Christmas and Pets

beachbeth

I just wanted to start a thread so that we could share ideas and tips for our pets at Christmastime. We all want a happy, relaxed Christmas and don't want to end up at the vets over the festive season!

Remember:

No chocolate for dogs. Don't leave chocolate lying around where a dog can get hold of it! Its very bad for them and can even be fatal, especially dark chocolate.

No turkey for dogs - Turkey skin can cause pancreatis (if thats how you spell it!) and turkey is a fatty meat and can cause stomach upsets and diarrhoea. (Don't know if this is the same with cats?)

Be careful with: Raisins, alcohol, burst or deflated balloons, plastic toys out of crackers.

Obviously watch carefully to make sure your pets don't eat tinsel and other decorations.

Plants that are poisonous for pets(some dogs will eat anything!): Ivies, holly berries, poinsettias, amaryllis bulbs, azaleas, cyclamen, mistletoe, Christmas Rose.

Im sure others have more advice about pets at Christmas to add. Please feel free to add your cat and other pet advice too!

cyberbob

beachbeth wrote: »

No turkey for dogs - Turkey skin can cause pancreatis (if thats how you spell it!) and turkey is a fatty meat and can cause stomach upsets and diarrhoea. (Don't know if this is the same with cats?)

I'm afaid I have to disagree here A little without skin is not bad for dogs. They have to eat quite extreme amounts to be in danger of pancreatitis. A few little bits with there regular food will not hurt them . Cats love turkey as with other food though in moderation. Onions are both toxic to cats and dogs so should be avoided if cooked with the Turkey

Apricot

Be careful if you have a real christmas tree with cats, pine needles can puncture internal organs if eaten and are also toxic.
Unplug xmas lights when there is no one around as cats can chew through the wires & get electric shocks.
No cooked chicken/ turkey bones as these can splinter - although uncooked is fine.

beachbeth

I must admit, cyberbob, that I give my own dogs a bit of turkey on Christmas day. I know a vet, however, who said she always saw dogs after the festive season who had tummy upsets from eating turkey and so it may be best not to take the risk. There are plenty of other treats, after all, that they will enjoy and that definitely won't upset them.

PS Its only the skin that can give them pancreatis, not the meat itself.

Buttonmoons

I thought turkey was quite a lean meat? More so than chicken?

If anyone has ANY advice on how to keep a cat away from the Xmas tree, I'd be all ears. I'm having to lock them out the living room currently as they are just fighting under/on in, spraying them with water only works when I'm in the house, it's when I'm out the house they cannot resist! The result of being locked out is the kitten ripping up my carpet....

paddypaws101

Can someone explain why turkey skin can cause pancreatitis in dogs? Also does it have the same danger for cats?
Thanks.

david39

How come, then, that many proprietary dog foods contain turkey. We feed our dog James Wellbeloved or Arkwrights pouched food that is Chicken with Rice, Turkey with Rice and Duck with Rice etc.

The packets say that they contain Turkey - not just Turkey-flavoured.

He seems to know what's bad for him, as well. He won't touch anything with chocolate in it or on it.

mrcol1000

david39 wrote: »

How come, then, that many proprietary dog foods contain turkey. We feed our dog James Wellbeloved or Arkwrights pouched food that is Chicken with Rice, Turkey with Rice and Duck with Rice etc.

The packets say that they contain Turkey - not just Turkey-flavoured.

He seems to know what's bad for him, as well. He won't touch anything with chocolate in it or on it.

I think your find that its meat derivatives which is all the bits that get would have got thrown away so it has come from a Turkey but possibly not the bit your going to eat Christmas Day.

dizziblonde

Don't wrap your presents with nice curly springy bits of ribbon and leave them under a tree with nice dangly sparkly baubles... and a deranged ASBO-cat... or your presents get unwrapped very rapidly.

skipsmum

Our last dog (GSD) ate a whole string of tinsel and had sparkly poo for days

Last christmas our terrier drank a cup of baileys coffee someone left on the floor. She wobbled round and then slept for hours, cost us £60 to see the vet who said she was fine,and I didn't sleep at all Christmas eve in case she was unconcious!

cyberbob

beachbeth wrote: »

I must admit, cyberbob, that I give my own dogs a bit of turkey on Christmas day. I know a vet, however, who said she always saw dogs after the festive season who had tummy upsets from eating turkey and so it may be best not to take the risk. There are plenty of other treats, after all, that they will enjoy and that definitely won't upset them.

PS Its only the skin that can give them pancreatis, not the meat itself.

If you change your animals diet to anything you will upset there Tummy. I bet you the dogs with upset tummys are the ones who have been given half a christmas dinner! Even dog treats if consumed in excess can cause an upset tummy. So saying no turkey is a bit of an overreaction and also I have had certain dog treats give my dog a really dodgy tummy which is why i don't buy them any more. My dog is normally treated to the odd carrot or piece of apple. No one should feel guilty for giving there dog a couple of pieces of turkey in supplement to there normal diet

You cant actually give an animal pancreatitis. There are normally triggers in both Humans and animals. One of them is a high fat meal that can trigger an underlying cause The reason turkey skin is sited for pancreatitis is its fat content. Pancreatitis is normally triggered by high fat diets. Although the overall cause is not known

Cats don't seem to suffer from pancreatitis very often its very rare. It is not recomended to give them the skin due to possible choking and the high fat content