An astounding third of pet owners will experience an emergency this festive season1.
And the leading pet emergency clinic in South Wales, Vets Now in Newport, will see a 65% rise in cases2 around Christmas and New Year as worried pet owners battle with the unexpected dangers of Christmas – with everything from accidental ingestion of raisins from eating mince pies to fairy light and candle burns.
The 24/7 emergency clinic in Newport’s Langstone area is bracing itself for the festive emergency season with additional vets and vet nurses on shift and stockpiling extra clinical supplies and medicine.
Clinicians are also preparing by putting up an extra special Christmas trees this December – a ‘wish tree', provided by online home furnishings retailer, Wayfair (www.wayfair.co.uk)
Pet owners will be able to donate £1 to the national charity StreetVet by placing a bauble on the tree with their handwritten Christmas wish. All funds raised will go directly to StreetVet, which delivers free veterinary care to the pets of people experiencing homelessness across the UK. To find out more about the work StreetVet does visit www.streetvet.org.uk.
Vets Now Lead Out of Hours Vet Owain Davies, at Vets Now emergency clinic in Newport, is one of hundreds of vets and vet nurses up and down the country bracing themselves for a surge in emergencies over the festive period.
With over 20 million pet cats and dogs in the UK, Vets Now 60+ emergency clinics and hospitals up and down the country are already preparing themselves for the festive emergency season ahead.
The Newport Vets Now clinic is one of the leading emergency and critical care centres in South Wales – and Owain Davies, lead out of hours vet at the Newport clinic, is part of a team who keeps it all going.
Owain said:
“During the festive season, our emergency vets and nurses here in Newport are true heroes, standing ready to support pet owners in their time of need. Christmas, a time of joy and celebration, can also bring unexpected challenges for our furry companions. Our emergency vets and nursing teams and all of our support teams work tirelessly over the busy festive season, to be there for worried owners when they need it most.
“From festive food and drink to decorations and even gifts, our homes harbour a myriad of potential hazards for pets at Christmas, and our caseload rises significantly over the festive season.”
Last year alone there was a 66% increase in emergency calls to Vets Now at Christmas, with emergency admissions at Vets Now Newport soaring by 65% throughout the festive period.3
In particular, emergency teams at Vets Now’s 60+ clinics and hospitals across the UK dealt with 958 cases of dogs ingesting chocolate and 667 cases of them eating mince pies – both can be poisonous to dogs. Across the festive season dogs and cats also ended up in the emergency room for accidental ingestions of tinsel (15 cases), eating chocolate wrappers (115 cases), advent calendars (20 cases) and Christmas puddings (19 cases)
Owain added:
“We are encouraging pet owners in Newport and the surrounding area to be aware of the hidden hazards and ensure festive treats don’t turn into festive treatment.”
Vets Now Newport, open 24/7, is located at Vets Now Newport, Langstone Business Village, Langstone, Newport, NP18 2LH, Newport. For more information about the Vets Now clinic in Newport visit https://www.vets-now.com/find-an-emergency-vet/newport/.
Pet Proof your Christmas
The ultimate expert guide to keep furry friends merry and bright over the festive season
To help pet proof your Christmas, the professionals at Vets Now have launched a Christmas hub with advice, infographics, and more, to make sure your pets have a very merry, emergency-free, December…
Top Christmas watch outs
- Chocolate
- Christmas trees
- Artificial sweeteners
- Fairy lights
- Cooked bones
- Batteries
- Christmas pudding and mince pies
- Wrapping paper
For more information, visit Vets Now's Christmas hub: https://www.vets-now.com/christmas/
Vets Now is available 24-hours a day, seven days a week, with clinics across the UK.
If you’re unsure whether your pet needs veterinary treatment, you can book an online video consultation with Video Vets Now. To find your nearest clinic, visit www.vets-now.com.
