Holiday Hazards
Advice from Animal Expert Dr. Grey Stafford
 The other day, I was appearing on Your Life A to Z with my good friend Julie Scardina from Sea World. Julie had with her a pair of cute little otters that spent their time opening holiday packages under a Christmas tree. The packages were actually stage props stuffed with paper and a few fresh fish treats — completely safe for all the animals on the show that day. Yet, the scene was a reminder that the holidays can be a risky time of year for our family pets.
Of course, some risk comes from all the holiday decorations, Christmas trees, ornaments, tinsel, lights, candles, and so on, throughout the house. If we look at it from a pet’s perspective it is easy to see why. All these dangling objects are new, shiny and fun to play with! Given the potential for fun, the only way to make absolutely sure your pets don’t get into trouble chewing and perhaps choking on a foreign object is prevention.
So, if you have a small dog, consider placing your tree and ornaments up on a table beyond their reach. Climbing cat owners may want to consider limiting their pet’s access to that part of the house where trees and decorations are located. Remember to close doors or use baby gates to prevent access to packages and power cords for larger dogs, especially when you are not home to supervise. When you are home, be sure to regularly reward pets with fun toys, play or treats for ignoring all the holiday decorations, lights, gifts etc.
Also, over the past few weeks we’ve discussed other holiday hazards for your pets in the form of people food and candy. Other consumables we often hear about this time of year are holiday plants, particularly the poinsettia. Well, it turns out that the poinsettia is not considered highly toxic to pets. Now, that is not to say that you should encourage “Spot” to play near or with your Christmas plants, but you needn’t worry quite so much as the old urban legend has taught us. If your pet happens to chew on a leaf or two, it may suffer some irritation, vomiting or diarrhea, but the American Veterinary Medicine Association of America (AVMA) doesn’t even list the plant as a threat to animals. If this does happen and you are still concerned, always call your veterinarian. But don’t panic. The most you’ll probably have to deal with is your pet’s upset stomach.
Have a happy and safe holiday season!
Dr. Grey
Learn more about Dr. Grey Stafford
The information presented and the opinions expressed are those of the content provider. KTVK-TV and KASW-TV do not endorse the accuracy or reliability of any advice, opinion, statement, or other information by the content provider. You acknowledge that any reliance upon any such opinion, advice, statement, or information shall be at your sole risk.
|
