It is almost Thanksgiving Day. We all enjoy the companionship of family and friends and a great dinner.
But so does your Pal. Be careful with what you feed your dog and cat on Turkey Day.
Put the trash away where your dog cannot find it. The leftover turkey sitting on the kitchen island, left out on the dining room table, or dropped in an available trash container are a feast for your dog.
Turkey bones may splinter and lodge in a dog’s mouth, throat, esophagus, or somewhere along the GI tract.
Anything used to tie up the turkey such as strings, bags and packaging may also cause an intestinal blockage that can become life-threatening.
High fat foods, such as turkey skin, are not well tolerated in dogs. They may get a gastrointestinal upset or even pancreatitis that can be a life-threatening disease.
All those great chocolates around the house will be toxic to your Pal if eaten in sufficient quantities. Small dogs do not need to eat much chocolate to run into trouble.
Dog proof your chocolate. Macadamia nuts can cause weakness, depression, vomiting, tremors, hyperthermia and paralysis. Grapes and raisins in small number can cause kidney failure in dogs.
Onion and garlic also can be harmful to dogs and cats. Ingestion of onion and garlic powders, raw or cooked garlic bulbs can cause damage to red blood cells, which could result in anemia.
Garlic is approximately 1-5 times more potent than onion, and concentrated powdered forms (garlic powder, onion soup mix, etc.) are more potent than raw garlic.
Xylitol, a commonly used artificial sweetener, is extremely toxic to dogs and cats. Sugar-free gum has xylitol as does sugar-free candy, breath mints, baked goods, peanut butter, cough syrup, children’s chewable vitamins, mouthwash, and toothpaste, to list a few.
Even small amounts of xylitol can cause hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), seizures, liver failure or even death.
Xylitol is estimated to be 100 times as toxic as chocolate to dogs. Dogs love to chew ABC gum.
Ingestion of raw yeast dough can be life threatening to dogs. Moisture from stomach juices combined with the dog’s body heat enables replication of the yeast and development of a rising ball of dough in the stomach, which can cause painful gas and dangerous bloating.
Signs seen with bread dough ingestion include severe abdominal pain, bloating, vomiting, lack of coordination and depression.
We all know smoking is bad for us but nicotine in low doses can be fatal for our dogs. Nicotine may cause coma and death. Nicotine patches, lozenges, nasal sprays, gums, inhalers, e-cigarette cartridges, cigarettes, cigars and cigarette butts are sources of concentrated potentially deadly nicotine.
Some holiday plants and flowers may be toxic, such as baby’s breath, amaryllis, hydrangeas, lilies, Sweet William, some ferns, Sago palms, and more. The ASPCA has lists of toxic plants and flowers on its website.
If you believe your pet has eaten something toxic, call the ASPCA Poison Control Hotline at 888.426.4435 and take your Pal to the veterinary urgent care or ER. Signs of a problem may be depression, pain, changes in behavior, vomiting, diarrhea and shivering.
Pine needles, pine cones, artificial leaves and flowers, decorative corn cobs and other holiday decorations if eaten could potentially cause intestinal blockages or perforation.
Sometimes all the new people visiting can cause a mild-mannered dog or cat to become nervous. Unknowing guests may leave the door open or the gate and your Pal is on the move. Be sure your dog has an ID on its collar, is microchipped and has a GPS device attached to its collar.
I hope this wasn’t too much information. I just want you to have a great Thanksgiving holiday with your Pal. Maybe bake or buy your dog or cat treats made just for them.