Forsyth Veterinary Hospital: Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pet This Holiday Season
At Forsyth Veterinary Hospital, our vets near Winston-Salem are committed to providing your pets with a high standard of care. With the holiday season quickly approaching, our animal hospital thought now would be a good time to inform and remind pet owners about the danger of feeding pets "people food."
Top Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pet
To be safe, it's generally recommended that you avoid feeding your pet anything that isn't explicitly made for them. This means all human food should be off-limits. However, around the holiday season, many pet owners feel especially generous and want to let their pets enjoy a bit of the holiday spirit as well.
One of the worst things you can give your pet is anything with bones. Yes, this is true even if you have a dog. Foods with small bones, such as meat scraps for turkey, can be especially dangerous because your pet may not realize the small bones are there. This can pose a serious choking hazard.
Your pets should also steer clear of any fatty cuts of meat, such as table scraps of turkey and ham. Anything high fat is going to be bad for your pet and can cause upset of the intestinal tract that can lead to vomiting, diarrhea, and even pancreatitis.
What about desserts? Generally, any sweets should be off-limits to your pet, but you'll especially want to keep them away from desserts with any chocolate, raisins, or grapes. These can be toxic to both dogs and cats, and it doesn't take a high dose to become dangerous. Specifically, raisins and grapes are known to cause kidney failure, and chocolate is toxic to most house pets.
Call Our Veterinarian Near Winston-Salem Today!
If your pet gets ahold of a food he or she shouldn't have, it's important to seek medical attention from our veterinarian near Winston-Salem. This is especially important if your pet begins to vomit, have diarrhea, or becomes unresponsive or lethargic. You can reach our animal hospital by giving us a call at (336) 765-1225.
Have you ever fed your pet a food you didn't realize was dangerous?