Holiday Pet Safety, Clinic Schedule, and Specials with Donation to Tree of Love

Tree of Love: This month we are collecting donations for area animal shelters and rescues, including HELP Humane Society in Belton and Diamonds in the Ruff (specializing in hard-to-place dogs). If you bring a donation for our tree to your appointment, we’ll take 5% off your total bill. Donations can include bags or cans of cat or dog food, cat litter, leashes or collars, dog sweaters, toys, and treats.

Gift Certificates: If you ‘d like to purchase a gift certificate for a holiday present, give us a call and let us know what you need. We don’t have them ready-made, we’ll make them up with exactly the amount or service you would like on them, so we need a little advance notice. Been trying to convince someone you know to try out our holistic services? Maybe this would be just the boost they need to get in the door!

Holiday Hours: We will close at 2 p.m. Monday, December 22 and be back in the clinic for regular hours beginning Monday, December 29. Be sure to get your pet scheduled before the 22nd if they get regular chiropractic or acupuncture and will be due around the end of the month! We will also be closed New Year’s Day.

Holiday Safety: Things to help your pets have a good holiday season….

1. Decrease stress. Try to keep your pet’s schedules as close to normal as you can. Use gentle herbals like Nutricalm if your pet is especially anxious about change, company, or travel. Allow your pet time in a comforting crate with a favorite toy if they need time away from the bustle.

2. Avoid toxins. Many things like grapes and raisins, onions, chocolate, poinsettias, mistletoe, and alcohol are toxic to pets. Keep them well away from your pets and don’t let your pets be unsupervised when guests are in the home that may have these items. Also be careful of houseguests who may have prescription medications in their luggage—be sure to ask them to keep such things well out of the reach of pets. Foods or medicines containing artificial sweeteners are also toxic—don’t let your pet raid someone’s purse for their chewing gum with Xylitol, for example.

3. Careful with new foods. Unless you have your pet well accustomed to frequent new foods, you should be careful about “treating” your pet with holiday goodies. The three days after major holidays are the most likely times for vets to treat pets for GI upset like vomiting and diarrhea. Try not to let your pet be one of those patients. Keep treats to less than 10% of the overall diet, and avoid very rich foods like gravy, cheese, and sweets.

4. Supervise your pets around the Christmas tree and presents. Things like tinsel, garlands, small beads, breakables, and ribbons can be very dangerous to your pet if they chew on them or swallow them. It may be wise to put your tree in a playpen, use gating to isolate it, and fasten your tree to wall or ceiling to prevent it tipping over.

5. Avoid bringing new pets into the home during this busy season. Trying to housebreak a puppy, keep a kitten safe, and do early training is very difficult when your own schedule is so disrupted. Better to wrap a stuffed representative of the new pet as a gift and go together to pick one out after the holiday rush to better ensure success. Make sure the family is truly ready for a lifetime commitment—don’t ever buy a pet on a whim.

6. Remember not all pets appreciate visitors, and not all visitors know what to do around pets. It is always tragic when an unknowing guest leaves the back gate open, or doesn’t watch for your cat going out the door as they bring in the luggage. Better to shut the pet safely in a favored room until everything is settled and your guests know the house rules regarding the pets, then allow the pets to approach on their own terms. Or not.

We here at Whole Health Pet Center wish you and your pets a happy and healthy Holiday season, whatever your choice of holiday. After we spend time with our own families, we welcome one and all on the Monday following Christmas.