By Dr. Jessica Gray, Veterinarian
It’s almost Thanksgiving – which means it is almost time to gather with family, friends and pets. Below are 4 potential Thanksgiving hazards for your cats and dogs.
Eating from the Thanksgiving Table
While it can be tempting, try to refrain from feeding your pet while you are enjoying your Thanksgiving meal. Fatty foods ingested by your dog or cat can cause Pancreatitis [inflammation of the pancreas]. Pancreatitis can be treatable with hospitalization, fluids and supportive care but severe cases can be fatal. Common Thanksgiving fatty foods to avoid are turkey skin, dark meat, bacon, ham, gravy, etc. If you believe your pet has ingested any of these foods, contact your veterinarian immediately.
Eating from the garbage
Even the most well-behaved pet might not be able to resist the smells coming from the trash after a great Thanksgiving meal. Over-eating at the garbage may cause pancreatitis, as well, as pets tend to eat as much and as fast as they can when left unsupervised with any scraps tossed in the garbage. Your pet might think they are getting a sweet treat, when in reality they might be consuming waste already contaminated by bacteria. If they get their paws on a bone and end up swallowing it, they can suffer from an obstruction, which may result in the need for an exploratory surgery. Please make sure all trash is properly thrown away and out of your pet’s reach.
Oven Burns
We love the wonderful smells that come from the oven while the turkey, potatoes and pies are baking but remember that our pet’s do, too! Please keep your pets away from the oven and stove to prevent burns.
Skip the Desserts
Xylitol is an artificial sweetener which can be found in sugar-free or low-sugar desserts. Xylitol can cause low blood sugar and liver damage in pets. As we learned in Dr. Plitt’s blog about Fall Toxins, Chocolate can be found in most holiday desserts and can be extremely harmful to pets, as well.
Have a happy Thanksgiving, and give Huffard Animal Hospital a call at 410.768.3620 if you have any questions about your pet.
Several of us from Huffard Animal Hospital will be running in the 2017 Cobble Gobble Turkey Trot 5k in Baltimore, MD on Thanksgiving morning. If you are looking for some exercise before you pack away the turkey and fixings, sign up! We’ll see you out there!
Gobble Gobble Gobble
