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Holiday Gifts and Goodies Can Be Deadly for Curious Pets
ER Vet Shares Pets’ Most Commonly Swallowed Holiday Items
Tampa, FL – While the rest of us sit enjoying that big holiday feast, our pets might be quietly savoring those new diamond earrings or munching on an unsuspecting child’s new toys. Top specialty emergency veterinarians say cases just like these are commonplace, holiday after holiday, many requiring surgery or endoscopic treatment and some even resulting in death.
Dr. Sonja Olson, DVM, is an Emergency Clinician at Florida Veterinary Specialists (FVS) in Tampa. She says it’s often the least suspected household and personal items pets can be attracted to during the holidays, like toy parts, coins, and even jewelry.
“Pets will eat just about anything, given the chance,” says Dr. Olson, “and while some objects might pass, others can become lodged in a pet’s gastrointestinal tract and could require life-saving surgery.”
Pictured Above: Toy Engine
Every single holiday season, x-rays reveal surprising swallowed objects inside of our curious furry family members. “Working in an animal ER means you never know what you’re going to get,” says Dr. Olson. “From a sharpened pencil and eraser swallowed whole, to a toy engine and a stack of coins, just when you think you’ve seen it all, an animal is rushed in with something more unusual ingested.”
Common Holiday Swallowing Hazards Include:
Bones – “Do NOT feed your pets bones of any kind!” urges Dr. Olson. Bones get stuck in the esophagus, stomach, and intestines and can poke through the walls of those organs, meaning almost certain death.
People Food & Table Scraps- “Pets are not as tolerant of diet changes as people. They should not ‘“share”’ in the Holiday dinner, nor should they be fed leftovers,” she says.
Real Christmas Trees – “The water in the Christmas tree stand is toxic to our pets if they drink it! Be sure to cover the stand completely. Keep your pets away from any electrical cords, as serious shock can occur and be life-threatening.”
Ornament & Tinsel Ingestion – According to Dr. Olson, pet owners should “Watch out for ornaments, ribbons, and tinsel! These can all act as foreign bodies and may cause intestinal obstruction requiring medical and/or surgical therapy. Tinsel strings can cause their intestines to get bunched up into a knot and, if the problem continues, it can actually saw through the intestines.”
Signs a pet may have ingested a foreign object:
*Repeated Vomiting and Dry Heaving
*Sensitive or bloated stomach, pain to the touch
*Continued stretching or attempting to get comfortable
*Extreme Lethargy
*Not eating
Pictured Above: A Pencil & Eraser
What pet owners can do to keep their pets safe and prevent a costly vet visit:
“Pet owners should keep their animals separated from dangerous items in their homes,” urges Dr. Olson. “People who suspect their pet has swallowed anything other than their own food should bring them to their family veterinarian or emergency hospital as soon as possible. Fast diagnosis and treatment lead to fewer complications and quicker recoveries for pets in trouble.”
Sonja Olson, DVM, Emergency Clinician at Florida Veterinary Specialists is available for interview and endoscopic procedure demonstrations. X-ray images are also available. Media Inquiries and Booking Requests, please contact Julie Robbins (813) 412-3354 or Julie@FetchingCommunications.com.
About Florida Veterinary Specialists:
Opened in 1996, Florida Veterinary Specialists and Cancer Treatment Center was founded with the concept of providing a superior level of patient and client care through close cooperation with the family practitioner. In addition to referral appointments, the hospital is open 24 hours a day for case transfers by the family practitioner and after-hours emergencies. Florida Veterinary Specialists serves as an extension of the general practice. Their specialized services include Acupuncture, Avian & Exotic, Cardiology, Critical Care, Dermatology, Emergency Medicine, Internal medicine, Neurology, Oncology/Radiation, Ophthalmology, Radiology, Rehabilitation, and Surgery. Florida Veterinary Specialists is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and is located at 3000 Busch Lake Blvd. in Tampa. For further information, please visit www.fvs.com.
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