Elder Care in Sharon, MA
Pets can make a valuable addition to your elder care journey with your aging oved ones, offering emotional support as well as tangible physical benefits including lower blood pressure. While these furry friends are treasured members of the family and should be included in your holiday celebrations, it is important that they do not always eat like members of the family. Many foods that your human loved ones enjoy can be extremely dangerous for pets, so it is important to keep them out of reach and supervised whenever they are out.
Foods that you, your parents, and their elderly health care services provider should avoid giving to your parents’ pets during the holiday season include:
Chocolate, Caffeine, Coffee
Anything made of cacao seeds, or which contain methylxanthines are bad for pets, causing vomiting, tremors, seizures, hyperactivity, diarrhea, and the risk for death. Other symptoms of consumption of one of these foods include excessive panting, excessive thirst, increased urination, and abnormal heart rhythms. Darker chocolate is more dangerous than milk chocolate and far more dangerous than white chocolate. Baking chocolates contain the highest level of methylxanthines and as such should be avoided at all costs. Methylxanthines can also be found in sodas, so these should also be avoided
Raisins and Grapes
Raisins and grapes might be healthy snacks for your aging loved ones and their elder care provider to munch on during the day, but they can be fatal for dogs. The veterinary scientific community does not understand the cause yet, but something in grapes and raisins frequently leads to kidney failure in dogs. This can happen quite quickly, with death coming as little as three days after exposure. As there is no understanding of why it happens, vets do not know the concentration that is dangerous, so it is best to avoid allowing pets near these foods all together
Dairy, Including Milk
Lactase, which is the enzyme that breaks down lactose within dairy products, is not present in significant enough amounts in most pets to fully break down this compound, causing them to have intense issues digesting dairy and milk based products. This can result in stomach pain, diarrhea, vomiting, gas, and bloating
Xylitol
Many products like baked goods, gum, toothpaste, and sugar-free candy contain Xylitol as a sweetener. While it is considered safe for humans, in pets it can cause an insulin release that could result in failure of the liver. Signs that a pet has consumed a toxic level of this sweetener include lethargy, vomiting, a loss of coordination, seizures, and eventual death.
Dough with Yeast
Painful digestion to life threatening emergencies are possibilities if your pet gets ahold of yeast dough before baking. The dough continues to rise and accumulate inside the dog’s digestive system, causing swelling and possible twisting of the intestines. The yeast produces ethanol which can also inebriate a pet as well, leading to a variety of serious health risks
Avocado
While not present in a lot of holiday dishes, avocados are highly nutritious and are often a part of healthy dips, spreads, and sandwiches even at this time of year. While a sliver or two of the fruit is not a problem for your pets, if a dog gets the pit in its mouth, it can easily slip down into the dog’s throat, obstructing it and leading to death by choking.
If you think that your parents’ pet has come into contact with these foods, get in touch with an emergency vet as soon as possible.
If you or an aging loved one are considering elder care in Sharon, MA or anywhere in Eastern Massachusetts, please call the caring staff at Care Resolutions – (508) 906-5572.
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