My annual pleadings, which I have been making for decades, take precedence over discussions on general care and treatment of diseases. I’m hopeful that, with each year, the advice is heeded, and maybe veterinarians can enjoy a festive season without the emergencies caused by overzealous pet owners transferring their gay abandon and excessiveness to their four-legged wards. Let us make our resolutions for a great holiday season extend to our pets as well.
Last week, we discussed the realities of giving a pet as a Christmas present, and the tendency to outfit pets with costumes. Today’s conversation is on the DON’TS for our pets during the festive season.
1) Incorrect feeding
Ah, yes, we fill our food cupboards and refrigerators with goodies and specialty foods, and we have this fixation with over-stuffing ourselves during the festive season. I am convinced that many of us carry our gourmand self-indulgence over to our pets. We want them to be in that blissful state of satiety that we enjoy, and we generously provide them with special treats and our Christmas goodies (or residue therefrom).
Bluntly speaking, this is all wrong, and is deleterious to the animal’s wellbeing. Dogs and cats couldn’t care less if there are no gifts of garlic pork/beef on Christmas Day or Boxing Day. They would be just as happy if they received their usual bland fare. (I say “bland” because the food that we give our companion animals should be free of spices, since some spices can trigger allergic reactions).
Scientists from the largest pet food manufacturers in the world, and who represent the foremost companion animal nutrition research institutes on the planet, advise that over 50 per cent of all ailments among pets stems from incorrect nutrition. I am certain that the figure is well over 80 per cent during Christmas. Concomitantly, there are reactions, and pet owners will go into a state of panic and anguish, reporting that “Rover/Felix” has “just” developed a “life-threatening” malady, which is, in truth, a reaction to a piece of chocolate or some such incorrect bit of feeding. The moral of the story is that there is absolutely no need to overfeed or extra-feed your pets during the holiday season. Feed your companion animals the normal diet.
2) Scaring pets with explosives
I know that it will not be Christmas if we don’t involve ourselves with squibs, sparklers, firecrackers, and an assortment of explosive devices. We sometimes even involve our pets in these undertakings just to observe how they react to torture!
I cannot over-emphasise the fact that dogs and cats have sensitive ears. The noises from the explosions disorient and traumatise them. They do not know what to do; they cannot cope with the unexpected and loud sounds. They run indoors and through glass doors, and hide in secluded places which they think can afford them security (bathrooms, under beds, in cupboards, etc). They jump from verandahs and hurt themselves. They run away from home (you can see them wandering around our roads, lost and with anxious /frantic looks) and are struck down by uncaring motorists. They may reside in Kitty and be found a day later, dazed and bedraggled, in South Ruimveldt.
Tying a firecracker to a dog’s tail is an offence under the law. One can be charged, and the offender could be incarcerated. The terrorizing of dogs and cats is not a joke. If a friend wants to commit such an act of barbarism, distance yourself from that friend. He/she must not be a friend. Such a person is certifiably sick and needs psychiatric help.
Simply put, exposing a pet to squibs, firecrackers, or any type of explosive device is one of the greatest cruelties one can administer to an animal.
I am again pleading with you, and to the authorities, to effect measures that would give our country’s animals a less torturous period of anxiety, fear, discomfort, disorientation, and all the associated maladies that arise from the “thunderous” noises of the explosive sounds and experimentation of the use of squibs/ firecrackers directly on them.
3) Christmas baths
Dogs should not be given baths often. Cats (who groom themselves constantly) hardly ever need baths. It seems that pet owners, having cleaned up their houses totally for Christmas, feel compelled to remain in the cleaning mood. God help ‘Rover’, the cleaning frenzy is on. ‘Rover’ and ‘Felix’ get dunked into the big basin or under the standpipe. Of course, the drying might pose a problem – especially during the December rains. The animal may then be placed in a draught – and a ‘cold’ is the result. If you feel that something must be done to your animal’s coat during Christmas, then brush it. Good grooming devices detangle hair, stimulate the skin, and promote a glossy hair coat. Moreover, grooming is a therapeutic experience for both the owner (including children) and pet, and fosters the human/animal bond.
4) Toys
When shopping, there is really no need to buy any toy for your pet. But if you must, please purchase playthings that are recommended for your breed and size of pet, and (i) are not easily destroyed, (ii) if ingested, will cause no harm, and (iii) are not powered electrically when in use (plugged into an electrical outlet).
Associated with toys are the decorations that adorn our homes, to which our pets may take a liking. They may chew on tinsel, ornaments, wrapping paper, ribbons, hooks, etc., which would lodge in the gut it swallowed, leading to emergencies requiring surgery. Large dogs may even tug at, and topple, your Christmas tree. Please do your utmost to curb access to such items, and/or supervise your pets when they are in close proximity of them.
Let me use this week’s “Pet Care” column to tell all my old, new, and potential friends that (i) I would really like to enjoy some rest and reading during the holidays; and (ii) I am getting crotchetier (Ha!Ha!Ha!) as the Christmases go by (this will be my 54th Christmas “helping out” as a veterinarian), so I am quite prepared to bite/scratch anybody who brings a dog/cat to me on Christmas Day or New Year’s Eve due to ill-advised feeding/treatment; unless it is a genuine emergency.
Maybe, I should have titled this article “What not to do to Vets during Christmas!”
Enjoy your Christmas preparations!
