With Thanksgiving 2021 over and December starting this week, we wanted to cover some important holiday tips to help you celebrate the holidays with your family, friends, and pets and avoid an emergency visit to the Veterinary clinic. This valuable information, for you and your pets, will allow you to celebrate safely and enjoy the holidays together!
Unfortunately, even the best-laid plans can have a curveball thrown into them so it is important to have the phone number and directions to your local 24/7 emergency veterinary clinic with you at all times. In a true emergency, you do not want to be searching through Google and wasting precious seconds. Save their number to your phone, or post somewhere in your home that is easy to find for anyone who is watching your pets for you. These numbers should include:
- Our office number: 410-465-6218
- After Hours Emergency Care: (410) 788-7040 in Catonsville OR (410) 750-1177 in Ellicott City.
- ASPCA Poison Control Hotline: 1-888-426-4435 (A fee may apply.)
Holiday Foods Your Pet Should Not Eat
We say it all the time, but it is especially true during the holidays: No table scraps. Your pets can share in the holiday fun without giving them table scraps. There are specially formulated treats meant just for them that they can indulge in, but the following should be avoided AT ALL TIMES as they can be extremely hazardous to animals:
- Chocolate: For people, this is almost a staple ingredient for the holidays, however for cats and dogs, it is T O X I C and should NEVER be given to a pet.
- Baked Goods and Non-Chocolate Sweets: Many can contain artificial sweeteners which are not good for your pets, including xylitol which has been shown to be linked to liver failure and even death in dogs.
- Yeast dough: For some pets, this can cause painful gas, for others, a potentially dangerous case of bloating.
- Turkey and turkey skin: Even in the smallest of servings has been known to cause pancreatitis which, for pets, can be a life-threatening condition.
If you even think that your pet has eaten any of these items, or others such as grapes, raisins, or maybe poisoned, call your Ellicott City Verterarian at 410-465-6218 during our normal business hours or one of these emergency veterinary clinics immediately at (410) 788-7040 in Catonsville OR (410) 750-1177 in Ellicott City. It would also be wise to contact ASPCA’s Poison Control Hotline at 1-888-426-4435 if you see any signs of distress in your pet such as pain, vomiting, diarrhea, other behavior changes, and depression. Every second counts, so act quickly, don’t “wait and see”.