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Stories from the surgery: keeping your pets safe from Christmas hazards

Stories from the surgery: keeping your pets safe from Christmas hazards
Posted on by Petplan
Each month Petplan vet Brian Faulkner looks at some of the issues he comes across in his day-to-day life as a practising vet. On the lead up to Christmas, Brian shares insights from his surgery, plus helpful tips to keep the winter months’ fun and safe for pets and their owners. Every year around December we always see a few pets at the surgery with avoidable issues related to the Christmas festivities. Some of the most common visits are from owners whose pets have been injured by decorations or have been fed something unsuitable as a treat. We all want to involve our pets in our celebrations but there are precautions you should be taking before getting carried away with the Christmas excitement and I’m often asked how to strike a balance between a fun and safe Christmas for your pets.

Christmas pet safety: trees, decorations, food and more

Christmas pet safety: trees, decorations, food and more
Posted on by Petplan
This article contains: safety dog training Christmas Cat advice
Christmas is often the most exciting time of the year for the family. The tree goes up with its baubles, lights, and tinsel, whilst the kitchen is filled with turkey, mince pies and plenty of festive booze.

However, what is all harmless fun for us, can present a problematic situation for our pets.

Here are Petplan’s 12 tips of Christmas to ensure you avoid any unwelcome mishaps when it comes to your pet…

The 12 tips for Christmas with your pet

The 12 tips for Christmas with your pet
Posted on by Petplan
The trees are going up, the presents are being wrapped, the food preparations are beginning, and the excitement is escalating - Christmas is just around the corner!

The festive season provides many exciting opportunities for our furry friends too; decorations to play with, wrapping paper to hide in - the choices are endless!

How to make a tasty Christmas dinner for your dog

How to make a tasty Christmas dinner for your dog
Posted on by Petplan
This article contains: dog diet food Christmas Xmas

We've invited writer Elaine Everest, author of hit book Canine Cuisine (£8.99, How To Books) to give us this extra-special recipe for a festive meal for your dog. Hope your dog likes it!

Ingredients

  • One mug of brown rice
  • One beef stock cube
  • Half a small butternut squash
  • Four large carrots
  • One head of broccoli
  • A small bunch of fresh parsley
  • One tray of minced turkey
  • A small carton of chicken liver
  • Two cloves of garlic
  • One mug of wholemeal flour
  • One mug of oatmeal
  • Four eggs
  • Half a mug of vegetable oil

Method

 

  • Heat your oven to 190°C or gas mark 5.
  • Put the brown rice into a pan with the stock cube and cover with boiling water. Bring to the boil and simmer until the rice is cooked but not too soft.
  • Meanwhile wash the vegetables. Peel the butternut squash and chop all vegetables into even-sized pieces and place into a food processor. Blitz until the vegetables resemble fine breadcrumbs before adding the parsley for a final five-second blitz.
  • Place the finely chopped vegetables into a large mixing bowl along with the wholemeal flour and oatmeal. Mix together.
  • Next, place the minced beef and the ox liver into the food processor and blitz along with the garlic cloves until you have a smooth paste. Add the four eggs and mix well together for several seconds.
  • Add this mix to the bowl and stir together well. At this point, stir in the cooked rice and add the vegetable oil until you have a mixture that is not too runny. It is not essential to use all the oil. If the mix becomes too liquid, add a little more oatmeal to stiffen.
  • Pour into a greased baking tin or two round cake tins and place into the centre of the oven. The new-style silicon bakeware is ideal for this recipe as the cake will slide away from the container with ease. Bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when slid into the centre of the cake. Turn out onto a cooling rack and leave to cool.
  • After feeding your dog a portion of his own cake, allow his meal to go down for an hour or so before enjoying a brisk Christmas Day walk with the whole family.

Happy Christmas!

If you have a recipe you would like to share, just comment below.

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