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Holiday Warnings For Pet Owners

The holidays are coming with all of the decorations, beautiful plants, and rich foods that make this time of year so special. However, some holiday treasures and traditions can be potentially hazardous to the health of your pets.

Watch What The Eat!

• Do not feed fatty or spicy table foods. Table food is for people - only!
• Do not allow access to bones! Ingested bone fragments can damage the digestive tract. Round ham bones often get caught over the jaw of the pet and require veterinary assistance for removal.

Mistletoe and Holly

While mistletoe may stimulate a kiss from a loved one, when ingested by a pet it can stimulate vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, shock, seizures, and possibly muscle tremors. Death can occur, depending upon the amount ingested. The milky sap from a poinsettia plant can cause irritation to the mouth and esophagus.

Ingested holly berries can cause severe gastrointestinal signs and depression of the nervous system. It is vital that any pet known to ingest any of these plants be seen by a veterinarian for immediate treatment.

Tinsel and Ribbon

Tinsel is sparkling, shiny and bright, and is an attractant for small pets, particularly cats. The newer tinsel is made of plastic, making it tough and resistant to breaking. When ingested, the tinsel stretches out within the intestines, causing the intestines to bunch up over this tough unbreakable thread.

The 'sawing' action of the intestines over the tinsel can lead to rupture of the intestines and life-threatening infection. Surgery is frequently required to remove the tinsel and repair any intestinal damage. Any signs of vomiting, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, or straining to defecate should be reported to the veterinarian immediately. Strands of ribbon, string, thread, and yarn can have the same harmful effects when ingested.

Poinsettias

The older species of these decorative plants would cause severe irritation of the digestive tract when ingested. Vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramping were common complaints from pet owners. Plant growers have breed a poinsettia plant that is non toxic to our pets when ingested. Care must be taken when selecting your poinsettia plant to ensure it is the newer, non toxic species.

Tree Ornaments and Decorations

Small ornaments are fun for pets to paw and chase, but when swallowed whole can cause obstruction of the stomach or intestinal tract. When glass ornaments are chewed apart by our pets, the glass fragments can cut the mouth and damage the digestive (gastrointestinal) tract.

Angel hair is made of thin glass fibers and can cause skin irritation upon contact and mouth and gastrointestinal irritation if ingested. Dough ornaments are popular to buy in their many cut figures and fun to make. They are made from flour and high quantities of salt. When chewed and ingested, the high salt concentration can cause vomiting and lead to severe dehydration.

If you find that your pet has chewed or ingested tree ornaments or angel hair, contact a veterinarian immediately. Your pet may show signs that includes severe depression, loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, and blood in the mouth, feces or vomit. The treatment is often supportive, with fluids given to replace and prevent dehydration. However, radiographs will often be necessary to locate objects that might be causing obstruction or damage to the gastrointestinal tract. Medications that protect the digestive system can be helpful and surgical removal of objects causing obstruction can become necessary.

As always, the best treatment is prevention! Keep ornaments and other decorations high on the tree and out of the reach of pets.

Christmas Lights and Electric Cords

Special care must be taken when placing electrical cords, keeping them out of the reach of pets (especially puppies and kittens!). Should your pet chew on an electrical cord, the electrical current from the live cord can cause life-threatening problems such as abnormal heart rhythms, shock, lung edema, and burns in the mouth - within minutes to hours. The pet may show excessive drooling, reluctance to eat, difficulty breathing, severe depression, loss of consciousness, seizures, or death. The pet must be taken to a veterinarian for immediate treatment.

Chocolate Toxicity

UMMMM! Chocolate! A favorite Christmas treat. While safe for humans, chocolate contains a stimulant that can be toxic to pets when eaten in sufficient quantities. Dark baker's chocolate has the highest concentration of stimulants per ounce and light milk chocolate the least. Clinical signs that your pet may show include: vomiting, diarrhea, hyper-excitability, trembling, tremors, seizures, and eventually death. If you suspect that your pet has ingested chocolate, contact your veterinarian and inform them of the type and quantity eaten. If the ingestion has been recent and of a quantity to cause toxicity, the pet should be brought to a veterinarian immediately. The pet may be forced to vomit and activated charcoal may be given. Often, intravenous fluids are given to promote urination of the toxic by-products of chocolate metabolism.

Easter Hazards:

Easter chocolates pose a potential source of toxin for your pet. Chocolate contains a chemical that may cause vomiting and diarrhea, hyperexcitability, abnormal heart rhythms, tremors, seizures, and when ingested in high concentrations, death. Keep all candy away from your pet. If you believe that your pet has ingested chocolate, call your veterinarian as soon as possible. Be sure to tell your doctor what kind of chocolate (sweet, semisweet, dark, light) and about how much was ingested.

Easter grass, when ingested, can become stuck in the stomach or intestines, preventing food from passing. Your pet may have vomiting or abdominal pain. Surgery can be required to remove the grass. So be cautious and keep this decorative material away from your pet.

Easter lilies provide beauty and a hope for new life in your home. The leaves and flowers are toxic and cause signs ranging from vomiting and diarrhea to loss of appetite and lethargy. Acute kidney failure can occur, which in severe cases can cause death. There is a good chance for recovery if the animals are treated early after ingestion. Keep these plants away from your pets.

Easter bunnies and chicks These animals require special food and housing and can be quite delicate. Cute, fluffy, yellow chicks grow up to be chickens and roosters - which cluck and crow and act like chickens and roosters. Please think carefully when making a decision to purchase these Easter pets and make sure that you are making a lifetime commitment to the care of these creatures.