Glasgow vet treats drunk dogs and electrocuted cats over Christmas

Dr Lara Wilson is the leading out of hours vet at Vets Now in Glasgow and is bracing for a surge in patients during the festive period.

The Paisley medic is urging owners to keep animals away from the Christmas tree after treating pets for eating glass ornaments and chewing on strong voltage lights.

Vets Now also treated 280 dogs last year between Christmas Eve and Boxing Day for eating mince pies, which can tragically be fatal.

They also saw 17 animals for eating decorative baubles, 28 cases of tinsel ingestion and five shocked cats.

Now Dr Wilson has told the Glasgow Times some of the common horror injuries she treats this time of year in a desperate bid to warn others.

She said: “I have seen some strange things being a vet and over Christmas, we have lots of extra patients.

“I have treated drunk dogs, which is really sad to see, they are very nauseous and disoriented.

“Animals can also eat decorations, we had to treat a dog for injuries after eating a glass T Rex bauble from a tree. It was horrible.

“Multiple cats were electrocuted last year from Christmas lights as well after chewing on them.

“This can be serious. It depends on the voltage it can result in burns around the mouth but if they are stronger, it can be very intense.

“Mince pies are a big danger this time of year as well because they have raisins and dried grapes which can be fatal for dogs.

“We see these cases every year and I have sadly seen animals lose their lives after eating them.

“Everyone is together, and it is hard to keep certain doors shut or eyes on our pets and that is sadly when accidents happen.”

Dr Wilson has worked for Vets Now for 18 years and worked at the Glasgow branch for three years.

She works around the clock with a team of 14 vets who are now bracing for a spike in out-of-hour patients over the festive period.

Her advice is to lock animals out of rooms with Christmas trees if possible and be on high alert for accidents.

She said: “We are really bracing for high numbers coming in the door in the next few weeks.

“It is best if possible, to lock pets out of the Christmas tree room if they aren’t supervised.

“This time of the year everyone has chocolate in their house and mince pies so it is accessible.

“These are things pets should not have and even with the best will in the world it can be hard to keep it away from them.

“We often see a dog rip into a box of chocolate that was wrapped and under the tree because the owner didn’t know what was inside.

“It can be demolished pretty quickly, and they need to come in for treatment.

“If we can avoid these kinds of cases coming in it is better for everyone.”