The winter holidays are all about the time spent with family and friends. However, all of the extra thought can push aside the everyday cautious measures you may undergo for your pet. Here is a list of the top 10 measures you should cover when getting into the festive spirit.
Chocolate:
We all love to have a little treat in the festive season, however, your dog may give you the best puppy eyes in the world, but they aren’t made to digest the chemicals the same way we can. Our bodies break down chemicals and ingredients without even thinking about it. Most of the time your dog does too. However, there is a bunch of chemicals called, methylxanthines that include caffeine and theobromine that do not digest as easily. These chemicals are stored in your dog’s tummy as it takes a longer time to digest these and break them down into bodily functions that their body can digest. This is one of the biggest issues with pups and Christmas time. It is important to take full responsibility and think of the precautions before giving your pup the chocolatey treat.
Alcohol:
At the festive party, it is easy to leave glasses of your favorite wine sitting around, as much as this isn’t an issue as such, rum cake and Christmas cake is. The stomach represents an oven, storing the chemicals and toxins in an attempt to metabolize the chemicals and extract the best out of the toxins. Within the chemicals, your dog’s stomach will extract the ethanol and the carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is gas chemical and it will bloat the dog, eventually poisoning them. The similar process happens within the ingestion of raw cake/cookie batter. The stomach will hold onto the yeast and try to extract the best toxins out, leaving them bloated and eventually equalling poisoning.
Grapes and Raisins:
Within a recent study, raisins and grapes have proven to be of great difficulty to digest. The chemical that triggers them is still under study and isn’t for definite. We know for definite that it can cause acute kidney damage and kidney failure if the issue is left untreated. Although many cases go without being noticed, there are a few dogs that can have it affect them more so than others. We are yet to distinguish the exact reason, but the investigation is still undergoing.
Please keep an eye out for part two of Holiday Hazards for your dog!
