December 19, 2013
Dogs eat dog food, cats eat cat food … they don’t eat Christmas treats made for humans …
Sadly, the well-worn annual warning from the RSPCA is still necessary as every Christmas vets are called on to try to save the lives of pets who have eaten regular, human food.
For example, just 50g of chocolate can kill a dog.
“The problem is that the systems of cats and dogs cannot tolerate theobromine, one of key ingredients of chocolate,” RSPCA Qld Senior Veterinarian Dr Anne Chester said.
“Theobromine can cause a range of problems in domestic animals because it triggers the release of adrenaline, which can lead to a greatly accelerated heart rate and an irregular heartbeat.
“Pets can vomit, suffer diarrhoea and excessive urination and become hyperactive. This can be followed by depression, coma, seizures and death.”
Onions can also be toxic.
“Even the small amounts contained on pizza slices,” she said.
“People often give their family pet the barbecue leftovers and more often than not there are onions mixed in with the meat. For some dogs this can be a fatal oversight.”
Christmas has always been the season of good cheer and humans traditionally eat and drink, if not to excess, at least more than they would at other times of the year.
With most pets considered part of the family, there’s a quite normal inclination to share the food with the family pet.
“The problem is that a sudden increase in fatty foods affects the animal’s pancreas and this can lead to pancreatitis,” Dr Chester said.
“Cooked bones can also cause major problems. They’re brittle and the sharp slivers can either lodge in the throat or pierce the stomach lining.
“We want everyone to have a very merry Christmas. But please! Think carefully before you feed your pets food designed for humans.”
