00:00Hi, and welcome to In the Doghouse with Gloria, or Rudolph.
00:25I'm Kristen.
00:26This, of course, is Gloria.
00:27And with us returning to the show is Dr. Katina Pingakis from VCA Animal Hospital.
00:31We're going to talk about pet safety during the holidays.
00:35So just with the weather alone in December, I know that snow and icy sidewalks can be kind
00:39of uncomfy for these guys.
00:40How can we make it better for them?
00:42Absolutely.
00:43So first thing to consider is that ice can be sharp and it can cut paws.
00:47So on really icy and snowy days, you may just have to limit your walks outside.
00:51The other concern is the salt that's on sidewalks and roads.
00:55It's really important for human safety, but can be bad for dogs.
00:59The salt can be really irritating to paws, and it can also be toxic if it's ingested.
01:04And when you're decorating for the holidays and know that the tree itself can be a hazard
01:08to pets, what's a great kind of tip for having a pet-friendly Christmas tree?
01:12The first thing that you want to do is to make sure that your tree is securely anchored, so
01:17that if you have cats that like to climb or dogs that get very excited, the tree won't
01:22fall over onto your pets.
01:24Also making sure that your ornaments are not on low branches that would be maybe attractive
01:28for a cat to bat around with, or a dog's happy tail could just wipe right off.
01:35Broken ornaments can be really sharp and can cause injuries.
01:38They may also seem like a good thing to snack on, and that could be a very serious foreign
01:42body that may need surgery.
01:44And of course, the holidays are not the holidays unless you have delicious treats.
01:48And I know some human foods can be harmful to pets, what are some of those foods that
01:52we should look out for?
01:53Well, I love special holiday breads during this time of year, but one thing you really
01:58want to make sure that when you leave your bread dough out to rise that your dog doesn't
02:02get into it.
02:03Bread dough can actually rise in the dog's stomach and cause obstructions, which can be
02:08really, really serious and need surgery.
02:10And the bread will actually also ferment, and you have the risk of alcohol poisoning at that
02:15point.
02:16Wow.
02:17I would never have thought of that.
02:18Anything else we should look out for food-wise?
02:20So chocolate, I think a lot of people know about that one, but that's always a good reminder.
02:24We have lots of chocolate around the holidays, so make sure that you keep that away and avoid
02:29things like GI upset and more serious heart effects, and potentially death if really large
02:36amounts are ingested.
02:38So what about entertaining over the holidays, having a lot of guests over?
02:41I know that pets can be a little bit anxious.
02:43How can you make them more comfortable when people come over?
02:45Absolutely.
02:46So if you have a dog or even a cat that gets stressed by having company over, it's a good
02:51idea to just designate one part of your house as their space.
02:56So it can be a room, a crate, whatever works for them, set them up with some fresh water,
03:01a cuddly bed, and maybe even a fan or a white noise machine to help drown out the noise from
03:06the rest of the house.
03:07It's a great idea.
03:08Maybe some Christmas carols or something.
03:10Absolutely.
03:11One little party in the other room.
03:12Yeah.
03:13Well, if you'd like any more tips, we have all of them up on our website, 957betfm.com, keyword
03:18mealies.
03:19Thank you so much, Dr. Finkakis.
03:20Thanks for having me.
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