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Five Fips for Keeping Turkey Day Safe For Your Pet

Happy Thanksgiving!


            This week, we as Americans celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday by sharing a meal with family and friends.  Most of our families include those of the furry, four-legged variety as well.  While we all like to gather together for feasting and fellowship, our pets are sometimes stressed by guests or may become ill when well-meaning people want to share their meals with their pets.  Below are some tips from Patton Veterinary Hospital for keeping your pet safe and healthy this Thanksgiving.    

            First, if you are traveling with your pet, DO make sure that he or she is restrained properly in the car.  There are some 195,000 cars on the Pennsylvania Turnpike the day before Thanksgiving and over 40 million automobile travelers on the roads across the nation. Restraining your pet can help to reduce motion sickness and prevents pets from roaming loose in the car where they could cause an accident.  There are many easy to use seatbelt devices and it may be beneficial to crate cats or small dogs. 

          Second, you may love seeing your Aunt Millie, Cousin Eddie and the rest of the extended family, but your pet may not be quite as thrilled.  Strange people, loud noises, and constant traffic in and out of the house can be stressful to pets.  If your pet is anxious when visitors are around, DO consider confining him or her to a quiet place, using a pheromone product like Adaptil™ or Feliway™ or even using mild sedatives if needed.  Also, make sure pets are properly identified with a collar and tags in case they slip out an open door when guests are arriving.  Keep pets busy during dinner with a Kong stuffed with treats or other chewy or interactive toy.

            Third, while we all like to include our pets in holiday celebrations, many of the special foods we enjoy can cause stomach upset or more serious issues like pancreatitis.  Nobody wants to be cleaning up diarrhea or vomit on Black Friday when you could be out shopping for bargains instead of steam cleaning the carpets!  Foods like onions, garlic and raisins all of which are commonly found in stuffing can be toxic.  Raw bread dough can expand in a dog’s stomach causing stomach upset or even a potentially fatal condition such as bloat.  Nutmeg in small amounts is not harmful, but if you grate your own, make sure your dog or cat does not ingest a whole nutmeg seed.  Compounds in nutmeg if eaten in large amounts can cause tremors, seizures and other neurologic changes.  So, bottom line, DON’T share Thanksgiving dinner with your pet!

          Fourth, DON’T give your dog or cat turkey bones or other bones, EVER!  They can splinter and become lodged in the esophagus or intestines.  Make sure the turkey carcass is disposed of in a location where pets and other animals cannot access it. 

          And, finally, if you must share some food with your pet this Thanksgiving,  DO stick to a very small amount of cooked or raw vegetables, one small bite of skinless turkey or a lick of plain mashed potatoes.  If your pet has food allergies or other medical problems, best to forgo the table food and stick to a tasty dog or cat treat instead.

Wishing you and your pets a safe, healthy and Happy Thanksgiving! 

This blog brought to you by The Patton Veterinary Hospital serving York, Red Lion, and the surrounding areas. 

Photo: Stanley Walters waiting for his share of ham one Christmas.

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