Keep love in the air this Valentine’s Day—save yourself a trip to your West Greenwich veterinarian’s office by keeping your pet safe with these helpful tips! And if you’re looking ahead, don’t forget to Keep Pets Safe This Halloween as well.
Store Chocolate Safely
If you’re giving or receiving a big heart-shaped box of chocolates this year, make sure your pet—or the person’s you’re giving the chocolate to—can’t reach it. Chocolate contains theobromine, as well as caffeine, both of which will cause serious health symptoms in pets. Don’t leave chocolate out on the counter where a pet can get to it; put it inside a closed or locked cabinet.
Avoid the Treats
Valentine’s Day candies and certain gums are often sweetened with xylitol, an artificial sugar substitute with toxic properties for animals. Even small amounts of xylitol can cause vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, and worse. Save yourself the worry and keep candy and gum safely locked away.
Beware of Bouquets
The thorns of roses may lacerate your pet’s feet, mouth, or throat, and could even puncture the intestinal lining if accidentally swallowed. Make sure your roses don’t have thorns, and keep them where pets can’t reach. If you’ve received lilies in your holiday bouquet, don’t let your cat anywhere near them—lilies are poisonous to cats, and may poison dogs as well.
Watch Your Drinks
If adult beverages are a part of your V-Day celebrations, keep an eye on them to make sure pets don’t imbibe. All types of alcohol, including wine, beer, liquor, and champagne, can be hazardous to pets. Drunkenness, vomiting, diarrhea, and even coma and death can be the results of a pet ingesting too much alcohol. Be sure to clean up any spills immediately.
Light Candles Carefully
Feel free to set the mood with a menagerie of candles, but leave your pet out of the room while lighting them. A pet can accidentally swipe a paw or tail through a flame, causing burns, or startling her into knocking one or more candles over. You don’t want your Valentine’s Day plans ruined by a fire!
Call your West Greenwich veterinarian to discover more helpful Valentine’s Day safety tips for your cat or dog. And remember, if you ever need urgent assistance, our Emergency Veterinary Care is always available.
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