Vets share how to keep pets safe heading into the new year

The holidays are usually a "pawsitive" time for people and their pets, but sometimes curious fur babies get into things they shouldn't. Holiday foods, treats and gifts all typically bring joy, but veterinarians see the repercussions of pets that get their noses where they do not belong. Alexis Pennings, associate veterinarian at Veterinary Medical Center, said the clinic typically sees a large increase of patients around the holiday season and heading into the new year. "I would say it's probably close to a 50% increase of cases that we're seeing on the day-to-day around this time of year," she said. "It's mostly those emergent things and work-in cases." Most issues pet owners face come from "people food" that their animals ingest. Pennings said this is usually a mix of holiday candies, cookies and chocolates. She added foods eaten with raisins or grapes are also a reason a pet might be brought to the vet, and fatty meats — such as ham or bacon — could also cause stomach upset when not a part of an animal's regular diet. Dr. Kelly Vail, DVM and veterinarian at Blue Ridge Animal Hospital, shared similar thoughts to Pennings and typical issues she sees with her patients. Along with food items, she said via an email to Johnson City Press that pets can have problems from eating household decor during the holidays and recommended a few different prevention measures to help ensure pet safety. "Do not feed your pets food from the table, keep trash secure so pets can't get into it, keep decorations like tinsel out of reach of pets, [and] don't leave pets unattended around things they can get into (food, decorations, toys, etc.)," Vail wrote in the email. Pennings added pet anxiety was also something she saw animals for, especially when dealing with large crowds or fireworks. She said it was important for owners to remember to take their pets out on a leash to prevent them from suddenly spooking and running off and provided a few ways owners could counteract their pet's stress indoors. "Sometimes we have pets that we need to give just situational anxiety medicine to help them get through that, and my own dog is one of those dogs that needs that, so I have experience with it," Pennings said. "Also, making sure they have a place they can kind of go hide and feel safe, whether that's a bedroom or a kennel, or something like that." Pennings and Vail each said the recovery of a pet affected by food or other ingested items is dependent on how quickly signs are noticed and treatment is given to the animal. While some cases can be serious, the earlier the pets are cared for, the higher their recovery success is. "Dietary indiscretion can lead to simple GI upset (vomiting and diarrhea) or be more serious (ie. pancreatitis) and require hospitalization," wrote Vail in her email. "Eating decorations, especially those containing string (like tinsel) can cause a life-threatening obstruction that requires surgery." "As long as it's treated promptly and [the owners] seek vet attention, then most pets are going to be able to get better from most of these types of things," Pennings said.