Pet Christmas Safety Tips

[Melody]

:HappyReindeer: Christmas Pet Safety Tips :Teddy:


:Holiday-13: Plants such as mistletoe, ivy, lilies and holly berries can be poisonous:

- Holly is potentially fatal.
- Mistletoe upsets the stomach & can cause heart collapse.
- Sap from Poinsettas can cause mouth blistering.
- Hibiscus can trigger diarrhea.

:Holiday-13: Supervise all candles - pets are attracted to light in a dark room.

:Holiday-13: Crowds of people and holiday festivities can frighten animals. Consider the animals and keep pets in another room if they are nervous around strangers or crowds.

:Holiday-13: Dispose of all bows, yarn and curling ribbons to prevent swallowing and intestinal blockage, or strangulation. Labradors and Beagles are especially well known for eating inappropriate objects.

:Holiday-13: Exposed wiring can electrocute a curious animal who chews on it. Use Bitter apple to deter chewing, or encase cords and electrical plugs inside PVC tubing.

:Holiday-13: Rearrangement of furniture around the house for the holidays may cause your feline to stop using the litter box.

:Holiday-13: Pets are not garbage disposals for holiday left-overs. Any sudden change of diet, even for just one meal, can give your dog or cat stomach pain and diarrhea. This is particularly true for older animals, whose digestive systems are often more delicate and nutritional requirements more strict.

:Holiday-13: While a little turkey or chicken won't harm your pet, be very careful of bones which can splinter and cause intestinal blockage or internal lacerations. Also be aware that large quantities of chocolate can be highly toxic.

:Holiday-13: Beware of simmering potpourri or potpourri oil. Most potpourri liquids contain natural or essential oils, which if ingested can cause vomiting, stomach upset, diarrhea, weakness, and possibly liver damage. Some products also contain cationic detergents, in which case the symtoms tend to be much worse. In most cases received by the ASPCA National Animal Poison Control Center, cats are often exposed to potpourri oils by rubbing against leaky bottles or pots containing the oil, or from spilling the oil containing pots over themselves.

:Holiday-13: Aluminum foil that has been wrapped around meat and disposable baking pans might be attractive to a pet, but do not let your companion near these -- ingestion of aluminum foil may cause vomiting, intestinal blockage or even more serious problems.

:Holiday-13: Bull Terriers have an odd habit of going under the tree to enjoy the branches on their back, but then go into a trance that may be a partial seizure.

:Holiday-13: Resist the temptation to tie ribbons around your pet's neck. The ribbon can twist and tighten, causing choking or strangulation. Pets can hang themselves if the ribbon gets caught on an object.

:Holiday-13: Pets LOVE to open presents and you don't know what's in there that could harm them. Lock the presents or the pets up when you are not home to supervise.

:Holiday-13: Batteries contain a highly corrosive acid that can burn a pet's mouth if it leaks or the container is broken by chewing. Keep them stored safely away.

:ChristmasTree8: TREE DECORATIONS:

:Holiday-14: Metal ornament hooks can get caught in curious mouths. Use ribbon or yarn instead of hooks to hang ornaments.

:Holiday-14: Cranberry and popcorn strands can be deadly to pets, causing intestinal obstruction or getting wrapped around your pet's neck.

:Holiday-14: Tinsel can cause instestinal obstruction and blockage if swallowed.

:Holiday-14: Glass balls can shatter in an animal's mouth. Broken pieces can cut and be deadly if ingested.

:Holiday-14: Angel hair is spun glass, and will shred the intestines if swallowed.

:Holiday-14: Artificial snow or flocking can be ingested or inhaled and caught in the nasal passages.

:Holiday-14: DO NOT use moth balls to deter your cat from climbing the tree, digging in your holiday plants or scaling garlands. They are highly toxic and if even a little is ingested it could have serious consequences.

:Holiday-14: A bowl of fresh lemon peels at the base of the tree can deter curious kitties plus add a nice scent to your festivities.

:Holiday-14: A Christmas tree should stand in a flat, wide base. You might also want to anchor the tree with fishing line tied to drapery rods, a ceiling or wall hook. Cats often see trees as fabulous climbing posts. If your kitty shows a penchant for this activity, decorate with animal-safe items such as dried flowers, pine cones or fabric and wood ornaments. You also might want to consider putting the tree in a room with doors that close.

:emoticon-sign:

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Sources:

Holiday Safety Reminders for your Pets
The Province (http://www.theprovince.com)(BC Newspaper), Dec. 18th Issue.
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[Pamelajo]

A couple I did not know.
If your having a ham, pork or pork bones (that can be digested) do nasty thing to a dog's insides. Not only can the slivers get stuck, but pork messes up their intestines. (First hand knowledge) Hubby thought he would give the dog a treat.

[Melody]

Ouch! I didn't know that - I had only heard about chicken/turkey bones, thanks!

[CACAdmin]

:bump-5: :emoticon-sign:

[happy_pitbull]

Awesome thread, I hope every one with pets reads this.

I dont recommend any kind of cooked bones given to pets... they can splinter, and even if they dont splinter, they can still cause digestive disturbances, blockages, etc etc...

Also, it is a good idea not to give them too many leftovers like mentioned above... first off, their stomachs are not used to it...and when given too much of a type of food that they have trouble digesting, it can cause severe problems like bloat (can cause death within an hour in extreme cases ! -stomach can twist over on itself)....

And, the chocolate toxicity. I big big no-no is to keep wrapped boxes of chocolates under the tree. I knew of a person who came home to find their large dog dead after he had eaten a whole box of dark chocolates that were under the owners tree. very very sad..... and the dark chocolate is a lot more toxic than milk chocolate. But be careful with both around pets to be safe.



Min

[Melody]

:HappyReindeer: :bump-5: :Teddy:

[fishykisses]

Don't forget Grapes and Raisins. It's important to mention especially this time of year when many holiday treats contain raisins. As little as a couple grapes/raisins can cause Acute Renal Failure in a small dog.
http://dog-care.suite101.com/article.cfm/danger_of_grapes_raisins_in_dogs

[Melody]

:ChristmasTree8: :bump-5: :ChristmasTree8:


SPCA International offers these tips to keep your pet stress-free over the holidays (https://www.spcai.org/learn/animal-care-advice/item/343-managing-your-dog’s-holiday-time-stress.html).:Holiday-3:

[mdfa.ca]

Oh, I didn't know that!:wideeyed: My dog is by no means small, but he has been given a grape or two ocassionally. He loves them. Didn't know I was slowly poisoning him. THANK YOU!!!

Don't forget Grapes and Raisins. It's important to mention especially this time of year when many holiday treats contain raisins. As little as a couple grapes/raisins can cause Acute Renal Failure in a small dog.
http://dog-care.suite101.com/article.cfm/danger_of_grapes_raisins_in_dogs

[Melody]

WebMD has a pet section and it's one of the places on the Internet where one can find reliable information. Too many places hype this or that for whatever reason and forums can be filled with angry mobs who hate everything and anything, topped with paranoid delusions :laugh: .

WebMD's 'Dangerous Foods for Dogs' (http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/slideshow-foods-your-dog-should-never-eat) and 'Foods Your Cat Should Never Eat' (http://pets.webmd.com/cats/slideshow-foods-your-cat-should-never-eat) are very good, although I despise slide show formats (let me read the darned article and get it over with!). They also have various Vet opinions about feeding Chocolate (http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/guide/dogs-and-chocolate-get-the-facts). 'Top 10 Dog Poisons' (http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/guide/top-10-dog-poisons) is also a good read, and many are actually people food.

I can highly recommend their newsletter too.

[T Dawg]

I never even thought of the hooks that hold up bulbs on the tree, but I can see both fuzzballs attacking them.

Do far all they have done is look at the tree, and that makes me nervous. Those chickens are up to something ....

[CACAdmin]

I never even thought of the hooks that hold up bulbs on the tree, but I can see both fuzzballs attacking them.

Do far all they have done is look at the tree, and that makes me nervous. Those chickens are up to something ....
T Dawg, are those of yours 'fuzzballs' dogs or cats? And just looking at the tree? I agree, they're up to something for sure... when you least expect it. :SmileyOrnament: At least, with potential dangers listed in this thread, you've been alerted as to what may present a hazard.

[Melody]

Mine just likes to sit under the tree. It's her little spot from the time the tree goes up. On the rare occasion when she forgets how dignified she is, she will swat the ornaments on the lower branches. I line the bottom with cute little stuffed bear decorations and plastic ball decorations, which are terribly fun to swat around the kitchen floor at 4am. :rolleyes: I use thread to hang the decorations, always have unless the hooks come with.

[T Dawg]

T Dawg, are those of yours 'fuzzballs' dogs or cats?
Born as cats, but trying to convince spouse they are very dog-like. I love dogs, but she wants cat-like dogs.