With the holiday season just around the corner I wanted to
take this time to bring awareness to a few very common pet hazards that are see
commonly around the holidays. These are
a few that I get calls about regularly, especially around the holidays and all
of them should be preventable if we keep a close eye on our furry family
members.
Rat
and mouse poisons are some of the most dangerous and most common household
toxins I get calls about. I see 2-3
cases of accidental pet death due to rat poisons a year. There are several kinds of rat bate, the
most common being anticoagulant, which prevents the blood from clotting,
leading to internal bleeding and death over several days. Anticoagulant rat poison does have a
treatment and if caught early can have a good outcome. A less common but significantly more
dangerous poison, called bromethalin, has recently come onto the market
which works on the nervous system causing tremors and seizures leading to
death. There is no specific
treatment for bromethalin poisoning.
It is extremely important to save any packaging from the product
you think your pet may have gotten into and give to the veterinarian so an
appropriate treatment plan can be made.
With cold weather coming up and rodents moving indoors, I urge
people to use caution with rat poisons, making sure to put it out of reach
of pets, and use bait stations that can't be broken into or use traps
instead.
Leftovers
from Thanksgiving or Christmas may sound like a special treat for pets,
but can cause some severe consequences.
Bones of any kind, especially poultry, can cause obstruction or
perforation of the stomach or intestines because they splinter
easily. High fat foods like pork or
skin from the holiday bird can lead to pancreatitis, an inflammation of
the pancreas causing severe abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. Throwing leftovers in the trash may
tempt some pets to go garbage diving and eating anything with food on it,
so make sure to secure the bags and prevent serious illness in your
pet.
Electric
cords, light bulbs, and batteries seem to be more prominent during the
holiday season. I have seen some
severe mouth burns from chewed electric cords or battery acid that could
have been prevented. Keep track of
all those extra Christmas lights and fuses that come with trees, and clean
up broken bulbs right away. Monitor
pets, especially puppies, around Christmas trees and cords.
New
chew toys for Christmas may seem like a special treat for your pet but be
cautious. I have had to take out
many a new toy from the intestines of an overzealous chewer. Make sure the toy is bigger then the
pet's head from the nose to the back of the head. Once the toy is damaged in anyway it should
be discarded. Squeakers, stuffing,
bells, and ribbon should be examined daily to make sure it is in no danger
of coming off.
Myth: Poinsettias are poisonous to dogs and
cats
Fact: This common Christmas house plant has a very
low instance of toxicity and rarely causes any problems for pets if
ingested.
Significantly more toxic holiday
plants include lilies of any kind (which can cause kidney failure in cats),
holly berry, mistletoe and chrysanthemums or mums, which can cause drooling,
ataxia, vomiting and diarrhea in relatively small amounts.
Stay vigilant this holiday season to make sure that you and
your pets have a worry free holiday. If
you suspect your pet may have ingested something toxic, call your veterinarian
right away and have important information ready, like how much the pet weighs,
how much they ate & how long ago, and the package if possible. Holidays are stressful enough without having
to deal with a sick pet, so stay vigilant and have a happy holiday.
Dr. Andrea Schroeder
