Halloween candy, Thanksgiving leftovers: what can hurt your pet
From now to New Year’s our phones get busier. Here’s the short list of holiday foods and decorations to keep out of reach.
Between Halloween and New Year’s, we see the same handful of problems every year. Most are easy to prevent.
Candy
Chocolate is the famous one: the darker it is, the more dangerous, and the smaller your dog, the less it takes. Less famous is xylitol, a sweetener in sugar-free gum, candy and some peanut butter, which can drop a dog’s blood sugar fast and harm the liver. Wrappers can also cause a blockage. Keep trick-or-treat bowls up high, and tell the kids the dog doesn’t get a share.
The Thanksgiving table
Fatty scraps like turkey skin and gravy can trigger pancreatitis, a painful inflammation that often means a few days in the hospital. Cooked bones splinter. Onions, garlic, grapes and raisins are toxic. Raw bread dough can swell in a stomach. The simplest plan is to give your pet their own plate: a spoonful of plain turkey and plain green beans, once.
Decorations and plants
Cats love tinsel and ribbon, and swallowing it can mean surgery. Lilies are very dangerous to cats, even the pollen on a coat. Poinsettias are mostly a stomach upset, but still worth keeping out of reach.
If something happens
Call us during open hours, or the emergency clinic when we’re closed, as soon as you notice, and tell them what, how much and when. It’s much easier to help early than late. We’re closed Thanksgiving Thursday and Friday, so please save the emergency number on your phone now.