SAVSNET (Small Animal Veterinary Surveillance Network) has published its spring newsletter after another busy season.
As Easter approaches, the SAVSNET team are highlighting how to protect dogs from chocolate ingestion. ‘Chocolate ingestion has a unique seasonal pattern especially in the run-up to Christmas and Easter,’ says the team, referencing their 2017 paper ‘Heightened risk of canine chocolate exposure at Christmas and Easter’.
The team have also been using SAVSNET data to investigate xylitol toxicity in dogs after the sad case of Ruby, who died after eating two homemade chocolate brownies.
Springtime is also an important time to raise awareness amongst rabbit owners, as flystrike season begins. SAVSNET data has recorded cases as early as in April, but the team notes that ‘there was a peak number of cases in the summer between June and August’.