Christmas Holiday Hazards
The Christmas holiday season can be a lot of fun, but sometimes this busy time can have potential hazards for your pets. There are a few things to consider especially during Christmas time that you need to be cautious of.
- Chocolate: Chocolates can be especially harmful to your pets. Any type of chocolate can cause gastrointestinal upset but many chocolates can cause cardiac arrhythmias as well. Dark chocolates and baking chocolates are especially harmful. Chocolate toxicity can be fatal to your pet. If your pet ingests any chocolate please call our office immediately and we can help to minimize the complications if it is caught earlier enough.
- Tinsel: Tinsel can be especially enticing to cats. They love the sparkly colors and like to play with it, sometimes even ingesting it. The tinsel can then cause severe gastrointestinal problems. If your pet eats or play with tinsel and then begins having vomiting, please call us.
- Onions & Garlic: Onions and garlic can cause a severe anemia in companion animals. They also contain compounds that can cause damage to the lining of the gastrointestinal tract. If your pet ingests either of these we may need to induce vomiting if they have recently been ingested.
- Poinsettia: Poinsettia plants, leaves, stems, and the sap of the stem are all toxic to pets. They cause irritation of the mouth and may cause vomiting and diarrhea.
- Christmas tree cords: Keep cords out of reach of pets, especially Christmas lights which can be enticing to cats.
- Real tree water: Dogs and cats may like to drink out of the water from real Christmas trees. This water can cause gi upset and may also contain bacteria that may make them sick.
- Strings from presents: Cats especially like to play with strings from presents. When cats play with string they can ingest it. The string can become stuck on their tongue and they have no choice but to swallow it. The string can cause an intestinal blockage or laceration of the gi tract. It is best to keep unused string away from all pets.
- Mistletoe: This holiday plant can cause diarrhea, gi pain, and vomiting. The leaves, stems, and berries are all toxic.
- Table scraps: We do not recommend feeding table scraps of any kind to your pets. Some pets can become sick with pancreatitis after eating only a small amount of table scraps. Make sure to tell your guests that your pet doesn’t need to be fed from the table.
- Bones: Bones of all kinds can cause gi tract laceration and obstruction. Any type of bone can cause problems for your pets. We do not recommend feeding any type of bones from meat to your pet.
- Grapes and Raisins: Grapes and raisins are toxic to pets. They should not be fed to them. Even a small amount of grapes can cause kidney failure. If your pet has eaten grapes please call our clinic to discuss it with your veterinarian.
- Alcohol: Always be cautious about any drinks, especially mixed drinks containing alcohol. Even a small amount of alcohol can cause your pet to be lethargic and depressed.
