Valentine's Day - a day for flowers, chocolates, champagne, and other delights. Fun and romance for humans can lead to ruff times for our furry and not-so-furry pets. Here are some tips to keep your babies safe this holiday season:
Flowers - Did you know that lilies are EXTREMELY toxic to cats and cause kidney failure that sometimes leads to death? Even the tiniest of nibbles of any part of the lily can be dangerous. So, if you receive a beautiful bouquet of flowers and it contains lilies, better pluck them out and toss them, or, better yet...make a smaller arrangement with them and keep them at work or in a part of your house where cats are off-limits. If you think your kitty has ingested any part or amount of a lily plant, immediately take them to the vet. Click here for a complete list of toxic and non-toxic plants.
Chocolate - MMMMM! Most people's favorite part of Valentine's Day. But, as we all know, chocolate can spell trouble for our canine friends and family. The toxicity level depends on a few things such as: the size of your dog, the kind of chocolate (baker's, semi-sweet, milk, or dark), and whether it's mixed into something else like cake or cookies. Generally, the darker and more solid, the higher the toxicity. If you suspect your pooch has eaten some chocolate, don't panic! Call the ASPCA Poison Control number and they can tell you by the amount of chocolate your dog ate, what product it was, and how big your dog is how worried you need to be (peoplepets.com/people/pets/article).
Sugar-free Foods - In this day and age, where everyone is watching what we eat, you can pretty much find sugar-free versions of just about everything. But did you know that Xylitol, which is the sugar alcohol used to put the "free" in sugar-free is EXTREMELY dangerous to dogs and can cause liver failure? This sweetener is commonly found in sugar-free: gum, candies, peanut butter, and many other products. Make sure you check the ingredient list and if Xylitol is on it, store it far away from your pup's reach!
Ribbons and String - While they make our packages of love look pretty, to a kitty cat, it's an invitation to pounce! For unknown reasons, it's very instinctive for cats to eat ribbon and string. Once ingested, it can get caught in their intestines and cause a perforation. If you notice that your cat has eaten some string and it makes it's way to the exit, AKA your cat's bum, read this before you decide to pull it out.
Alcohol - Our pets can be curious, and if any of you have one like my Jackson, they will get into just about ANYTHING! Even a small bit of alcohol can be harmful to small animals, causing vomiting, diarrhea, lack of coordination, central nervous system depression, tremors, difficulty breathing, and even fatal respiratory failure. So, if there are any glasses sitting around with left over booze...be sure to dump it...or drink it!!!
Candles - This is not only a good safety tip for your pets, but also for us as humans! Never leave a candle unattended when you have pets. They can knock them over in an instant. Blow 'em out!
Enjoy this day of love...but do it safely! And don't forget to show some love to your fur babies too!!
Post by: Allison Otero, owner of AlleyCat's Pet Service
alleycatspetservice.com
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