Let's Not Forget About Other Important Family Members..., page 2

reply to post by Kangaruex4Ewe

XMAS CAKE, MINCE PIES, XMAS PUDDING CONTAIN RAISINS & SULTANAS WHICH ARE LETHAL TO CATS & DOGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dear four legged friends and their carers,

Christmas and New Year is a time for everyone to get together and to relax and
enjoy the festivities. However I would strongly advise all pets from over indulging.
Below I have listed some of the temptations. Four legged friends have an
incredible sense of smell especially when it comes to food, human nibbles and
leftovers such as turkey and ham and I know their detection, unwrapping and
climbing skills have no bounds when tasty food is involved!

Chocolate- There is generally an abundance of chocolate at Christmas from
biscuits and Christmas decorations - great slabs of it (especially with the offers in
the Supermarkets where your carers shop). It looks lovely and smells fantastic
but should be avoided. Chocolate contains theobromine which can affect the
hearts and nervous systems of four legged friends. It is especially concentrated in
dark chocolate or cooking chocolate. If eaten it can cause panting, shaking,
vomiting and diarrhea and even fits and can be fatal.

Raisins and sultanas- These are the main ingredient of Christmas pudding, mince
pies and Christmas cake. These can prove fatal if eaten by dogs and cats. I myself
have treated several cases of animals that have eaten raisins with one dog nearly
dying from eating just a few of them!

Nuts- There are many varieties around especially at Christmas time for our human
carers to nibble on! Not on the menu for dogs and cats! They can cause blockages
and severe stomach problems, hallucinations and occasionally convulsions especially
when eaten without being chewed in large numbers.

Poinsettia- These green and red plants are often associated with Christmas. They
are especially toxic to cats so I would suggest that cats and dogs alike avoid
having a quick snack on the leaves as they can cause burns in the mouth, vomiting,
diarrhoea and a really nasty stomach upset. Lillies- These flowers can,
unfortunately, be fatal especially to cats. The whole flower including the pollen is
toxic and often cats brush past the flowers and get the pollen on their coats.
Cats, being cats, do clean themselves at regular intervals thus ingesting the pollen.
Holly, Ivy and Mistletoe- None of these are not recommended on the menu. All
can cause upset stomachs, vomiting, diarrhoea and in rabbits paralysis and
convulsions.

Foreign bodies- Tinsel, baubles, wrapping paper, silica gel sachets( found in
packaging for cameras, handbags and shoes) and the Christmas decorations should
not be included on the diet or entertainment sheet for four legged friends. Cats
especially love to play with the dangling tinsel and it is very easily eaten. Such
items are not easily digested and can cause a blockage which can lead to problems
that may warrant surgery. My advice would be stick to the regular diet!

Electrocution- Christmas lights especially on the Christmas tree mean that not
only can cats test their mountaineering skills but there is often additional cabling
lying around. The younger generation of pets especially find these very tempting
as a play thing, often they pull at them or start chewing. Unfortunately this can be
fatal as electricity and chewing and wet mouths can have fatal consequences. Get
your owners to try to avoid leaving them in tempting positions and to ensure the
Christmas tree is secure to avoid the attendance of ‘mountain rescue’ for the cats
that get stuck up them.

Other considerations- Santa has been in touch via e mail and told me it is likely to
be a cold and possibly white Christmas so hopefully visitors will remember to close
doors when they come in and out and upset your daily routine of eat, snooze, eat
with a short time of exercise and you being shut out if you do wake up for visitors!
Remember that humans often have a little ‘tipple’ over Christmas and may be a bit
wobbly so best to avoid walking too close and getting stepped on or them landing
on you if they ‘wobble over’! Please remember pets kept outside will need lots of
extra bedding and heating and access to unfrozen water to drink. Please do not
use boiling water to refill dishes as this can crack and freeze quickly. Garden birds
will appreciate leftover Christmas scraps and fresh water as well but remember
four legged friends the scraps are not for you to ‘hoover’ up bits that fall off!
For those careers and owners that do venture out remind them that the
Antifreeze is for their car to avoid it freezing and should not be left out handy
for us to drink as even though it may be sweet tasting it is highly toxic and even a
small amount can prove lethal.

Not trying to frighten you all but do be careful and make sure you have a safe and
restful Christmas season.