Geraint Jones 'Traditional' Pet Owners Advice...
It’s becoming a bit of a tradition that every December I write an article for the Bay magazine warning pet owners of the dangers of Christmas. The formula of this is basically the previous year’s article recycled like a Xmas stocking, spruced up with veterinary facts woven into content that is fast becoming increasingly risqué!
Or so my colleagues tell me...
So without further ado, another recap...
Bird up!
Whatever bird you’re planning on roasting this Christmas... (Turkey/ goose/ rock-dove), please remember to double bag the carcass before putting it in the bin. Most dogs won’t care about the risk cost analysis of the size of the bones, their appetite, and the chance of an oesophageal perforation.
Christmas pudding
Everyone over indulges at this time of the year- most of our staff start looking like Roses chocolates- but quite frankly, funnel feeding your pets treats like froie gras geese, is just going to cause a mess! Diarrhoea (D+++) and vomiting (V+++) in pets this time of year are about as common as Christmas cards. So give your dog a Christmas carrot to chew on rather than a healthy dose of dehydration or pancreatitis.
Tinselitis
What the veterinary industry calls “foreign bodies (FB)” are also more of a problem during the festive period. Rest assured this has got nothing to do with Theresa May. Baubles, tinsel, pine cones are the usual suspects, although, every vet has got a top three “lewd FB story”. There was the time that a cat managed to consume three of her owner’s contraceptives from the bin... but that is definitely not a Christmas article.
As you pull on that Christmas knit-wear, sit back and immerse yourself in the post prandial high of digestion, with the dulcet tones of your family and friends intermixing with the queen’s speech and Christmas number one... spare a thought for the cat that has just started to eat the poinsettia. Mistletoe, poinsettias, lilies and amaryllis- typical festive plants and flowers are all toxic to animals if eaten. Lilies in particular can be very toxic to cats.
X- Rated
Whilst reminding yourself about the traditional meaning of Christmas, and wondering whether “kids these days” think that the “X” in Xmas stands for “X” Box, or “X” factor, make sure your Xmas tree has good anchorage, and that young animals are not left unsupervised near it. Hopefully this will avoid kittens base jumping from the Christmas fairy, or puppies indulging in a spot of electric shock therapy on the Christmas lights.
Hangover cures
When, you are muddling through the wrath of a Christmas hangover, wondering about how long ago your livers best before end date was, be aware that your dog, cat or bearded dragon may not appreciate the virtues of paracetamol and ibuprofen. Paracetamol is toxic to cats and small amounts of ibuprofen can cause gastric irritation or worse renal failure in dogs.
Lucky scrape
On the subject of renal failure, anti freeze or ethylene glycol is great for windscreens, but not so good for defrosting kidneys. As the temperature begins to fall this December, and your morning rush to work is further hampered by a vigorous work out on the car windscreen, remember that anti freeze is extremely toxic. Pets are apparently attracted by the sweet odour, and ingesting only a small amount of ethylene glycol can have lethal consequences.
Right, all advice having been issued, that just leaves me to say best wishes, season’s greetings and have a thoroughly good Christmas with your pet!
If your pet has been affected by any of the above issues or you would like to discuss any of the issues in the article, please make an appointment to see your vet or if in any doubt ring 01792 205000 for some advice.
On behalf of St James Veterinary Group we would like to wish you all an extremely Happy Christmas and our sincerest best wishes for the New Year.
