Growing Home Ep. 4 - Holiday Pet Safety with Dr. Dennis & Dr. Ceranowicz

Are the Holidays Happy for your pets? We’re joined by Dr. Andrea Dennis and Dr. Eva Ceranowicz, the hosts of the popular Saturday radio show Pet Talk on WTIC and practicing veterinarians at Bloomfield Animal Hospital, to uncover the common health and safety concerns for our pets during the holidays. In this episode we uncover the major and not so major risks our pets are exposed to, as well as the little things we can think about ahead of time so that our friends and furry family have a safe and happy holiday season.

Hosts Len & Terry

Holiday Pet Safety Tips:

1. What are some common holiday issues?
   • Watch out for yeast, xylitol (sugar free food and candy), chocolate, etc
   • People giving table scraps leads to a spike in pancreatitis cases
   • Guests might not know to keep stuff out of reach of pets
   • Holiday guests may stress pets out
   • Stress on pets can lead to UTIs and Diarrhea
2. What can help with pet stress?
   • If your dog can't handle the guests, then they might need their own space to get away.
   • Prescription medicine
3. Be courteous with your animals.
   • If you want to bring your pets along, make sure their flea and tick protection is up to date
   • Infestations can happen from holiday visits
4. What should you look for if your pets have eaten something they’re not supposed to?
   • Vomiting and Diarrhea are common symptoms
   • Not all indoor plants cause death
   • Other issues can be depression, neurological and cardiac issues
   • Hypersalivation is something to watch for
5. What to do if something happens?
   • Call vet or emergency vet first.
   • ASPCA Poison Control 1-888-426-4435
   • Don't try to figure things out on your own
6. What if its something hard, like a Lego brick?
   • 80% of the time, something will just pass through fine.
   • 20% of the time, it might get stuck and puncture something.
   • Watch for vomiting, diarrhea, no stool, loss pf appetite
7. Decorations to watch out for?
   • Cats like to eat tinsel, and it causes obstructions.
   • Water around tree might attract attention, don't use additives in the water.
8. Some common Holiday Household items to be cautious of:
   • Poinsettia isn't that toxic, may cause irritations, don't panic
     • Give them something to eat to get the taste out of their mouths.
   • Lilies are deadly for cats.
   • Amaryllis and cyclamen can also cause problems
   • Holly and Mistletoe can cause depression and low blood pressure
   • Daffodil and Narcissus bulbs can cause seizures
   • Cocoa Mulch can also be bad for pets
   • Don't put baked goods under the tree
   • Catnips can have varied effects on cats
   • Don't give grapes and raisins to dogs
   • Avoid avocados
   • Keep alcohol and Marijuana away from pets
9. When Calling Poison Control provide them with:
   • Size of animal
   • Type of animal
   • What kind of toxin
   • How much was ingested
   • How long ago