The winter holiday’s are upon us. Time for eating and drinking too much, spoiling each other and our pets, and “relaxing”. There are some ground rules we need to set to keep everyone safe, sound, and happy.

Tinsel the dangerous decoration: How beautiful and shiny, problem is they are nice long strands, and apparently they’re fun to crunch on for some pets. Linear foreign bodies as these would be known are deadly in our pets (same goes for dental floss or sewing thread). They can lodge themselves around the tongue as the ends go down the esophagus, maybe into the stomach, maybe even into the intestines. This results in these decorations “sawing” through the tissues as the animal swallows/digests. They can cause bunching of the intestines into a horribly destroyed intestinal accordion, resulting in tissue death and death of the animal. AVOID. oh and ribbon, ribbon is the same deal.

 “Pretty” Poinsettia’s: These festive holiday plants are seen everywhere this time of year. They are well known to be toxic to our pets. They cause mainly gastrointestinal signs such as vomiting and diarrhea and can cause irritation to the mouth. Often these signs are self limiting but can sometimes require some medical supportive care. Consider keeping these out of reach of our furry friends if you absolutely need to have them in the house. 

Gravy and other delicious fatty treats: Couldn’t think of any clever names for this, sorry. Hey who doesn’t love soaking their stuffing in some rich gravy. Or taking a bite of a nice rich piece of dark meat turkey. Unfortunately for our pets they might not be able to handle all that deliciousness. Pancreatitis can result from a big whack of fat in the diet, the body responds by creating the digestive enzymes to help breakdown the fat and let the body digest it. Sometimes this production of enzymes can go off the rails and start digesting the body starting with the pancreas and the nearby intestines! Resulting in pain, inflammation, and tissue destruction, these pets may even need supportive care with intravenous fluids! Steer clear!

Bad to the Bones: I somehow feel that I’m always fighting a losing battle with this one! People LOVE to give their animals bones, apparently it is critical for their existence. Enter the ham or turkey bones, listen I don’t know what to say to make people understand, it really isn’t worth the risk, bones can shatter, they can break teeth, they can be swallowed and lodge into something soft like stomach lining, they can puncture and lacerate things like stomach and intestines. OK I get it, you love risk, big time gambler,…but given this information, do you think your pet is?

Have I taken the fun out of the holidays yet? OK good two more:

Chocolates: Don’t give your pet chocolate, any chocolate. REPEAT I will not give my pets chocolate. For more information see my other post on foods NOT to feed your pet.

Christmas lights and ornaments: Some ornaments can pose a choking hazard, not meant to be chewed on by our furry friends but oh so tempting. Lights as well can pose a significant hazard, be wary if your pet likes to chew on wires,..for obvious reasons.

Keeping these hazards out of the picture will help ensure we can keep the whole family happy and healthy this holiday season!