Holidays bring flood of pet owners to veterinary clinics

Sara Jones rested her cheek on her dog Synder's head.

She stroked the canine's face. In only a day Synder had gone from bad to worse and was throwing up blood for no apparent reason. On Wednesday morning, Jones sat in Tidewater Animal Emergency & Referral Center, waiting for the dog to be seen.

Every year around this time, pet owners flood veterinary clinics with animals who have been exposed to one of the many hazards prevalent around the holidays. Most are ingestion-related.

The dog eats chocolates or ornaments plucked from the Christmas tree. The cat sucks down tinsel or nibbles on one of the many poisonous plants popular this time of year. The animals end up dehydrated, with an upset stomach, or having some ailment that requires surgery, or worse.

Not to mention the anxiety that many pets face as visitors crowd their homes and pets' schedules go out the door.

"There's a lot of stress in households, a lot of coming and going," said Dr. Steven Hansen, senior vice president of animal health services for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

But the No. 1 concern, he said, is human medications. Dogs especially are known to chew up pill vials left in purses, on counters and on nightstands, usually by visitors.

The ASPCA's Animal Poison Control Center hot line sees a roughly 10 percent spike in calls this time of year, Hansen said.

"A big chunk of those are chocolate calls," he said. "We also get a lot of calls about Christmas tree water."

The good news: a few Hershey's Kisses or M&M's is nothing to worry about, Hansen said. But large amounts of dark and baking chocolate can cause more severe problems. As for Christmas tree water, it will probably lead to nothing more than a stomachache.

All the holidays are busy at Tidewater Animal Emergency & Referral Center, but December is especially so, said director Marcia Young. The center, in Virginia Beach on South Independence Boulevard, operates around the clock.

"You don't know what's going to come through the door," she said. "You prepare as much as possible. You look at the trends from the year before."

Around midday Wednesday, Marsha Colonna peeked into her cat carrier at Uncle Arthur, an orange tabby with inflammatory bowel disease. Con and Crete - two Rottweilers that are the company dogs of Bayside Concrete - had just left the waiting area to donate blood to a dog in need.

A Doberman pinscher named Ansel lay shivering on the floor as owner Melanie Economou clutched the leash and read a Dr. Seuss book to her 5-year-old son. Less than two weeks ago, Ansel ate a corncob that got stuck in his intestines. He was back to have his staples from surgery removed.

Aimee Hensley rubbed the face of Tyson, a gray-and-white cat with pneumonia. She didn't mind being there on Christmas Eve.

"It's worth it," she said. "Gotta take care of the kitty. He's like part of the family."

As for Synder, he would have to spend the night before Christmas in the hospital.

Hattie Brown Garrow, (757) 222-5562, hattie.brown@pilotonline.com