Vets warn of dangers to pets during festive season and summer heat

20 Dec 2011 - Veterinarians from the University of Melbourne are warning pet owners to take special care of their pets during the festive season and the hot summer holidays. Sasha Herbert of the University of Melbourne Veterinary Hospital in Werribee explains that festive occasions like Christmas can be exciting and full of treats for us, but full of new dangers for pets. "It is very important that pet owners are aware of the risks around the holiday season and take measures to ensure the safety of pets," Herbert said. "Around the Christmas holidays there are dangerous toys and food to eat and summer dangers such as heat exhaustion, tick and snake bites." Some of the main risks to pets over the holiday season are from food including ingestion of cooked bones and Christmas decorations that can cause intestinal obstruction, and pancreatitis from fatty meals. "Many owners also don't realise that whilst we enjoy a chocolate treat, small amounts, particularly of dark chocolate are poisonous to pets. So is the onion that may be going into your stuffing," Herbert said. "Visitors also may mean escaped animals from gates being left open, chemical burns from cleaning products used to spruce up our homes and of course New Year firework terrors that send some animals into a frenzy." Trips out of town mean pets may encounter paralysis ticks in East Gippsland and further north towards Sydney.