Tips for keeping pets safe and healthy during the holidays: A Conversation with Brad Marconyak, SC Veterinary Specialists & Emergency Care

December 13, 2013

The holidays are often a happy—yet hectic—time for families, with many activities, special meals, and guests that are a significant change from the normal routine. These changes can affect your pets, as well.

Below, Brad Marconyak, a certified veterinary practice manager and certified veterinary technician at South Carolina Veterinary Specialists & Emergency Care (SCVSEC), shares some important tips that can help ensure your pet’s safety and well-being during the holidays.

MidlandsLife: What foods might be especially prevalent around the holidays that pet owners should avoid giving their pets?

Brad Marconyak: Of course, chocolate is toxic for pets, especially when combined with another food that pets should avoid, like chocolate-covered espresso beans or raisins. Onions are also a big no-no for pets, which raises the point that pet owners need to be mindful of all the ingredients in the foods that are around the house during the holidays (and year-round). You might not feed your dog a plain onion, but you might let him have a little leftover stuffing, which probably has onions and perhaps raisins in it. Macadamia nuts and sage can also create medical issues for dogs if ingested.

MidlandsLife: What about other things that pets might ingest that pet owners need to be aware of?

Brad Marconyak: Potpourri is a very dangerous substance for pets to consume—especially the liquid kind. Holiday plants like mistletoe and poinsettia are both toxic for animals. As you can imagine, antifreeze is very poisonous. And when Uncle Jim comes to stay with you, make sure he secures his prescription medications, so your dog doesn’t find them in his luggage and eat them.

MidlandsLife: Any specific precautions for cats?

Brad Marconyak: There are a lot of common holiday items that are very tempting, yet very dangerous to cats: Tinsel is one. Long ribbons are another—cats think they’re toys, but if consumed, these items can get tangled up in a cat’s intestines and cause trouble. If you notice some tinsel hanging out of your cat’s behind, don’t pull on it thinking you can get the whole piece out—it could be wrapped up in her intestines and you’ll only make the damage worse. Call your vet!

Strings of popcorn are another problem item—pets eat them, and then the string can become twisted in the intestinal tract.  

MidlandsLife: Do you have any recommendations for keeping pets calm during New Year’s Eve, when there might be noise from fireworks and noisemakers?

Brad Marconyak: If your pets are very disturbed by the sounds of fireworks, arrange for them to stay in a location far removed from loud noise on New Year’s Eve, if possible. Otherwise, consider using a white noise machine or perhaps a diffuser that releases pheromones to calm your pet. There’s also a garment called a Thundershirt that can soothe anxious pets. If the problem is severe, consult your veterinarian about medications that can treat anxiety.
 
MidlandsLife:  SCVSEC recently launched 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week emergency veterinary service. How do you see yourselves as providing a needed resource for emergent animal care in the community?

Brad Marconyak: Columbia has many wonderful family veterinary practices that provide excellent care to their patients, usually through scheduled appointments. What we offer is round-the-clock availability by trained emergency veterinarians whose main focuses are situations like unanticipated illnesses, traumatic injuries, or chronic conditions that take a sudden and life-threatening turn for the worse. Our 24-hour emergency service is designed to reduce dramatic and stressful disruptions to the operations of a family practice and avoid the inconvenience to other clients and patients in that practice waiting to be seen. This allows for optimal patient care for both the emergent case as well as the scheduled appointment. Our facility is purposefully staffed, supplied, and equipped to manage cases continuously, 24 hours a day, without interruption.

Any time we treat an emergency patient, we always communicate directly with the family veterinarian to make sure we’re providing the best care for the pet and to allow for a smooth transition back to regular care with the family veterinarian when appropriate.