The holiday season is full new experiences and fun for our puppies, however we must be aware of some hazards that lurk out there. Your veterinarian may have limited hours around the holidays, ask where the veterinary emergency service is located and their phone number. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control is an emergency hotline providing 24-hour-a-day, 7-day-a-week telephone assistance to veterinarians and pet owner’s. The phone number is 1-888-4-ANI-HELP (1-888-426-4435) and the website is www.apcc.aspca.org.
Holiday food will be abundant and readily available. These tasty tidbits can be extremely dangerous if our puppies eat them. Chocolate and coffee can cause seizures. All of them are extremely rich, so will cause diarrhea and vomiting.
Beautiful plants will brighten our homes. Poinsettias and Holly are not specifically toxic, but are very irritating to the mouth and stomach, and may cause nausea and vomiting. Some varieties of Mistletoe may cause liver failure and seizures, therefore consider it hazardous and keep inaccessible.
Christmas trees have several inherent hazards. The Christmas tree water may contain toxic/caustic chemicals and/or be stagnant and contaminated with bacteria, which may result in nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Electric cords, if chewed could electrocute your puppy. Tinsel and ribbon, if swallowed, can become a linear foreign body, resulting in bunching of the intestines and causing an obstruction. Glass ornaments can cause cuts in the skin but potentially more dangerous would be cuts in the mouth and stomach/intestines if chewed and swallowed.
The best way to prevent these problems is to supervise your puppy at all times or keep them tethered in a safe location.
Happy Holidays From Your Friends At Paw Pals
Bonnie Kramer, DVM