Holiday Festivities with the ACHS

This week begins the holiday season, and leading the pack is Thanksgiving, followed by Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, Solstice, Yule, and New Year's. And it's always wonderful to get your pets in on the celebrations, as well as some safety tips to keep in mind for the upcoming holiday celebrations.

Coming up on December 9th is our "Santa Clause and Paws" event. For a $10 minimum donation, you and your beloved pet can get your photos taken with Santa Clause. You will recieve a four inch by six inch photo in a special holiday folder. This event runs from 4 PM to 8 PM at the Market on State Street (formerly the University Mall) in Athens.

All pets must be up to date on their vaccinations and properly contained under their owner's control by leash or carrier. Owners are responsible for cleaning up after their pets, otherwise they will be placed on Santa's "Naughty" list and have to deal with a present far worse than coal.

There is nothing better about the holidays (aside, of course, from our Clause and Paws event!) than food. With very few exceptions, holidays are the time to indulge in some of the most luxuriously spiced and seasoned foods of the year. But these foods can also lead to illness when given to pets.

Avoid giving table scraps to your pets, and discourage guests from doing so. These scraps, particularly the high seasoning and fat content, can cause vomiting, diarrhea and in some cases, inflammation of the pancreas, also called pancreatitis. This is a life threatening condition that requires immediate veterinary attention.

But don't think it's just the meat that's a problem. Turkey bones, and all poultry bones, can easily splinter and cause throat or bowel perforations. Double bag the bones and keep them out of reach of your pets. If wild animals or neglected animals frequently raid your trash, avoid placing scraps and bones out until trash day, or consider chaining and locking your trash can lids to discourage these animals from coming to harm.

Those of us with dogs (and some particularly lanky and intrepid cats) may be familiar with the sport known as "Counter Surfing". Be aware that your animals cannot resist the call of holiday food any more than your Great Aunt Margaret. Keep an eye on them, and keep your scraps out of access, and you'll be fine.

Avoid allowing your animals to ingest alcoholic drinks. This may seem like a no-brainer, but to a cat egg nog can seem like a special treat just for them, and it takes only a moment before they are lapping away at it. Animals' livers do not work in the same way the human liver does, and allowing your animal to drink even a small bit of alcohol can cause some serious harm.

This isn't to say you can't let your animals in on the food festivities, though. Place a dollop of packed pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling) on top of their food. They will love you for it!

Have a safe, happy holiday season! We hope to see you at our Santa Clause and Paws event!