Randhurst Animal Hospital

212 East Rand Rd.,

Mt. Prospect, IL 60056

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847-398-5800

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Mon - Fri: 8am • 7pm | Sat: 9am • 2pm

Happy December!

Dara's Corner | The Monthly Meow

Happy December!

Happy December to all you humans! Is it just me, or do the holidays always seem to sneak up each year? Wasn’t it just Halloween?!?! With so much to do to prepare yourself and your home for Christmas, it can be easy to forget that the holiday season can also affect your pets. Sure they don’t have gifts to get, rooms to clean, and food to cook … but still, we have to make sure everyone is greeted and loved on, and that can be quite stressful. I have thought a lot about what I need to tell you for this holiday season, and there is a LOT. I will start you off with a scene… The Holiday Feast.

For many of us, celebrating the holidays and eating good food are synonymous. Make sure to not leave desserts out on low-lying tables or near the edge of countertops. Be sure your guests and children are similarly cautious. The last thing we want to do is take your furry friend to the animal ER. Though the fruitcake (thankfully) has mostly gone out of fashion, there are a number of other popular holiday deserts that contain currants and raisins, including various cookies and cakes, like yummy Stollen, Panettone, and Christmas Puddings. While these dried fruits can add a little sweet chewiness to your desserts, they can also be highly toxic to your dog’s kidneys. It doesn’t affect all dogs, but we aren’t sure what it is that can harm them.

Let’s talk about Christmas trees, my personal favorite holiday decoration. Most cats like me, want to scurry up the tree up to the top and knock down as many ornaments as we can, but sadly, that is not what the humans want. Both dogs and cats enjoy chewing on the limbs, and oils from fir trees can irritate the inside of their mouths, causing drooling and vomiting. Ingested pine needles can collect together creating an intestinal obstruction or potentially puncture the intestine, leading to a painful condition called peritonitis. OUCH! Overall, I love the holiday season.

There is just so much to look out for with me and my furry friends. If you get any cool gifts feel free to send us a pic! Talk to you next year!

Xoxo, DaraKumar

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Randhurst Animal Hospital

Randhurst Animal Hospital