Protect Your Pets This Holiday Season
Burr Ridge, Illinois — While Easter brings delight for individuals and families anticipating the arrival of spring, pets are at risk due to a number of items commonly found in homes during this time. In order to ensure a safe environment in a home, precaution must be taken by pet owners. As children show natural curiosity, this also applies to animals.
Several easily identifiable culprits are Easter grass and chocolate, the subject of numerous calls to the Pet Poison Helpline. The Animal Poison Control Center does provide service for pet owners who call 1-888-426-4435; however, please note, a $65 consulation fee may be applied to your credit card.
Faux, plastic Easter grass is capable of obstructing the passage of food through the intestines if entangled around the tongue or stomach of both cats and dogs, resulting in abdominal surgery to repair severe intestinal tract damage.
Specific dangers posed by varieties of chocolate represent another problem. Methyl xanthine found in dark chocolate and Baker’s chocolate is highly toxic to dogs and causes symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, hyperactivity, an abnormal heart rhythm, seizures, and possible fatality. While a single chocolate chip will not adversely harm a dog, pet owners should follow their veterinarian’s recommended guidelines for daily nutritional needs.
Xylitol, which is found in sugar-free baked goods and candy,is not harmful to humans; however, its ingestion by dogs and ferrets is dangerous according to the FDA. Either appearing in minutes or several days, xylitol ingestion exhibits signs of illness which include a possible sudden decrease in blood sugar (hypoglycemia), seizures, and liver failure.
The entire Easter lily plant – the petals, the elaves, the stem, and pollen – is poisonous for cats. Severe kidney failure may result from ingestion; the outward signs in the early stage of poisoning are vomiting, loss of appetite, lethargy, and dehydration. Immediate action taking a cat to the veterinarian is necessary for successful treatment.
Your pet should not be allowed access to that ham or lamb bone. Many small pieces of bones can pass, which is not always an emergency. However, the larger the piece of bone, the more likely this is to create an injury requiring possible surgery. If your dog or cat gets hold of a bone, please call to your veterinarian for advice.
While not all ingestions will be dangerous to your pet, many have the potential to be very serious or even life threatening. If you have any uncertainty about the problem your pet is experiencing, a prompt call to your veterinarian is the best thing to do. According to Chicago Veterinary Medical Association President Dr. Alexis Newman, “If your family veterinary practice is closed, there are numerous 24 hour veterinary emergency centers in the Chicagoland area that you can call for immediate advice. I like to say, ‘Know your pet’s emergency hospital, before you need them.’ Be sure you have the information and phone numbers available for hospitals you may need to reach in an emergency situation. In general, the sooner we treat the patient, the better the outcome may be. If the material is still in the stomach, we can often induce vomiting, or perform gastroscopy to remove dangerous food or material. If you have any doubts, be safe and call for advice.”
Finally, children and adults love Easter bunnies; however, these animals are not good gifts. Veterinarians recommend that Easter is simply not the time to get a new pet. Owning a rabbit requires a lot of education and responsibility, since baby bunnies do grow up! Sadly within a few weeks following Easter, many unwanted bunnies are turned into shelters. If there is a strong desire to introduce a rabbit into your home, the best approach is to start with a stuffed animal and learn what it takes to provide proper care.
Please remember that pets are dependent upon the responsible, lifelong care of their owners. The pre-emptive steps you take now to safeguard a pet will mean many years of enjoyment to come and prevention of unnecessary emergency trips to your veterinarian.
For more information about the CVMA, please visit www.chicagovma.org.
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The CVMA is an association of over 1000 veterinarians and 4000 support staff who lovingly assist more than one million Chicago area pets and their families.
The membership of the CVMA is dedicated to the health and well-being of animals through its nurturing of the human animal bond. The CVMA will strive to fulfill the diversified needs of its members by providing nationally recognized CE programs, cultivating membership involvement, and offering innovative member services and exemplary public awareness.
Since 1896, the CVMA has continued a proud tradition of providing its members with vital services and programs which have expanded dramatically over a century to meet the ever-changing needs of the veterinary profession and its diverse patients and clients.