Dogs chomp using their carnassial teeth, large, multirooted teeth near the back of the mouth. If a carnassial tooth breaks, bacteria can enter the pulp canal and cause a painful tooth root abscess.
Treatment requires a root canal or extraction of the fractured tooth. Either procedure is substantially more expensive than buying Sirius a chew toy that won’t break his teeth.
Safe chew toys have some “give.” You'll know a firm rubber toy is safe for Sirius to chew if you can indent it with your fingernail.
To add to the fun, choose a toy with a hollow center where you can hide a small dog biscuit, peanut butter, or doggie cheese from a squirt can.
Don’t buy Sirius a tennis ball, since the fuzzy exterior acts like sandpaper that wears down tooth enamel—especially after the ball rolls in the yard and picks up a bit of grit.
Another fun gift idea is a food puzzle, a toy that delivers treats when Sirius manipulates it or rolls it around.
Rope toys and dental chews complete the list my dogs sent to Santa this year.
Since you have cats, you'll have to forgo tinsel, curling ribbon, and yarn. If swallowed, they become what veterinarians call linear foreign bodies, objects that block, twist, and often slice through the intestines. The sparkle of Christmas will certainly be dulled if one of your cats requires emergency surgery.
Most cats love to bat at hanging decorations, so use green pipe cleaners to affix unbreakable ornaments to your tree.
If your cats nibble houseplants, do without the Christmas varieties. Chewing on an amaryllis, for example, can cause drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, and tremors.
Decorating with mistletoe, a parasitic vine, is particularly risky because it takes on the toxins of its host plant. So, if your cats eat mistletoe berries that fall from the plant, they may experience vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, and heart problems.
Christmas cactus consumption can result in vomiting, diarrhea, and loss of coordination. These clinical signs usually disappear without treatment.
The safest Christmas plant is probably the poinsettia. Its white sap can cause skin irritation, and ingestion of the plant may result in drooling, vomiting, and diarrhea that usually resolve on their own.
Enjoy your cats’ antics, but keep them safe as you embrace the joy of Christmas.
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