It feels like all the stories I have to tell right now are sad stories. It’s the “holiday season” — a time when veterinarians traditionally face many hard situations. Families who want to keep the old dog going just until the kids get home from college to say goodbye. People who need to travel to visit elderly parents, but don’t think their equally elderly cat will survive until they return. Pets getting sick as a result of the increased stress of visitors, both two-legged and four-, invading their territory. Maybe it’s the cold, rainy day outside my window making me feel gloomy. Maybe it’s just my nature. I was one of those college students who sat alone for hours in the library stacks reading all the Russian novelists in alphabetical order. Nothing like a little Dostoyevsky to make you question the point of it all.
But perhaps I have a useful forum here to make it a better holiday time for pets and their owners, as well as their veterinarians. I will start with the obvious stuff — a quick review of toxic foods and other things animals shouldn’t eat. If you are sure you know it all already, skip down a few paragraphs, but then don’t call me on Hanukkah when your dog snarfs down a bowl of grapes. Don’t let Dasher the Doberman eat chocolate, grapes, raisins, products containing the sugar substitute xylitol (also called birch sugar), bones, avocado, excessive amounts of fatty table scraps, anything with lots of onion or garlic, spoiled leftovers, alcohol, caffeine, raw dough, or raw meat. The list is more or less the same for Cupid the Cat, but add even the slightest exposure to lilies. Holly and mistletoe are also no-nos for Dasher and Cupid. Please stop freaking out about poinsettias. Although they are gastric irritants, they are not highly toxic, and usually cause nothing more than vomiting and diarrhea if ingested.
If despite your best attempts, your pet eats any of the above, give your veterinarian a gift. Start by calling one of the Animal Poison Control Hotlines. Here are the numbers. ASPCA: 888-426-4437 or 800-548-2423, and Pet Poison Hotline, 800-213-6680. As soon as you finish reading this article, cut it out and put it on your fridge. Oops, I’m dating myself. Take a screenshot and save it. I know you want to talk to YOUR vet. I know sometimes you are on hold with the hotlines for what seems like an eternity. If it’s during office hours, sure, you can try your regular doc’s office. The problem is we are already short-staffed and seeing patients, and we may not have time to get all the information and do the calculations. Talk to the toxicologists first. Then if they think your pet needs urgent care, they will send us recommendations, and we can make arrangements to see your pet.
Other holiday hazards include tinsel, ribbons, electric cords, decorative lights, ornaments, tree stand water, candles … and company. Company is a big one. If you are going to have a houseful of folks, please give Dancer the Dachshund and Prancer the pussycat space to get away from the crowds. Even if they seem to enjoy the attention, be careful they don’t overdo it. Cats especially need privacy and easy access to food, water, litter, and a place to sleep — preferably with some elevation, like a cat tree, or safety, like an open closet. Visiting dogs are of particular concern. The fact that Blixen the Bloodhound lives peacefully at home with his own cat doesn’t mean your cat Prancer is safe.
Trigger warning: There is nothing that will ruin a holiday more than when your relative’s dog kills your cat. Oh dear, I am getting gloomy again. Bah, humbug! Another thing that can ruin the holiday is when Vixen the vizsla bites some kid in the face. Please, please, please, confine your dogs away from very excited children. Especially kids they don’t live with normally. Especially if the dogs are anxious, shy, grumpy, or elderly. Even dogs that are usually good with kids. Human ER physicians would also like a quiet holiday.
Now, the hardest part. What if Comet, the curly-coated retriever, is reaching the end of his days? Do you take him with you on the long car ride to Grandma’s? Leave him in a boarding kennel, or home alone, with someone stopping in twice a day? What if he is really struggling, and the kids aren’t coming until Christmas Day? By the time you read this, you have probably already made a decision. If not, consult your veterinarian as soon as possible. Maybe Comet would benefit from pain medication to keep him comfortable until everyone can say goodbye. Antianxiety medications may help him relax around all the company that is coming. Antinausea drugs may make traveling easier.
I am a big believer in palliative care. If we can do something reasonable to improve Comet’s quality of life, maybe buy him a little happy time, why not try it? We are all going to die one day. No need to rush it. Listen to your pets. Are they eating? Able to walk? Responding to affection? It’s easy to lose track of things during all the seasonal hustle and bustle, but we owe it to our companions to consider carefully. Can we improve their quality of life? Are they suffering? Let your veterinarian help navigate these emotional issues that are often complicated by the logistics and pressures of the holidays. And if it turns out, as it often does, that it is time to give your pet the gift of a good death, I share with you a Dostoyevsky quote: “It’s the great mystery of human life that old grief passes gradually into quiet, tender joy.”
The sun has come out now. The days will be getting longer. Whether you celebrate Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Christmas, Yuletide, Festivus (look it up) or something else, wishing you and all your pets a healthy, happy holiday … and quiet, tender joy.
