Holiday Hazards
By Mary Fluke
It’s that time of year again! Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are lots of fun for us humans, but sometimes our dogs and cats get into trouble at holiday times because of the new things that come into the house.
Halloween is all about the candy. Dogs have very powerful noses and will sniff out the bag of Halloween candy. Just because it’s on the counter doesn’t mean it’s safe from a determined pooch. That bag of candy can turn into a pile of ripped up wrappers on the kitchen floor in no time, so make sure to keep it where the dog and cat can’t possible get into it. The big three risks in the Halloween candy bag are chocolate, raisins, and sugar free candy or gum.
Chocolate is a well known toxin for dogs and cats. The darker the chocolate, the more toxic, but even milk chocolate can cause trouble if the pet eats enough. The best plan is to not let your pet have access to chocolate under any circumstances. If the dog does get into the bag, try to figure out how much there was and what kind, and call us to figure out what you need to do.
Sometimes people give raisins as a healthy Halloween offering. This is great for people, but raisins and grapes have the potential to cause kidney failure in dogs. We don’t know for sure what the specific toxin is in the grape/raisin, and it isn’t always present, but when it is, its bad news, so don’t let your dog have grapes or raisins.
Many sugar free candies or gums contain an artificial sweetener called xylitol. This is perfectly safe in human beings, but causes very severe, even fatal, liver disease in dogs. If you know that your dog has eaten a product containing xylitol, call for advice right away.
Thanksgiving hazards are mainly about the food. There’s lots of feasting, stuff sitting out on the counters, a tendency to want to “share” the bounty with the family pets. We’re all distracted by chaos and company and sometimes the animals wind up getting into things that they shouldn’t. Turkey bones (any cooked poultry bones, really) can be very dangerous because they’re not digestible and can end up causing intestinal perforations or obstructions. Also, a lot of holiday feast food is high in fat content which can cause pancreatitis in dogs which leads to a bad weekend in the emergency clinic on fluids and antibiotics, unpleasant for your dog and expensive for you. Better to not give the table food in the first place!
If you’re a baker, remember that rising yeast dough is also a hazard to dogs. They eat it and it just keeps rising which can lead to serious stomach problems and alcohol poisoning from the ethanol given off by the yeasts. Surgery might even be required if the dog is in severe distress. Keep that dough bowl up high where the dog can’t get to it!
Basically, you always have to play defense when you are protecting your dogs and cats from food hazards (this includes the deep fat fryer that you cooked your turkey in!)
Christmas rolls all the hazards into one with the additional problem of decorations. Christmas trees are fascinating to dogs and cats, from the tinsel which can be eaten and cause intestinal obstruction, to the water which might make your kitty sick if she drinks it. The pine needles have some toxic potential which might cause tummy upset. Lots of other holiday plants can cause GI upset to cats or dogs who eat them including poinsettias, mistletoe, holly, and amaryllis. Cats can develop kidney failure if they eat plants in the lily family (Easter lilies, tiger lilies, daylilies, etc.) so be careful to keep arrangements with these flowers out of reach (or just don’t use these flowers if you have cats).
Liquid potpourri is potentially quite dangerous to cats and dogs as a contact irritant or a systemic toxin. Make sure that these products are out of reach.
Holiday drinks containing alcohol can be a problem for cats and small dogs when they get into the leftovers. It might seem cute to see the kitty drunk, but the difference between inebriation and alcohol toxicity is pretty small in a tiny little animal so keep an eye on the eggnog.
We all know that holidays are lots of fun but also a little stressful because of all the activities and company and such. Our pets might be feeling the stress as well, so make sure to provide the less social dogs and cats with a refuge from the holiday hoop-de-doo where they can eat and drink in peace and the cats can get to the litter pan. If you cat spends 3 days hiding under the bed because of company, she might end up having some health issues as a result, so make sure she has a place to go where she can feel safe and relax.
Also, sometimes your guests might have food or medications in their luggage that your dog or cat could find, so maybe keep the bedroom doors closed or remind the guests to keep their stuff up out of reach.
Be safe and have fun this holiday season. Remember that we are only a phone call away if you have questions!
By Mary Fluke
It’s that time of year again! Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are lots of fun for us humans, but sometimes our dogs and cats get into trouble at holiday times because of the new things that come into the house.
Halloween is all about the candy. Dogs have very powerful noses and will sniff out the bag of Halloween candy. Just because it’s on the counter doesn’t mean it’s safe from a determined pooch. That bag of candy can turn into a pile of ripped up wrappers on the kitchen floor in no time, so make sure to keep it where the dog and cat can’t possible get into it. The big three risks in the Halloween candy bag are chocolate, raisins, and sugar free candy or gum.
Chocolate is a well known toxin for dogs and cats. The darker the chocolate, the more toxic, but even milk chocolate can cause trouble if the pet eats enough. The best plan is to not let your pet have access to chocolate under any circumstances. If the dog does get into the bag, try to figure out how much there was and what kind, and call us to figure out what you need to do.
Sometimes people give raisins as a healthy Halloween offering. This is great for people, but raisins and grapes have the potential to cause kidney failure in dogs. We don’t know for sure what the specific toxin is in the grape/raisin, and it isn’t always present, but when it is, its bad news, so don’t let your dog have grapes or raisins.
Many sugar free candies or gums contain an artificial sweetener called xylitol. This is perfectly safe in human beings, but causes very severe, even fatal, liver disease in dogs. If you know that your dog has eaten a product containing xylitol, call for advice right away.
Thanksgiving hazards are mainly about the food. There’s lots of feasting, stuff sitting out on the counters, a tendency to want to “share” the bounty with the family pets. We’re all distracted by chaos and company and sometimes the animals wind up getting into things that they shouldn’t. Turkey bones (any cooked poultry bones, really) can be very dangerous because they’re not digestible and can end up causing intestinal perforations or obstructions. Also, a lot of holiday feast food is high in fat content which can cause pancreatitis in dogs which leads to a bad weekend in the emergency clinic on fluids and antibiotics, unpleasant for your dog and expensive for you. Better to not give the table food in the first place!
If you’re a baker, remember that rising yeast dough is also a hazard to dogs. They eat it and it just keeps rising which can lead to serious stomach problems and alcohol poisoning from the ethanol given off by the yeasts. Surgery might even be required if the dog is in severe distress. Keep that dough bowl up high where the dog can’t get to it!
Basically, you always have to play defense when you are protecting your dogs and cats from food hazards (this includes the deep fat fryer that you cooked your turkey in!)
Christmas rolls all the hazards into one with the additional problem of decorations. Christmas trees are fascinating to dogs and cats, from the tinsel which can be eaten and cause intestinal obstruction, to the water which might make your kitty sick if she drinks it. The pine needles have some toxic potential which might cause tummy upset. Lots of other holiday plants can cause GI upset to cats or dogs who eat them including poinsettias, mistletoe, holly, and amaryllis. Cats can develop kidney failure if they eat plants in the lily family (Easter lilies, tiger lilies, daylilies, etc.) so be careful to keep arrangements with these flowers out of reach (or just don’t use these flowers if you have cats).
Liquid potpourri is potentially quite dangerous to cats and dogs as a contact irritant or a systemic toxin. Make sure that these products are out of reach.
Holiday drinks containing alcohol can be a problem for cats and small dogs when they get into the leftovers. It might seem cute to see the kitty drunk, but the difference between inebriation and alcohol toxicity is pretty small in a tiny little animal so keep an eye on the eggnog.
We all know that holidays are lots of fun but also a little stressful because of all the activities and company and such. Our pets might be feeling the stress as well, so make sure to provide the less social dogs and cats with a refuge from the holiday hoop-de-doo where they can eat and drink in peace and the cats can get to the litter pan. If you cat spends 3 days hiding under the bed because of company, she might end up having some health issues as a result, so make sure she has a place to go where she can feel safe and relax.
Also, sometimes your guests might have food or medications in their luggage that your dog or cat could find, so maybe keep the bedroom doors closed or remind the guests to keep their stuff up out of reach.
Be safe and have fun this holiday season. Remember that we are only a phone call away if you have questions!