We at Animal Hospital at Thorndale urge you to protect your pets from festive holiday dangers! The holiday season is for spending time with loved ones. Homes are aglow with warm lights and festive decorations but lurking behind these cheery ornaments are insidious dangers. These seemingly harmless and innate decorations can pose serious risks to our pets.
Holiday décor often is ingested.
Cats in particular chew and eat tinsel. We at Animal Hospital at Thorndale discourage the use of tinsel all together. Cats, and sometimes dogs, are usually curious about these decorations and may be tempted to play with, chase, chew on or ingest festive items like tinsel, ornaments, and ribbons. These antics start out innocent enough. It’s all fun and games until someone swallows a Christmas ball. Ornaments should not be low-lying.
These Christmas objects can easily get wrapped up in your pets’ intestines causing vomiting, blockages and lead to severe health problems. The worst case scenario would even induce death.
Pretty ornaments double as choking objects
It could be the small bell that adorns the mantel, or the small Baby Jesus in the manger that piques your pet’s interest. It is the small ornaments and decorations that easily become lodged in a pet’s throat and causes them to choke.
Poisonous Poinsettias
Some plants, such as poinsettias, holly, mistletoe and amaryllis can be toxic if ingested. Some are more dangerous than others. If decorating with plants, keep them secured and completely out of reach of your pets and your small children. Watch your pet closely or better yet, just swap these plants out. We here at Animal Hospital at Thorndale suggest Christmas cactus or orchids that add a vibrant tropical Christmas vibe.
Further consider using hooks or shelves for your decorations or plants that are inaccessible to curious paws.
Provide alternatives for your curious pet. Offer plenty of safe toys and treats to keep them occupied during the holiday season.
Egg-no go. Do not offer your pets holiday foods like egg nog, with or without the alcohol. This will make them sick. We discourage sharing any human food with pets all together but booze, chocolate, and gravy make the top of our list.
Lastly, be mindful of electrical cords – for everyone’s sake. Chewing on electrical cords can lead to severe burns or electrocution. Keep cords concealed and out of reach.
It’s important to monitor your pet’s behavior closely, not just around the holidays, but year-round. If you notice any signs of illness, such as vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, or difficulty breathing, contact your veterinarian immediately.
It’s important to remember that our furry friends may not share the same enthusiasm we have for tinsel, ornaments, and other holiday adornments. Your pets may not like egg nog, laser lights, train sets and loud Christmas songs played repeatedly. We here at Animal Hospital At Thorndale are on the fence about some of these.
However you create the festive holiday vibes in your house, we do wish you and yours a joyous and happy holiday season.
