by Grace Bathery
The holiday season is here, bringing with it all kinds of festive foods and occasions that revolve around eating, drinking, and being merry. As tempting as it is to include your pet in holiday fun, many of the most popular holiday dishes are unhealthy or unsafe for consumption by pets and can lead to dangerous health effects — including diarrhea, vomiting, or more serious conditions, including death. However, you can still include furry family members through alternative foods and other rewards.
“Extra playtime and a fun, new toy can be a great way to reward your dog and keep them busy on special days,” says Sam Bilko, a UW School of Veterinary Medicine faculty member and emergency and critical care clinician at UW Veterinary Care.
In recent weeks, Bilko has been speaking with the news media about hazards to keep away from your pets this holiday season, including a 90-minute appearance on Wisconsin Public Radio’s “The Larry Meiller Show.” Tips she provides in that interview and in this article will help keep your pets safe this holiday season — and all year long.
If you do decide to treat your pet to special food, keep in mind the 10% rule, Bilko says: Make sure no more than 10% of your pet’s diet consists of treats or human food.
“When you share your holiday meal with your pet, it’s always good to make the base meal their normal food and then add any special additions as a topper,” Bilko says.
Foods high in fat content, spices, sugar, garlic, onion, bones, grapes, and raisins are not safe for pets to consume. Examples include pies, mac and cheese, cranberry sauce, and gravy.
Alternative treats can be given in the place of many foods. Instead of mac and cheese, give your pet cooked, plain macaroni. Rather than cranberry sauce, give them a few fresh or dried cranberries or blueberries. Low sodium chicken broth can be a substitute for gravy.
Turkey is okay for pets if it is boneless and skinless white meat without gravy or any sauces. For dinner rolls, be sure they are fully baked before giving them to your pet. Unbaked bread dough, if ingested, can rise while inside a pet and cause a stomach obstruction, Bilko says.
If your pet does consume something they shouldn’t, act quickly and call the ASPCA Poison Control Center (888-426-4435) or the Pet Poison Helpline (855-764-7661) for immediate guidance. If your pet is already showing symptoms of illness, take them to an urgent care or emergency veterinarian immediately.
“Simply assuming that ‘it wasn’t a toxic dose’ or ‘it might be OK’ may lead to a fatal error,” Bilko says. “Call the pet poison numbers — it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
At UWVC, veterinarians have a range of treatment options depending on the toxin. These include decontamination, such as inducing vomiting and administering agents that bind toxins, as well as supportive care like IV fluids and gastrointestinal support. For certain toxins, UWVC has begun offering hemoperfusion, an extracorporeal therapy that circulates blood outside the body through a machine designed to remove toxins before they can absorb.
“The correct treatment for each toxin will be offered by the veterinarian seeing the case.” Bilko says. “Our goal at UWVC is to make sure every pet gets the individualized care they need as quickly and safely as possible.”