The holidays should be a time of celebration, not a time spent rushing your pet to the emergency clinic. Unfortunately, this season brings a spike in urgent vet visits across the country due to unexpected accidents and toxic exposures for pets. While Dollys Animal Clinic is available for urgent and emergency veterinary care during regular business hours, we hope that with a little awareness, your pet can avoid any emergencies over the holidays.
Why Are Pet Emergencies More Common During the Holidays?
The combination of new decorations, festive foods, guests, travel, and disrupted routines can spell trouble for pets. What seems like harmless holiday cheer to us can present real risks for curious cats and dogs. Many pet owners don’t realize how quickly something small (like a dropped ribbon or plate of food left on the table) can become a serious health emergency.
Preventable Holiday Pet Hazards
Dangerous Holiday Foods
Pets love to beg at the table, but many holiday dishes contain ingredients that are toxic to them. Chocolate, grapes, raisins, onions, garlic, xylitol (in sugar-free items), alcohol, cooked bones, and rich, fatty foods can all cause issues.
Prevention Tip: Inform your guests not to feed your pets, keep leftovers sealed, and secure trash bins to avoid scavenging.
Gift and Toy Hazards
Ribbon, string, plastic packaging, and even batteries can be tempting but dangerous if swallowed, causing choking or internal blockages.
Prevention Tip: Unwrap gifts with care and keep small parts out of reach.
Toxic Plants and Decoration Troubles
Seasonal favorites like mistletoe, poinsettias, candles, and holiday lights can all pose risks. Intestinal blockages from tinsel or ribbon, electrical burns from chewed wires, and toxic reactions from plants are all issues that emergency vets see during the holidays.
Prevention Tip: Choose pet-safe décor and monitor your pets around decorations, especially if you have a curious puppy or kitten.
Stress and Anxiety from Holiday Chaos
Changes in schedule, loud music, and crowded gatherings can leave pets feeling overwhelmed. Your cat or dog might have accidents indoors or even show signs of aggression. While this isn’t an emergency, it can still disrupt the holidays.
Prevention Tip: Give your pet a quiet, calm space away from noise and visitors. Calming aids or supplements may help in some cases, but ask the vet what’s safe for your pet.
Cold Weather Concerns
While Miami winters are mild, traveling to colder areas can affect pets. The cold can cause joint stiffness or cracked paw pads and even exposure-related issues for short-haired breeds.
Prevention Tip: Provide cozy bedding indoors and avoid prolonged outdoor exposure during chilly weather.
When to Seek Urgent Veterinary Care
No matter how careful you are, accidents can still happen. Your pet should get emergency vet services if they:
- Are vomiting or have diarrhea that lasts more than a few hours
- Show signs of pain, distress, or lethargy
- Have difficulty breathing or collapses
- Have open wounds or broken bones
- Swallows something toxic or an item that may be stuck
We Hope You Don’t Need Our Emergency Veterinary Services in Miami, FL
But if your pet does have an emergency medical issue, we are here for them during our business hours. Dollys Animal Clinic has emergency and urgent care in Miami for dogs and cats from Sweetwater, West Kendall, Miami, and neighboring Florida areas. Call us right away when your pet needs care. If we are closed, please contact your closest emergency animal hospital. We wish you and your pet a safe and healthy holiday season.