Christmas is a fantastically stimulating time of year and some of that excitement might rub off on our pets. However, pet parent temptations could result in unfortunate illness or even worse; a very much unexpected trip to the vet for our furry friends. To avoid this from happening Hill’s Pet UK have teamed up with Simon, Veterinary Surgeon from Medivet Coventry, to guide you through the festive season without a hitch.
The home
All your Christmas decorations are up and your home is looking festive. What dangers can lie in a bit of tinsel and pine trees? Although harmless to us, for your pets, dangers can lurk in these accessories.
Candles – not always a ray of light
A little bit of care should be taken to make sure your pets aren’t harmed by lit candles. They can be exuberant little things. Making sure your candles are placed somewhere safe ensures your furry friends aren’t burnt or hurt by the hot wax.
Decorations – a pretty sight when they’re not in your pets mouth
There’s always one pet that eats the decorations and if you have chocolate ones, they need to be out of reach due to their toxic effect on your furry friend.
Tinsel has proven a risk in the past - more than one pet has suffered a particularly nasty type of intestinal damage as a result of eating it. It bunches the intestines up and then cuts through them, which requires surgery to resolve.
Pine needles are very irritating to the mouths and bowels of our pets, so intestinal upset is quite likely.
Dicas Saborosas
The Christmas Dinner
Tempted to feed your pet a miniature Christmas dinner? The meal itself can be full of hidden dangers. If you take a closer look, there are a few ingredients that can cause digestive upset, potentially resulting in vomiting or diarrhoea.
Onions- not your pet’s best friend
On the surface it would appear that we are feeding an easily digestible meat with vegetables and what could be wrong with that? However, onion is part of the ingredients of both our gravy and stuffing. Onions are toxic to our pets and small amounts can be harmful. One crumbly gravy cube (containing mostly onion salt) caused a week’s worth of illness for one of our patients earlier this year.
Turkey carcass – a minefield of bones
Turkey carcasses hold a potential danger for both cats and dogs, as some of the bones can be quite small. In the enthusiasm to eat up those tasty meaty morsels, there is a potential for these to get ingested and stuck in the mouth or the throat. If they make it to the stomach, there is no guarantee that they will make it through to the other end. Your pet may need an operation to remove bones from the intestine, or may develop a bowel blockage as a result.
The pudding – toxic to our furry friends
“That’s OK”, we’ll say, “Lets skip the main meal and we’ll just save a little of the dessert”. “A bit of Christmas pud’ll be no problem”. On the contrary, grapes and their concentrated cousins, raisins, are very toxic and can lead to all sorts of upset, so we had best avoid the pud. While we’re at it we had best avoid the Christmas cake and the mince pies for the very same reason.
Chocolate – a little can hurt
Some are breathing easy and are quite happy that they have avoided the dinner and the pud and have saved a nice piece of Yule log for “Diesel”. Unfortunately, chocolate is also toxic and the smallest amount can hurt. It is best considered as completely unsafe for pets.
Alcohol – a toast they shouldn’t have
Perhaps we should all raise a toast to the Queen after the meal and what’s more, let’s include “Becky” the Labrador as she shouldn’t feel left out. Hmmm… alcohol is very much toxic for your dog’s liver and why give it a job it doesn’t need to do?
Is there anything we can do to give our pets a treat? I think that making sure we feed them a high quality food, like Hills Pet food for instance (disclaimer – we work with Hill’s Pet on a few things) would be the best we could do. This will ensure their lifelong health and enable them to accompany many more of our family Christmases.
Happy Christmas!
About the author
A Cambridge University graduate and keen blogger, Simon is a Veterinary Surgeon at Coventry Upper York Street branch of Medivet.
Published 22nd December 2014, by Hill’s Pet Nutrition UK
Produtos relacionados
Digestão Perfeita Pequenos e Mini para Cães Adultos
A ração super premium seca para cães Hill's Science Diet Perfect Digestion Small & Mini é um alimento completo indicado para o bem-estar digestivo e para o microbioma saudável de cães adultos de raças pequenas e mini, entre 1 a 6 anos de idade, até 11 kg.
Digestão Perfeita para Cães Adultos
Hill's Science Diet Perfect Digestion é uma ração super premium para cães que promove o bem-estar digestivo e contribui para um microbioma saudável.
Pele Sensível Pequenos e Mini para Cães Adultos
A ração super premium seca para cães Hill's Science Diet Sensitive Stomach & Skin Small & Mini é um alimento completo seco, suave para o estômago enquanto nutre a pele e promove uma bela pelagem, indicado para a manutenção de cães adultos de raças pequenas e mini com até 11 kg.
Cães Adultos Pequenos Pedaços
Apoia o sistema imunológico saudável, a digestão, os músculos e a pelagem.
Artigos relacionados
Water
Water is the most important nutrient of all and essential for life. Animals can lose almost all their fat and half their protein and still survive, but if they lose 15% of their water, it will mean death.
Dicas para Armazenar a Ração dos Animais de Estimação
O lugar onde você guarda a ração do seu gato e do seu cão pode fazer uma grande diferença na qualidade e frescor depois de aberta. Aqui estão algumas perguntas comuns e recomendações para o armazenamento ideal de todas as rações secas e enlatadas da Hill’s para cães ou gatos.
Entenda a Saúde Intestinal do Seu Animal
Aprenda o que é o microbioma de um animal de estimação, como ele contribui para o intestino e a saúde geral do animal e por que a nutrição é importante para a manutenção de microbiomas saudáveis.
A Dieta Certa para o Seu Animal de Estimação
Seu animal de estimação lhe dá amor incondicional todos os dias. Como você retribui esse carinho? Muitas vezes é apenas o tempo que você passa com ele - brincar, passear ou abraçar o seu bebê peludo que contribui para desenvolver um laço indissolúvel entre vocês dois.
Coloque seu animal de estimação em dieta sem que ele saiba
Nossa fórmula de baixa caloria ajuda você a controlar o peso do seu pet. Ela é rica em proteínas de alta qualidade para a construção de massa muscular e elaborada com ingredientes específicos para uma refeição saborosa e nutritiva. Antioxidantes clinicamente comprovados, como vitamina C e E, ajudam a promover um sistema imunológico saudável.
Coloque seu animal de estimação em dieta sem que ele saiba
Nossa fórmula de baixa caloria ajuda você a controlar o peso do seu pet. Ela é rica em proteínas de alta qualidade para a construção de massa muscular e elaborada com ingredientes específicos para uma refeição saborosa e nutritiva. Antioxidantes clinicamente comprovados, como vitamina C e E, ajudam a promover um sistema imunológico saudável.