HOLIDAYS AND PET CARE The holidays can be a difficult time for some pets.

For the pets it is fortunate that we have reduced the amount of fireworks used for some celebrations. If you feel your pet will be scarred and run away during any of the holidays, we have a flashing strobe light available for less than $5, which will help identify your animal if they get loose. The light will last for many hours. We recommend all pets have collars and identification tags worn at all times for visual identification microchips are highly recommended as a permanent I.!. "isiting family sometimes have the tendency to leave doors open and#or human medicines left out puppy proof your house. $ne should never leave a lit candle around unattended, even if you do not have pets. In the fall many people add or change the antifree%e in their vehicles. $ne teaspoon of antifree%e can kill a cat. &ntifree%e has a sweet taste, but don't you try it( )lean up and wash down any antifree%e, brake fluid or transmission oil spill. &ll of the new antifree%e types for vehicle motors are *ust as to+ic as the older green color. In cold weather cats like to curl up under the hood, near a warm engine before going to sleep. Try to get into the habit of banging the hood of your car before starting it, or honk the horn if you forgot and are now inside the car and then remember. !uring Halloween pets should be kept indoors and in a back room when the trick or treaters start coming around. ,ome children will dare each other to *ump fences and other harmless gestures, yet some dogs may not be friendly to this idea. -ates may be left open, so it is recommend you accompany your pet outdoors when they need to eliminate. It is rare but some pranksters may catch a black cat for a party or another gag. &lways keep all cats indoors at night. The costumes and yelling will scare some animals. If the pets are indoors they may run out the open door when the costumed children surprise everyone. The best scenario on .alloween night is to place all the pets inside closed room/s0. Thanksgiving is a prime time for dogs getting into the turkey carcass and ingesting bones. !ogs should not routinely be fed pork bones, rib bones, poultry bones and#or any bones that can splinter. We have a list of sources of trash cans that are dog to bear proof, if your dog is a 1garbage gut1 repeat offender. Halloween, Hanukah, Christ as, !wansaa, Easter an" earl# S$ring .olidays are the high season for chocolate poisonings. It is tempting to leave out chocolate for the guests during the holidays, but %ho%olates are to&i% to $ets. 2ut away the

chocolates and treats when you are not in the room to monitor the food tray. 3read dough can produce ethanol if allowed to sit and#or be ingested by dogs. &vocados, chocolate, coffee, onions, garlic, grapes, 4acadamia nuts, raisins are some of the holiday foods to+ic to pets. If a family member is on a weight diet the products made with the sugar substitute +ylitol are also to+ic to pets. The turkey at Thanksgiving should not be accidentally left out and unattended with a pet in the house the cooked bones are sharp and brittle. There are many plants which can cause poisonings in pets we have a e+tensive listing in our 2oison 5otebook, and handouts for the plants indoors /tropic0 and outdoors. The holiday plants of A ar#llis, Christ as Ca%tus, Holl#, 'istletoe, Poisettias an" even Sha ro%k %an (e to&i% to pets. It should be noted that the degree of to+icity varies among each family, such as mistletoe with 678 species. 9ou should %onsi"er all lilies to&i%. ,ome lilies cause heart problems, some kidney problems, and a most affect only cats. We do not recommend you to avoid all of the listed poisonous plants, as some, such as 2oinsettias and )hristmas cactus are not highly to+ic. $ne can try placing ginger powder and#or a bowl of vinegar in an area to help discourage a cat. 4ost plants are not very tasty to animals, although you should be aware of these potential problems and remove the item if an animal starts eating it and#or if you have a plant eating cat, a dog that likes to chew on anything, etc. $ne leaf of an :aster ;ily or ;ily of the "alley is to+ic to a cat. 2oison )ontrol<s number is =>???>@A@>??B7 or ???>6@C>66A5. The placement of holi"a# orna ents on the tree is an important consideration with cats and puppies. If the pet swallows items with strings, this may reDuire a surgery. Tinsel is not recommended for households with cats or puppies. 9ou should train your puppy to avoid playing with the tree by saying 5$ if they are causing a problem, yet avoidance is the best medicine. For cats the use of a water sDuirt bottle helps a lot to keep them away from the tree, but the best medicine is preventive /i.e. no ornaments or tinsel on the lower branches, especially glass ornaments0. )hewing animals should be kept away from the electrical cords. The bubble lights contain a to+ic chemical called methylene chloride, also called !)4 or dichloromethane it is a 1mild type1 of a chlorohydrocarbon. For New Years Cele(ration an" )th o* +ul# some pets are e+tremely sensitive to loud noises, such as fireworks. We have a desensiti%ing handout and tapes#)!<s to help desensiti%e your pet to these problems, which should be started months before the anticipated noise problem. The best scenario is to be with your pet during these times we also have tranDuili%ers which can

help. The ,taff at the 5elson Eoad "eterinary )linic A7A>CB?>":T,/?A?B0 www.nelsonroadvet.com