It’s important to keep a very close eye on our young and growing pets. Puppies and kittens love to get into mischief while exploring their surroundings. The most common and simple items around the house can lead to severe injury. A simple string from a balloon left lying around can lead to abdominal surgery. The kitten starts chewing on the string and once they start swallowing, they can’t stop until the entire length of the string ends up in their stomach. This can lead to a blockage, thus surgery is necessary.
Our young pets are always jumping, chewing, sliding and investigating their homes and yards. They are easily trapped in drawers, doors and containers. Keep cleaning solutions, anti-freeze, and insect/weed repellents sealed tight. Even rat poison tastes good to our pets and we may not know how ill they are until they are critical. The poison thins out their blood so the injury is internal and not as easy to spot until the pet is very ill.
It is important to keep very young pets away from parks and outings where they can come in contact with animals that haven't been vaccinated. They are very vulnerable the firsts few months of their lives since their immune systems are not fully developed. They need a series of three sets of vaccines which are given during their first 4 months. Put up gates or use crates when there is a chance your pet might escape the house and run into the street. Our young pets have no fear and won’t hesitate to run directly into the path of an oncoming vehicle. There is a huge possibility that these pets will get lost when left on their own outside. We highly recommend having a microchip placed in your pet so that we can find their owners if they do get lost.
Often we bring young pets into our homes where young children also live. Remember that children are enthusiastic and happy to have the puppy or kitten and don’t always understand that running and jumping around with the new pet may cause injury. Children don’t necessarily know their own strength and can accidentally hurt their pet while playing. It is best not to leave very young children alone with these small pets. A child can startle the pet and end up with scratches or bite wounds.
It is important to train your pets at an early age. It is okay to set limits on their behavior. These limits will help them to stay safe and become important and well loved members of your family. The following lists were put together showing the top 10 accidental injuries suffered by dogs and cats during the first two years of their lives. VPI is a Veterinary Pet Insurance company that processes claims for injured pets.
Top 10 puppy accident claims with VPI
1. Soft tissue trauma
2. Laceration or bite wound
3. Cruciate ligament injury
4. Sprain
5. Insect bites and stings
6. Abrasion
7. Torn nail
8. Eye trauma
9. Drug toxicity
10. Oral cavity trauma
Top 10 kitten accident claims with VPI
1. Soft tissue trauma
2. Laceration or bite wound
3. Foreign body ingestion
4. Abrasion
5. Leg fracture
6. Eye trauma
7. Sprain
8. Insect bites and stings
9. Torn nail
10. Skin puncture
Please come in and get to know the doctors and staff at VCA Highlands Animal Hospital. We would love to help you care for all of your pets.
3451 Elkhorn Boulevard North Highlands, CA 95660
916-332-2845