Posts Tagged: Gifts for Pets

By Dr. Beth Scheenstra, DVM

1)  Fancy strange treats.

Nothing will lead to a trip to the veterinarian faster than feeding your pet a bunch of fancy treats during the holidays.  Imagine if you typically ate the same food(s) for weeks at a time, and then you were given a 8 course French dinner for several days in a row.  Ingredients that your intestines have never seen in a big quantity, chances are it would taste great but later this meal probably would lead to you needing to use the restroom frequently.  Sometimes this can lead to pancreatitis, and even hospitalization for your pet.  Rawhides, and various chew treats can cause intestinal obstruction in those that don’t chew them properly and instead swallow them whole.