It’s that time of year again where snow is in the air and Christmas decorations are going up. Decorating for Christmas is always fun and cheerful however, it’s not always the best idea when you have pets. It’s generally a good idea to always look at things from their perspective to make sure decorations are up and out of their reach.
Christmas trees are a tradition in most households but the tree itself can cause a lot of problems when it comes to animals. Cats especially love to get in the tree and eat the needles and climb all the way to the top (if they make it). Cats are also fond of anything shiny especially if it makes a crinkly noise. So ornaments and tinsel are always first in their minds, not to mention the lights and decorations. Cats aren’t the only ones that love the tree, but dogs tend to try to drink the water and even eat homemade ornaments. All of these can cause stomach upset to say the least but can easily become an emergency situation if they eat too much or eat the wrong thing.
A lot of the time decorations are up off the floor but you really want to watch extension cords and candles, cats and dogs are fond of chewing on anything and if it’s new that’s even more exciting. Sometimes even flames of candles will draw their attention and that’s generally not a good idea they can easily get burned or even knock it over and start other things in the room on fire. Tinsel is really pretty and shiny but pets will disagree and either rip it to shreds or sometimes eat it and that can cause intestinal blockage or even become a choking hazard. Try to be mindful and keep things out of reach.
Along with decorations who doesn’t love to make holiday cookies and desserts. I don’t know many people that would pass them up and as much as we love it our pets think they do too, but most are toxic. Chocolate for one is very toxic to dogs even small amounts especially dark chocolate and baking chocolate can cause major problems. Anything with artificial sweeteners can be toxic because a lot have xylitol in them and that is very toxic as well. It’s always good to keep alcohol out of reach as well. Even small amounts can cause major problems.
With any holiday it’s always good to be prepared and always keep a close eye on all your pets. If your pets are prone to getting into things try to make sure they are never left alone and try to look at things from their point of view.
If you would happen to run into an emergency always have your veterinarian phone number on hand, poison control and an emergency vet.
Wyomissing Animal Hospital – 610-372-2121
Poison Control number 888-426-4435
Berks Animal Emergency (Shillington) – 610-777-7535
Metropolitan (Norristown) – 610-666-0914
Valley Central (Whitehall) – 610-435-1553
Hope (Malvern) – 610-296-2099
