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Let’s make this Christmas happy and healthy for your pets

December 7, 2015

With the festive season fast approaching, let’s take some time to make sure our pets have a happy season too.

Some tips to prevent illness and injury:

• Place your Christmas tree in a corner and secure if necessary, to prevent it falling over if a pet climbs it or plays with branches.
• Make sure tinsel, ornaments and electrical wire are out of reach to prevent injuries including chewing, choking, gut blockages and electrocution.
• Take care with food and chocolates under the tree – we commonly see chocolate poisoning in pets after they open presents.
• Take care with what and how much Christmas food you feed your pet. Feeding human food that pets have never had before can lead to a sore tummy and illness. We commonly see pancreatitis, a serious organ disease caused by feeding fatty ham, turkey, gravy or BBQ food.
• If traveling with pets consider your travel plans to accommodate the heat with regular stops and exercise.
• If you are going away and your pet is going to the boarding kennels or cattery then ensure they are up to date with vaccinations.

Every Christmas we see the amount of abandoned and rehomed pets increase drastically, as many people can’t keep the pets they have received as a present. Gifting a pet needs to be a well thought out plan and the person receiving the pet needs to be involved in the planning. Pets as surprise presents are not a good idea, unless perhaps they are for a child where the parent will in reality be the ‘owner’. Remember cats and dogs can live for 15-20 years.

So stay safe and we wish you and your pets all a safe and happy festive season.