Guest Column: Keeping Your Pet Safe This Holiday

Greylock Animal HospitalGuest Column
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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The holiday season is here! Plan a comfortable and safe holiday for the four-legged members of your family with these following tips:

•  Decorate safely. There are a variety of decorations that can cause problems for your pet. Light cords, when chewed or frayed, can cause severe burns or electrocution. Ribbons and tinsel can also lead to trips to the emergency room, often resulting in complicated surgery or even death. Prevent these disasters by keeping decorations out of your pet's reach.

•  Mind your holiday plants. Mistletoe and poinsettia are poisonous, and ingested pine needles can cause digestive tract blockage. Keep your pet away from these plants and you just might save yourself a trip to the emergency room.

•  Keep human food for the humans, and pet food for the pets. Table scraps aren't pet snacks. Many holiday foods are loaded with fat and sodium, and can cause stomach upset or worse. Turkey bones can easily get stuck in the digestive tract.

•  Keep trash barrels and compost bins secure. Dumpster diving dogs often suffer from pancreatitis and other discomfort when dining on leftovers.



•  Provide solitude. Guests may cramp your pet's style — keep his or her favorite place free from holiday hubbub so your pet can relax and get away.

•  Make holiday trips safe and prepare for them well in advance. Take precautions when traveling with your pet no matter how you choose to travel. Several days before departing, consult with your veterinarian about how to properly prepare for your trip.

Provided by Greylock Animal Hospital in North Adams.


Tags: guest column,   pets,   veterinarian,   

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Macksey Updates on Eagle Street Demo and Myriad City Projects

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff

The back of Moderne Studio in late January. The mayor said the city had begun planning for its removal if the owner could not address the problems. 
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Moderne Studio building is coming down brick by brick on Eagle Street on the city's dime. 
 
Concerns over the failing structure's proximity to its neighbor — just a few feet — means the demolition underway is taking far longer than usual. It's also been delayed somewhat because of recent high winds and weather. 
 
The city had been making plans for the demolition a month ago because of the deterioration of the building, Mayor Jennifer Macksey told the City Council on Tuesday. The project was accelerated after the back of the 150-year-old structure collapsed on March 5
 
Initial estimates for demolition had been $190,000 to $210,000 and included asbestos removal. Those concerns have since been set aside after testing and the mayor believes that the demolition will be lower because it is not a hazardous site.
 
"We also had a lot of contractors who came to look at it for us to not want to touch it because of the proximity to the next building," she said. "Unfortunately time ran out on that property and we did have the building failure. 
 
"And it's an unfortunate situation. I think most of us who have lived here our whole lives and had our pictures taken there and remember being in the window so, you know, we were really hoping the building could be safe."
 
Macksey said the city had tried working with the owner, who could not find a contractor to demolish the building, "so we found one for him."
 
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