Pet Safety Tips for Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day is coming soon and while there is much to love about this day of love, there are some dangers for pets to consider. We have some pet safety tips for Valentine’s Day for pet owners.
Chocolate and Pets
Chocolate is a Valentine’s Day staple. Whether you have a whole box of chocolates or a special chocolate dessert, keep these away from your pets. Take special care to keep anything made with xylitol (this is common in”sugar-free” foods) away from your pets. Xylitol is extremely toxic to both dogs and cats. Even a small amount of xylitol can be fatal. Desserts made with cocoa powder are also dangerous because cocoa is one of the most concentrated forms of chocolate. It doesn’t take much of these types of chocolate to cause seizures and even death.
Dangerous Flowers and Plants
While flowers are popular on Valentine’s Day be sure not to send your sweetheart anything that can harm their pet. Some of the types of flora that can cause issues include roses with thorns. Roses themselves are non-toxic, however, if a curious cat gets a hold of a thorny rose, they could injure themselves or if ingested, it can be a serious danger. Lilies are extremely toxic to cats and cat owners should immediately discard any lillies into an outside trash bin. If you’re giving flowers, be sure to specify no lillies.
For more helpful tips for the holidays, we recommend this guide from the ASPCA:
EPIC is Here if You Need Us
We hope these pet safety tips for Valentine’s Day will help you avoid the need for emergency services. However, if your pet is injured or sick please call us at (951) 695-5044 for our wait times and provide our staff with a complete explanation of the emergency situation and your pet’s condition. You can also review our list of what to do in an emergency.
