5 Holiday Pet Hazards To Watch Out For

Decorations, candy, flowers, and plants can cause serious harm to animals. Here are common ones to watch out for.

November 3, 2011
keep your pets safe during the holidays

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1. Festive foods  
Baked goods and boxes of chocolate are abundant this time of year, but if ingested, they can result in gastrointestinal upset, heart arrhythmia, and seizure. Certain desserts can be deadly too—especially those containing grapes, raisins, or currants (like fruitcake), which can lead to kidney failure. Refrain from tossing meat scraps and bones to your dog (and ask your houseguests to do the same). It may seem like a treat, but pets just aren't built to digest meat prepared for humans; eating it can lead to pancreatitis. To keep your dog healthy, stick to her normal diet.

2. Liquid potpourri 
Filling your house with the smell of pine or peppermint may seem inviting, but if you're partial to heating your scented oils in a simmer pot, know that it can cause serious harm to your feline. These oils are toxic to cats, and even a few licks can result in severe chemical burns in the mouth, fever, difficulty breathing, and tremors. Dogs aren't as sensitive, but it's still wise to scent your home with a nontoxic candle kept safely out of pets' reach. (Try this DIY natural air freshener instead.)

3. Flowers and plants  
Poinsettias get the bad rap, but the plant you actually need to worry about is the fragrant lily (such as tiger, Asiatic, and Stargazer), which is commonly found in holiday arrangements and is highly toxic to cats. Just one chewed leaf can result in severe, acute kidney failure. Yuletide plants (like holly and mistletoe) can easily be mistaken for food, resulting in gastrointestinal upset and even heart arrhythmia. Silk and plastic arrangements are your safest bets; if you prefer real flowers, however, choose bouquets made of nonirritating choices such as roses, marigolds, orchids, or daisies.

4. Ornaments and decorations  

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If you find your pet chewing on a string of bubble lights, get her to the vet. The dangerous chemical methylene chloride (which bubbles when heated) can cause irritation to her eyes, skin, lungs, and gastrointestinal tract. There's also the risk of broken glass ornaments cutting her paws. So avoid hanging any ornaments at pet level—and try to keep lights and delicate decorations out of reach.

5. Tinsel
If you own a cat, toss the tinsel—she's likely to mistake it for a chew toy, and eating tinsel can cause severe damage to the intestinal tract. It can get wrapped around the tongue or caught up in the stomach while the rest of it continues to pass through the intestines, which may require expensive abdominal surgery. 

If you think your pet may have eaten something toxic, call pet poison animal control immediately. Keep these numbers programmed in your phone: 

  • ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (888) 426-4435, $60 fee per incident; aspca.org/apcc.
  • Pet Poison Helpline (800) 213-6680, $35 fee (pay by credit card) per incident; petpoisonhelpline.com.


MORE: Pet Care Mistakes Good Owners Make

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