Have a safe Thanksgiving with your Pet!

Gobble, gobble, gobble!  Thanksgiving is just around the corner and brings to mind tantalizing aromas of oven roasted turkey, ham and all the fixins! We also think of gathering with friends and family, 'sweata weatha', crackling fires and warming candles...all of which sounds amazing to us, but can pose some risks for our four-legged family members! Here are a few preventative tips to help keep them safe this season:

1) Pancreatitis - food is love we always think...however, we do need to be mindful not to share our rich table fare with our pets (look away from those puppy eyes!)  Eating table foods can trigger GI upset that can extend beyond just vomiting or diarrhea and lead to full-on pancreatitis- inflammation of the pancreas that causes abdominal pain, nausea, lethargy, inappetance and can lead to severe systemic illness requiring hospitalization.  

2) Bones- while some pets may luckily not have had any issues thus far, many of our dogs and cats do have problems when given bones to chew on.  Small fragments can become lodged in their GI tracts causing an obstruction that could be fatal.  Additionally, we see many fractured teeth that then require dental treatment and extraction after chewing on bones.

3) Burns- we may love to gather around a beautiful fall fire and light those pumpkin spice candles, but we do have to be mindful of keeping our pets out of harm's way.  Hot wax and open flames can lead to unintentional burns when pets accidentally run or jump where they shouldn't, or get their sniffers too close to the flame.  Keep pets safely away from open fire pits and away from areas where candles are burning when not directly supervised.

We hope everyone enjoys a safe, cozy gathering with friends & family this Thanksgiving!