Vets & Plumbers Are Amidst Their Busiest Days of the Year, Give Advice on How to Avoid Thanksgiving Mishaps

DELMARVA - Some of Thanksgiving's unsung heroes are probably one's you've never thought of, unless you've dealt with some of these holiday mishaps.

Injuries happen, not just to humans, but your four-legged dinner guests.

While most pass around the pie and chase Black Friday deals, veterinarians are in the office for some of their busiest days of the year.

"We definitely see an increase in phone calls or appointments either right before Thanksgiving ,so right before we closed the day before, and especially the day after," said Dr. Marianne Bailey of Queenstown Veterinary Hospital.

That's mostly because of pets eating too much people food. While even the vet is guilty of giving Fido a holiday treat and it's okay to sneak him some plain turkey, here's what he can't have.

"Anything that's really fattening or anything that is going to have bones in there. And just try to avoid giving them like the leftover on the plate," Dr. Bailey said. 

Since some vets are off duty on Thanksgiving, know when a stomachache can wait until Friday for  checkup.

"If they throw up once and then they seem like they're doing okay, then maybe they're going to be fine. But anything that continues for more than 12 to 24 hours, you want to make a phone call," Dr. Bailey advised.

So you saved yourself a trip to the vet, but you drop grease or turkey bones down the sink! Mistakes like those keep plumbers just as busy.

"You're cooking, you're cleaning up, you just want to get things done and you're in a rush and they [small objects] go down the garbage disposal," said Teresa Mousley of A.A. Mousley Plumbing.

She advises using a paper towel to sop up grease and not putting  peels or fatty meats down the garbage disposal. Aside from those minor problems, sometimes emergencies happen.

"A pipe under the sink comes apart. That's something that you can't control. Other than that, like a water heater that bursts, those are typically emergencies," Mousley said.

Avoiding these holiday mishaps makes sure you, the vet, and the plumber have more time for what Thanksgiving is really about.

A.A. Mousley is on call for emergencies on Thanksgiving and Queenstown Vet Hospital will open Friday.