Holiday hazards to avoid this season

By Dr. Shelly Zacharias

As the air gets colder and the holidays get closer, we wanted to take some time and talk about holiday hazards that could potentially be dangerous to your pet. When we’re busy making food for guests or decorating the house, it can be easy to overlook some simple, yet hazardous, dangers. 

To keep the festivities going, follow these tips. 

Holiday foods and treats

This seems obvious and overdone, however, you’d be shocked that as a veterinarian, we keep seeing the same toxicity over and over again every year. The holidays mean treats on countertops and tables, but these festive foods, like candy, chocolate, bones, fat trimmings, and stuffing, can be toxic and damaging to your pet. 

Cookies, candies, and nuts are also dangerous and can cause upset stomachs and even bigger issues. Hard candy is especially toxic to dogs, as is baking chocolate, which is much more toxic for animals than milk chocolate. 

That being said, even if you stay away from feeding your pup human food, too many of their own treats is also bad for their health and can lead to issues such as hospitalization and pancreatitis. Save your pocket book and your pet — just feed them treats as you would without the holidays. 

Decorations

As a veterinarian, I have to perform X Rays for foreign objects in our four-foot friends annually during the holidays. Shiny objects like Christmas ornaments, loose tinsel, ribbon and shiny, dangling decorations are pretty but can cause serious injury for cats and dogs. Avoid choking hazards and a trip to the vet by placing decorations high up on trees and on your walls. 

Remove excess light chords so they’re not touching the ground (I’ve seen lots of pups chew on these) and be very careful to not let your dog drink out of the Christmas tree holder. Again, you’d be shocked by how often this happens every year. 

Alcohol 

This is pretty self explanatory, yet we see it a lot at the clinic. Don’t feed your dog alcohol; they feel effects just as we do. Their bodies, however, are much smaller so the chance of poisoning is greater. 

Cute costumes 

If you dress your dog up for the holidays — a cute Santa, maybe even a turkey leg — you have to be careful. The costume, regardless of how it fits, can get caught on furniture or can wrap around your animal’s neck, creating a big hazard to their health. Costumes can also lead to overheating. If you do dress your dog or cat up, make sure to keep an eye on them at all times and don’t leave the costume on when you leave your pet alone. 

The holidays are for celebrating, and you can continue ringing in the cheer with just a bit of careful planning around your pets. Happy holidays!