During the holiday season, you want to treat your loved ones to the dishes they’ve been waiting for all year. While stuffing, green bean casserole, and eggnog may be on your dinner menu, they shouldn’t be on your pet’s. Just a few bites of your family’s holiday favorites can have dangerous consequences for your dog or cat.
Around Thanksgiving and Christmas, the emergency room at our veterinary clinic sees a spike in patients suffering from gastrointestinal issues, including vomiting, diarrhea, and bloat, as well as restlessness, lethargy, seizures, and even kidney failure. In most cases, the blame can be placed on something they ate – and to their owners’ surprise, it’s usually a food many of us would consider “safe.”
The last place you want your pet to spend the holidays is the ER, so be sure the following foods stay on your dinner plate and away from the pet food bowl:
- Fatty, greasy foods, such as turkey, ham, meat scraps, and meat drippings
- Garlic, chives, and onions, even as ingredients in casseroles, soups, and sauces
- Cooked bones, which are likely to splinter and obstruct
- Raisins and grapes
- Chocolate – the darker the chocolate, the more dangerous it can be
- Nutmeg and cinnamon
- Unbaked yeast dough that can expand in your pet’s stomach
- Sugar-free foods and desserts that could contain the sweetener xylitol
- Alcoholic beverages
- Nuts, including macadamia nuts, walnuts, and almonds (don’t worry – peanuts are legumes, so your dog’s favorite peanut butter is safe!)
In addition, it’s important to keep your home free of decorative holiday plants – poinsettias, holly, and mistletoe are all enticing to dogs and cats, but extremely toxic.
If you suspect your pet has eaten something off the do-not-feed list, call your veterinarian’s office as soon as possible or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at 888-426-4435. They can inform you what signs to look out for, any home remedies that may help, and if you need to report to your local emergency animal hospital.
Keeping your pet safe this holiday requires just a few simple steps – ask your friends and family not to feed your pets scraps from the dinner table, make sure all garbage cans are closed and out of reach, and keep your counters clean and any dishes covered. Instead of indulging your dog or cat with potentially toxic treats, offer them healthy alternatives in small samples to celebrate the season, including lean turkey, apples, sweet potato or pumpkin puree, and cooked, plain carrots and green beans. We know how hard it is not to sneak your pet a little something special this time of year, especially when they come at you with those “puppy-dog eyes,” but the best way to show your love is to treat them to safe snacks from your vet clinic, a brand new toy to play with, and lots of extra snuggles.