Christmas and Our Pets
Christmas, as they say, is the season of good cheer.
When families get together to celebrate the festive season, it is great to include the family
pets in the fun - delicious food, presents, and the comings and goings of friends and
neighbours.
Many dogs especially enjoy the sociable side to Christmas, and it is a great chance to spend
extra time playing with your pet, or taking the dog for long walks on a decent day.
However, while it might seem a gross exaggeration to say that ‘danger lurks beneath the
mistletoe’, it is worth remembering a few tips on how to avoid a Christmas disaster!
Rich food may do little more than give us indigestion and add a few extra pounds, but some
Christmas treats can do actual harm to our pets
Christmas Foes
Chocolate poisoning is commonly reported in dogs - particularly at this time of year – but
chocolate is also toxic to cats, rodents, and rabbits. Sickness and diarrhoea are the main
symptoms, but theobromine can also cause dehydration, disturb the heart, cause fits and
even death in some cases. The darker the chocolate the more deadly it is, and the amount
of chocolate eaten is important, so don’t let the dog get its face into the parcels at the
bottom of the tree!
If your dog has eaten more than 9g milk chocolate or 1g of dark chocolate (or 0.77g of cocoa
powder) per kg bodyweight, call your vet!
Grapes, raisins, currants and sultanas are harmless to us, but can be fatal to dogs. For some
as yet unknown reason, fruits of the vine can cause kidney failure in dogs. Some dogs can
eat loads with no ill effects; others will become seriously ill after half a dozen grapes.
Sickness and diarrhoea are followed by renal failure 2-3 days after eating these forbidden
fruits, so try and keep the Christmas cake and mince pies out of reach! If accidents happen,
the vet will have to put your dog on a drip as soon as possible.
Peanuts have been known to adversely affect some pets, causing digestive upsets,
twitching, fits, muscle spasms and hallucinations (how do they know?).
Macadamia nuts are also toxic and can cause weakness, trembling, vomiting, high
temperature, pain and stiffness. So watch out for those chocolate coated nuts!
Onions, garlic and leeks and other allium species can be poisonous – even when cooked!
The usual tummy upset is followed by a rather more serious condition known as haemolytic
anaemia. This may be getting a bit monotonous, but stuffing and onion gravy should be off
the dog’s menu too!
Xylitol (sweetener) is found in chewing gum and medicinal products, and in some weight
conscious families, can be bought in larger quantities for home cooking. Fine for people not for dogs, who can suffer low blood sugar and liver failure as a result
Alcohol - Just say ‘no’!
Mouldy or spoilt foods can contain toxins, which may cause convulsions, vomiting and
other symptoms.
Chicken or Turkey bones get jammed in awkward places and sometimes need to be
extracted manually or surgically. This is unpleasant for both the animal and the vet, and can
be dangerous to your pet.
Holly, Ivy, Mistletoe and Lilies are lovely to look at but not good to eat. Keep them out of
reach as much as you can and remember that lilies at any time of year are extremely toxic to
cats.