Local Vet Gives Tips For Keeping Pets Safe During The Holidays

Pet owners may want to include their furry friends in the holiday fun, but a local vet has a warning. 

Dr. Janna Bone said it's important to know some holiday festivities can be dangerous for pets but planning ahead can make all the difference. 

 "My sister has dogs, and she doesn't always get along with other dogs, so we have to coordinate who's going to bring a dog and not bringing dogs and make sure they still get out when they need to get out and take walks and eat,” Vasseur said. 

Raychel Vasseur loves to bring her dog Margo along when traveling for the holidays and she says she's learned keeping her dogs on a routine can prevent any accidents. 

"Sometimes my parents like to give her too many treats. Trying to keep her diet the same as much as possible around the holidays is really helpful especially when we're driving," Vasseur said.      

Dr. Bone owns Skyline Animal Hospital.  She warns that taking pets to new environments can lead animals to fight. 

"If they get into the dog fights, they can definitely see the lacerations, torn toenails, those are kind of the easy things definitely much worse as far as the dog fights too,” Bone said. 

She said that while feeding animals from your plate may seem harmless, it can cause sickness. 

“Pancreatitis can be life-threatening for them, so it is something we sometimes have to hospitalize for." 

Dr. Bone says making sure trash is put up so pets can't get into anything will help prevent any visits to the vet, as well as not gifting pets with toys that are too tough for their teeth. 

Make sure you know where a pet ER is near you if something happens during the night or on the weekend.