Pet owners should take extra precautions this holiday season to ensure their pets’ safety.
“Everyone tends to be kind of busy and you know, they might tend to neglect their pets or not really think about them,” said Colette Wheler, assistant director at the Saskatoon Animal Resources Centre.
“They (the pets) sort of get lost in the shuffle.”
With the holidays come a variety of dangerous situations for household pets. Wheler said Christmas decorations pose one of the biggest problems, especially for curious cats.
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“A common thing is what we call tinsel guts, where cats actually eat tinsel off the tree and then it gets lodged somewhere in their intestines,” Wheler said.
When this happens, the intestine continues to work in an effort to pass the tinsel through the cat’s digestive system. This causes the intestine to become pleated like an accordion, creating serious health problems that are not noticeable immediately.
“The cats usually get kind of depressed and might stop eating and it sort of takes a few days for them to get sick. Then they can get very, very sick,” Wheler said.
Feeding leftovers to pets is also a bad idea, especially for dogs.
“Fat off a ham or really fatty ham causes their pancreas to really secrete a lot of enzymes to try and digest that (fat) and that causes inflammation.”
The inflammation can lead to a life threatening disease called pancreatitis. Wheler said a pet’s diet should stay constant throughout the holiday season, even if it is tempting to offer a treat.
“Just changing to different snacks and things can also cause them some diarrhea, just because their stomachs aren’t accustomed to the extra snacks and things,” she said. “Their intestines would be happier if that didn’t happen and you probably would be, too.”
Household plants meant as festive decorations can also endanger pets.
“Plants, for example poinsettias, are toxic and cats have been known to chew on the leaves and get an upset stomach,” Wheler said.
Lilies are also toxic and can lead to death if eaten. Wheler said these plants should be avoided when pets are in the house. Pet owners should also avoid hanging certain decorations on the bottom third of the Christmas tree.
“If you do have a cat, I would say avoid tinsel altogether and put things on the bottom part of the tree (that) if the cat or dog did happen to chew on, it wouldn’t hurt them.”
To ensure pets do not drink contaminated water, Wheler recommended covering up the base of the tree. A span of plastic wrap will keep a pet from tapping into the watering base.
If a pet does become ill over the holidays, Wheler advised contacting a veterinarian immediately. Something as simple as chocolate poisoning can be dangerous, leading to vomiting, diarrhea, weakness and sometimes death if left untreated.
How to prevent holiday blahs
- Don’t share: Chocolate and other sweets can make your pet sick.
- Boring is better: Holiday “treats” may cause stomach upset, vomiting or diarrhea. Feed your pet its usual food.
- Garbage can kill: Keep greasy leftovers, turkey bones, ham fat and spoiled food out of reach of pets. Stomach upset, food poisoning or inflamed pancreas and death could occur. Avoid “garbage guts.”
- No booze: Pets can’t hold their liquor and may become comatose and die if they ingest alcohol.
- Forget the flowers: If ingested, lilies may cause kidney failure in cats. Mistletoe and holly berries
may be toxic and poinsettias may cause stomach upset. Keep flowers out of reach of curious creatures.
- Take off the tinsel: Curiousity may kill your cat if it eats that lovely, shiny stuff. Tinsel may block the intestines, causing death.
- Water the tree, not your pet: Tree water may contain fertilizers or bacteria that can hurt your pet.
