Keeping our pets safe during the holidays can be a difficult task. There are many potential dangers such as ornaments, tinsels, ribbons, plants, and of course, the Christmas tree. Check out these simple Holiday safety tips for pets to avoid a trip to the veterinary emergency room during the festivities.
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Holiday Ornaments Safety Tips
Holiday decorations such as snow globes or bubble lights may contain poisonous chemicals. If your pet chews them, the liquid inside might be dangerous to their health.
Also, ornaments can cause suffocation and intestinal obstruction. Broken ornaments can hurt the paws or mouth of your pet.
It is better to avoid this type of decoration if you have pets at home or keep the ornaments out of reach of your pets.
Tinsel
Tinsel is very attractive to pets, particularly cats. Kitties love this sparkly, light-catching toy. The shiny, dangling decoration reflects light and can move to appear to come alive to watchful critters.
A cat can swallow the tinsel, and this can cause serious injury. Swallowing tinsel can lead to an obstructed digestive tract, severe vomiting, dehydration, and possible surgery.
It is better to brighten the branches with something other than tinsel.
Toxic Holiday Plants
Some holiday plants are toxic to dogs and cats. Few of these plants only cause mild indigestion; in others, the toxicity can cause serious health problems, including death. Avoid decorating with these plants.
- Poinsettia is not as deadly as people believe. However, it can cause mouth irritation.
- Holly can cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
- Mistletoe can cause gastrointestinal upset and cardiovascular problems.
- Lilies can cause kidney failure in cats if ingested.
Better be safe and opt for jolly artificial plants made from silk or plastic or choose pet-safe flowers.
Holiday Foods Safety Tips
When we think about Holiday safety tips for our pets, food must be taken very seriously. During the holiday season we eat foods that can be dangerous for our pets.
You should avoid giving your pet the following foods
- Desserts such as fruitcake.
- Grapes, raisins, and currants
- Chocolate and cocoa in small amounts of can cause vomiting and diarrhea, large amounts can cause seizures and heart arrhythmias.
- Sugarless gum can contain xylitol which is very toxic to dogs.
- Leftover, fatty meat can produce pancreatitis (sever pancreas inflammation)
- Alcohol, if your pet drinks alcohol could become weak, ill and may even go into a coma.
Check out this post with the 11 Holiday Foods Toxic for Pets
Christmas tree Safety Tips
Secure your Christmas tree so it doesn’t tip and fall, causing possible injury to your pet.
Don’t let your pet drink the tree water which contains fertilizers and can cause stomach upset.
This information is not meant to be a substitute for veterinary care. Always follow the instructions provided by your veterinarian.
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