12/10/2024
Wanting to share a PSA with everyone with the holiday season upon us!!
First, some health and safety topics.....
1. Antifreeze--cannot stress enough how toxic and dangerous it is. Be on the lookout if you are walking thru neighborhoods, parking lots because even if you don't have anti-freeze at your house, there are many cars that have recently been changed and you never know if one has a leak or not. So be aware that they aren't paying too much attention to anything at ground level.
2. Salt. If you take walks in your neighborhood, be wary about the salt that neighbors and communities use on the roads and sidewalks. They are not pet friendly and so if you are walking any distance at all, when you come home, you may want to wipe/rinse feet off so that the dogs don't ingest the salt when licking. So wipe off feet, legs and belly areas to prevent any issues with ingesting de-icers.
3. Please stay away from ponds, creeks, etc with the dogs. Every year, we hear of tragic events where pets have fallen through ice.
4. Please make sure that any space heaters have cords that are up and away from younger puppies that may want to chew, get tangled and while they need ventilation, make sure that they are in a place that the dogs cannot knock them over.
5. A lot of people incorrectly assume that a dogs caloric intake needs to change with the cold weather. It does not. Unless you have sled dogs who are running the Iditarod, there needs to be no change to their diets. Adding extra weight to them in the winter does nothing for them, just as it does nothing for us. Being over weight is so unhealthy and leads to extra wear and tear on joints and experts are now connectly being overweight to the dogs lifespan.
6. Christmas decorations--of course, many of us will have Christmas trees and other decorations up soon, or already have them up. If the puppy ingests something that it should not, hydrogen peroxide will make the puppy throw up. Of course, you want to make sure that it is something that will not do more damage coming up than it would passing. For example, if they get hold of a glass ornament and you think the puppy ate part of it. Do not induce vomiting!! The puppy could cut its esophagus bringing it back up. Instead, give the puppy white bread(a vaseline sandwich) or cans of spinach. These things will wrap around the offending object and help with safe passage out the other end.
7. With the colder weather, older pets may all of a sudden be sore or stiff because of arthritis setting in. There are lots of good remedies out there for this in dogs and so there is no reason for them to be uncomfortable. There are many OTC remedies when arthritis is just starting(can be as early as age 8 or as late as age 12) and your vet also has lots of meds at their disposal to treat arthritis in dogs, if need be.
8. It is not the end of the world if the dog/puppy eats a chocolate cookie, some crackers, lunch meat or anything else that you may have out for parties/gatherings/get togethers. People often think that dogs can have absolutely no people food. Our dogs seem to have missed that memo!! Vets tell people not to give people food because it adds more calories to the diet and because gravies and fatty meats, etc can cause stomach upsets and worse, gastroenteritis. So, no worries if Aunt Sally sneaks Fido a pretzel or a cracker 😉
9. Yet another warning about Xylitol. It is in SOOOOO many things from baked goods, to toothpaste and mouthwash, peanut butter and the list goes on and on. Please carefully check ingredient labels for birch bark, wood sugar, birch sugar, and birch bark extract. It can also be listed as sugar alcohols.
10. Yeast! It is an emergency if your dog gets hold of uncooked bread dough/pastry. Raw, uncooked yeast ferments the carbohydrates in the dough, producing ethanol and carbon dioxide. This process can continue in the stomach, leading the animal to become disoriented, bloated (potentially leading to GDV), and ataxic—ehanol is alcohol and can be fatal for pets. The initial signs of drunkenness progress to acidosis, tremors, hypotension, hypothermia and respiratory depression. The risk of aspiration is high as ethanol is directly irritating to the stomach, causing vomiting, yet it also paralyzes the muscles that close the epiglottis.
11. Many Christmas type flowers/plants are toxic- Poinsettias, holly, Amaryllis, mistletoe and Christmas rose, to name a few.
Wishing you all a very happy, safe and wonderful holiday season!!
