Last week, I had several visitors to the clinic with Christmas on their mind. Mixer, a four-month-old kitten, had just been adopted from an animal shelter as a Christmas present for a little girl.

Captain the Boxer was brought in suffering from vomiting and diarrhoea. And Lou and Cleo, two large cats from France, were being prepared for a stopover at the local kennels.

Mixer had been planned a while ago as the perfect gift for a girl who had long wanted a pet. Her parents wisely decided that with her school holidays coming up, it would be the perfect time to introduce a new kitten to the household.

‘A pet is for life, not just for Christmas’ is a well-known maxim. Indeed, buying or adopting a pet at any time of year should come only after plenty of consideration as to the lifestyle of all the family members. Giving pets as gifts to children only to have them become the responsibility of the parents does not quite cut it and many animal sanctuaries report cases of dogs and cats being turned in after a few months and even two or three years later once the pets are no longer cute puppies and kittens.

Nevertheless, there are many children who genuinely love animals and learn to become responsible pet owners even at a young age. I have admired many of them who turn up at the clinic with one or both of their parents for the very first check-up. These children will invariably listen very attentively about caring for their new friend. And so it was with Mixer’s young owner.

But just as important as learning about the care of the kitten was that her parents had decided to give their daughter an early Christmas present rather than surprising her with the cat on Christmas Day. There are three reasons for such a cautious approach. Giving a pet on Christmas morning as a surprise for a child introduces to the household a new pet that might be scared and anxious on a day that is typically full of noisy excitement and distraction.

Buying or adopting a pet should come only after plenty of consideration

It also tends to give the child the wrong message that a pet is a toy rather than an animal companion that needs to be cared for. And while children are usually delighted to be given a new pet, there would as yet have been no time to assess the relationship dynamics between the two. What if Mixer had turned out to have a volatile temperament? Thankfully, Mixer’s young owner and her parents had taken the time to find just the right cat well in advance of Christmas Day.

Not only was he a beautiful, black, long-coated kitten, but he also had a very calm disposition, which augured well. His check-up revealed no sign of disease or infection, so he was then vaccinated and proudly borne home.

Unlike Mixer, Captain’s vomiting episode was entirely unplanned and its violence totally took the family by surprise. When, within a couple of hours, he had also developed the runs, he was quickly brought in. I’d met him before. A beautiful, wide-chested boxer in his prime, he had just turned three when I saw him last. But this time, he had to be carried into the clinic.

We carefully went over Captain’s food intake that day and that’s when one of the family members mentioned that Captain had stolen a box of chocolates while they were out and scoffed the lot. Captain’s owners were unaware that chocolate can be toxic to dogs.

Dogs, and especially puppies, will eat anything. It comes from their ancestral need to eat whatever becomes available just in case several days of fasting will follow. They also have a superior sense of smell so, if chocolate smells good to us, it smells even better to them.

Unfortunately, while we generally digest chocolate very well, the cocoa used to make chocolate is actually poisonous to dogs – the darker the chocolate, the healthier for us, but the more poisonous for them because it contains more cocoa.

Captain’s owners were unable to tell me what type of chocolate their dog had ingested. Either way, I was not taking chances. Left untreated, chocolate toxicity can lead to increasingly serious symptoms, ranging from irregular heartbeat, spasms and even seizures. Very serious cases can be fatal.

Captain was given the standard treatment for poisoning and, after a couple of days of complete rest and quiet, he was back on his feet. Captain’s family has now banned chocolate from the house, but it is not only chocolate that you need to look out for.

Holly, poinsettias and various berry shrubs are all associated with Christmas. The fruit of these plants may be a cause of danger to curious or naughty pets. Ingestion of these plants may result in a wide range of problems, from gastro-intestinal upsets all the way to breathing difficulties and nerve damage. Christmas also brings with it Christmas trees, decorations and lights. It is important that you prevent your dog from having access to power cables within easy reach. And then, of course, there is the Christmas turkey. Or rather, the leftover carcass.

It’s a common and unfortunate occurrence to get dogs severely constipated after being fed leftover turkey bones. The high mineral content of bones can produce stools that are rock hard and that will need either enemas to dislodge or, failing that, surgical removal. Any toys that you give to your pet for Christmas should be carefully considered for safety reasons such as entanglement or fragility.

Poinsettias may be a cause of danger to curious pets

My third Christmas case was more routine than the others, but it was one that happens every Christmas. Lou and Cleo’s owner was going away and their usual cat sitter was not available. I would normally suggest that, whenever possible, cats stay at home as they do not generally take to a change of environment.

There are a number of experienced pet sitters on the island who will visit your home to feed, check on and change the cat litter. It is imperative that the pet sitter comes with good references. Dogs are more likely to be put into kennels. With canines, kennel cough is a highly contagious disease which bears its name due to its prevalence to occur where many dogs are housed together, as happens in kennels.

It should also be considered among dogs taken to dog shows or dog parks. Dogs suffering from kennel cough can have a wide range of symptoms, with a harsh dry cough being the classical symptom. Vaccination is easy and, nowadays, mandatory before going into kennels, so you need to plan at least three weeks in advance.

Thanks to their caring owners, Mixer, Captain and Lou and Cleo are all going to have a healthy and happy Christmas this year.

thisweekwiththevet@gmail.com

Dr Martin Debattista is a veterinary surgeon.

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