Pet owners need to be especially aware of the potential dangers that the holiday season brings to your dogs, cats, and other animals. Your pet could decide that your Christmas decorations look tasty. Now is a good time to check to see what your pet insurance policy covers.
If your family celebrates Christmas, then you have probably spent quite a bit of time decorating your home in anticipation of that holiday. The human members of your family are very aware of exactly how many days are left before Christmas. Your pets, on the other hand, might be confused about just what all that new stuff in the living room is. They might decide that some of it is food.
Dogs are notorious for eating items that are definitely not food. A large portion of the pets that get nominated for the VPI Hambone Award are dogs that ate something that they never should have eaten. The creation of this reward was inspired by a dog who was stuck inside a refrigerator. While waiting to be rescued, the dog ate an entire Thanksgiving ham. His owners had pet insurance from VPI, and the dog was treated, and survived.
The winner of the most recent Hambone Award was a Pug named Harley, who decided to eat more than 100 rocks. The previous winner was a Labrador named Ellie who ate an entire beehive, (as well as the bees who were still inside it). Before that, the winner was a Bulldog named Lulu, who ate fifteen pacifiers, a bottle cap, and a piece of a basketball.
The point I am trying to make is that pets can make some really bad decisions about what they should, and shouldn’t, eat. Often, pets who eat something that wasn’t food end up requiring emergency medical care. This can get expensive for pet owners, unless they have a pet insurance policy. You can think of pet insurance as a health insurance plan for your dogs, cats, and exotic animals.
Surgery to remove a foreign object from your pet’s stomach can cost $1,472 (on average). If the thing your pet ate has to be removed from the pet’s intestine, the surgery can be more expensive. That would cost $1,910 (on average). Obviously, your poor dog or cat will be absolutely miserable after eating something that wasn’t pet food.
Pet owners need to make sure that they frequently check on their Christmas ornaments and other decorations. If one is missing, or if one is broken (and you can’t locate all the pieces), there is a chance that your dog decided to eat it.
It is also possible that your pet ate a decoration without leaving a trace for you to find. If your dog suddenly appears depressed, or has lost interest in eating or drinking, this could be a sign that he or she has ingested a foreign, non-food, object. If your dog has started vomiting, or having diarrhea, this could be another sign. It is wise to consult your vet soon after you notice these symptoms.
Dogs might also decide that the chocolate santas are something good to eat, (foil wrapping and all). Chocolate might be good for humans to eat, but it can be lethal for pets. Make sure you put away all the chocolate this Christmas, so that your pets won’t eat it, and become seriously ill.
Image by David Jones on Flickr