Dr. Liz Stratman, DVM Green Acres Pet Center
1. Keep the Thanksgiving meal to the non-furry family members
- Many of the foods we eat can cause our pets to become ill. Food rich in fat like turkey skin can cause pancreatitis while other foods such as chocolate can be toxic to pets. Some foods may also contain a toxic artificial sweetener such as xylitol.
- Raw dough containing yeast can also cause serious conditions in our pets. The yeast mixed with sugars create gas that can build up and cause your pet to become bloated or worse may cause alcohol poisoning. Both of these conditions require emergency visits.
- Bones might be tasty but can become stuck on the roof of the mouth, in the throat creating or choking hazard, or become an intestinal foreign body.
2. Visitors coming and going may be a stressor from some pets. Make sure they are wearing their identification tags with collars and consider keeping them on a leash when people are entering and exiting your home to prevent them from dashing out the door.
3. Decorations may be pretty but pets are often tempted to chew on new things in the house. Watch so they don’t burn themselves on lit candles and don’t allow them to chew on decorations as pieces could get stuck in the intestines creating a foreign body.
