Fall and Winter Safety

by Robert Dammeyer, Medical Director,
Pet Medical Center at Apple Tree Cove,
www.kingstonvet.com

School’s starting, there’s the beginning of a nip to the morning air, and it’s getting dark earlier and earlier.  What do these things have in common? They all signal the ending of summer. Ah, well, you can’t postpone the inevitable, can you? Might as well start getting ready.

While you’re getting your kids ready for the upcoming school year and storing up wood for the fireplace, take a little time to give some thought to fall and winter pet safety.  Or, as I like to think of it: Getting through the holidays without having to make an ER visit with your dog!

Happy Halloween…ooooh, is that chocolate?

Don’t make your fright night even more of a scare, remember that chocolate can be toxic to our canine buddies (and they like it just as much as we do). Chocolate has two toxins, caffeine and theobromine, that can be harmful to our dogs.  While baker’s chocolate is the most poisonous, there have been dogs that have become very ill eating regular milk chocolate. There is no antidote for the intestinal signs and muscle tremors or seizures that may occur. Treatment often involves hospitalization for several days on fluids and muscle relaxants.

Candy wrappers can also be eaten by dogs and can cause damage to the lining of the intestines or lead to obstruction.  So, always remember to keep the Halloween treats up where your dog can’t reach them.  Oh, and remember to make sure that little devil costume you got her doesn’t have any small parts that could be chewed off and eaten!

Happy holidays and where did the pie go?!

Food and more food…lotsa food!  How can we not share this bounty with our wonderful dog whom we love dearly? Resist the temptation, it’s bad for him. Our dog’s digestive systems are not constructed exactly like our own.  They do not tolerate much of the food we so enjoy.  Pancreatitis, a painful, potentially life threatening inflammation of the pancreas commonly occurs in dogs that have been fed “people” food.  Even just a small bite.  The easiest way to avoid this?  Simply keep Fido on canine kibbles.  If you just can’t bear to leave him out of the culinary feast place a bowl of his food near the dinner table and periodically offer him a “treat” from the bowl.  This should keep you safe and if you don’t get too carried away with these treats he may not even have to loosen his belt later in the evening like the rest of us!

Also, don’t use your dog as a garbage disposal. Turkey (or other bird) carcasses are either intentionally or unintentionally given to the dog to “chew” on.  Poultry bones are very brittle and shatter into very sharp, knife-like objects.  These shards are then eaten by your dog.  Frequently this leads to a cut or tear developing in the stomach or intestines.  Perforated bowels like this can lead to extremely expensive surgery and aftercare.  Many wonderful dogs have passed away following eating bird bones.

The holiday festivities also bring out the decorations.  Thankfully tinsel is rarely found these days, but if you still like the glittery strands keep in mind that our four-legged friends do to.  If eaten they can act like long razorblades that lacerate the intestines leading to a painful stomach and even sudden death.  If you have pets it is best to avoid tinsel altogether. 

Make sure that Christmas balls and ornaments are out of reach of your dog and are too large to be swallowed.  Ornaments that are made of glass or other items that can shatter should be avoided.  If these are chewed and eaten they can create complications similar to those of tinsel.  And remember Christmas light cords should be treated like any other power cord:  Keep out of reach of dogs.  Chewing on power cords can lead to a sudden and unexpected visit to the emergency room with burns of the mouth and lips as well as lung trauma.

When icicles are hanging from the car fender.

Wintertime brings with it a special automotive chemical we call antifreeze. Ethylene glycol in antifreeze prevents the fluids in your car from freezing and damaging the engine.  This very useful liquid comes in a very pretty neon color to signal that it is indeed a poison to living creatures.  It has a very sweet taste and dogs love it. If a dog drinks even a small amount of antifreeze it causes irreversible damage to the kidneys. If too much is eaten the damage to the kidneys may be too much to overcome. An antidote for antifreeze poisoning is available at most animal emergency hospitals but it must be given very soon after ingestion. Unfortunately, most cases of antifreeze exposure are not noticed until the pet is showing signs of poisoning (wobbly, acting drunk, vomiting and lethargic). At this time the antidote is not likely to be of much help.

Because of the serious health consequences of antifreeze, all spills should be cleaned up immediately; even the smallest of puddles.  Dogs should be kept out of garages or other areas where cars are that may be leaking antifreeze.  Old cars no longer in use should have the antifreeze drained from their radiators and disposed of responsibly.

One last automotive tip for wintertime. Honk your horn before starting the engine.  Sometimes small critters lay down on the warm engine over night to sleep.  Fan belt injuries can be gruesome.  Honking your horn is like a loud wake-up alarm that signals the squatter that it is time to vamoose.

Is that snow???

Brrrr…our winters seem to be getting colder and colder, with more rain coming down in the form of snow.  Remember if it is too cold for you to be outside without a winter coat, the same is true for your pet. Now some pets are well adapted to cold winter living with thick layered coats (Husky, malamutes, etc.), but others are not (haven’t seen a Chihuahua leading a sled dog team yet). Remember, dog coats are designed to keep them warm in the winter, but only if they are dry, clean and free of matts. Matted, dirty or wet coats are just as inefficient at keeping your dog warm as a soaking wet raincoat would be at keeping you warm.  So, even in winter keep your pet clean and well groomed.

Snow days are fun for our kids and pets. But just like the kids, sometimes our dogs don’t know when to say when. So keep an eye on the clock and insist that your dog come in regularly to warm up and dry off. If she has long hair between her toes you may need to break up any ice that has formed there so those paws can warm up too!  A nice bed near the fire would be good too.

All dogs should have a warm shelter to beat the freezing nights.  Insulated and heated dog houses can be purchased for outdoor dogs, but indoors at night is preferable.

Goodnight and sleep tight.

Winter brings shorter days and longer nights. Not only are the nights longer, but they start earlier. Our little friends have a harder time seeing and being seen at night. Car headlights can stun dogs and lead to sudden jumps into the road. Because it is dark, pets may become lost. For safety, keep your dogs in at night or at least in a secure, fenced yard and invest in microchip identification just incase she happens to go on a trek and can’t find her way home.