The cake boxes are filled with the most wonderful things. There is plenty of fatty food in the fridge. The Christmas tree is fully decorated in the living room, and just waiting to get a bunch of presents under the hem of the skirt. The presents under the Christmas tree can quickly be opened before Christmas Eve if you have animals in the house. Photo: Shutterstock Everything is in place for a perfect Christmas, but if you have a cat or dog, the house can be a minefield. Silje Hvarnes works as a vet at Holmestrand Animal Clinic and has met many desperate owners at Christmas time. Veterinarian Silje Hvarnes gives tips on how Christmas can be a good time for both those with two and four legs. Photo: Helena Rønning / news – Once a distraught owner came in with a dog of the Bichon Frisé type. It had taken in 13 raisins and was about to iron it out. Hvarnes has some advice so that Christmas will be cozy for both those on two and four legs. Fatty Christmas food and leftover bones Ribs, pork chops and turkey are the highlight of Christmas for many, but don’t throw it in the food bowl. Too much fat from ribs and pork chops is a regular occurrence at Christmas, says Hvarnes. Do not give a lot of fatty food to the animals at Christmas. It can cause your dog or cat to become ill. Photo: VEGARD T. BLAKSTAD / news – It can end with inflammation of the pancreas leading to acute illness in the dog or cat, and a less pleasant visit to the vet. It can go well for many years, until it no longer does, according to Hvarnes. A leg that gets stuck is not a good experience for either dog or owner. Photo: Colorbox She also adds that ribs can get stuck in the dog’s throat. One should also be careful with turkey meat, the skin is poisonous to dogs and cats. Do you give your pet Christmas food? Yes, get the same as the rest of the family. Well, get a little taste of Christmas Eve. No, you only get dry food/wet food throughout Christmas. Show result Christmas cakes and sweets There are many temptations that are presented at Christmas. It is yeast dough and other goodies that tempt voracious four-legged friends throughout Christmas. Chocolate can be fatal to your pet if the amount is large enough. Photo: Helle Therese Kongsrud They can’t stand chocolate. And dark chocolate is absolutely the worst, according to Hvarnes. – Chocolate contains something called theomobrin, which is found in the cocoa beans and is toxic to dogs and cats. Only 140 grams of dark chocolate can kill a 25 kilo dog. Put cakes and sweets somewhere where the animals can’t get hold of them, advises Hvarnes. There is an abundance of cakes and sweets at Christmas, but make sure that it ends up in the right stomach. Photo: news Christmas flowers Both dogs and cats can find new plants in the house exciting, and may be tempted to take a bite or two. Then it’s good to know that most Christmas flowers are more or less poisonous. Most of the flowers we associate with Christmas are poisonous. Photo: Lena Høyberg / news If the dog or cat eats a Christmas flower and is really unlucky, they can actually die, according to Hvarnes. This applies to: Amaryllis Christmas star Christmas rose Tulip Hyacinth/Swibel Mistletoe – It should certainly be allowed to decorate, but make sure that four-legged animals don’t get hold of them, advises Hvarnes. Christmas tree The fact that we humans choose to bring nature into the house at Christmas is also very exciting for our pets. And when we then hang lots of exciting decorations on it, it can look like a giant, tempting toy for our animals, and perhaps especially the cats. The Christmas tree can be perceived as a giant play stand for the animals. Photo: Øyvind Berge Sæbjørnsen – If you have such small Christmas balls that they want to play with, catch and eventually eat, and smock, then it gets stuck in the gut. Then the cat ends up on the operating table. Christmas presents The presents under the Christmas tree can quickly be opened before Christmas Eve if you have animals in the house. Photo: Shutterstock It may be tempting to put the presents under the Christmas tree before Christmas Eve to get in the right mood. But it might not be very wise if you have animals in the house, says Hvarnes. – Dogs in particular quickly sniff out edible gifts. If they go off at night and unwrap these gifts and get inside the contents, then it’s not so good. If there are edible presents under the Christmas tree, food, paper and gift wrapping can quickly end up in the intestines of the animals. Photo: Colourbox The paper and wrapping paper around the packages can also lead to an expensive visit to the vet. – Gift bands don’t taste good, but during play they can swallow it. It can then coil into the intestine and cause major damage. Often parts of the intestine have to be removed because it has become so damaged. Christmas stress When we humans stress about getting everything ready for Christmas, it’s not just us who are affected, says Hvarnes. Our animals can also find that Christmas is stressful because the house is often filled with many people, new smells and perhaps there will be slightly fewer trips than usual. Be sure to stimulate the pets even if Christmas is filled with sociability. Photo: Colourbox That’s Christmas, you might think, only the four-legged has to deal with it. And that is true to some extent. But Hvarnes believes that with a few simple measures the Christmas stress can be reduced for the four-legged ones, and certainly for the owner as well. Go for walks Behavioral training such as searching and searching for things. Then they use a lot of their brains and become tired, which can reduce stress. Find a safe place in the house where they can be in peace. With a little preparation for our four-legged family members, Christmas can descend in the thousands of animal shelters. Photo: Pet Shop Girls
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Much of the Christmas food should not go into the stomachs of our pets – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
