Counselling a dog in case of ingestion of Christmas food, Christmas decorations or other Christmas hazards:

Two different counselling scenarios:

1) The acute:

(Where the dog is generally affected; repeated vomiting/attempts to vomit, abdominal pain/"bedside or praying position" (obs pancreatitis) or in the case of a strong suspicion of ingestion of foreign bodies (which are at risk of not being able to pass the GI system) and/or ingestion of poisonous plants):

Thank you for your call and the conversation we had about lovely XX (dog's name)!

As we have just discussed, I suspect that your dog has  gastro intestinal symptoms as a result of ingestion of YY (Foreign body, fatty Christmas food = note pancreatitis, poisonous plant etc.) and I would therefore recommend that you contact your local on duty vet immediately for further investigation, stabilisation and treatment.

You are always welcome to contact us again for a follow-up call should any doubts or additional questions arise.

To ensure that future Christmas days are enjoyable and safe - also for the four-legged family members - you can seek advice on preventive measures against the potential dangers of Christmas at the link below:

#Link to relevant articles on local Agria website#

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2) The non acute:

(Where the dog is generally OK but has mild GI symptoms):

Thank you for your call and for the  conversation we had about lovely XX (dog's name)!

As we have just discussed, I suspect that your dog has a disturbance in the gastrointestinal system, possibly caused by the change of diet involving Christmas food.

I recommend that you prevent you dog from consuming more Christmas food and instead start on a low-fat diet that is more gentle on the stomach.

It is important that your dog continue to drink water.

If the dog vomits and/or has severe diarrhoea, the need for fluids increases. Fluid/electrolyte supplements can be purchased from your vet, e.g. Royal Canin Rehydration support or Oralade GI Support.

- Initially , outside normal opening hours, if simply returning to the dog's normal food does not improve the situation, you can make yourself a low-fat diet consisting of cooked rice and a lean protein source (e.g. boiled chicken, lean white fish, etc.)

- Mix about half of each into the serving. Give this gentle dietary source in small portions, one to two tablespoons at a time in the beginning and give about 4 times a day the first day (about every  3or 4  hours during the day).

- If this goes well, you can gradually increase the portion size and thus reduce the number of feedings back to 2 or 3 times per day.

- When possible, or if a longer time on a soft diet is necessary, you should switch gradually to a professional gastrointestinal diet - thereby ensuring that your dog gets the right amount of energy, vitamins and minerals.

- These stomach/intestinal disease diets are available from your vet in both wet and dry versions and different brands (Hills I/D, Royal Canin Gastroenterinal or Virbac Gastro etc.).

- Ask your vet for advice on which type and daily amount is right for your dog.

Continue to give your dog this stomach/intestinal diet until its gastrointestinal function is completely normal again. When the stools have been normal for a couple of days you can start to gradually mix the usual food into the portions. Make this transition gradually over 5 days.

Contact your vet to request an appointment if your dog continues to have diarrhoea or vomiting. If it begins to be generally unwell (depressed/not eating/persistent vomiting/abdominal pain etc.), produces bloody diarrhoea or develops a fever - you must contact your vet immediately to arrange an examination. 

Normal temperature for a dog is around 38-39 degrees.

You are always welcome to contact us again for a follow-up call should any doubts or additional questions arise.

To ensure that future Christmas days are enjoyable and safe - also for the four-legged family members - you can seek advice on preventive measures against the potential dangers of Christmas at the link below: