Comments on: Seasonal safety: Simple precautions will keep your pet healthy over the holidays

By: Rori

Rori — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:42:36 +0000

MY stage name was “Silly Yum.”

By: Gina Spadafori

Gina Spadafori — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:05:38 +0000

Why I buy canned pumpkin by the case, when it’s on sale. :)

Canned Pumpkin, by the way, was MY stage name when *I* was an exotic dancer.

Actual true fact: My brother worked his way through college in Virginia as a bouncer at my uncle’s strip club. The Frontier relied on that old real estate truism for its success: Location, location, location. It was the only club within walking distance of the basic training housing at the Naval base.

By: Dr. Tony Johnson

Dr. Tony Johnson — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:40:41 +0000

I think Christmas and Thanksgiving are a close second to Halloween and Easter in terms of the potential for pet mayhem. Maybe they even win out. Chocolate, pies, bones, tinsel - all sorts of possibilities for getting into trouble! The cotton-balls-soaked-in-milk bit has been around forever, and I must say that it has not been subject to rigorous scientific scrutiny! Probably unlikely to hurt, though, unless you have a lactose-intolerant Lab on your hands. The idea is to safely envelop any shards and help 'push' them through the GI tract without causing any damage (to the GI tract, that is). In the ER, we often recommend canned pumpkin (which is in short supply this year, I hear) to accomplish the same goal; surround and protect (which, I believe, is also the new motto for the LAPD). The search for the newly-hard-to-find canned pumpkin could lead to the following scenario: Aggravated Holiday Shopper #1: "Finally - I have found the last can of canned pumpkin in the whole blessed metro area! Pies here we come!" Reaches for can... Aggravated Holiday Shopper #2: "Thank heavens! I can now prevent my lactose-intolerant Lab from having intestinal surgery, as I have found the last can of canned pumpkin in the whole blessed metro area!" Reaches for can... AHS#1: "MY CAN! I need it for my holiday pie! The hot guy from R&D is coming over!" AHS#2: "MY CAN! I need it for my dog's colon!" AHS#1: "You win, I've lost my appetite." Remember - canned pumpkin or milky cotton balls (which was my stage name when I was an exotic dancer, BTW) are no substitute for appropriate veterinary care. In some cases endoscopy or surgery are needed to remove things that are potential hazards to your pet's health. Happy Holidays!

By: Snoopys Friend

Snoopys Friend — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:50:40 +0000

Wonderful holiday tips Gina. Being single now with grown children most times my dogs are a stand in for family, especially after the festivities have ended and I’m alone again in the house so it’s an easy temptation to want to share with my dogs all the wonderful leftovers. This year I’ve solved the leftover issue by booking reservations out - it is hard not to share with those you love even the four footed kind. And if you have a counter surfer, it is harder still.

Oh, and the tree has always been a problem. It is up now and has a fence around it in my second living room where the dogs can’t reach - most times. But accidents happen and my big coonhound went prowling and brought back a Xmas teddy bear to my bed after knocking over but not breaking a Xmas snow globe. If that is my only mishap, we’ll be lucky indeed. One year I just gave up and put the tree outside on the front porch.

By: Gina Spadafori

Gina Spadafori — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:17:12 +0000

Not. The late Dr. Roger Gfeller, emergency and critical care specialist and VIN consultant, told me this one himself. He dipped the cotton in milk so it would go down easier.

I’d suggest, however, such a situation is a “don’t try this at home” remedy.

Perhaps our own ER expert, Dr. Tony J, will offer some thoughts.

By: The OTHER Pat

The OTHER Pat — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:09:32 +0000

So every year around this time people post “Omigod! My dog ate a glass ornament! What do I do?”. And every year around this time the answer that gets posted is “Feed your dog cotton balls. They’ll pick up the glass pieces and help them pass safely through his system.”

Urban legend or not?