Dear Readers,
Last week, we promised to tell you about the dangers of the upcoming holidays that you as pet owners need to worry about.
We are sorry to add to your list of concerns – do you really have to wear that ugly sweater you got from your Mom?
Will your uncle insist on bringing that dreadful green bean casserole to your fancy gourmet dinner?
What are the words to the second verse of the Little Drummer Boy?
But, here they are:
1. You need to worry about chocolate, especially now that more and more chocolate is getting fancier and fancier with a higher cocoa content. Most of the year your chocolate treats are high up on a counter somewhere. But, for Christmas, they get wrapped and put under a tree. Where you dog finds them. A morsel of milk chocolate will probably do no harm. A pound of chocolate is another story. Call your vet right away and be prepared to provide as much information as you can. When did he eat it? How much? What kind of chocolate? Did it contain anything else that is problematic? Raisins? Artificial sweetener? Alcohol?
2. Which brings us to alcohol. Also tending to be sitting around your house in odd places left by absent-minded guests. (You can always blame your guests!) Or wrapped up under the tree in the form of the ubiquitous brandy-soaked fruitcake. Why do only dogs like fruitcake? The good news is that pets tend to vomit alcohol – bad news for your carpet though. But it can also be absorbed very quickly into your pet’s system and once again, you are immediately on the phone with your vet.
3. Tree preservatives put into your water reservoir can also be a problem, especially if the water has been sitting there for a while and is full of bacteria. Not a huge problem, but if your dog help themselves to a fresh drink, just keep watch.
4. Medications are also a sometimes unexpected holiday hazard – especially with those pesky guests. Bottom line, any and all medications need to be stored up high or in a locked cabinet. Nag your company about it.
5. Poinsettias are one of the most common holiday panic calls from pet owners, but the truth is, compared to these more dangerous toxins, they are the least of your worries. There is just no truth to the myth that they are seriously poisonous. The most they can do is cause some stomach upset and some morsels of green and red laced vomit on your carpet again. So leave your poinsettias alone and instead be on the lookout for the real dangers we have listed.
Oh, and Happy Holidays!
Have you bought enough presents for all your pets and loved ones yet?
The 2019 People and Pets Are Good for Each Other Calendar is ready for sale for just $15.
Call the office for details or go online to oswegohumane.org/store to order yours.
B
The Oswego County Humane Society provides spay/neuter services and assistance, fostering and adoption of animals in urgent need, humane education programs, and information and referrals to animal lovers throughout Oswego County.
Located at 29 W. Seneca St., Oswego, NY.
Phone: 315-207-1070.
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.oswegohumane.org
Follow us on Instagram @oswego_humane!
Because People and Pets Are Good for Each Other.
New York State Registered Shelter/Rescue-Registration No. RR239
missing or outdated ad config
