Christmas Pet Safety Tips

Christmas is a wonderful time of year – but not always for your pets! Here are some tips for keeping your pets out of danger.

Food to avoid giving your pet at Christmas

• Alcoholic beverages
• Chocolate (can be toxic to pets especially dark chocolate)
• Coffee
• Mouldy or spoiled foods
• Salt
• Chicken or Turkey bones (they can splinter)
• Raisins and grapes have on rare occasions caused acute irreversible renal failure in dogs, so be aware of this.

Avoid giving your pet any of your leftovers as this can cause diarrhea. This is particularly the case with dogs that are used to a dried diet, owners often feel that their pet has to partake in the Christmas binge and this can result in acute gastroenteritis.

Also keep your pet away from cooked bones: they can splinter or get lodged in your pet’s throat or can cause serious damage by puncturing the intestinal tract.

Pet hazards around the Christmas tree

• Fallen Christmas tree needles are very sharp and can easily get stuck in your pet’s paws or throat. Sweep tree needles up regularly.
• Do not hang your chocolates from your Christmas tree: they can be toxic and your pet will be tempted if he can see and smell them.
• Cover up electric cords and flashing tree lights so your pet can’t chew them and electrocute himself.
• Try using fairy lights that don’t flash as some pets when up close can get very scared by these.
• Christmas tree decorations can cause a nasty accident or be fatal to your pet. Cats, and young pets especially, will show a great interest in decorations hanging from your tree. Try to use unbreakable decorations and nothing too small. Avoid tinsel or ribbons as these are dangerous to the gastrointestinal tract if your pet swallows them. I have on numerous occasions had to perform life saving surgery on cats who have swallowed long strands of tinsel.
• Be very careful with any balls purchased for your dog to play with, if they are large enough to swallow but too small to pass through the intestines they will cause an obstruction.
• Make sure your tree is well anchored so your pet can’t pull it over.

Other Christmas dangers to pets

• Holly, mistletoe, lilies and yew trees are poisonous to pets and must be kept well out of reach.
• Remember loud noises will panic your pet, such as Christmas crackers, poppers, balloons, and champagne bottles.
• Remove your Christmas wrapping paper (and toys) from the floor to avoid your pet chewing or swallowing it.
• For your pet’s safety this Christmas always buy your pet’s presents from a reputable outlet.
• In many households this is often the only time of year that your pet is exposed to large gatherings of noisy excitable people and children. This can scare your pet, and this may result in unusual behavior, placid dogs have been known to get aggressive in this scenario. Therefore make sure your pet has some place where it can find a degree of sanctuary.

FIREWORKS AND YOUR PETS

Fireworks are enjoyed year-round by lots of people but many

animals are frightened by them. It doesn’t have to be that way though, so if your pet is scared, there are lots of things you can do to help. 

Make sure your dog or cat always has somewhere to hide if they want to and has access to this place at all times. For example, this may be under some furniture or in a cupboard. 

Make sure your cat or dog is always kept in a safe and secure environment and can’t escape if there’s a sudden noise. Have your pets microchipped in case they do escape – by law, your dog should already be microchipped. 

During fireworks seasons, walk dogs during daylight hours and keep cats and dogs indoors when fireworks are likely to be set off. 

At nightfall, close windows and curtains and put on music to ask and muffle the sound of fireworks.  

Never punish your pets when they are scared as this will only make thing.

Each evening before the fireworks begin, move your dog to the play area and provide toys and other things that they enjoy.

Make sure that there are things for you to do too so that your 

dog isn’t left alone.

Ignore the firework noises yourself. Play with a toy to see if 

your dog wants to join in, but don’t force them to play.

Each evening before the fireworks begin, move your dog to the play area and provide toys and other things that they enjoy.

Pheromone diffusers and pheromone collars are available from the vet clinic. These disperse calming chemicals into the room and may be a good option for your dog. The collar centralizes the pheromones around the dog so in some cases is more effective.

In some cases we may prescribe medication. These are tranquilizers that will sedate your pet and make him less aware and therefore less frightened of fireworks.

Either of these medical options can be used in conjunction with behavioral therapy.

Finally from myself and all the staff at the Gibraltar 

Veterinary Clinic we wish you all a fabulous

Christmas and a Prosperous New Year.

A Pet is for Life not for Christmas !!

Now the festive season approaches there is an unwavering desire amongst some people to acquire a pet either for themselves or for a family member. This article is written not to deter people but produced in an effort to try and prevent impulse purchases, to try and make individuals more aware of the ramifications and responsibilities of taking on an animal.

Primarily what must be realised is that acquiring an animal, any living creature, immediately makes you responsible for that animal’s care, quality of life and survival. The principal animal charities at this time of year carry articles on dogs and cats primarily; unfortunately this is only a drop in the ocean. How many people purchase birds, aquarium fish, hamsters, reptiles, guinea pigs etc? How many of these actually die in the first few months due to neglect?

Before getting a pet, you should always ask yourselves a few pertinent questions.

1.       Do you have the time to look after the animal? All animals require time spent on them, animal cages need cleaning, aquariums need cleaning , dogs have to be walked regularly, cat’s litter trays have to be cleaned out regularly, vivariums need to be monitored for warmth/humidity, etc ,etc. After the novelty wears off and the excitement ears off you still need to find the time, these animals are dependent on you. You have taken the responsibility of looking after a living breathing creature and they are totally dependent on you for their survival.

2.       Does the pet require any special care? The most common cause of death I have encountered amongst animals over all my years of practice has been bad animal husbandry. I have seen dying reptiles bought into the clinic dying of starvation, primarily out of ignorance, where the animal has been fed the wrong diet or the temperature of the vivarium has been too low resulting in the animal not been able to digest its food.

3.       Can I afford to keep a pet? Animals are a continual drain on resources, they will need money spent on them throughout their lives, they are not a computer game that after the festive period is left unused in a cupboard!!   Different animals carry varied financial burdens, but this must be quantified. Even different sized animals carry dramatically different costs, a Chihuahua will eat less and medication will be significantly less than a larger breed like a Great Dane. All dogs need to be registered and licensed, an additional cost of £25 per annum per pet on top of the initial £30 registration cost. So before getting an animal please make sure you can afford the maintenance costs.

4.       How long can the animal live for? Remember once you have a pet you are in it for the long haul.  You might be a rabbit for your child, this rabbit could live for 10 years, your child might be married and have his own kid before the rabbit passes away!! Parrots can live for decades as can tortoises!! My point here is that make sure you are aware of how long these animals will be around for and that you will be responsible for them throughout their lives.

5.       How large will the pet become? The most extreme cases that I have seen are individuals that have purchased small pigs that supposedly were supposed to be ‘miniature’ and remain small. If anyone is interested pop over to the Wildlife Park at the Alameda gardens and see how miniature a couple of these pigs have become!!! Another very sad case that I have witnessed is one where an iguana became too large and was released into the Nature Reserve, if was bought into the clinic dead as it had starved to death. On this note I would like to add that releasing an animal into the wild is beyond the pale, apart from the fact that it might die, it could in theory survive and put pressure on native species.

6.       Can I give the pet the care and love it requires? Obviously different pets will need different levels of attention. For example, a hand reared parrot will needs countless hours of your family time, otherwise they will develop medical problems brought on by stress. In fact a lot of medical conditions can be as a result of lack of attention, it is not enough to just feed and clean your animal.

Getting a pet for Christmas carries loads of caveats, these are living creatures that will be dependent on yourselves for their survival, so getting a pet carries loads of responsibility and you must be aware of this and prepared to take this on.

Saying all this I hope I haven’t sounded too negative, I personally have a bit of a menagerie at home, pets can give you a lot of pleasure and happiness , but please look have them. Have yourselves  a Merry Xmas and prosperous New Year.