Super Bowl Sunday is here again with all the food and festivities. Before the party begins, take a few minutes to protect your pet. Here is a list of the most common accidents I see on Super Bowl Sunday:
1) Dogs and cats hit by cars – When guests arrive, pets sometimes escape through open doors and windows. Often, a door is left open for ‘a minute’ to get something from a car. Often times, the pet’s absence isn’t noticed until after the game.
2) Alcohol ingestion in dogs.
3) Drug ingestion – This usually occurs in dogs when they get into the owner’s stash. The most common one is marijuana brownie ingestion.
4) Second hand drug intoxication – When people smoke marijuana, it affects the animals in the home as well. I have seen many dogs, a few cats and one bird who was high from second-hand smoke.
5) Foreign body (chicken wings) ingestion in dogs – plates of unattended food containing ribs, chicken wings, etc. are irresistible to dogs. I treated two labs who ingested over 100 drummies from the garbage. Some animals require surgery to remove bones and other foreign bodies from their gastroenteritis-intestinal tract.
6) Pancreatitis in dogs and cats who get into food meant for humans. These animals vomit and are unable to keep anything down, even water. I usually see them the day after the Super Bowl.
7) Stress induced gastroenteritis-enteritis – Having a lot of people in the house, particularly if they scream and cheer is very stressful to animals. Some pets become so upset that it causes vomiting and diarrhea, often bloody. Blood tests are necessary to differentiate this condition from pancreatitis.
Keep your pet safe by planning ahead. Place them in a secure area to prevent escape and keep them from getting into things that are not meant for them. If they are extremely nervous, consider leaving them with a friend, boarding them or talk to your veterinarian about anti-anxiety medication. Take these few easy steps now to prevent a terrible and expensive problem later.