Thanksgiving and the other upcoming winter holidays can pose some surprising dangers to your pets. Certain holiday foods, drinks, and decor can quickly cause a medical emergency. As a responsible pet parent, it’s important that you’re aware of the holiday dangers to your pet so that you can protect them. Read through these tips for protecting your pet from holiday dangers, and if your pet is ill or injured, bring them to an emergency veterinary clinic in Tucson, AZ right away.
Educate Yourself and Your Household on Toxic Foods for Pets
The first step in protecting your pets this holiday season is to be aware of the dangers to your pets. Then you should make sure your family and any holiday houseguests and visitors are also aware. When cooking or baking, keep your pets out of the kitchen or be careful not to drop any food on the floor. Take the trash out regularly or keep your pet out of the trash. Be aware of the most toxic and dangerous foods and ingredients to pets, and don’t feed them scraps from the table or give them any of these foods or drinks:
- Fatty meat
- Meat drippings or grease
- Cooking oils
- Gravies
- Animal bones
- Raw or undercooked meat or eggs
- Milk or dairy products
- Coffee or caffeine
- Alcohol
- Yeast or uncooked dough
- Nuts
- Grapes or raisins
- Onions or chives
- Garlic
- Chocolate
- Artificial sweeteners like xylitol
- Peanut butter
- Avocado
- Corn cobs
- Nut shells
- Citrus
- Fruit or vegetable rinds
- Mushrooms
- Mustard
Keep Holiday Gifts, Toys, and Decor Out of Reach
Make sure you’re aware of the holiday gifts, toys, and decor in your home and keep them out of reach of your pet. Holiday decor may contain small parts that can be ingested and cause choking, poisoning, or bowel obstruction. Watch out for ribbons, bows, twine, rubber bands, hair ties, and twist ties. Keep pets’ and kids’ toys away from your pet if they have small parts that can be chewed off, or if they contain stuffing, rope, yarn, or squeakers. Make sure that holiday plants, flower arrangements, chocolates, and candies are out of reach of your pet.
Know What to Do When Holiday Hazards Strike
At Tucson Veterinary Urgent Care, we are a veterinary urgent care clinic in Tucson, AZ specializing in the care of minor injuries and illnesses. We are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week and 365 days a year. Please call ahead to let us know that you are on your way. We also offer online check-in services, and accept walk-in patients.