With fall upon us, we should be especially careful and watchful regarding our pet’s safety from seasonal hazards. Autumn brings some potentially fatal situations. Knowing what these hazards are and taking simple precautions will keep your pet healthy through the fall and holiday months.
Here are a few key concerns to keep an eye out for both inside and outside your home:
- Antifreeze: Many people change their car’s engine coolant in fall. Ethylene glycol-based coolants are highly toxic, so spills should be cleaned up immediately. It has a sweet taste and is readily consumed by children and animals. Five teaspoons can kill a 10-pound dog; less will kill a cat. Antifreeze is very fast acting and results in kidney failure and death in as little as four to eight hours. Dispose of old coolant in a sealed container; don't hose it down the driveway. Always have plenty of fresh water available for your pet. A thirsty pet may relieve its thirst with antifreeze that a neighbor left out or hosed down the driveway. Consider switching to propylene glycol-based coolants – though they aren’t completely nontoxic, they are much less toxic than other engine coolants. If you think your pet has consumed antifreeze, call your veterinarian right away.
- Rodenticides: Formulas used to kill rodents hoping to spend winter in your house will also kill your pet. They cause severe bleeding, kidney failure, and death. There are no safe rodenticides. Whether out of hunger, boredom, or curiosity, pets will consume these products. If rodenticides are used in your home, put them in places inaccessible to pets and children. Keep a record of the product used and in case of accidental poisoning, contact your veterinarian immediately.
- Chocolate: A favorite at Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, chocolate is toxic to dogs, cats, and birds. The initial signs of poisoning are those of stomach upset, vomiting, and diarrhea. If sufficient chocolate is consumed, an animal will become restless and uncoordinated and can suffer heart failure and/or respiratory failure. As little as one ounce of baking chocolate or eight ounces of milk chocolate can kill a 10-pound dog. Like other poisonings, chocolate poisoning requires emergency medical treatment.
- Thanksgiving dinner: Holiday meals can also cause medical emergencies for pets. Chicken and turkey bones can get stuck or can pierce holes in any portion of the digestive tract. Rich foods can cause sudden pancreatitis or bloat. Keep holiday meals, leftovers, and table scraps out of reach of your pet. If your pet insists on participating in the feast, cooked vegetables (without the butter and salt) or commercial dog treats are safe in small amounts.
- Cold weather: Indoor pets not acclimated to winter temperatures should not be left outside in cold weather for long periods. Frankly, we advocate that no pets be kept outdoors but if you must, pets left outside can withstand fairly cold temperatures if they have shelter from wind and rain with adequate bedding to insulate them from the cold ground. Avoid electrical heating devices that could electrocute your pet if they got wet or were chewed. Outdoor pets need extra food in cold weather to generate body heat, and they need access to water that is not frozen. Keep your pet's feet clean and dry. Ice or salt will cause severe irritation when caught between your pet's toes. Frostbite is a winter hazard to pets as well as people. Frostbitten areas are fragile and should be wrapped snugly for protection from abrasion and from sudden temperature change. Severe frostbite requires emergency treatment.
- Novelty items: With guests coming and going amid decorations going up and down, you must keep small, novel items away from your pet. Dogs and cats, especially puppies and kittens, will eat anything. Non-food items lodged in your pet's digestive tract is yet another emergency condition. Don't let curiosity kill your furry family member.
· Mushrooms: Remember fall and spring are mushroom seasons and while 99% have little or no toxicity, the 1% that are highly toxic can cause life-threatening problems in pets. Unfortunately, most of the highly toxic mushrooms are difficult to distinguish from the nontoxic ones, so the best way to keep pets from ingesting poisonous mushrooms is to keep them away from areas where any mushrooms are growing. Contact your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center immediately if you witness your pet eating a wild mushroom.
· Snake bites: Snakes who are preparing for autumn hibernation may be particularly agitated, increasing the possibility of severe bites to dogs and cats who find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. Pet owners should know what kinds of venomous snakes exist in their environment – and avoid where these snakes are most likely to be found.
Actually, another holiday-season annoyance for Fido or Fluffy comes in the form of children. When visitors in your home bring their little humans, make sure your dog or cat has a safe place to stay to avoid pokes and pulls from children they are not used to having in their home. Also, be careful when feeding your pets around these children, making sure the kids do not disrupt your pet when dining. Otherwise, this might fall under tips for keeping unfamiliar children safe!
For pet-sitting with a personal touch, contact Dee Hopkins at 517.546.0439 and visit http://www.ddspetpatrol.com.
Written by Dee Hopkins in collaboration with Ginger Sprinkle @ nine dots branding & marketing company (ginger@ninedotsbranding.com).
