6 minute read
Pets
Keep your pets safe from harm this Christmas
By Lynn Broom Longmead Veterinary Practice
IT’S that time of year where we all get together and eat our own body weight in food. Our pets want to be involved but we need to be cautious about any sudden changes to their routine to prevent problems.
Giving treats in moderation is fine but making large changes to their diet for one day can have disastrous effects on their digestive system. This may be as simple as causing a mild colitis but diarrhoea on the carpet when the house is full is not ideal. At worst, gut effects may include vomiting leading to dehydration and/or pancreatitis which often require veterinary involvement. Both you, your pet and your vet would prefer not to have to come into the practice on Christmas Day.
Christmas often involves relatives coming to stay. Older relatives are often on medications and many of these are toxic to pets if ingested. Please ensure that medications are kept carefully locked away to avoid accidental ingestion and any dropped tablets are found and disposed of.
With all the excitement of present opening and coordinating 15 courses for dinner, your pets can be left less well monitored. If they do accidentally eat something potentially toxic, intervention such as inducing vomiting is time dependent, and finding that something was eaten several
Companions at Peace Pet Cremation
At this time of year especially
We remember the pets that have crossed to Rainbow Bridge, and those many owners with poorly or elderly pets who are hoping to be able to spend one more Christmas with them… Our thoughts are with you all. Should you need us over the Christmas period, we will be available to collect or receive pets which have passed and, as always, we are here to help you through this sad and difficult time. Christmas Opening Hours
Christmas Eve .................................................................... 10.00-12.00 Christmas Day ........................... Emergency Out of Hours Service Boxing Day ................................. Emergency Out of Hours Service 27th December 2022 ........................................................ 10.00-12.00 New Year’s Eve .................................................................... 10.00-12.00 New Year’s Day ........................... Emergency Out of Hours Service 2nd January 2023 ............................................................... 10.00-12.00 Emergency Out of Hours Service: 07900 654440
Wishing you all a peaceful Christmas and thank you for supporting the work we do Independent family run business offering a very personal, caring pet cremation service to bereaved pet owners. Collection Service Farewell Room
Located in a rural countryside setting on the Somerset Dorset border Contact us on: 07900 654 440 www.companionsatpeace.co.uk
Alcohol is more toxic to pets than to humans PHOTO: Patou Ricard/Pixabay hours earlier reduces the options for treatment and increases the risk of symptoms which may be life threatening depending on what has been eaten.
A reminder that anything that contains raisins, currants or sultanas has the potential to cause irreversible kidney failure and, as many Christmas dishes contain these, extreme care must be taken to prevent ingestion.
Most people know the risks of chocolate but, to clarify, white chocolate contains no cocoa powder so is no more toxic than other sweets, and milk chocolates combined with soft centres and so on have very low levels of cocoa powder, so toxicity is low – unless a lot has been eaten or your pet is small. Dark chocolate is potentially highly toxic and even small amounts in large dogs can be fatal. Foods containing xylitol – a sweetener – can cause very low glucose levels and potentially fatal liver damage in dogs. Many more drinks and foods, particularly sweets, contain this these days and it is essential that products containing it are not fed to dogs. Alcohol is also more toxic to pets than to us. It may be funny to see a tipsy dog but life threatening symptoms can develop in pets which have drunk – or ingested – alcoholic drinks or food. Please be careful where alcoholic drinks are left so that they do not get drunk accidentally. Christmas will – it is hoped – be enjoyed by everyone, including your pets, if you take simple steps to ensure their safety and prevent unwanted visits to the vet or worse.
CANARIES £13 each. 01963 33156
BEDLINGTON TERRIER
PUPPIES 3 boys left available ready late January 07855 676434/07968 639640
SPRINGER SPANIEL PUPS,
ready now. Westbury area 07932 061202
FOX RED LABRADOR PUPPIES, ready for their new homes. £1500 Call 07715 500776
MUCKY PUPS DOG GROOMER Friars Moor Sturminster Newton Contact Gloria 07784 332682 muckypupsfrance@yahoo.com http://muckypups-bee-online.com 15 years experience in dog grooming
Contact us 01963 to advertise 400186
MID DORSET BRANCH CATS PROTECTION Cats looking for new homes
Kevin, one. A very confident happy boy who needs to learn some boundaries
Tigger, four. A gorgeous tabby and white boy, very friendly and affectionate
Fudge, four. Looking for an understanding home to call his own
Trigger, two, Gorgeous ‘chucky’ chap who was found as a stray Buttons, ten. Super sweet, yet a little shy
Pickle, 12. Pickle is a sweet gentle lady Sausage, five months, Very sweet-natured little cat who loves being stroked
Shadow, one. Looking for a home in the country where she has outside space with sheds or barns
Boots, eight. Boots is very confident and loves a good fuss made of him Schnitzel, five months. He wants attention but is not quite brave enough to come forward for it yet
Bonnie, 14. A sweet ‘chunky’ older lady who came to us through no fault of her own
LOST CATS
If you have lost a cat, please contact us via our website, phone or Facebook.
Please make sure we have a contact phone number so we can get in touch with you quickly if needed. n Black, small cat missing from Alder Hills area since 11 November.
FOUND CATS
If you regularly see a cat in your garden or in the street that you don’t think has an owner, please give us a call – it might be a lost cat that could be reunited with its owner. n White with black markings – Leigh Common, Wimborne.
We are still offering neutering and micro-chipping for £5 in postcode areas DT10 and DT11, SP7 and SP8, and BH21. Phone: 01258 268695.
BEHAVIOUR TIPS
Tip #30: Puppy series housetraining
By Helen Taylor
AS with almost all puppy training, the key with housetraining is not to let puppy practice behaviours we do not want in adult dogs – in this case, toileting in the house. To housetrain your puppy in the shortest time possible, set a timer and take him out more often than the shortest interval between pees – often 15 minutes at eight weeks old – stay outside with pup until he pees or ten minutes have passed. Reward every pee outside with a high value food treat and quiet praise. After peeing, he can be allowed a bit of freedom in the house – supervised. As the next pee time approaches, either take him out again and repeat, or if he is due a rest or you cannot supervise him for an hour or two, confine him in his crate. When you let him out of his confinement area, take him straight outside and repeat the wait/pee/ treat then freedom routine. At night, for the first couple of weeks, sleep next to his cage so you can hear him stir and take him out in the night if needed so that he does not learn to practice crying to get out, or toileting on any indoor substrate – for example, newspaper, pads.
n Helen Taylor BSc(Hons) ADipCBM; certificated Clinical Animal Behaviourist (CCAB); ABTC register of Clinical Animal Behaviourists and Animal Training Instructors; full member APBC & APDT (881); phone: 07951 985193; help@helentaylordorset.co.uk; www. helentaylordorset.co.uk
MID DORSET CATS PROTECTION
Loving homes needed for cats and kittens in our care.
