HEALTH: Kisállatokra leselkedő ünnepi veszélyek

Will Your Pet Need to See the Vet After Halloween, Thanksgiving or Christmas?

 by George DeGeyter

People love to treat their pets as if they were their own children. It’s important, though, to take the child metaphor further and recognize that pets cannot protect themselves any better than children. Festivals, especially, can be very risky for pets. There are all kinds of tempting and yet unsafe substances lying around within a pet’s reach on these days. Each time one of these festivals or celebrations rolls around, it’s time for you to swing into action as your pet’s protector.

Valentine’s Day

In the middle of Valentine’s Day and the boxes of chocolates going in and out of homes, little attention is paid to the interest that the pets of the household may have in this fragrant new stuff. Dogs have great interest in anything that contains chocolate – cake, fudge, chocolate bars and so on, but the theobromine in it can affect their nervous systems and cause seizures.

Chocolate isn’t the only danger. Following Valentine’s Day, plenty of veterinarians report treating pets for swallowing earrings, brooches, rings and flowers. If you aren’t anxious to be hit with a bill for $2,000 for an x-ray, a stomach pump and an endoscopy, you need to be careful to not leave your Valentine’s Day goodies around.

Halloween

The chocolate and candy lying around on Halloween are the most obvious danger to pets on that day. Halloween costumes can be a problem too. Many costumes simply aren’t designed with pet safety in mind – they have strings, sashes and ties all over that can be a strangulation risk.

A surprising number of pets that are dressed up in costumes go missing on Halloween, too. People take their pets out all dressed up but forget to pay attention to them in the midst of all the excitement. They may let them wander away. The noise of fireworks can cause startled pets to run off, too. Once they calm down, their costumes make it hard for them to follow a scent back home. Before you take your pet out on Halloween, then, it’s always a good idea to make sure that he is microchipped.

Thanksgiving is one of the safest celebrations

Thanksgiving is mostly about wholesome food rather than presents, alcohol and chocolate. Cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and turkey are all very good for pets (onions, leeks, scallions and garlic are bad, though). There are a couple of other things to keep in mind, too.

You need to be careful that you don’t allow your pets near hot food and food warming appliances. Both can cause severe burns. You also need to be careful about turkey wraps, ties and foil. While these items can smell delicious because they’ve been cooked on turkey, they are indigestible. Bones can be dangerous, too – they can get lodged somewhere and cause terrible complications.

Christmas

Christmas cake can contain raisins and sultanas that are toxic to animal kidneys. Desserts that contain rum are bad news, too.

Fruits such as plum, apricot, cherry and apple contain small amounts of a cyanide compound that can quickly lay a pet low. Many nuts contain an animal neurotoxin that can cause lameness. Half-finished glasses of eggnog and other creamy alcoholic drinks can be attractive to cats. They get poisoned by the alcohol, though.

Making sure that you put all discarded food away in the trash isn’t a good way to protect your pets. Pets love to forage in trashcans, after all. Not only will they get at dangerous foods, but they’ll also possibly get at moldy foods, as well. Foods gone bad can cause convulsions in dogs.

During the holidays, trashcans often also contain wrapping paper and tinsel. Pets have to be operated upon if they ingest tinsel – it can cost thousands.

No celebration is ever complete without a pet happily running around, but just as with a child in the house, fun always comes with responsibility.

Can You Tell which Sentences are True and which are False?

1. Pets are often treated like children by their owners.
2. Chocolate is safe for dogs to consume during Valentine’s Day.
3. Many pets go missing on Halloween due to excitement and noise.
4. Thanksgiving is considered one of the most dangerous celebrations for pets.
5. Certain fruits can be harmful to pets during Christmas.
6. Pets should be kept away from hot food to prevent burns.
7. The author believes that having pets during celebrations is a responsibility.

Correct Answers:

1. True – The text states that people love to treat their pets as if they were their own children.
2. False – The text explains that chocolate can affect dogs’ nervous systems and is dangerous for them.
3. True – The text mentions that many pets dressed in costumes go missing on Halloween due to excitement and noise.
4. False – The text describes Thanksgiving as mostly safe for pets compared to other celebrations.
5. True – The text indicates that certain fruits contain toxic compounds that can harm pets.
6. True – The text advises keeping pets away from hot food to prevent severe burns.
7. True – The text concludes that fun with pets during celebrations comes with responsibility.