Blog

The holidays (that is, the weeks between Halloween and New Year’s) center around food, a fact not overlooked by our pets. Most pets notice each new item or special ingredient brought home and plot to get a taste as soon as you’re otherwise occupied. Indeed, the holidays bring out the opportunist in every pet, so it’s up to us to fashion alternative experiences to the rich, fatty or even toxic foods that humans indulge in this time of year. The key to holiday pet safety is careful observation of what’s going in your pet’s mouth.

The Risks to Your Pet

Whether you’re hosting a family holiday dinner or preparing some dishes to share as a guest, your pet will probably be right under your feet. The good news is that you can control what they have access to, and provide substitutions to keep them satisfied (and out of trouble). 

Holiday pet safety hinges on asking guests not to feed your pet, and to quickly clean up any fallen morsels so your pet isn’t tempted. Monitoring their actions and behaviors during the holidays is also essential. 

If your pet has just undergone surgery, it is incredibly important they take the time to rest and recover. Your pet will need to heal before resuming their daily routine and returning to their normal activity level. After healing has begun, it will be important to get your pet moving and back on their feet! The team at All Creatures Veterinary Hospital of Brooklyn is here to suggest tips to safely get your pet moving again after surgery:

While it may not be the most comforting thought, Americans are not alone in our attempts to make sense of our upside down world. People around the world are struggling to cope with the immense challenges of COVID, and social unrest has reached a boiling point in global and local communities. 

But where do our pets fit into this new paradigm? Pet safety is always a priority, but there are new threats to their normal city-living routines.

Ordinary Living’

There are easily a million pets living in NYC homes, and more than half of them are dogs. In fact, the rate of pet adoption is higher in urban areas than anywhere else – for good reason. City dwellers are keen on providing the best possible lifestyles and living conditions for our pets. 

The holidays are here, a fact that has most Americans racing the aisles, planning delicious feasts, and getting ready for visitors and family gatherings. Some of us celebrate with the golden light of Hanukkah, some take pride in a perfect Christmas tree. And almost all of us celebrate New Year’s Eve with parties, fireworks, and lots of friends.

Unfortunately, the holidays pose some unique hazards for pets and are associated with some very common pet emergencies. We’ve gathered our time-tested holiday safety for pets tips to keep your furry friends safe and healthy all season long!

Before small children understand that fireworks were designed to entertain and awe, they are often scared. With language, conditioning, and ongoing positive experiences, kids learn as they grow that fireworks are enjoyable and help us celebrate Independence Day, New Year’s and more.

Pets, on the other hand, don’t come equipped with the knowledge that fireworks (and other loud, jarring, unpredictable noises) won’t harm them. When they feel threatened by loud noises, like thunderstorms, construction sounds, etc., frightened pets either hide or flee. Especially for city-dwelling pets, it can seem impossible to shield them from the hustle and bustle that can lead to anxiety symptoms.

To prevent the dangerous and sometimes painful side effects of pet noise anxiety, we’ve got some tips to help you through the summer.

Who can resist a holiday meal? Whether it’s a gravy-covered plate of meat and potatoes or an abundance of buttery rolls and pie crusts, dinner tables this time of year can be really tempting. You don’t even have to be hungry to enjoy everything in front of you! If we feel this way about the holidays, our pets probably do, too. While you don’t have to exclude them entirely, it’s important to observe certain safety tips to prevent a pet emergency this holiday season.

A Cornucopia of Goodness?

As pet owners, the holidays yield many tasty goodies for us, but the same can’t be said for our companions. Without a doubt, the menu items we crave and love the most are also some of the most dangerous for our pets.  

While some foods cause only mild irritation, the consumption of others can result in a life-threatening pet emergency.

Pets can participate in all sorts of events around Halloween, including accompanying the kids for trick-or-treating, and even getting all dressed up. But without a proactive approach to the myriad dangers facing animals, they could find themselves in a proverbial cauldron of hot water. Our Halloween pet safety tactics will help you and your pet enjoy the seasonal revelry without a visit to the emergency room.

The Ringleader

Candy is super central to Halloween, of course. Kids and grownups alike simply delight in the various high-sugar and chocolate candies that are in abundance all month long. The bad news is that pets see us enjoying it and when they get a whiff, it’s hard to pass up.

The basic rule of thumb is that candy should never be left out for pets to discover. Keep candy bowls on surfaces that pets cannot see, smell, or reach, or behind closed cupboard doors.

Going one step further, be sure that any backpacks in the house, coat pockets, or purses that may contain a candy or two are always securely stowed away from powerful animal noses.

Why It’s Harmful

Candy poses definite risks to pets, but why, exactly?

• Chocolate – Theobromine and caffeine are the two chemical compounds in chocolate that make it so dangerous for pets. If a pet ingests chocolate, they might have irregular heart rhythm, high blood pressure, vomiting, and diarrhea, but if they ate a great deal of dark chocolate, they might experience seizures and heart failure.
• Raisins – Typically covered in milk chocolate, candy like Raisinets cause lethargy, weakness, abdominal pain, and dehydration (on top of the symptoms of chocolate toxicity).
• Xylitol – This artificial sweetener is ubiquitous in mints, gum, and sugar-free candy. It can also be found in a lot of peanut butter brands. Xylitol can be fatal to dogs and can cause low blood sugar, seizures, or liver failure.
• Wrappers – Foil, plastic, and even wax paper candy wrappers can cause severe gastrointestinal obstructions that require diagnostics like x-rays, ultrasounds, and possibly surgical removal. Likewise, lollipop or candy apple sticks pose choking hazards.

If you know or suspect that your pet ate something they shouldn’t have, please seek emergency help immediately.

Halloween Pet Safety

There are lots of other ways to protect your pet this Halloween, such as:

• Keep them away from glow sticks, electric lights, power cords, animatronic displays, and live flame jack-o’-lanterns.
• Ensure that any costume they have on fits well, but doesn’t block vision, respiration, or movement. Any possible choking hazards (like beads, sequins, etc.) or entanglement risks should be removed. Free your pet as soon as they become distressed.
• Encourage them to stay away from the constantly ringing doorbell. A back bedroom with their favorite bedding, toys, and treats can soothe anxiety related to trick-or-treaters.
• If you’re going out with your pet on Halloween, be sure that they are geared up in reflective gear. Their ID tags should be clearly seen. Please update any changes to the microchip in case you get separated.

If you have any questions or concerns related to Halloween pet safety, our veterinarians and staff at All Creatures Veterinary Hospital are always here for you.

It’s important to consider pet safety year-round, but especially when the temps start to rise. Keeping your pet safe is a must for outdoor enjoyment, and the team at All Creatures Veterinary Hospital is here with some simple suggestions!

Heat Stroke Awareness

Heat stroke is a condition that occurs when the body overheats. Because pets don’t sweat like humans, they must rely on limited mechanisms, like panting. Each year, hundreds of pets succumb to heat stroke because they were left outside or in a confined space (like a car). It’s absolutely crucial to protect your pet by never leaving them in a parked car or chained up outdoors.

The symptoms of heat stroke in pets include: Continue…

It’s not uncommon for animals to put something they shouldn’t inside their mouths. Like human babies, they experience a great deal of the world through how something feels and tastes. Sometimes they get into things they shouldn’t simply because they’re curious, bored, hungry, or a combination of all three. Pet poisoning is a common outcome of this situation, and it can be very harmful.

Continue…

The benefits of keeping your feline companion strictly indoors don’t need much of an explanation. With shelter from the elements and protection from disease and injury, indoor cats are simply safer.

There are downsides, however, when you’re a cat living on the inside.

Engaging your indoor cat is an important part of your pet’s overall well-being. At All Creatures Veterinary Hospital, it’s our goal to help you achieve the best for your furry housemate.

Continue…