As we approach the holiday season we see many animals in our clinic for gastrointestinal issues. This means pets with symptoms such as diarrhea, constipation, inflammation in the intestines, and more. These issues arise when your pet is eating things they are not supposed to. Let me put this into perspective, at Thanksgiving dinner the baby may drop some food on the floor or a niece or nephew is slipping the dog food while you’re not watching. The food that we consume can and will irritate your dogs stomach which is why we discourage feeding table food. Sharing green beans with your animal is a lot more dangerous than you think; the sugar, seasoning, butter, and other additives to these foods can cause irritation of the GI-tract and lead to extreme symptoms. If you absolutely must feed your pet a portion of your holiday meal, make sure it is unseasoned and non-poisonous. We also highly discourage giving chicken, duck, turkey, or any type of bone to your pet; this can cause damage such as choking, internal bleeding due to the bone splintering, or intestinal obstruction meaning a blockage in the intestines. If any of these things occur we recommend taking your pet to an emergency veterinary clinic such as All City Pet Care Emergency in Sioux Falls, here they have the proper resources and staff to treat these problems.

Now, it’s not always possible to stop your pet from eating things they are not supposed to. So what do you do if this occurs? It’s possible your pet ate the piece of food you dropped while cooking in the kitchen or your pet could not resist the smell of the delicious food and has scavenged through the trash. If any of these things occur give us a call at 605-665-9441 and we will be able to discuss your options. Many times if there are symptoms such as diarrhea or constipation we have medication on hand to assist with these issues. Sometimes, a simple change to a prescription diet can work wonders for certain pets. We also have vaccinations that can help guard against viruses that cause these symptoms; for our dogs this will be the distemper parvo and corona vaccinations, for our cats this will be the cvr-c vaccination. When a pet is seen for gastrointestinal issues there are many different ways to treat, which is why it is important to contact us so we can diagnose and give you the best options. Before giving any table food it is also important to look up if the food is poisonous. If your pet has ingested something poisonous call the ASPCA Poison Control Hotline at 888-426-4435 and they will be able to direct you on how to help your pet. Be safe with your pets this holiday season, and do not hesitate to call us at 605-665-9441 if there are any questions, comments, or concerns. 

ASPCA Pointon Control: https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/aspca-poison-control

All City Pet Care Emergency, Sioux Falls: (605) 335-4004