Protect Your Pup This Holiday Season

During this festive season, we often decorate our home with all kinds of beautiful and delicious smelling items! While there’s nothing wrong with getting in the spirit, it’s important to remember not everything is safe for our dogs. You might not be aware that some of these can be dangerous! Take a look at the Top 3 things to keep an eye out for this holiday season.

1) Beware Christmas Tree Water

Pet parents who bring live pines, spruces, and firs inside for Christmas should make sure the water reservoir in the tree stand is not easily accessible to dogs and cats. 

When trees drink water, they can release toxic sap into the stand that smells appetizing to pets. Many holiday trees are also preserved with pesticides and fertilizers.

If your dog struggles to grasp the 'Leave It' concept, consider blocking the dogs access to the room the tree and gifts are in with a gate, or blocking the tree and gifts with an enclosed playpen.

 

2) Be Cautious With Christmas Plants

Popular decorative plants like holly, mistletoe, and the poinsettia can be poisonous to pets if ingested.

Here are 5 plants that your dog should be avoiding:

Pine Needles

Whether they are on your Christmas tree, a wreath or some garland, pine needles can be a problem if ingested. The needles can puncture or irritate the lining of your dog’s stomach, and the oils can irritate the mucous membranes. The needles may not kill your pet, but they can make him really uncomfortable and ill.

 

Poinsettia

Though not poisonous, this brightly colored holiday plant can irritate your dog’s mouth and stomach, even causing vomiting. Your pet may spend a few days feeling bad, but it shouldn’t cause more serious problems than that.

Mistletoe

You might want to pucker up when you see mistletoe, but if your dog gets too close to it, it can cause serious problems. Ingesting mistletoe can cause everything from gastrointestinal disorders to cardiovascular collapse.

Holly

Though holly has a low toxicity, its leaves and berries can still cause vomiting, diarrhea and even depression.

Amaryllis

These brightly colored flowers are often used in holiday displays. However, if your dog decides to take a nibble, he can suffer from vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, depression, excessive salivation and tremors.

3) Keep Gifts And Candy Out Of Reach

Xylitol is a sugar alcohol that now appears in a great number of products as people become more conscious of the amount of sugar in foods, manufacturers are responding by adding alternative sweeteners to eliminate some or all the sugar.

Symptoms of xylitol intoxication:

  • Vomiting

  • Lethargy

  • Collapse

A dog that has eaten xylitol will become sick rapidly, sometimes within 15 minutes.

If you even suspect that your dog has eaten a product that could contain xylitol, this is an EMERGENCY!