How to Have a Happy and Furry Holiday with Your Pets: Keep Them Away from These Treats

The holidays are a wonderful time for humans, and they can be lots of fun for pets, too! With so many exciting foods, treats, people, and decorations in your home, be sure you have a plan in place to keep your pets safe from potential holiday dangers.

Never Feed Them Any of These Festive Treats

1. Chocolate and Sweets – Chocolate is toxic for animals, and while processed sugars and sweeteners aren’t wonderful for human health, they’re really not good for cats and dogs — even just every once in a while. Plus, many sweet treats contain the artificial sweetener, xylitol, which is highly toxic for animals. Keep their paws off the sweet stuff.

2. Turkey – This one surprises lots of people because they assume a turkey prepared for humans would be okay for their meat-eating furry friends. Unfortunately, even small amounts of too-rich turkey can cause pancreatitis and upset stomach.

3. Table Scraps – Many foods and ingredients that humans eat are toxic for pets including garlic, raisins, and onions.

4. Yeast Dough – Yeast dough can give your pet a serious stomach ache and cause potentially dangerous bloating.

5. Alcohol – You probably wouldn’t intentionally serve your pet alcohol, but curious noses can find their way inside unwatched cups.

Troublesome Non-Food Items

Pets are naturally curious, and as a result they can get themselves into some pretty dangerous situations when they start inspecting and playing with the holiday decorations in your home.
  • Lots of pet emergencies during the holidays are due to electrical shocks, which occur when pets chew on twinkling lights and other electrical cords.
  • It’s also good to keep your home free from tinsel and ribbons, as they can dangerously become stuck and twisted inside your pet’s intestines.
  • Fake snow and flocking spray is toxic for animals. It’s best to go with a natural look on your tree.
  • Be careful of holiday plants like poinsettias, lilies, mistletoe, and chrysanthemums, as these are toxic, too.
We love decorating for the holidays as much as anyone, and you can do so safely with pets. Just be sure to keep as much as you can off the floor and out of your pet’s reach.

Always Be Prepared

No matter how many precautions you take, accidents can still happen. The AVMA recommends always being prepared and ready to call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Poison Control Hotline 1-888-426-4435 (a fee may be charged). If you’ll be traveling with your pet, look up local emergency veterinary clinics near your destination so that you have a plan ready, in case your pet needs immediate care.

Happy and Furry Holidays from Your Friends at TangleWilde Veterinary Clinic!

For more information about our emergency veterinary services, we welcome you to contact our office today. From all of us at TangleWilde Veterinary Clinic, we send you and your furry friends the warmest wishes for a happy and safe holiday season!