How to keep your pet’s Holiday “Ho-Ho-Ho!” from turning into a Holiday “Holy sh*t!”

Hello, Patch Pet Lovers!

Another outstanding blog post by Mollie Morrissette!!! 

How to keep your pet’s Holiday “Ho-Ho-Ho!” from turning into a Holiday “Holy sh*t!”

Aah, Christmas, that special time of year when the whole family, including the furry family members, gathers for fun, food, and lots of good cheer. While the human family is busy decorating, baking, wrapping gifts, and eating themselves into a larger clothing size, the furry family members eagerly anticipate the holiday goodies just for them, their paw-shaped stockings having been stuffed with care containing only the safest non-toxic toys and treats.

But not everyone knows what a toxin-free environment looks like, and even for those that do, the holidays can prove to be a minefield of temptation. With advertisers luring consumers with tantalizing treats, cheap and cheerful decorations from every corner, mesmerizing even the most savvy shopper into buying silly trinkets in hopes of materializing the fantasy of the ideal Christmas; Even the sturdiest of eco-friendly grass-fed vegans can be overwhelmed by slick marketing and social pressure to indulge in holiday goodies that are anything but good for them.

From cheerful red toys to festive green balls, colored pet toys are de rigueur for the style-conscious pet shopper during the holiday season. But, what many petshionistas don’t know is that those products may be tainted with high levels of lead – and the brighter and shinier they are, the more dangerous they probably are.

Pet products in red, green, yellow and orange are more likely to be contaminated than those in darker or more muted colors. Use of lead salts to create these brilliant hues is common in the manufacture of inexpensive vinyl and plastic products.

While manufacturers whine that product testing would place a heavy burden on them, and that it would increase the cost of the product – their real concern is not the cost imposed on their customers, but for their profit margin. Because they know as long as consumers remain ignorant of the danger that cheap products pose, there will continue to be a demand for them and careless and irresponsible manufacturers will continue to profit from them.

Fortunately, most educated pet parent consumers will choose, even demand, non-toxic pet products. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand that if you buy products that have been thoroughly tested and are made with non-toxic or organic materials, there’s undoubtedly going to be an extra cost, but considering the alternative – who gives a shit?

Despite Santa’s slavish devotion to selecting only the safest toys and treats and while he scrupulously vetted all his pet toys and treats to be safe and wholesome by making sure none were made with dangerous chemicals or materials, accidents can happen.

Even though Santa made sure that none of the products in your pet’s stocking contained chemicals like flame retardants, formaldehyde, cadmium, mercury, lead, phthalates, dioxins, bisphenol A and illegal animal drugs,  a pet can sometimes turn the most benign toy into the toy from hell.

Would you know what to do if your pet started accidentally got a ball, a bone or other pet toy caught in their throat? It can and does happen, and it can happen so suddenly that most people panic, and don’t act quickly enough.

Like humans, pets can pig-out on too many treats as well, or even swallow them whole, and those treats, whether biscuits, raw hides, pig ears, or jerky sticks can get stuck in the trachea or gastrointestinal tract , particularly in small dogs.

If a piece of pet treat gets stuck in your pet’s windpipe, you will probably notice your pet frantically paw at its mouth. Severe tracheal blockages are common, especially around the holidays, and all are life threatening. It’s important that you do not wait for veterinary assistance, as your pet’s life may depend on it because your pet can quickly suffocate to death from choking.

This may seem like obvious advice, but be careful when dealing with a choking dog or cat, as even calm animals will panic when they cannot breathe. Protect yourself by restraining the cat or dog, but do not muzzle it.

1. Use both hands to open the mouth, with one hand on the upper jaw and the other on the lower.
2. Grasping the jaws, press the lips over the dog’s teeth so that they are between the teeth and your fingers.
3. Look inside the mouth and remove the obstruction with your fingers.
4. If you can’t move the object with your fingers, use a flat spoon handle to pry it away from the teeth or roof of the mouth.

If the pet is still choking and you can’t see anything in the mouth, or the pet has fallen unconscious, follow step number two:

If you act quickly, you can perform the Heimlich maneuver on your pet, almost as you would a human that is choking:

1. If the pet is standing, put your arms around her belly, joining your hands. Make a fist, push firmly up, and forward, just behind the rib cage. Place the pet on her side afterward.
2. If the pet is lying down, place one hand on the back for support and use the other hand to squeeze the abdomen upwards and forwards. Make sure the pets head is not tucked to her chest and is facing forward, opening the tracheal passageway.
3. If the pet is already unconscious you can still perform the Heimlich while the patient is laying on its side.
4. Check the pet’s mouth and remove any object that may have been dislodged with your fingers.

Please watch this informative video on the proper way to perform the Heimlich Maneuver on a dog from University of Pennsylvania, School of Veterinary Medicine:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=-YXGj8X89bw

Related Posts

• All natural, handmade pet toys & clothing by Etsy for Animals artists
• More than half of toys tested in China contain toxins, posing danger to children & pets
• North Pole Foreclosure: Santa Forced to Relocate to China
• How to Dress Your Cat for Christmas and Other Holiday Horrors
• A Party Poopers Guide to Christmas: How to Avoid Toxic Trees and Other Holiday Horrors for Pets
• Santa's Stellar Guide to Toxin-Free Toy Shopping for Pet Parents
• Etsy for Animals Top Santa Paws' Really, Really Nice List
• Pet Toys Made in China Made Santa's Very Naughty List
• Santa Paws Puts Poisonous Pet Treats from China on His Naughty List
• Meowy Christmas from Santa Claws and All His Furry Little Elves!
• A Christmas Story to Warm the Withered Heart of Scrooge
• Wishing You and Your Fur Family the Merriest of Christmases

Find me on: Association For Truth in Pet Food | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Subscribe

Hi, I'm Mollie the author of Poisoned Pets where I cover the critically under-reported subject of pet food safety. What makes Poisoned Pets unique is that it is an independent journal without any affiliation to the pet food industry. I am also the co-founder of the Association for Truth in Pet Food a consumer advocacy organization committed to reforming the pet food industry.

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Helping to keep beloved furry babies healthy and safe... and pet parents informed!

Wishing everyone lots of furry fun and precious purring moments throughout the holiday season! 

Lori

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