Happy Holidays with Your Pets

The holiday season is upon us and I hope that everyone has a safe and festive time with family and friends!! While we are enjoying the parties, and family visits we should take time to ensure our pets are safe from harm.

This time of year holds lots of dangers for our pets. Decorations such as Christmas lights, tinsel, ornaments, ribbons/bows and mistletoe can cause toxicity signs and/ or intestinal obstruction. Poinsettia plants can cause mild stomach upset and lily plants are deadly to cats leading to kidney failure. We have already had some animals hospitalized for alcohol ingestion, which can be serious, and life threatening. Please keep all plants, nuts, cookies, candy, coffee, alcohol, and presents out of reach of your pets. Keep an eye on your Christmas trees as dogs and cats can actually pull them over and/ or get hung up in the branches or strands of lights.

At New Years, fireworks and noisemakers can scare a lot of our dogs and cats. If your pet has had problems before with noise anxiety, talk to your veterinarian now about possible tranquilizer type medication. Placing your pet in a quiet room with music and comfortable bedding may be enough to decrease the noise exposure.

Last but not least, at this time of year it is common for animals to escape. With family and friends coming in and out of the front door, animal anxiety, and playing children, the potential for lost pets increases. It is very important to remind everyone to close doors, have your pet microchipped and keep current tags on their collar.

Happy Christmas, Kwanza, and Hanukkah !!!!