When February rolls around, almost everyone starts to think about boxes of chocolate and candle lit dinners in honor of Valentine’s Day, but, did you know this month is also Responsible Pet Owners Month? So, while you are enjoying your candy or admiring your bouquet of roses, don’t forget that this holiday poses threats to your pet. Celebrate Responsible Pet Owners Month by keeping them safe and showing them some love, too.

Pet-friendly Bouquets
Lilies are common in Valentine’s arrangements, but they are also potentially fatal to cats. This flora can cause stomach upset, vomiting or diarrhea. The most popular flower this season is the rose, of course. The thorns on roses can cause serious infection if a puncture occurs from a pet biting, stepping on or swallowing their sharp spines.

Forbidden Sweets
There may be nothing more tempting for your pet than the brand new box of truffles sitting on the coffee table. Chocolate, including baker’s, semi sweet, milk and especially dark chocolate, is potentially life threatening to pets if it is ingested. Darker chocolate can cause vomiting/diarrhea, hyperactivity, seizures and an abnormally elevated heart rate while the lighter version’s high-fat content can potentially lead to a life-threatening inflammation of the pancreas.

Sip Safely
Spilling a glass of wine or leaving the champagne bottle on the table may not seem like a big deal at the time, but should your pet get to the alcohol, it can mean harm. Since our pets are much smaller, just a little bit of alcohol can do a lot of damage, causing vomiting, diarrhea, central nervous system depression, lack of coordination, tremors, metabolic disturbances, difficulty breathing and can even result in a coma or fatal respiratory failure.

February is the month to celebrate love for every important member of our family – two and four legged. Show your pets how much you care about them during Responsible Pet Owners Month by protecting them from potentially life threatening hazards that can lead to celebrating in the emergency veterinary clinic. Having PurinaCare Pet Health Insurance Plus Preventive Care Benefits will help protect your pet should they find the box of chocolates or finish of the bottle of wine. Protecting your pet with PurinaCare is the best gift your pet could wag its tail for this Responsible Pet Owners Month.

-- Dr. Bill Craig --