Holidays can be a time of great joy for
the family but also disaster for your pet.
Pretty lights, plants, food, guests, candy, and
costumes – all can spell danger for your furry
companion. Though we may get caught up in
the festivities of the various holiday seasons, we
must stop and consider our pets. Take a
moment to plan for issues and make every holiday
safe and sane for all. Let's take a bit and
look at the major Holidays and what to look out
for. I'll start with the beginning of the
year and work to the end.
New
Year's
Parties,
champagne, streamers, food… Sounds like
fun for a human. But alcohol can be deadly
for your pet in far less amounts than for you.
Uncle Al's habit of getting the dog drunk every
New Year's is a very bad thing. Parties in
your house can be very stressing for a pet.
Make sure he is safely in another room with a
radio on softly and with plenty of toys.
Check on him occasionally to make sure he is OK.
Plastic streamers and decorations if ingested can
cause intestinal damage. Gorging on food can
lead to stomach upsets or even bloat. Keep
the wild party for you and let your dog rest!
Easter
Cute
bunnies and chicks, all that chocolate and plastic
grass abound. Chocolate can kill dogs. Theobromine is the substance in chocolate that is
toxic. The darker the chocolate, the more
toxic it is. The smaller the dog, the less
it takes for a toxic affect. Other candies
can cause stomach upsets, vomiting and diarrhea.
Plastic grass can cause intestinal damage.
Keep all Easter baskets out of your dog's reach.
And if your family does Easter egg hunts – use
plastic eggs. Hardboiled eggs will go rancid
when left out of the refrigerator.
Should your dog find one not discovered by the
kids, he could get a nasty tummy ache.
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