It’s nearly Christmas time! – What are the dangers to our pets?

Although the festive season is a wonderful time for us, it can be a strange time for our pets. Their usual comfortable home environment is filled with trees and decorations and there are loud noises such as crackers and fireworks. Often our routines change and there may be unfamiliar visitors to the home.

There are a few common Christmas dangers around your home for your dog below:

Food Hazards

Chocolate, nuts, blue cheese, raisins, fruit cakes, mince pies and puddings can all be toxic to dogs. Be especially careful when cooking your Christmas turkey – watch out for the bones as these can cause damage to the dog’s intestines as well as choking.

Christmas Trees

The majority of Christmas trees are low toxicity but vomiting and/or diarrhoea may occur if chewed or ingested. Pine needles themselves can get stuck in paws and potentially can cause severe damage to the intestines if eaten. We recommend vacuuming daily and make sure there is plenty of water in the tree bucket to help reduce to amount of fallen needles.

Decorations

While our decorations are designed to look attractive, unfortunately this also means they are very tempting to all our furry friends! Although decorations are generally not toxic themselves they can potentially cause blockages if eaten. Tinsel tends to be one of dogs’ favourite – they eat it a little like spaghetti, often consuming an entire bunch in one go! Be careful with baubles, they can splinter or smash into shards easily.

Batteries

This ingestion is very common at this time of year. If a battery is chewed and pierced it can cause chemical burns and heavy metal poisoning. If allowed to swallow whole it can cause a blockage.

Presents

Dogs are very clever in determining what our presents contain under the tree… especially chocolate! Make sure any tasty treats are hidden out of their way so they cannot help themselves! Chocolate is very toxic especially if eaten in larger quantities.

Antifreeze

Ethylene glycol (anti freeze) ingestion is very dangerous. To dogs and cats it is very sweet tasting and palatable and even in small quantity it can cause serious kidney damage and can be fatal. If you suspect your pet has ingested anti freeze it is extremely important that your seek veterinary attention without delay.
It goes without saying, if you are in any doubt regarding your pet’s health over the Christmas period then please don’t hesitate to contact us.