Winter always brings certain challenges when it comes to caring for your pets. Holidays can make everything even trickier. Lots of in and out guests, travel plans, special foods being shared, and unique threats beyond the cold. It's best to think ahead when it comes to your furry family members and make sure they are just as happy as you are during the festive season.
Paws At Home is a premier mobile vet service but not an emergency vet. Make sure you know how to get to your 24/7 emergency veterinary clinic before there's an emergency. Talk with your veterinarian in advance to find out where you would need to take your pet, and plan your travel route so you're not trying to find your way with stress and snow. Always keep these numbers posted in an easy-to-find location in case of emergencies:
- Your veterinarian's clinic phone number
- 24/7 emergency veterinary clinic
- ASPCA Poison Control Hotline: 888-426-4435
- Pet Poison Helpline: 855-764-7661
Holiday Food
Keep people food away from pets. If you want to share holiday treats with your pets, make or buy treats formulated just for them. The following people foods are especially hazardous for pets:
- Chocolate is an essential part of the holidays for many people, but it is toxic to dogs and cats. Although the toxicity can vary based on the type of chocolate, the size of your pet, and the amount they ate, it's safer to consider all chocolate off-limits for pets.
- Other sweets and baked goods also should be kept out of reach. Not only are they often too rich for pets; an artificial sweetener often found in baked goods, candy, and chewing gum, xylitol, has been linked to liver failure and death in dogs.
- Meats, especially fatty meats – sometimes even in small amounts – can cause a life-threatening condition in pets known as pancreatitis.
- Table scraps – including gravy and meat fat –also should be kept away from pets. Many foods that are healthy for people are poisonous to pets, including onions, raisins, and grapes. During the holidays, when our own diets tend toward extra-rich foods, table scraps can be especially fattening and hard for animals to digest and can cause pancreatitis.
- Yeast dough can cause problems for pets, including painful gas and potentially dangerous bloating.
Decorations
Greenery, lights, and Christmas trees can make the holidays festive, but they also pose risky temptations for our pets.
- Ornaments can cause hazards for pets. Broken ornaments can cause injuries, and ingested ornaments can cause intestinal blockage or even toxicity. Keep any homemade ornaments, particularly those made from salt-dough or other food-based materials, out of reach of pets.
- Tinsel and other holiday decorations also can be tempting for pets to eat. Consuming them can cause intestinal blockages, sometimes requiring surgery. Breakable ornaments or decorations can cause injuries.
- Flowers and festive plants can result in an emergency veterinary visit if your pet gets hold of them. Amaryllis, mistletoe, balsam, pine, cedar, and holly are among the common holiday plants that can be dangerous and even poisonous to pets who decide to eat them. Poinsettias can be troublesome as well.
- Potpourris should be kept out of reach of inquisitive pets. Liquid potpourris pose risks because they contain essential oils and cationic detergents that can severely damage your pet's mouth, eyes, and skin. Solid potpourris could cause problems if eaten.
When you leave the house
- Unplug decorations while you're not around. Cats, dogs, and other pets are often tempted to chew electrical cords.
- Take out the trash to make sure your pets can't get to it, especially if it contains any food or food scraps.
Traveling
Whether you take your pets with you or leave them behind, take these precautions to safeguard them whenever you're traveling.
- Pets in vehicles should always be safely restrained and should never be left alone in the car in any weather. Proper restraint means using a secure harness or a carrier, placed in a location clear of airbags. Never transport your pet in the bed of a truck.
- If you're traveling by air and considering bringing your pet with you, talk with your veterinarian first. Air travel can put some pets at risk, especially short-nosed dogs. Your veterinarian is the best person to advise you regarding your own pet's ability to travel.
- Pack for your pet as well as yourself if you're going to travel together. In addition to your pet's food and medications, this includes bringing copies of their medical records, information to help identify your pet if it becomes lost, first aid supplies, and other items.
- Boarding your dog while you travel? Talk with your veterinarian to find out how best to protect your pet from canine flu and other contagious diseases, and to make sure your pet is up-to-date on vaccines.
The holidays are a wonderful time to spend with family and friends, just be sure that you are being mindful of your furry family members as well. We at paws at home wish you a safe and happy holiday season!