Holiday Canine Safety

Holidays should be a fun time filled with family and friends. Take a few extra precautions to keep your dog safe this holiday season.

No one likes saying they spent their Thanksgiving or Christmas at the vet’s office. A few simple safety steps are well worth it if they mean your holidays are filled with fun memories instead of stress and anxiety.

Dogs love table scraps. But that doesn’t mean you should give them a sample of everything on your Thanksgiving table. And if your house guests don’t own dogs, they may be unaware of the consequences of feeding them certain foods. Let your guests know the rules and don’t let them give your pet toxic foods or alcohol “just this once” or “for the holiday occasion.”

The biggest issue with many popular holiday foods is that when ingested by dogs it results in pancreatitis, an inflammation of the pancreas. Mild cases produce vomiting, pain, and dehydration while more serious cases require hospitalization. That’s why groups like the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) recommend not feeding dogs fatty foods, such as gravy.

Poultry bones, including turkey, can splinter and tear a dog’s intestinal lining. When throwing away scraps, secure the lid to your garbage container so that inquisitive pups can’t get to something they shouldn’t.

While a spoonful of pumpkin pie might not kill a 110-pound Rottweiler, it will cause a small dog severe intestinal distress. Leave the desserts for the humans. Don’t assume that just because you have a large breed dog he can “tough it out” and handle anything you feed him.

Chocolate is especially toxic to dogs as it contains methylxanthines, which can cause muscle tremors, vomiting, increased heart rate, seizures, and even death. Xylitol, an artificial sweetener, is even more toxic and can be found in candy and gum. Also, some peanut butter manufacturers have recently been adding Xylitol to their products— read ingredient labels carefully, and keep the sweet stuff away from your pooch.

Other foods toxic to dogs include macadamia nuts, grapes, raisins, onions, garlic, alcoholic beverages, and raw salmon.

Because dogs are so much smaller than humans (even large breeds), alcohol ingestion affects them faster and more negatively. Alcohol poisoning can manifest itself in a dog within 30 minutes and depending on the amount consumed, can lead to cardiac arrest and death.

A Christmas tree with presents underneath certainly makes any island home look more festive during the holidays. From a dog’s point of view a Christmas tree is one great big new toy with lots of things to play with.

Securely anchor your tree. This may mean more than just a sturdy tree stand—you can tie your tree to a heavy piece of furniture so your canine crew won’t knock it over.

It’s a good idea to keep candy canes, gingerbread men, and other food ornaments out of reach. The same goes for edible garlands, such as those made out of popcorn and cranberries. And if you have sentimental glass or ceramic ornaments, place them on the upper third of your tree branches– away from inquisitive snouts and paws.

But what if your dog does chew on or swallow a glass ornament? Some vets recommend soaking cut up cotton balls (not synthetic beauty pads) or chunks of bread in milk or cream and feeding them to the dog. The idea is that this will absorb the glass shards and prevent them from tearing the intestinal tract.

If you put preservatives in your Christmas tree water, prevent your dogs from getting to it and drinking the harmful water. Try placing the tree skirt around the stand to prevent it from looking like an appealing water dish. You can also spray pet deterrent around the base of the tree or even place an indoor exercise pen around it to prevent them from getting at the tree altogether.

Electrical cords are not dog toys, although your pet may think so. Use pet-proof extension cords so your dog won’t burn his mouth, or worse yet, get shocked or electrocuted.

Folks may be so focused on the well-known holiday food no-nos that they forget that everyday dangers are still lurking. Keep your and your house guests’ over-the counter and prescription medications out of the reach of pets.

Phone calls about pets accidentally ingesting human medications are the number one call to the ASPCA national poison hotline. Of the 199,000 calls they received in 2017, 35,000 were about pets accidently eating prescription or over the counter medicines.

No matter what your dog may ingest or chew on, it’s critical that you consult a veterinarian as soon as possible. Even if the mishap happens after hours or on a holiday, there are several vets on Oahu open 24 hours a day. As with humans, delaying medical care may make the situation worse, not better.

Finally, you can’t talk about holiday pet safety without mentioning fireworks. In Hawaii, New Year’s Eve fireworks can rival those on the Fourth of July. Aerials, sparklers, and fountains are illegal to buy on Oahu but you wouldn’t know that from all the fireworks being set off in communities across the island. It’s a problem for dog owners not only on Oahu, but also across the state who have to spend hours calming and caring for their pooches terrified by the loud booms.

Dogs that get spooked by the fireworks often run away, some never to be found. In addition to being frightened by fireworks, house guests may unknowingly leave gates and/or doors open, not realizing your canine friend is an escape artist.

Thundershirts, anxiety meds, crating, and favorite treats are just some of the ways dog owners help their pets deal with fireworks. Many have turned to CBD oil as well.

Cannabidiol, or CBD, is a compound derived from the cannabis plant known as hemp, which has less than 0.3 percent THC (tetrahydrocannabidinol), the psychoactive component of marijuana. While CBD is all the rage right now, it’s worth remembering that there are currently no FDA approved CBD products for pets. As with any pet medication, check with your vet first to make sure it won’t interact with any medications your dog might be taking.

With a little bit of planning and forethought, you and your dog can have a stress-free—and vet-free—holiday season!