Paws and Reflect
November 2006

In This Issue:
Pester, Lick, Smack...It's Begging Season!
Foods Harmful To Your Pet

This month kicks off the holiday season. We have just finished Halloween, and Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Before we know it, Christmas will be here. What most of us think of this holiday season are family, football, and food.

Watching football is a pretty safe pastime for your pet and quality time with family is always a pet’s favorite present, but all that food can put your pet at risk. I can already smell the turkey, dressing, sweet-potato puff, parker-house rolls, cranberries, pumpkin pie and all the other wonderful foods. Your pet can smell them also, and won’t hesitate to beg for a taste during food preparation or cleanup, so let’s talk about a few of the problems this wonderful array can present.

All of the following foods can be harmful to your pet:

Chocolate: Chocolate contains a xanthine called ‘theobromine,’ which is similar to caffeine. Anything with a large amount of chocolate can actually be fatal to your dog.

String: The string used to truss your turkey is a delicacy to both cats and dogs. It is especially dangerous to cats. The peristaltic action of the intestines can imbed string into the intestinal wall and only early diagnosis and surgery can save your cat’s life. I have had at least four of these cases over the years so please properly dispose of the baking string.

Raisins and Grapes: Both of these fruits are common in our holiday salads and both contain toxins which may lead to kidney failure in pets if allowed to be consumed in excess.

Onions: Many holiday foods contain onion. Remember that too much onion can lead to anemia in your dog or cat.

Bones: Most bones from fowl, whether it is chicken, turkey, or duck, are hollow and very brittle. These bones can splinter very easily and can lead to cuts in the mouth, tears of the stomach and intestines, or even an intestinal blockage. Both dogs and cats beware.

Fatty Foods: Foods high in fat content can lead to an attack of pancreatitis. The pancreas of the dog produces the digestive enzymes which break down food to be digested. High fat diets may lead to abnormal breakdown of these enzymes, which may lead to pain and inflammation of the pancreas itself, as well as surrounding tissue. Dogs will usually exhibit pain, loss of appetite, vomiting, weakness, diarrhea, or other symptoms of distress. This may be acute or end up being a chronic life-long disease. It can certainly threaten your dog’s life.

Too Much Food: Bloat is a condition some of us feel post-meal on Thanksgiving, but to our dogs it is a very serious, life-threatening condition. Some dogs simply bloat due to excessive gas or fluid in the stomach. In some dogs, the weight of an excessively distended stomach causes it to rotate. This is called ‘torsion.’ If it rotates completely, is referred to as ‘volvolus.’ Any of these situations should be considered an extreme emergency. Your dog will be restless, very uncomfortable, depressed and anxious. The abdomen may be distended. You may see salivation, attempts to vomit, or simply total collapse. These dogs quickly go into shock and die. This condition is most common in large, deep-chested dog breeds, but may occur in any breed. To avoid this, do not let your dog over-eat and feed three or four smaller meals daily instead of one or two large ones.

Please be careful with the food your pet receives this holiday season. I am going to try to follow this advice for myself as well as for Midge and Lola this Thanksgiving. Instead of demonstrating your love with food, take your dog for a nice walk with the family and skip the table scraps. Curl up with the cat and family in front of a good football game on the couch after your holiday feast. And if you must give the dog or cat treats, come in to the clinic for a free bag of Lean Treats through December 25th!