Keeping your pets safe this holiday season
As the holidays approach, it’s important to keep your pet’s health and safety in mind. Food, decorations, plants and wrapping can all become potentially dangerous hazards for your pets without understanding the dangers.
Tasty Treats – It’s normal to want to celebrate the holidays with our pets and include them with tasty holiday treats. It’s best to keep your pets on their normal diet, but if including them in the holiday meals make sure that you avoid unsafe foods. The top holiday foods to avoid include:
- chocolate
- grapes
- onions
- garlic
- xylitol
- turkey bones – while these might not be toxic they pose a harmful choking hazard
Holiday Plants – Some holiday decorations are dangerous to have around pets. Mistletoe, holly, poinsettias and lilies can all be toxic to pets. Mistletoe berries are especially toxic. Keep these out of houses with pets or at least be sure to keep them out of reach.
Decorations – Items such as candles, Christmas trees, salt dough ornaments and snow globes can prove dangerous safety hazards for pets. Christmas trees should be secure so that they are not able to be tipped over by a curious pet, and the wiring for the lights should be out of reach of them. Salt dough ornaments can be fun to make, especially for toddlers and children, but can cause a serious electrolyte imbalance for pets if they were to try to eat them.
Snow globes are made from ethylene glycol, the same chemical used in antifreeze, and highly toxic to all pets. Ethylene glycol has a sweet smell that attracts pets to it and if they ingest any it can quickly become fatal.
If you think your pet has ingested something potentially poisonous call the ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center phone number (888) 426-4435.
https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control
https://www.dvm360.com/view/holiday-warnings-for-pet-owners