adm1n, Author at Boght Veterinary Clinic

Pet Safety at Christmas: Presents and Parties

by adm1n | Dec 15, 2018

Santa Claus is Comin' to Town...

And he’s bringing presents! As you are wrapping presents be careful to keep the string and ribbons away from your pets. This includes not putting gifts out too soon. Keep them hidden away in a closet until it’s time to open them. As gifts are being open, be diligent in cleaning up wrapping paper and ribbons. Designate one person with a trash bag as the wrapping paper collector. Or, give each person their own bag to collect paper in.

And he’s coming to party! Are you having holiday guests? If you are, make sure your pets have a safe, quiet place to get away. For dogs this may be a kennel, or room upstairs away from the festivities. For cats they may want to watch festivities from a high perch, like a climbing post. If your pets love visitors and plan to join the party, keep food up on a high counter or table so they can’t get into it. Make sure your guests know where the garbage cans are so that food plates are not left lying around.

...And a Happy New Year

All the same tips apply to New Year’s Eve parties too! The loud noises of the countdowns, confetti poppers, and whistles can be frightening for your pets. It may be best to have your pet away from the festivities as it gets closer to midnight. Even if you are having a quiet evening at home, your neighbors may get loud at midnight, so make sure your pets are inside where they feel safe and secure.

The doctors and staff of the Boght and Oakwood Veterinary Clinics wish you all a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year. If you haven’t already please check out our other posts on pet safety.

Follow Boght Veterinary Clinic on Facebook

Pet Safety at Christmas: the Food

by adm1n | Dec 12, 2018

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…

We all love holiday food… and our pets want to know if they’d love it too! Be sure to keep dogs away from your holiday chocolate. Dark chocolate and baking chocolate especially can be dangerous. If you believe your dog has eaten some chocolate please call your Veterinarian right way

It may be tempting to make an exception for the holiday, but don’t give your pets any table scraps. These fatty and spicy foods are not good for their stomachs. Also, don’t decorate with food. Popcorn strings and popcorn balls are fun to make, but they are just too tempting for your pets. Pets can get hurt trying to climb trees or jump up looking for tasty treats.

If you are looking to share a special holiday treat with your furry friends you can make these delicious frozen peanut butter and yogurt goodies.

Presents and parties are the last two holiday traditions that pose a danger to pets, so be on the lookout later this week for our suggestions for pet safety in those areas.

If you haven’t read our posts about Pet Safety with the Christmas Tree and Holiday Decorations, you can do so here!

Pet Safety at Christmas: Decorations

by adm1n | Dec 8, 2018

Deck the halls with boughs of holly...

But not if you have pets! Decorating for Christmas is a lot of fun! But, before you go all out, keep a few things in mind.

First and foremost, Christmas plants like holly, mistletoe, and poinsettias are poisonous if eaten. Make sure to either keep them up and away from your fur family or use artificial plants.

Skip the tinsel. It may look pretty, but tinsel can be very dangerous to your furry friends. If eaten it can cause intestinal blockage. Also, tinsel rope can pose a hazard if pets get tangled up in it.

Watch your pets around Christmas lights. Curious pets can get tangled up in Christmas lights too. This can cause serious injury and burns. Make sure your pets aren’t trying to chew on power cords. This can cause electrical shock. It is a good idea to secure loose wires. You can simply tape them down or they make extension cord covers, which you can find online or in most hardware stores.

Be mindful of your ornaments. Tiny ornaments can be easily swallowed and cause internal damage. Make sure any breakable ornaments are placed high enough on the tree that wagging tails can’t knock them down. They make many shatter-proof ornaments now which may be a good idea for your tree.

Taking a few extra precautions with your decorations can go a long way to keeping your pets safer, and your holidays happier.

Check back in next week for a blog post about pets and everyone’s favorite holiday topic: food!

And, if you haven’t read our post about Christmas Trees and your fur family, be sure to check it ou here.

Pet Safety at Christmas: the Tree

by adm1n | Dec 4, 2018

Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree...

We all love our Christmas trees. They look so pretty, with their twinkling lights and shiny ornaments. But, there are a few things to be aware of if you are putting up a tree with pets in the house.

If you have a live tree, make sure your pets aren’t getting into the water. Because Christmas tree water is stagnant, it can be a breeding ground for bacteria. Dogs and cats can get sick if they drink this water. It is a good idea to keep the water basin covered with a tree skirt. You can get long funnels made specifically for watering Christmas trees. Place that in the basin, and tie the skirt around it. Then you can water your tree easily and keep your pets healthy.

Also, be diligent in cleaning up any fallen pine needles. Those needles can cause upset tummies, and even puncture intestines! Be sure to sweep or vacuum regularly to keep those needles off the floor and away from pets.

Even if you have an artificial tree, there is a risk that your pet will tip the tree over. There are a few things you can do to prevent this. They make heavy duty Christmas tree stands with wide bases, which would make it difficult for the tree to tip.

You can also use free-standing baby gates around the tree. This way your pet can admire the tree from afar. There are also ways to anchor your tree to the wall or ceiling. This will save your pet from the danger of a falling tree and you from the annoyance of having to clean up a fallen tree. Many people also suggest leaving your tree up and undecorated for a few days to let your pets get used to it.

Watch for a blog post regarding pet safety and decorations later this week.

Featured Employee: Carlie

by adm1n | Oct 22, 2018

Carlie and one of our patients.

Carlie just began her fifteenth year of working at the Boght Veterinary Clinic as a part-time kennel worker. A longtime resident of Cohoes, she began her career with us while attending Shaker High School. Fifteen years is truly a milestone for Carlie and for our clinic; to have had her working for us and for our clients and their pets.

The best thing about Carlie is her true love for the animals that she cares for. Her daily responsibilities include feeding, bathing and cleaning her charges. She greets clients and their pets when they are brought in or go home. She mops up messes and does loads of laundry. Even after fifteen years she still enjoys her job and rarely misses a day. One of her favorite parts of the job is taking care of the ducks in our front pond.

When not at work Carlie enjoys going to concerts and hanging out with friends. She likes shopping with her mom. She currently has no pets at home but loves the hospital’s animals as her own.