Keeping your pets safe during the holidays : News : ValleyCentral.com

Read?more: Local, Pets, Animal Lovers, Holidays, Dogs, Cats, Kennel, Veterinarian, David Heflin, Mistletoe, Ornaments, Christmas Tree, Tinsel, Treats, Gabriela Gonzalez, Puppies, Christmas Decorations, Mission Veterinarian Hospital, Mission, Hidalgo County, Rio Grande Valley, Texas

For many animal lovers, their pets are their babies, but be careful not to spoil them too much during the holidays.

If you're not careful, your doggy could be spending the night in a kennel at the veterinarian?s office this holiday.

"Ya. That's something you need to watch out for," said Veterinarian David Heflin.

Mistletoe, ornaments on trees, and even tinsel can harm your pets.

"They can get caught in their digestive system,? said Heflin. ?You need to watch out for mistletoe it's toxic to animals. Even the Christmas tree water can be toxic. You need to make sure they don't drink that."

But the most common holiday pet blunder is giving them Christmas treats.

"With all the good food we have at Christmas time, what we see is dogs that get vomiting and diarrhea sometimes serious cases of pancreatitis even where they have eaten really fatty foods. It's easy to give them something. You think you're only giving them an ounce and they weigh 10 pounds, but that's like giving me 20 ounces of food," said Heflin.

Gabriela Gonzalez has these pups at home and a bigger dog.

She said she keeps the big dog outside away from Christmas decorations and these pups in a safe room.

?I'm always keeping a close eye on them to make sure they're okay," she said.

Heflin said that's the best advice he can give pet owners.

"I think the main thing is just to realize there's visitors coming to the house, and they may not be familiar that your pet is not able to handle different foods, and they may give them a piece of sausage or something that makes them sick. I think you have to pay attention to say, ?hey I have to watch out that my dog or cat doesn't get something that they're not supposed to,?" said Heflin.

Heflin said it's also important to know your dog.

Some dogs can handle a small dose of lean table food and others cannot.

For more pet safety tips head to this?website.

Source: http://www.valleycentral.com/news/story.aspx?id=700336

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