NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — From the food on our tables, to the many visitors and even the decorations – the holidays can be dangerous and even scary for many pets.
Let’s start with the food: While we will all indulge, it’s important to make sure our animals don’t. Especially certain types of food, like chocolate, raisins or grapes are all no-no’s for dogs.
“There’s a lot of good food and snacks on the table, so we have to be careful that our animals are not over indulgent,” said Danielle Carter with Metro Animal Care and Control. “We have to be careful of anything that has Xylitol. For dogs, it is highly toxic.”
📧 Have breaking news come to you: Subscribe to News 2 email alerts →
Xylitol is an artificial sweetener in some baked goods.
“Too much could be a bad thing. So too much turkey, too much of that cranberry sauce,” explained Carter. “So we just want to keep our snacks very minimal. We have to also be careful of the bones too in our meats; most can be really dangerous for our for our little furry guys. And shockingly, poinsettias. Poinsettias are highly toxic to cats and dogs, so we also make sure, if you’re gonna have real poinsettias, just keep them out of reach for your pets.”
The holidays can be stressful for us, but it can also cause anxiety for our pets. The doorbell ringing, people coming in and out or just anything out of their ordinary routine is a lot on them.
“So just like toddlers, you kind of have to keep an eye on your pets. I know my cat loves to climb the Christmas tree and there’s always lights and garland and ornaments, so be careful and keep an eye on them, just like you would your kids. You don’t get into the tinsel that could be toxic and alarming and any of the fun wrapping also don’t want to destroy your wrapping paper,” said Carter.
If you have a Christmas tree up, keep in mind cats consider those the perfect playground. Try putting orange or citrus peels around the base of the tree to deter the cat from climbing it.
If you have a real tree, don’t put any additives in the water in case your pets decide to drink from the bowl.
If you are concerned about something your pet ate – just contact your veterinarian or animal poison control.
