Dr. Holly Dutton–Medical Director at the Tampa and Clearwater locations of VEG ER for Pets, a national operation specializing in around-the-clock emergency care for pets—reviews some of the VEG ER distinguishing traits we covered in her June 2025 appearance on “Talking Animals,” as a prelude to today’s discussion focusing on Holiday-related emergency vet visits, and how to prevent them. 
Touching on one of those traits–the policy that enables someone calling a VEG ER location to
immediately speak with a veterinarian–leads to a more extended re-exploration than anticipated. That was spurred, in part, by a caller who appreciated that policy, and experienced it while fostering a kitten, but was concerned that in calling a VEG ER hospital, she received a quote of $8000-$10,000 to treat the kitty. There’s further conversation about this, including medical scenarios that would yield that sort of estimate. Moving on to the core of today’s conversation, I ask Dr. Dutton to identify the most common issue that brings an animal to a vet hospital during the Holidays. Not surprisingly, she responds, that’s after the animals have eaten something they shouldn’t have, triggering an ill reaction—and the visit to the vet hospital. This falls under the category “Food Toxicity & GI,” which revolved partly around dogs eating chocolate, clarifying the risks and misunderstandings surrounding the topic. She noted that if your dog consumes chocolate, the emergency vet will want to know how much, what kind (dark chocolate vs milk, etc.), and when. Other elements we explored in this particular realm included consuming fatty foods by way of snagging table scraps, sometimes developing pancreatitis as a
result…Getting into discarded items pulled from the trash—bones, cooking twine, foil, etc.—and the perils of pets swallowing Xylitol, the ingredient in many sugar-free desserts, gum, and baked goods. We spend some time talking about Toxic Plants, including that munching on Poinsettias—the flowering plant commonly used as Christmas decoration in homes and elsewhere—can be poisonous for cats, though Dr. Dutton adds that the severity of their toxicity is mild. By sharp contrast, she emphasizes that Lilies—also frequently incorporated into Holiday décor—are enormously dangerous for cats, even just exposure to their pollen, and ingesting them can lead to severe kidney failure. We go on to consider other Holiday pet emergencies, including fireworks-induced trauma and panic-induced seizures—and in all instances of these emergencies, what measures can be undertaken to prevent them. (https://www.veg.com/)
ALSO: I spoke with Ellen Jaffe Jones–the successful athlete, running coach, personal trainer, cooking instructor, realtor, and author of multiple books, including “Eat Vegan On $4 A Day”—who was slated to deliver a talk on Sunday, Nov. 23, entitled “The Vegan Edge—In Competition And Life.” A longtime master of wearing many hats, she outlined the current batch of hats she’s wearing, then offered something of a sneak preview of her then-upcoming lecture. We underscored how, in addition to her lecture, the Sunday afternoon extravaganza–held at Lotus Vegan Restaurant, in St Petersburg–would also include a sumptuous vegan buffet. (https://www.vegcoach.com/, https://www.lotusvegan.us/)
COMEDY CORNER: Martha Kelly’s “Horses Hate That We Ride Them” (https://www.instagram.com/mkellyatx/)
MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme”
NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: We didn’t play “Name That Animal Tune” today.
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