Holiday Dangers that are Poisonous to Pets | Dr. Justine Lee

Posted by justinelee in Animal Safety, Blog, Pet Health, Veterinary

Admit it – you get holiday gifts for your dog and cat, right? Me too! After all, they’re our four-legged family members and deserve a gift to celebrate, right?

Well, before you put any presents below the Christmas tree, do your pet a favor – learn about the common holiday dangers that are poisonous to dogs and cats… and a few of the most dangerous are accidentally left under the tree.

Certain holiday dangers pose threats to pets, including certain decorations, plants, home ornaments, and holiday foods.

Food toxins:

During the holidays, we like to binge on rich, fattening foods or delicious baked goods. Note that some human foods can be very poisonous to dogs and cats, including chocolate, caffeine, sugar-free products containing xylitol, fatty meat scraps, unbaked yeast bread dough, grapes and raisins, alcohol and fruitcake! When in doubt, keep your dog or cat away from the dining room or kitchen and stick to their regular diets. For house guests, make sure they know the rules – no feeding your pets any human food at all!

Holiday plants

Don’t spread the hype: poinsettias are barely poisonous to pets (or humans!). The milky white sap inside of poinsettias can result in mild upset to the stomach (or skin). A bigger plant danger? Lilies from fresh cut bouquets, which can cause acute kidney injury (AKI) when ingested by cats. As little as 2-3 leaves – even the pollen or water from the vase can result in AKI! As for other  holiday plants like mistletoe, Christmas cactus, or holly? These can cause gastrointestinal upset (e.g., drooling, vomiting, diarrhea). When in doubt, keep all plants out of reach of pets.

Holiday decorations

While holiday decorations aren’t “poisonous” per se, certain holiday decorations can cause life-threatening problems to your dog and cat. For example: tinsel. If you own a cat, you absolutely can’t have ANY tinsel hanging on the Christmas tree! That’s because tinsel looks like a shiny fun toy to a cat. Unfortunately, when ingested, tinsel can result in a linear foreign body, meaning the tinsel can wrap around the base of the tongue or anchor itself in the stomach. As the intestines contract normally, the tinsel can actually saw through the tissue, resulting in a perforation of your cat’s intestines. This can cause a septic peritonitis – a severe infection into the abdomen, resulting in bacteria entering the blood stream. Treatment involves expensive abdominal surgery (There goes your holiday bonus!). When in doubt, keep tinsel out of reach.

Also, many people will use holiday scented liquid potpourris. While safe for dogs, liquid potpourri contains cationic detergents. If your cat takes a few licks out of these simmer pot liquid potpourris, it can result in severe corrosive burns to the mouth and esophagus, causing drooling, fever, not eating, and lethargy. In severe cases, it can cause liver problems or even pulmonary edema (e.g., fluid in the lungs).

When in doubt, make sure to keep your dog and cat safe during the holidays! If you think your pet was poisoned, make sure to contact ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 for life-saving advice 24/7!

As previously published on www.PetHealthNetwork.com.

Photo by Rosana Prada // cc