The holiday season is a special time for most of us to celebrate, catch up on family and friends, exchange gifts, stuff ourselves , drink and generally have a great time.
This time of the year can also be very hard on mans best friend. Here are a few dangers that your pet can fall victim to over this time, and some suggestions on how to deal with them.
Alcohol is very very bad for dogs. — unlike humans, the effect of alcohol can be extremely traumatic on a dog. and can lead to it hurting itself and others. under no circumstances should you give ANY alcohol to any animal. You should not allow anyone else to administer alcohol on an animal. This is abuse. If you can’t prevent it happening – Report the person to the authorities!
Food may seem innocuous enough, most dogs are on a fairly bland diet until the silly season rolls along. There are several dangers here that should be noted, I am highlighting the worst ones but common sense must prevail, and always remember that dogs are NOT human, and do not have the same physiology. Dogs can be very sneaky when it comes to food. Make sure that you are not leaving food where the dogs can get to it. Also make sure that, guests and children are not feeding the dogs. Guests may think it’s funny to slip dogs snacks. mkae sure you set down the rules when people come to your home, and do not break your own rules. (at least not in front of the guest) :
- Chocolate
Is VERY toxic. and HIGHLY addictive You should never ever give a dog chocolate. I have beagles and I know how hard it to resist those soft brown pleading looks. Don’t give in! - Grapes
Many people do not know about this, as it has only been discovered in the last couple of years. Don’t give grapes, raisins or sultanas to dogs as they may be toxic. - Cooked Bones
are very hard for a dog to digest. There is also a higher risk of splintering which can puncture the gut. Air dried bones are fine for a dog to eat but avoid cooked bones. During Christmas there are more people eating out in parks and on the beach. Watch those leftover bones in litter. You may be unaware why your dog is attracted to a discarded paper package until you see them tucking into someones KFC leftovers. - Rich and Excessive Food
can be a problem. Especially with the food driven breeds like beagles and labs, but also with many other breeds. Watch a dogs intake during the holidays. We all love our pets, but feeding them all sorts of Christmas treats and leftovers can be very bad if excessive. If you want to give them that little titbit, subtract a bit off the regular meal. Just stick to meat scraps (no bones) and avoid high sugar and grain based leftovers.
Fireworks are a very big problem. Dogs can be terribly frightened of fireworks. Our youngest beagle is almost catatonic, even after desensitisation training. If your dog is frightened by fireworks it can injure itself trying to escape, or if it does get out , become lost or run in front of a car. If your dog exhibits this fear, you , as the owner cannot just ignore it. You have to address it by providing a secure place for the dog to stay with supervision if possible. Do not tell the dog everything is all right, Your telling the dog that his fear reaction is OK. Just be there and prevent the dog escaping. TV can help.
We put the dog in a drop position in the living room and reward him for staying calm.
Heat and Dehydration
The Australian Summer is very hot and animals can become heat stressed which can lead to death very quickly. Make sure you leave adequate shelter and plenty of clean water for them to drink. We will explore the topic of heat and dehydration more fully in a future post.
