With Chinese New Year just around the corner, there will be much joy and celebration everywhere. Last week, we talked about flowers and plants that pet owners need to pay extra attention to. Today, we will talk about some of the traditional Chinese New Year delicacies that you should know before feeding to your pet.
1. Rice cakes: In Chinese New Year, rice cakes are an essential part of every celebration. So, make sure your cat and dog stay away from these treats. Rice cakes contain gluten, which is difficult for dogs and cats to digest. Similarly, cats have a very different digestive system compared to human and feeding these starchy products can cause flatulence.
2. Dried fruits or Nuts: Dried fruits such as currants and raisins or nuts are delicious, they are commonly seen in our candy box or as ingredients of our delicacies in Chinese New Year. Although the exact mechanism is still undetermined, ingestion of raisins by dogs and cats can potentially cause acute renal failure. In dogs, ingestion of macadamia nut can result in central nervous system depression, muscle weakness, tremors, ataxia and vomiting. Other nuts such as walnut, pecan and almonds contain a high level of oils and fats, which can potentially lead to vomiting, diarrhea or even pancreatitis. Any suspected case of dried fruits or nuts ingestion requires immediate emergency veterinary attention.
Most cases of food toxicosis in pets during Chinese New Year are accidental. Keep your pet away from human food and stay vigilant to what you feed to your pet. Let’s celebrate the new year with good health.
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