It's that time of year....

Well, pretty much every time of year is "that time of year" for toxicities.  As discussed in a previous post:   Spot ate Pot? And other toxicities...  Chocolate is most common one people are aware of, but that's really rather dose dependent and is not one that keeps me up at night.  Raisins,  xylitol, anti-freeze and "foreign bodies" are the things that give my heart a flutter.  Also, ham bones and other things that can get stuck in teeth and in the stomach.  One Christmas, I even saw a Jack Russell Terrier who ate a deep fried turkey that weighed as much as he did (sometimes I think dogs' stomachs defy science).  Try to be careful about what is on the counter, under the tree or what your guests feed. When in doubt, keep your dog kenneled or shut in a "safe" place.  There's nothing like a several hundred dollar emergency bill and time in the ER on the holiday to spoil the Christmas spirit.

Not too long ago, I was speaking with my son's preschool teachers and they were amazed that dogs are even more creative than toddlers with what they will put in their mouth.  Oftentimes when we are looking for chocolate and we make a dog "fess up" by inducing vomiting, we will get action figures, hair ties and even once some underwear that no one knew was missing.  I once had a dog come in to be spayed, until her pre-op pain medication made her nauseous and I discovered she had eaten a whole ceramic planter, complete with dirt.  Yep, we delayed that surgery.

So as you get ready for the holidays, make sure you dog proof your house, which is actually one step above toddler proofing...