Christmas Holiday and Winter Hazards for Pets

For many people, winter and the Christmas holiday season are happy times of years. Most of us enjoy quiet evenings indoors watching the snow fall and cuddle up with our pets. But there are also a lot of holiday hazards and winter hazards that can adversely affect our pets that we should all be aware of. A lot of common products that we have in and around our house at the holiday time of year can be very dangerous to our pets. Some of these items include:

Alcoholic beverages

Chocolate

Coffee

Onions, onion powder

Fatty foods

Salt

Yeast

Dough

In addition to those food products, there are also some holiday hazards in the way of household plants that we typically find in the winter and Christmas holiday seasons that include lilies and poinsettias. There are certain kinds of lilies that can be fatal to your cat if ingested that include Tiger lilies, Asian lilies, Japanese show lilies, Easter lilies, Stargazer lilies and Casa Blanca lilies that can potentially cause acute kidney failure in cats.

Poinsettias can be generally low in toxicity, but if they are ingested, they can irritate the mouth and stomach in cats. Mistletoe can have a negative cardiovascular effect on animals and can often cause gastrointestinal upset in pets. Holly is another holiday hazard that is around during the Christmas holiday can it can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and lethargy in animals. If you fear that your pet has gotten into and ingested any of these holiday hazards, please seek the advice of your vet for proper care.

There are also holiday hazards that can be around your Christmas tree. Water in your Christmas tree can often contain fertilizers that can cause stomach upset in animals if it is ingested. Also, stagnant tree water can have a lot of bacteria which can make your pets ill if ingested. You should also keep electrical cords safely out of reach of your pets and ribbons; tinsel and other holiday trimmings can cause obstruction in the intestinal tract of your pet if ingested, so use special care when using those items.

Other holiday hazards for your pets can include batteries and glass ornaments. There are also other winter hazards that include antifreeze and ice-melting products that can be very dangerous to your pets, so make sure that you use those products with care.