Christmas is a tree-mendous time of year and during our merriment, we can often forget about hidden dangers! Some things to consider this festive season are:
Christmas Decorations, Tinsel & Christmas Lights
Tis the most wonderful time of the year to decorate your tree and home. Unfortunately, though, your lovely tinsel or shining bright lights may pose a risk to your pet. As we know our furry family members like to chew. Chewing the tinsel may result in ingestion, an upset belly or blockage which may require surgery if left untreated.
Chewing those lights could potentially result in electrocution (or a little electrical burn to the mouth). If your pet is a known chewer we recommend keeping the tinsel high and those lights/leads tucked away nicely.
Ham, Bones & Fatty Foods
Christmas is a popular time for ham and bones. Unfortunately, though our pets bellies are not prepared to handle the high levels of fat and salt from ham & ham bones.
It is a very common mistake for pet owners to give their little ones a treat- sadly though this may result in a condition called Pancreatitis. The pancreas becomes inflamed and you may see symptoms such as abdominal pain, lethargy and vomiting/diarrhoea requiring hospitalisation.
Feeding bones can be troublesome – especially cooked bones. Complications that may arise include, bones being stuck in the mouth, bones splintering and getting caught in the trachea, getting caught in the intestines and could potentially perforate the intestines.
If feeding bones we recommend the bones be raw. And that you supervise while your dog eats the bone.
Some Other fatty foods to avoid include bacon, roast meats and sausages.
BBQ food & skewers
We are lucky enough to live in a country where BBQ’s can be enjoyed outdoors. Feeding your pet food from the BBQ is never a good idea. Food containing spices and onions can be toxic to your pet as well as skewers also posing a choking hazard.
Chocolates, Sweets, Dried Fruit & Nuts
Sugar-free treats and chocolate are very appetising to your pet. However, both contain ingredients that can result in harm or death for your pet.
Dark chocolate, which contains higher levels of theobromine (because the cocoa is more concentrated) is of more concern than any other type of chocolate. Theobromine can lead to heart failure if left untreated.
Christmas cake which contains raisins and macadamias can cause gastric upset or it could result in kidney failure at worse case.
Some sugar-free treats also contain Xylitol which can cause liver failure.
Poisonous Plants
Holly, mistletoe and poinsettias are all poisonous to your pets. If you do choose to have these plants in your home we advise keeping them in an area that your pet cannot access.
So don’t be elfish, keep these tips in mind and keep everyone safe this Christmas!
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