ETTE! nd Routines
KEEP TABLE FOOD OUT OF REACH Avoid Feeding Fido Under the Table
when I get fed. My family can always find me ready and waiting for my food at that time.
Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, Easter, and the Fourth of July — these are the holidays when our clinic receives a sudden influx of patients with major
I’m also very determined to have my walks every morning. My mom is the one who likes
gastrointestinal problems. A lot of these visits are due to dogs eating food that isn’t healthy for them.
walking me most, and it’s definitely become one of my favorite routines, aside from eating and hunting. We usually go on 4–6-mile walks, and sometimes I don’t understand why we take them later or why, on the rare occasion, they don’t happen. If walking time comes around and I don’t see my leash anywhere, I’m following Mom around trying to figure out why we aren’t outside yet. I’ll push and push until we get outside, and the next day, I make sure that we’re on time. Walks not only get me outside, which I love, but they also get my family out too. I know my family needs to walk and get exercise just like I do. It’s always up to me to get us outside, and I’m glad to be that motivator for them! Today, I’m 11 years old and going strong! All the walking we do keeps me and my family in good shape, and my dad keeps me healthy by taking me to my doctors at the Animal Clinic of Kalispell. I’ve been going there since I was a puppy. Even if it’s still a bit scary, I know the people there keep me as healthy as can be, so I can continue doing what I love — hunting, spending time with my family, and keeping all our routines on track. I love my family and my life. I’m so blessed!
Sometimes it’s the dog that is naughty and gets into the garbage after a holiday meal. Sometimes it’s a relative who’s naughty and gives the dog a snack
under the table — except this “snack” might be a lot of fatty, salty gravy. This can lead to a lot of problems for dogs and owners alike. A dog having acute gastroenteritis after the holidays is never fun for anyone, especially when it happens at 2 a.m.
One of our biggest concerns about feeding pets table scraps is their fat content, which can really upset their system. Unfortunately, it’s not unusual for dogs to get a hold of something fatty or out of their ordinary diet that inflames their pancreas, which leads to pancreatitis. This disease is a serious health risk and can be fatal to dogs.
No holiday feast is complete without gravy to pour on just about everything — including your dog or cat’s food! Get your pets excited about their dry food by revamping it with this quick and easy holiday gravy recipe.
1. In a medium saucepan, bring broth to a simmer. 2. In a skillet, brown ground turkey, breaking it up into small pieces. 3. When turkey is cooked thoroughly, strain off any remaining fat. 4. Sprinkle cornstarch or tapioca flour over meat and stir well to coat evenly. 5. Pour broth over meat mixture and bring it to a low boil until it thickens. 6. Let cool slightly but serve warm over your dog or cat’s favorite dry food. 7. Enjoy the holiday feasting together! Directions
Additionally, the caloric density of human food is much higher than dog food, so it does not take very much for a small snack to become a big
problem for our dogs. Dysbiosis, or the imbalance of natural bacteria in the gut, is a common secondary effect of eating different types of food and can lead to illness. It’s common for us to see dogs at this time of year that have eaten a lot of things outside their normal diet. This can lead to vomiting or diarrhea, which may alarm the dog’s owners. Thankfully, this is usually straightforward to treat. This holiday season, we encourage you to keep a vigilant eye on what your pets eat. But of course, some clever pets will still get a hold of something they shouldn’t be eating. If they do get sick, we’re ready to help in any way we can. To prepare ourselves for the inevitable influx, our team does ensure we have plenty of anti-nausea and anti-diarrhea medication on hand.
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