The holidays, winter weather and the pandemic. Together, these can create a perfect storm for pet injuries. KLCC spoke with an expert with some reminders to help keep your pet out of the emergency room.
Dana Bredeweg is with The Veterinary Hospital in north Eugene. She said especially over the holidays, her clinic sees a rise in poisonings. Poinsettias, holly and lilies make cats very sick.
“The classic one would be chocolate. Chocolate is toxic to dogs. And the higher the concentration of chocolate, the bigger that risk,” Bredeweg said. “So your dark chocolates are ‘gonna be a bigger risk than say your milk or white chocolates.”
So… don’t let the candies from your stocking land where Fido can find them! Bredeweg said foreign body obstruction is another serious threat. Cooked bones are brittle and can cause injury when swallowed.
“We’ll see pets that have gotten in the garbage or gotten into a turkey carcass or a ham bone. Anytime a bone has been cooked, it becomes very brittle,” she warned.
Bredeweg said they see electrocution and mouth burns when pets chew cords and wires. And with the possibility of a white Christmas, she reminded to offer pets a warm refuge and make sure water bowls don’t freeze.
With the pandemic and holiday spending affecting many people’s finances, Bredeweg said the last thing anyone needs is an unexpected vet bill.
