How Safe is Your Pet this Season?

The veterinary team at Brookfield Animal Hospital wants to ensure that your best friend is safe all season long. There are many new dangers that pets may encounter around the holidays. We’re always here to answer your questions about your pet’s needs.

Top 5 Most Common Holiday Dangers for Pets

These are some of the most common dangers that we often see during the holiday season:

•  Alcohol. While we can handle having a few drinks in celebration of the season, our pets cannot. It’s important to always keep alcoholic beverages out your of your pet’s reach to ensure that they’re safe from the danger of alcohol poisoning.

• Christmas trees. It isn’t the holiday season without a festive tree! However, these lovely decorations can also cause a few hazards in the home. Christmas trees can be knocked over by overly adventurous and curious pets, causing damage to the home and injury to the animals! Another danger posed by Christmas trees is their ornaments and tinsel. If these are chewed up or eaten by your pet, they can be extremely dangerous to their digestive system, get caught in their intestines, and cause potentially deadly blockage.  

• Electrical cords. Does your best friend like to chew? The sight of all those new cords under the tree may be too appealing for your pet, so we recommend disguising and hiding electrical cords to prevent your pet’s curiosity. It’s also important that they never be left unattended around the decorations!

•  Holiday meals and sweets. You hear all year round that there are foods your pet should never consume, but during the holiday season we have so much more of those dangerous foods around the house! Traditional holiday meals contain so many of those dangers, like poultry bones, onions, garlic, grapes, and more. In addition, we often do a lot of baking during the holidays, introducing our pets to even more potential dangers with chocolate, sugar, macadamia nuts, raisins, and more. Keep those foods and treats out of your pet’s reach at all times!

•  Dangerous holiday plants. For some odd reason, the most popular plants to bring inside the home at the holidays are toxic to your pet! Amaryllis and lilies of all kinds are dangerous and we recommend keeping them out of your pet’s reach at all times so that your pet doesn’t have access to the leaves or berries that may fall off. You may also want to consider purchasing silk flowers for the look of the festive plant without the dangers. 

If you have any questions about your pet’s safety and well-being this holiday season, the veterinary team at Brookfield Animal Hospital can help! Please contact us today to ask us all of your pet safety questions. That’s what we’re here for! Have a happy and safe holiday with your pet this year. 

Pets and Water Safety: Pools, Boats, and Lakes

Summer has finally arrived and your four-legged friend can enjoy the cool water just as much as you do. But there are some things to be considered before letting your dog or cat dive into the summer fun.

Prepare & Plan Ahead

• Pet Identification: Pet identification is a must, either in the form of a secure ID tag or a microchip, or better yet, both. Make sure your microchip is registered and up to date with contact information.

• Personal Floatation Device: It is highly recommended that your pet don his/her own life vest when on or around water. These can be found either online or at your local pet supply store.

• Obedience Training: Obedience training goes well beyond household manners. Having a dog who will obey your every command, including a solid “wait” and recall, in any situation will help you and your furry friend avoid hazardous situations and can even save his/her life. Teach your pet location specific routines, like where the steps are in the pool or how to get back onto your boat. Practice them frequently, so if a “pet overboard” situation occurs, he or she knows how to get out of the water safely.

• Get Familiar with the Water: Familiarize yourself with any body of water before allowing your pet to take a dip. Be aware of tides and currents and don’t let your pet to swim in any hazardous areas or conditions. Get to know your pet’s athletic ability and limitations. Learn to read body language and recognize when he/she is becoming fatigued so that you can call them out of the water before he/she becomes too tired to swim.

• First Aid: Know basic first aid for your pet and consider learning pet CPR. If an emergency should arise, proper steps taken in the field can save your pet’s life.

• Bring Fresh Water for Your Pet to Drink: Offering water often will help avoid having them drink salt or potentially contaminated water.

Swimming Pools

Pools can be fun for the whole family, but, like children, your pet should never be granted access to your backyard oasis unsupervised. The best solution to this potential problem is enclosing the pool with a secure fence. If you don’t have a pool, a nice way to offer your pet that cool-water relief from the heat of the summer is a hard, plastic kiddie pool. A few inches of water will be just enough for the pet enjoy and is safe for pets of all shapes and sizes. But be sure to empty the pool after your pet is done cooling off. Standing water attracts mosquitoes, which transmit heartworm disease.

Boats

You and your pet should “test the waters” before actually setting sail together. Get your pet used to the water and the boat a little bit at a time at the dock or even on the trailer in your driveway. Once they are comfortable with the vessel, start by taking short trips. Pets can become motion sick, just like you and me. Speak with your veterinarian about medication that can manage this problem.

We’re all familiar with house training, but how about boat training? To make your nautical outings are a complete success, teach your pet to “do their business” in a specific location on the boat, and, for you go-getters, on command.

So, whether it’s a quick dip or a day-long cruise, you and your pet can safely enjoy the water together. Just take some time to plan ahead and have fun in the sun!

For more information, please visit The Pet Connection: Splish, Splash, Caution and

YachtPals’ Boating with Dogs and Cats

By: Katie Brunetti, Veterinary Technician