Helpful hints for pet owners during the Holidays

This is a handy article I found on the intranet at work. I wanted to pass this on to all of you just as a reference point of what to keep your animals away from during the holidays.

I also am asking that while viewing the blog, there is a gadget on the right side underneath Adam's youtube video. It's for a website called animal rescue site. This place is awesome! If you would just click on the link (it's the purple one), it takes you to a screen where there is an option to 'click on this to give food to shelter animals'. If you click on that, the rescue site funds .6 bowls of food to animals in sanctuaries and shelters. It's free for you to do. I click on it everyday. Thanks!


Holiday Pet Hazards
By Justine Lee, DVM, DACVECC, Prevention

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.

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.

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.

Ornaments And Decorations - 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.

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.