Braai Day With Pets: Bones, Skewers and Open Gates

The food is the main danger

Cooked bones splinter — chop, rib and chicken bones cause obstructions and tears that end in surgery. Boerewors and fatty offcuts trigger pancreatitis, a genuinely painful and sometimes serious illness, and marinades heavy with onion and garlic are toxic to dogs and cats in their own right.

Corn cobs deserve a special mention: they are exactly gullet-sized, do not break down, and are one of the most common surgical foreign bodies vets remove. Skewers and toothpicks that smell of meat get swallowed whole.

The fire, the pool and the gate

Excited dogs and open flames are a bad mix — keep the braai area a no-dog zone until the coals are dead. If there is a pool and the party runs into the dark, remember that tired, overstimulated dogs fall in more often at night.

The quietest risk of all is the front gate. Guests come and go, nobody watches the latch, and a dog slips out into the street. Put one person, or a closed door, in charge of that gate for the day.

Give them an exit

Even social dogs get overwhelmed by hours of guests, music and children. Set up a cool, quiet room with water, a chew and their bed, and let them retire early. Cats generally make this decision for themselves — make sure the room they retreat to stays accessible.

If something does go wrong — a bone swallowed, a skewer missing, sudden vomiting and a hunched belly — phone your vet or the after-hours line immediately rather than watching overnight.