Don't forget your pets this Christmas

Date published: 15 December 2019


While it may be the most wonderful time of the year for many of the UK’s families, Christmas can actually be one of the most dangerous seasons for the nation’s pets.
 
Every year thousands of pets are rushed into veterinary practices across the country, after coming into contact with one of the numerous hazards Christmas brings with it.
 

From swallowing Christmas decorations to accidental poisonings caused from eating festive foods, vets often face a particularly busy period in the lead up to Christmas.
 
To help keep the number of emergency visits to veterinary practices to a minimum this year, vets are offering advice on how to best keep pets safe and healthy throughout the festive season.
 
Dr Huw Stacey, vet and director of clinical services at Vets4Pets, said, “Christmas can be the most hectic time of the year for many people across the UK, but it’s important that we don’t forget about our pets, and keep an eye on them over the busy festive period.
 
“Vets often experience an influx in pets being brought into their surgeries throughout December, with one of the biggest issues being pets suffering from accidental poisoning, after ingesting Christmas treats.
 
“While most owners know how toxic chocolate can be to pets if eaten, there are a whole host of other classic Christmas foods that can make pets seriously ill, including raisins, nuts, grapes, Christmas pudding, mince pies, onions and garlic.
 
“It can very tempting to give our pets some leftover meat too, but this can be dangerous, as any remaining bones could be a choking hazard.
 
“Dogs in particular are likely to sniff and seek out any food, so it is therefore important that all Christmas foods are kept well out of the reach of our inquisitive pets to avoid any emergency trips to the vets in the middle of Christmas dinner.”


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