Tips to avoid the E.R. from the experts at Advanced Veterinary Care Center in Davie

As you get together with loved ones this season and prepare your home for a jolly holiday, keep these pet safety tips in mind. It could prevent a less than merry visit to the emergency room!

Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire
1. Keep the cocktail nuts out of reach of pets when hosting your guests. Nuts and other fatty table scraps can cause stomach upset and lead to pancreatitis. In some cases pancreatitis can be mild. Other instances can be fatal. If you want to give your pet a special treat during a holiday dinner, talk to your veterinarian about a healthy option, like carrots or apples.

Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree
2. Be sure to clean up any needles that fall from your tree. Needles are not digestible and can be mildly toxic, causing GI upset or nausea. If swallowed, tree needles can in rare instances cause obstruction or puncture your pet’s gastrointestinal tract.

3. Tree water can also be poisonous due to pesticides, fertilizers, and even aspirin. It’s best to cover up the tree water with a lid or a tree skirt.

4. Also, avoid using tinsel to give your tree its shiny glow! Tinsel can cause gastrointestinal upset if ingested and in severe cases could lead to life threatening intestinal rupture.

5. Finally, be sure to secure your tree if your pet is the type to jump and tip it over!

It’s Beginning to Smell a Lot Like Christmas!
6. Beware of potpourri-scented oils. If ingested, they could cause caustic burns, and ulcers, as well as erosions in the mouth, esophagus, and digestive tract. Other effects can include oral pain, nausea, vomiting, and severe lung inflammation.

7. Typical holiday plants can also be bad news for your pets. These include poinsettia plants, mistletoe, lilies and daffodils. If ingested, problems can include GI upset, severe kidney disease, vomiting, diarrhea and more.

8. Never feed a pet chocolate and keep all candies out of reach. For more on chocolate toxicity and how not all chocolate is created equal, click here.

9. Ask your holiday guests to keep their purses or bags out of reach of pets as they could contain toxic medications and candy. Also, remind guests to close the garbage can or drawer at all times.

All I Want for Christmas….
10. Holiday packages with ribbons and bows are so festive! Just make sure they aren’t left around for curious pets to discover! The same goes for batteries in new toys or electrical cords. By keeping a watchful eye on your pets this holiday, you could prevent a costly ER visit!

From all of us at Advanced Veterinary Care Center in Davie, we wish you a safe and happy holiday season!  If you need us, we are here for you, 24 hours a day, 365 days per year (including all holidays).