BANGOR, Maine (WABI) – WABI brings the final Pet Health segment of 2024 right before Christmas.
Holidays didn’t span too far apart this year and Dr. Ai Takeuchi, the co-medical director of Eastern Maine Emergency Veterinary Clinic said it’s important to take note of what works for your pet.
Given that Thanksgiving wasn’t too long ago, think about how your pet worked with visitors, foods, or travel.
“Did you get the food, did you get the ID tags?” questioned Dr. Takeuchi.
“Those things are very important and do you need to come up with a new plan for this holiday? Now is the time to come up with a plan of what went well and what went wrong.”
Dr. Takeuchi advises pet owners to think about who their pets may be exposed to.
She said when it comes to children, your dog or cat may be spooked if it’s kids they’re not used to being around.
This is a time of year when the clinic often sees bite wounds.
“Even though your family’s kids might not be scary to your pet, other children can be terrifying to your pet so just talking to family and friends about small children around your pet,” said Dr. Takeuchi.
“Cats can get really stressed just by having strangers in the house so just being aware of those situations and then also talking to your small humans. Just because your cat and dog are used to their antics doesn’t mean that they can walk into another person’s home and do the same things.
She said to also think about inviting other pets into the home for the holidays.
Your pets may not want to share their space, toys or bowls with other animals and that could cause tension.
When it comes to decorations, Dr. Takeuchi said to watch your pets during this time of year.
“We see electrocutions from biting onto the Christmas lights especially in puppies and kittens who don’t know better,” said Dr. Takeuchi.
“Sometimes the plastic around the electrical cords are made out of a soy based plastic so it smells like food to them.”
She said if you have a new pet, switching out some ornaments to plastic can help avoid cuts or wounds on their paws.
She advises cat owners to be aware of the ‘Christmas Tree’ syndrome when cats climb the trees and it tips over.
To avoid this you could anchor this on a wall to avoid injuries.
For more information on Eastern Maine Emergency Veterinary Clinic follow the link to their website.
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