skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, March 29, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Holidays Can Be Hazardous for Your Pets

play audio
Play

Tuesday, December 20, 2011   

DES MOINES, Iowa - Holiday treats are for people, not dogs. That's the message from veterinarians this month, reminding pet owners that holidays can be a hazardous time for animals.

Lindsay Seilheimer, a veterinarian at the University of Illinois Chicago Center for Veterinary Medicine, says too many people harm their pets just by treating them, and feeding them, like people during the holidays.

"You know, they're celebrating and they want their pets to celebrate with them, so they want to give them some of their table food, and it's just not a good idea."

She says the high-fat foods that are typical holiday fare can lead to inflammation of the pancreas, which can make dogs sick and cause them a lot of pain. She adds animal treats are best for dogs: the flour, nuts, raisins and chocolate in "people treats" can be dangerous to them.

Seilheimer also says you can't just let your dogs hang out with a bunch of the neighbor dogs at a holiday party. It hardly ever goes well.

"You always want to have a controlled introduction with dogs on leash, because they're not necessarily all going to get along. And we do see bite wounds that way, especially over food and toys."

For cats, Seilheimer says, just about everything on the Christmas tree is a health hazard. Tinsel and string can block their intestines and sometimes, cats even eat tree needles, which can cause big problems.

"There have been a few cats who eat a bunch of it, and the needles sort of all conglomerate in one area in the stomach, and then they need surgery to remove that."

She says occasionally, people even try to give their pets a sip of their holiday mixed drinks, which is also a bad idea.

If you think your animal has ingested something toxic, call your vet or the ASPCA's 24-hour poison control center, at 1-888-4-ANI-Help.

Holiday animal safety tips are at tinyurl.com/7tzml96.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments this week about the popular abortion pill Mifepristone and will weigh in on whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was correct in how it can be dosed and prescribed. (Ascannio/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Missouri residents are worried about future access to birth control. The latest survey from The Right Time, an initiative based in Missouri…


Social Issues

play sound

Wisconsin children from low-income families are now on track to get nutritious foods over the summer. Federal officials have approved the Badger …

Social Issues

play sound

Almost 2,900 people are unsheltered on any given night in the Beehive State. Gov. Spencer Cox is celebrating signing nine bills he says are geared …


The U.S. teaching workforce remains primarily white while the percentage of Black teachers has declined. However, the percentage of Asian and Latinx teachers is rising.(WavebreakMediaMicro/Adobestock)

Social Issues

play sound

Education advocates are calling on lawmakers to increase funding for programs to combat the teacher shortage. Around 37% of schools nationwide …

Environment

play sound

New York's Legislature is considering a bill to get clean-energy projects connected to the grid faster. It's called the RAPID Act, for "Renewable …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021