How Does Alcohol Affect My Pets?

It’s holiday season and alcohol is like a must-have beverage as far as family gatherings are concerned. Those dinner parties can be stressful for both the hosts and the guests and in most cases, people turn to alcohol to ease the awkwardness and smoothen the conversations.During holiday season, people also forget that there are pets in the house. There are certain risks that alcohol can pose to pets. Although the toxicity of alcohol in pets are rare, sometimes, things can get a little out of control. Especially in such a busy season. If your pet does end up having some of the eggnog, one of two things can happen. He could either get a little buzzed – not unlike people, or he could end up in the emergency unit. Here are some of the risks that alcohol poses to your pet.

Rather than focusing on the type of alcohol that he had, focus instead on how much. No matter the type, it’s always the ethanol that gets you intoxicated in the end. Proportion matters. Keep in mind that our pets are much smaller than us and therefore has a bigger impact on them than it has one us.If all your dog has consumed are the remains of an almost empty bottle, worry about him the same way that you would worry about a friend who had one too many shots. Light bear is the type of alcohol that does the least amount of damage to your dog. It’s followed by normal craft beers, wines, hard liquor, and grain alcohols such as Everclear. The ethanol is what is really dangerous to pets so also make sure that your pet doesn’t get into the cleaning products, hand sanitizers, and mouth wash.

Although a pet would never knowingly take more than one sip of whiskey or wine, certain types of alcohol has tastes that might be alluring to certain animals. Sometimes the ingredients that make the drink appealing to them are fatal. There could be chocolate, macadamia nuts, raisins, or grapes. All of which are harmful when consumed.

The signs of your pet being under the influence of alcohol is much the same as the signs you would expect to see in humans. They could have an upset stomach, they might become nauseated or start vomiting, and their stance can get a little wobbly. They might also experience an increase in thirst, lethargy, urination, and disorientation. If your pet has consumed a concerning amount of alcohol, they might experience paralysis, shallow breathing, tremors, seizures, and unconsciousness.Pets generally recover after a few hours when the toxicity of the alcohol is just mild. If your pet has consumed more than mild amounts of alcohol, take him to the vet immediately.