Online Pet Accessories Implores Pet Owners: Don’t Let Your Pet Become a Holiday Casualty
Announcement posted by Online Pet Accessories 17 Dec 2012
Online distributor of pet supplies in Australia warns pet owners that the holidays can be harmful or even fatal to their pets if they aren’t careful.
During November and December, people behave differently than they do the rest of the year. A new Online Pet Accessories post explains why this can have a negative effect on their pets. More pets are lost or poisoned during the holidays than in any other months of the year.
The Veterinary Pet Insurance Company reported that policyholders spend in excess of $22.8 million last year on holiday-related conditions. The most expensive incidents involved pets ingesting foreign bodies that had to be removed through surgery, at an average cost of $2,328 for each incident. Enteritis and gastritis were the other most common conditions, “only” costing $279 and $105 per incident.
Pets don’t have the “filter” that humans do, and don’t know what is good for them and what isn’t. Pets see a lot of new shapes and bright colours, and smell a lot of new foods. Both dogs and cats tend to ingest a lot of things that can harm them if their owners aren’t careful to restrict access to them. Pets can choke on decorations, and loose decorations or trash should be kept out of reach of the pet.
Pets are great at “begging” and the standard human response is to give their pet human food, especially during the holidays, when generosity is in full favour. Sadly, many foods that people enjoy during the holidays are toxic to dogs and cats, and can even kill them in too high an amount. For example, chocolate, grapes, and raisins are all toxic to dogs and cats. Many kinds of nuts are toxic, too. Too much chocolate can kill your dog or cat.
Onions, garlic, and scallions can also be harmful to pets, because they damage a dog’s red blood cells. Foods with too much fat, such as gravy, roasts, and eggnog, can inflame a dog’s pancreas, which causes pancreatitis.
If a dog or cat doesn’t have enough water in its bowl, it might try to drink from the Christmas tree water bowl. If there are chemicals or bacteria in the water, they can be harmful to the pet. Decorations such as tinsel and ribbon can be very harmful to cats when swallowed, due to the shape of a cat’s intestines, and can require surgery to remove.
Dogs and cats alike both like to chew on Christmas lights and the power cords. The danger here is obvious. Even holiday plants, such as lilies, red azaleas, holly, philodendron, and Christmas rose, are toxic to pets. Poinsettias and mistletoe can also be harmful.
Christmas morning can be dangerous for pets if ribbons and discarded wrapping isn’t immediately put out of their reach. Anything that looks like a chew toy to a pet becomes one, especially snow globes, which contain poisonous anti-freeze.
Jason Balchand, Owner of Online Pet Accessories, an online pet shop offering cheap pet supplies, wants everyone’s pets to be safe for the holidays: “The reason we got into this business is because we love animals. We want everyone’s pets to make it through the holiday season safe and sound. The only way for that to happen is if people are careful and aware of what can be harmful to their pets.”
Balchand concluded, “The best way to keep your pets out of harm’s way for the holidays is to keep potentially harmful objects and foods out of your pet’s way.”
Online Pet Accessories is Australia’s leading online pet store for discount pet supplies such as dog toys, dog collar, pet medication, and many more.
Check out their website: http://www.petshop-online.com.au/ or call them at 08 9296 7544 for orders and inquiries.
The Veterinary Pet Insurance Company reported that policyholders spend in excess of $22.8 million last year on holiday-related conditions. The most expensive incidents involved pets ingesting foreign bodies that had to be removed through surgery, at an average cost of $2,328 for each incident. Enteritis and gastritis were the other most common conditions, “only” costing $279 and $105 per incident.
Pets don’t have the “filter” that humans do, and don’t know what is good for them and what isn’t. Pets see a lot of new shapes and bright colours, and smell a lot of new foods. Both dogs and cats tend to ingest a lot of things that can harm them if their owners aren’t careful to restrict access to them. Pets can choke on decorations, and loose decorations or trash should be kept out of reach of the pet.
Pets are great at “begging” and the standard human response is to give their pet human food, especially during the holidays, when generosity is in full favour. Sadly, many foods that people enjoy during the holidays are toxic to dogs and cats, and can even kill them in too high an amount. For example, chocolate, grapes, and raisins are all toxic to dogs and cats. Many kinds of nuts are toxic, too. Too much chocolate can kill your dog or cat.
Onions, garlic, and scallions can also be harmful to pets, because they damage a dog’s red blood cells. Foods with too much fat, such as gravy, roasts, and eggnog, can inflame a dog’s pancreas, which causes pancreatitis.
If a dog or cat doesn’t have enough water in its bowl, it might try to drink from the Christmas tree water bowl. If there are chemicals or bacteria in the water, they can be harmful to the pet. Decorations such as tinsel and ribbon can be very harmful to cats when swallowed, due to the shape of a cat’s intestines, and can require surgery to remove.
Dogs and cats alike both like to chew on Christmas lights and the power cords. The danger here is obvious. Even holiday plants, such as lilies, red azaleas, holly, philodendron, and Christmas rose, are toxic to pets. Poinsettias and mistletoe can also be harmful.
Christmas morning can be dangerous for pets if ribbons and discarded wrapping isn’t immediately put out of their reach. Anything that looks like a chew toy to a pet becomes one, especially snow globes, which contain poisonous anti-freeze.
Jason Balchand, Owner of Online Pet Accessories, an online pet shop offering cheap pet supplies, wants everyone’s pets to be safe for the holidays: “The reason we got into this business is because we love animals. We want everyone’s pets to make it through the holiday season safe and sound. The only way for that to happen is if people are careful and aware of what can be harmful to their pets.”
Balchand concluded, “The best way to keep your pets out of harm’s way for the holidays is to keep potentially harmful objects and foods out of your pet’s way.”
Online Pet Accessories is Australia’s leading online pet store for discount pet supplies such as dog toys, dog collar, pet medication, and many more.
Check out their website: http://www.petshop-online.com.au/ or call them at 08 9296 7544 for orders and inquiries.