Thanksgiving Pet Advice
The holidayseasonisfastapproachingandpetscan be affectedbythe chaosthat goesalongwith
Thanksgiving.Betweencooking,decorating,traveling,andhostinggueststhereare alot of waysdogs
and puppiescan getthemselvesintotrouble whiletheirownersare preoccupied.SoforthisblogI
thoughtthat I wouldgive some tipsonhow to keepyourdogsafe duringThanksgiving.Thisisn’t
necessarilyservice dogrelated,buteverydogownercanhopefullybenefitfrom these tips.
Probablythe mostcommonreasona dog or puppymightgetintotrouble isbecause of boredom.Let’s
face it, mostpeople are runningaroundtryingtorun lastminute errands,cleantheirhomes,cook,pack
for travel,entertainingguests,ormanyotherthingsthatcause themto not have time to exercise their
pup.I knowfor me Thanksgivingisaveryhectictime.Like mostpeople Itryto spendtime withmy
family,butIalsowork at an emergencyveterinaryclinicthatisopen24/7 365 daysa year and working
holidaysisarequirement.Thismakesitverydifficulttomake sure mydogs getwhattheyneedto keep
themfromgettingbored.Butoverthe last21 yearsof workinginemergencymedicine asaveterinary
technicianIhave seenmanydogscome in formany differentholidayrelatedthings.
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psychiatric service dog, veterandog, medical alert dog.
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I see dogsat mywork all the time forgettingintothingstheyare not supposedto.The usual storyisthe
ownerwasout for Thanksgivingdinnerorothereventandtheygethome andfindsomethinghasbeen
eatenor chewedup.Itcan be hard withthe stressof preparingforthe holidaystoremembertocheck
the house before youleave tomake sure everythingisoutof reachof the dog. Trust me…dogswill eat
prettymuch anything.Ihave seendogscome infor eatingeverythingfromfooditems,medications,
shoes,leashes,toys,towels,socks,underwear,furniture andgarbage.Ihave evenseenabox of unused
condomsconsumedbya dog.

If I needtoleave mydogsalone at home,the first thingIdo ismake sure I setthemup to be successful.
If I don’thave time tocleaneverythingupthatmydogs mightgetinto,I close the doorsto the rooms
and/orblockthemoff.At timesIcrate themwitha funtoy or treat to keepthembusy.We also make
sure theyget some sortof exercise before we leave if possible.If Idon’thave time fora longwalkor
playsessionIhave foundthata good20 minutesof “hide-and-goseek”workswonders.Itismentally
simulatingwhentheyare runningfromroomtoroomlookingforus.It seemstobe a lotof funfor them.
On daysthat we have a lotgoingon we reallywearourdogsout. Grantedour dogscheat. Since we have
fourof them,theymove asa packand it justtakesone dog to findwhoismissingandthey all win.Butit
isa quickand funwayto wearthemout and theylove it.
AnothermajorthingI see dogscome infor (usuallythe dayor twoafterThanksgiving) isvomitingand
diarrhea.Thanksgivingisknownforlotsof deliciousfood,andoftentimespeople wanttoshare itwith
theirdogsas a special treat.The problemisif dogsare not usedto eatingdifferentthingsitcando a
numberontheirgastrointestinalsystem.Soasmuch as it isnice to share your Thanksgivingfeastwith
youfour leggedbest friend,make sure itisn’ttoomuchfor theirsystem, Andif youknow theyhave a
sensitivestomach,maybe skipthe treattobe on the safe side.Thisgoesforlettinganyhouse guests
knowaboutthisrule.Oftentimesitisn’tthe ownerswhoslipthe dog a tastytreat underthe table,but
someone whoisvisiting.Itmaybe somethingtheydowiththeirowndogand thinkitistotallyokto do.
Otherthingswe may see atmy workaround Thanksgivingistraumaaccidents.Sometimesitisa bite
woundfroma fightbetweenadogvisitinganda residentdog.Orthere isthe situationwhere the front
door or outside gate isleftopenandthe familydogslipsoutandgetshitby a car. It isalwaysbestto
have a secure place for yourdog to go whenguestsarrive andwhenguestsleave.Putremindernotesup
on doorsand gatesto remindpeople toclose thingsbehindthemtokeepthe dogssafe.People who
don’thave dogsare not necessarilyinthe habitof closingdoorsimmediatelybehindthem.
Thanksgivingisall aboutrememberingwhatyouare thankful tohave inyourlife.Iam thankful thatI
have fourwonderful dogsinmylife andIwill alwaystryto do mybestto keepthemsafe.Iam thankful
for the emergencyvettechjobthatI have enjoyedforthe last21 years,butas I walkintowork on
Thanksgivingthisyearandthe weekendafter,Ireallyhope Idon’tsee toomanypatientscome in
because of gettingsickor injuredduringThanksgivingactivities.
For more detailson our products and services,please feel free tovisitus at: hearingdog, mobilitydog,
psychiatric service dog, veterandog, medical alert dog.