Preparing Your Pet for the Holidays

As the year draws to an end, it is that wonderful time of year when we get to be festive, eat too much, share good spirits with family, friends and neighbors, and spend the rest of the following year recovering from too much Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's celebrations. It is also a time of year when we get to put silly costumes on our pets (if they'll tolerate it) and parade down Main St. and put on Santa hats and mug for the photos by the Christmas tree. But it is also a time of year to be particularly attentive and careful with our furry friends to keep them healthy and to help them avoid getting into trouble. Halloween is a night to keep all pets inside - dogs because they are often disturbed by the sight of oddly dressed strangers coming on their property and will bark or threaten "Trick or Treater's"; cats because some people take sick delight in harming innocent felines. With all the candy lying around, a dog could easily be tempted to gobble some goodies, resulting in a pancreatitis (inflamed pancreas), evidenced by vomiting and/ or diarrhea; or chocolate toxicity, resulting in an unsteady gait, panting, agitation and an elevated heart rate. With Thanksgiving and Christmas, one might think about slipping the dog or cat some of the turkey and the trimmings; but hold that thought. Mr. Pancreas and Mr. Gut can be made very unhappy with turkey fat or even the meat, depending on your animal's constitution that may be more or less delicate. Don't even think about the bones - they splinter and pierce the esophagus and stomach; if they don't, they wreak havoc with the intestines as they make their way down. People often insist that dogs and cats in the wild eat bones all the time; don't forget that a few thousand years of domestication separate dogs and wolves and cats and cheetahs. As for sweets, especially chocolate, they are also to be avoided. Other danger lies in those beautiful plants that color the holidays - Poinsettias are toxic to cats and cause vomiting and diarrhea. Christmas tree water can be toxic to some as well as the pine needles that some cats insist on munching on. Decorations of the tree such as tinsel and ribbons can wind up in your cat's intestines and cause an obstruction or even cut through the bowel and result in peritonitis, inflammation of the abdominal cavity as gut contents leak out. Don't think that because you're not giving your favorite dog or cat some yummy food off your plate, that you're cruel. If you give him/her the small bite of doggie cookie or a kitty pounce, they'll be just as happy and if they knew of all the consequences listed above, they would thank you for avoiding a trip to the vet. The above is general veterinary information. Do not begin any course of treatment without consulting your regular veterinarian. All animals should be examined at least once every 12 months.