Nutritional Counseling for Pets

Nutritional counseling is one of our specialties at Deshon Animal Hospital and Laser Surgery. The holidays present some unusual challenges for everyone’s waistlines, and pets are no different. Many common decorations can also be a hazard for them, so to prevent your cat or dog from experiencing an emergency this Christmas/Chanukah and New Year’s, we’ve put together a guide for holiday safety.

If this is your first winter as a pet parent, you may not yet have been made aware of how easily Christmas trees tip over. Brightly colored baubles and edible garlands are impossible for cats to resist jumping on and dogs from yanking on. Not only could the tree fall on them, but the ornaments could break into sharp pieces. Of course, the ornaments on the tree aren’t the only ones animals will want to push and poke at. Don’t leave anything breakable on ledges your cats can reach, and don’t leave lit candles unattended or close enough to the edges of tables that they will fall to the floor if the table leg is struck by a wagging tail. Be wary of tinsel, too, since it will have to be surgically extracted if eaten, as will pine needles and the confetti from New Year’s poppers.

If you have a natural tree, be aware that sellers often put antifreeze in the base which could poison your pet if drunk. There are also a number of people foods that are often left unattended over the holidays or are offered to pets by well-meaning guests which could make them very ill. Chocolate can kill cats as well as dogs, as can onions and garlic, grapes (including raisins), caffeine, and the sugar substitute xylitol, which is often found in gum. And while dogs may enjoy cheese as a treat, cats are lactose-intolerant.

Humans don’t usually consume enough poinsettias, holly, lilies, or mistletoe to get kidney failure or diarrhea, but animals can do so very quickly. The same is true of seemingly innocuous amounts of table food with spice, salt, and fat which quickly add up to pancreatitis. ,Mint and oregano upset cats and dogs’ stomachs. Make sure mischievous guests know it’s not funny to give pets drugs; a small amount of marijuana will make them extremely nauseous and chilly, and a few teaspoons of alcohol can be deadly to a five-pound animal.  In the worst case scenario, the ASPCA’s poison control number is 1-888-426-4435.

Cats and dogs can easily feel stressed in crowded houses with, to their ears, very high noise levels. Provide them with retreats they can flee to, and teach children to respect when animals need alone-time and don’t want to play rough. On the flip side, keep track of where your pet is so it doesn’t accidentally get stuck behind a shut door. Lots of animals love to be the center of attention. With reasonable safety precautions and knowledge of differences between what we can eat, the holidays can be a fun time for pets, as well.

Jamal Toler, DVM, runs Deshon Animal Hospital and Laser Surgery at 884 South Deshon Road, Lithonia, Georgia, 30058. To schedule an appointment, call 770-482-7816 or visit DeshonAnimal.com and fill out a contact form.