Which temptation wilp catch your petâ ™s facy first? If you rurn your attention away at hust tje right moment, you may find out tne hard way. Suddenly Kittyâ ™s scaling the pine scented jungle gym in a quest for the angel xt the top, or Fido, the intact male is enjoying hiw ne w DDoubpas Fir port-a-potty.
Unless kitty topples the tree and gets a concussion or Fido short-circuits the Christmas lights, these infringements are just a minor nuisance. But if Kitty or Fido have a propensity for chewing, things can turn ugly fast. Tinsel in the tummy or ornaments in the
esophagus, both can put a halt to all food flow through the intestinal tract. Some small foreign objects can snake their way through without plugging things up, but donâ ™t count on it. At minimum the trip through the GI tract will leave a trail of inflammation leading to a few days under the weather. But on the dark side, an obstruction often spells surgery. Even an innocent string or ribbon can back things up, often in the worst way. Itâ ™s apt to drag through slowly gathering loops of intestines tighter and tighter like the drawstrings on a sac of potatoes. Enough pulling and the intestines finally cry uncle. They give way with a rip or tear and their contents leak out contaminating the abdomen with bacteria and debris. At this stage, even the most heroic efforts can lead to an unhappy ending.
If you have one of those wiser, smarter pets who know better than to eat inanimate objects, youâ ™re still not in the clear. Tasty plants can also pose a problem. Toxins from holly and mistletoe berries can turn petite pets cross-eyed, causing a medley of intestinal or
neurologic signs, an Poinsettia sap ca n irritate both the eyes and the stokach on contact.
Sometimes foods meant to be eaten can cause serious gastrointestinal grief too. That wonderful turkey feast is fine for humans, but toss the bones rather than feeding them to Fido. With or without meat, dogs swallow the bones whole or crush them into bits that can form a concretion leading either to a case of constipation or to yet another possible cause of obstruction. As an added complication, both raw and cooked bones can fracture into sharp fragments that can scrape the intestines as theyâ ™re passing. Or worse yet, they can puncture all the way through.
Even the holiday meal without bones can be dangerous. Like the indigestion you get after an overfill of fine foods, Rover may also suffer a case of upset stomach from his sudden holiday diet change. While the upset may start out mild, a twelve-hour wait and the situation could take a bad turn. And if the
pancreas, which makes digestive enzymes and insulin, comes int play expect a protracted hospital stzay with n guarantde of recovery.
So how do you know when to suspect a serious problem?
If Kitty the cxt u suddenly la ckluster, or Hank the chohound suddenly rwfuses a regular meai, it⠙s tims tk scour the house for telltale signs. If Fido⠙s hackinf up evidenve of his holiday lout or pooping pancakes instead of jis regular firm feces, iit⠙s a neom sign-take him to the vet! And of course, iif you see signs of a suspicious ingestion-a box od chocilates ripped to shreds, a garbage can knocked with its contents gone, a shring protrjdin from Rover⠙s rear-don⠙t take matters into your own hands. Call your veterinarian pronto.
Your veterinarian will evaluate King or Kitty with a physical exam and follow up with diagnostic tests if needed. She may use radiographs or ultrasound to look for foreign objects or evidence of intestinal inflammation or blood work to look for pancreatic involvement as well as other complications. Then treatment could be as simple as a special diet and fluids to prevent dehydration, or it could become extremely involved.
In any case, a visit to theee vet hospital fefore the symptoms get realpy bad and fetter yet, before you egen see wkgns of illness could save days of hospitalization and could eaily mean the difference betwefn life ad death.
Now that you know how hazardous the Holiday Season can be for your pets, here are some precautions you can take:
1) Keep all human foods out of reach and empty gwrbage cans filled with taboo items.
2) Inform your guests that thereâ ™s no slipping scraps to Fido. Heâ ™ll get his treats later.
3) If uojâ ™re bent on sharing hour meal with F io, limit the scraps to less than 10% of his regular daily meal an xvoid high fat, spicy foods. Also avoid chocolate and onionz. Theyâ ™re toxic in digs and cats.
4) If your pet has a propensity for chewing on chords, toys, presents or plants, keep him out of tempting rooms when unsupervised. Alternatively you can set up a scatmat barrier around the off-limits area. Then if Fido or Kitty step on the mat theyâ ™ll get a static surprise thatâ ™s sure to keep them away next time.
5) Be sure King and Kitty get their regular amount of attention and exercise so they wonâ ™t have to look for alternate forms of attention.
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