Taking Care of Your Pet During the Holiday Season

As the holiday season approaches and you get ready to enjoy the festivities, don't forget to take a few simple steps to ensure that your pet has just as much fun as you.

Start by surveying your house from the pet's point of view. Remember, all animals are curious by nature and have a tendency of getting into boxes, containers, almost anything they can find. The holiday season is an exciting time for your pet as well since there are more interesting things to see and get into and hide. Simple holiday chores like trimming a tree or decorating your house can turn into potential tragedies if you leave your pet unmonitored.

Keep your pets away from all such items that you would normally consider hazardous for infants such as bright lights, small tree ornaments, tinsel etc. Use large sized ornaments wherever possible and keep smaller ornaments and lights away from your pet.

Many pet-related emergencies that happen during the holiday season occur due to the consumption of medicines meant for human beings. People often leave their medication lying around their house especially when they are visiting family. The innate curiosity of animals often gets the better of them and they try to sample the medication leading to disastrous results. This is because medicines that are meant for human consumption can be fatal for animals even if taken in small doses. Store all prescription and non-prescription drugs away where your pets cannot reach them.

The second most common reason that pets fall sick during the holiday season is food. You should let your pet follow his or her normal diet. Do not offer leftovers as a treat as your pet is likely to end up with digestive problems. Be especially careful of feeding chocolate to your pet. Milk chocolate will leave your pet with an upset stomach. Dark chocolate is harmful for your pet as it contains theobromine and caffeine, both of which can be lethal for pets.

Macadamia nuts are a strict no-no for dogs. Eating these nuts leaves dogs close to paralyzed and it takes them upto three days to recover.

Do not feed your birds avocadoes. They can cause respiratory problems in birds as they cause accumulation of fluid in the lungs.

Make sure your pet does not ingest bread dough. Even after it enters the digestive system, the dough keeps rising and may cause the intestines to get blocked. If you notice any unusual symptoms in your pet or see him or her ingesting something that could be harmful, call for your vet or your local emergency animal hospital at once.



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