An astounding one in three pet owners will experience an emergency this festive season, according to new research.
Wish tree
Clinicians are also preparing by putting up an extra special Christmas ‘wish tree’, provided by online home furnishings retailer, Wayfair.
With more than 20 million pet cats and dogs in the UK, Vets Now 60+ emergency clinics and hospitals up and down the country are already preparing themselves for the festive emergency season ahead.
The Manchester Vets Now hospital is one of the leading emergency and critical care hospitals in the UK – and Claire Hill, lead out of hours vet at the Manchester hospital, is part of a team who keeps it all going.
She said: “During the festive season, our emergency vets and nurses here in Manchester are true heroes, standing ready to support pet owners in their time of need. Christmas, a time of joy and celebration, can also bring unexpected challenges for our furry companions. Our emergency vets and nursing teams and all of our support teams work tirelessly over the busy festive season, to be there for worried owners when they need it most.”
“From festive food and drink to decorations and even gifts, our homes harbour a myriad of potential hazards for pets at Christmas, and our caseload rises significantly over the festive season.”
It’s estimated that around 43% of Manchester’s population own a pet, and the hospital is the key emergency and out-of-hours facility for treating these pets.
Festive faux pas
Emergency teams at Vets Now’s 60+ clinics and hospitals across the UK dealt with 958 cases of dogs ingesting chocolate and 667 cases of them eating mince pies – both can be poisonous to dogs.
Across the festive season dogs and cats also ended up in the emergency room for accidental ingestions of tinsel (15 cases), eating chocolate wrappers (115 cases), advent calendars (20 cases) and Christmas puddings (19 cases)
Claire added: “We are encouraging pet owners in Manchester and the Greater Manchester area to be aware of the hidden hazards and ensure festive treats don’t turn into festive treatment.”
Vets Now Manchester is located at 98 Bury Old Rd, Whitefield, M45 6TQ.
Tips to pet proof your Christmas
To help pet proof your Christmas, the professionals at Vets Now have launched a Christmas hub with advice, infographics, and more, to make sure your pets have a very merry, emergency-free, December.
Top things to keep away from pets this Christmas
- Chocolate
- Christmas trees
- Artificial sweeteners
- Fairy lights
- Cooked bones
- Batteries
- Christmas pudding and mince pies
- Wrapping paper
