Superbowl Sunday is just around the corner and the only thing that can rival the fun of the game is getting to enjoy all the amazing food. People share hamburgers, hot dogs, wings, nachos, bean dip, chips, little smokies, cheese cubes, and all the other finger foods and dips that go along with the festivities to make the occasion extra special. Mostly everyone can splurge on some unhealthy food and in most cases be completely normal the next day aside from some mild heart burn. The only thing that could make this day better is sharing it with our furry companions. That being said, our canine and feline friends may love our company and food, but can have some devastating consequences if allowed to share in the delicious foods and snacks that make Superbowl Sunday great.
Our companion animal’s digestive tract unfortunately is not as forgiving as our own. The foods that excite us can make them extremely sick. If allowed to eat the salty high fat foods that are at our parties, animals can be at risk of developing gastroenteritis, pancreatitis, even a gastrointestinal obstruction in severe cases. Dogs and cats need to maintain a steady diet in order to keep their GI tracts happy. As little as a handful of high fatty foods can cause vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, inappetence and may need intense medical intervention and several days of hospitalization. Vomiting and diarrhea is by far the most common presentation for an animal at our Emergency Room here at Mount Laurel Animal hospital. Along with this comes abdominal pain and in some cases severe dehydration. Exposure to human food is not the only cause for these clinical signs but certainly predispose them to it. If you want to avoid a trip to the Animal ER it is best to not give your furry best friend any human food and keep all the party trays high off the ground.