting if ingested, and lilies can cause kidney failure in cats if ingested.
Whether you are home or travelling, a safe quiet space for your pet to go to will help reduce their stress and anxiety, but there are medications to help with this, so please ask our staff for options if you think this may be something your pet would benefit from. As well, identification of your pet is also helpful when travelling (and year-round). Some of the options for this are tags, tattoos, and microchips, and we are able to help with any questions you may have about pet identification!
We wish you a safe and happy holiday, and please do not hesitate to contact our clinic, or the Animal Emergency Hospital if you are
unsure if your pet needs veterinary care during
the holidays, or any time of the year!
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