The holidays are here and there is no better time to discuss the importance of keeping our pets safe. Did you know that there are many holiday traditions that can be harmful to our four-legged family members?
Do not fear, the Brook Farmer’s are here!
At Brook Farm Veterinary Center, we are happy to help you learn how to keep your pets safe! Let’s dive right in and see what traditions we need to avoid to keep our furry friends both safe and healthy this holiday season.
Food & Treats
It’s a no brainer that with the holidays comes lots and lots of food and treats! It’s important to remember that not everything we eat is safe for our pets to consume. A bite of bland turkey may not be harmful to our pet (so long as they do not have a poultry allergy) however, the following should NOT be eaten by our pets on any occasion:
-Grapes and raisins
-Onions
-Garlic
-Macadamia nuts
-Chocolate
Plants & Flowers
They add such ambiance and look beautiful on display, but did you know that they’re harmful to our pets? The most common holiday plant, a Poinsettia, tends to have a very bad reputation but these are only mildly toxic if ingested. The plants and flowers we need to be most concerned about this holiday season are lilies, holly, and mistletoe. These are all toxic to our fur babies and can have ill effects on their health and wellbeing. So, if you’re going to continue to decorate with these plants and flowers, go ahead, just be sure they’re located out of reach!
Beer, wine & cocktails
If you’re celebrating with some booze this holiday, by all means, just don’t feel the need to share with your pet. In fact, make sure it’s out of their reach entirely. Alcohol can affect our pets super fast and can cause dangerous drops in their blood sugar, blood pressure and body temperature. Alcohol can also cause seizures and respiratory failure in our pets, so it is critical that we do everything in our power to keep it out of their reach.
Cold weather driveway dangers
Living in Putnam County we know you likely have these toxic items somewhere in your home. Antifreeze and windshield deicing products, as well as motor oils, brake fluid and other solvents, often contain a type of alcohol that is particularly dangerous to our pets. As little as a tablespoon can cause severe acute kidney failure in dogs and as little as a teaspoon can be fatal to cats. If your pet has been exposed to any of these toxic solvents, seek emergency treatment IMMEDIATELY.
Medications and drugs
We all have our own medications we need to keep us healthy - with that being said these human medications need to be secured out of reach of your pets. Loose pills should not be kept in anything that is too easy to chew, like a zip-lock baggie for example. Medications such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen and naproxen are commonly found in households as well but did you know that just one or two of these types of pills can be extremely harmful to dogs and cats? Other drugs used to treat depression, ADD/ADHD and high blood pressure (especially beta-blockers) can also be very dangerous to our pets and need to be stored safely out of reach. This is super important as data shows that nearly 50% of all pet poisonings involve human medications.
Since many states have legalized Marijuana, it’s important to note that this substance is also toxic to both cats and dogs. THC, which is the psychoactive compound in marijuana that makes people high, is like poison to our pets and needs to be avoided at all costs.
If you know or suspect that your pet was exposed to any sort of toxin, it is important to seek emergency veterinary care immediately. If you know what that toxin could be please prepare yourself to be open and honest with the staff, so they can help determine treatment as quickly as possible.
We hope you all have a happy holiday season and keep your pets in the back of your minds when company arrives alert them to keep their goodies out of Fido’s reach!
Site used for information: https://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2020/holiday-pet-safety
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