AAN Xmas Guide 2022

10 DECEMBER 2022 Enjoying Christmas With Friends, Family And Our Pets https://www.ternvets.co.uk/ Everyone at Tern Vets is starting to get excited about Christmas! We can’t wait to spend time with our loved ones – and this includes our pets! But during the Christmas period we do see dogs and cats that have got a little too involved in the festive spirit and become very poorly. So please be careful and look out for these things! Onions - An essential part of Christmas dinner is the sage and onion stuffing. But did you know that onions and garlic can be poisonous to dogs and cats? They can cause gastroenteritis and red blood cell damage that causes anaemia. Bones - We want to treat our pets but please don’t be tempted to give them bones. Cooked turkey bones can splinter when eaten, causing internal damage and intestinal blockages that can require emergency surgery. Chocolate! - Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without chocolate. But please be careful to keep all open chocolates away from your dogs. Theobromine is a compound in chocolate that is toxic to dogs. The amount varies with the cocoa content – with dark and cooking chocolates themost dangerous. Chocolate poisoning can cause vomiting, diarrhoea and heart arrhythmias. It can progress to tremors and seizures and can be fatal if not treated early. So eat up your selection boxes and make sure all chocolate decorations are hung high on the tree! Bear these things in mind to keep your pets out of harms way, and keep stress to a minimum this Christmas. If you are at all worried over the Christmas period and think that your pet may have eaten something they shouldn’t have (which we know is common when you own a Labrador!) then please contact us at the practice. Happy holidays. Tern Vets