The ASPCA offers a wonderful article regarding safety precautions and warnings around holiday times for our furry family members:

The festivities and edible delights of the holiday season provide us with many happy family memories, including for our furry loved ones. However, it is important to keep in mind that many dangers can present themselves at this time of year for our beloved pets.

Mason is a 7.5 year old, neutered male, Lab mix who presented to Animal Oasis for eating about 6oz of dark chocolate. At that time the owners thought he might be a little lethargic, but otherwise was acting normally.

Dental care is an important part of a pet’s overall wellness, which is often overlooked. This month’s case will cover the topic of tooth fractures, which is a painful condition that can occur due to trauma (hit by a car, ball, or rock, or chewing on hard objects). Any tooth can break, however some teeth fracture much more commonly than others.

“Casey” a 1 year old Golden Retriever presented to Animal Oasis after being hospitalized at a local emergency clinic overnight for lethargy and onset of orange/ red colored urine. They found a mild decrease in his red blood cells (anemia) a large spleen on radiographs and low platelets. They ran some testing in house and that night they began treatment for suspected IMHA- immune mediated hemolytic anemia (where the body destroys its own blood cells).

Charlie was diagnosed with Capillaria