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The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 14, 2007

Tree trimmings, lights and candles are traditional signs of holiday revelry, but they can be hazardous - and even deadly - for our animal companions.

Here are some dangerous decorations and other items that people should keep away from their pets. The information is from a release by from the NYC Veterinary Specialists and Cancer Treatment Center in Manhattan and Florida Veterinary Specialists in Tampa.

SCRAP "PEOPLE FOOD" HANDOUTS: "Around the holiday season, there is always a lot of buzz about the dangers of chocolate (definitely a no-no!) and raisins (can cause kidney failure in dogs). But the biggest problems we see over the holidays are emergencies related to table scraps," said David Bessler, emergency medicine clinician at NYC Veterinary Specialists.

"Whenever we gather for large family meals, we love to include our pets as part of the family. Great idea, but do it right!" Bessler said. "Dogs should not be fed fatty 'people food,' not because it will make them fat, but because it can cause vomiting, diarrhea and pancreatitis, an often fatal disease which claims the lives of thousands of dogs every year. Keep 'people food' away from dogs like you keep candles away from a baby."

NO BONES ABOUT THIS WARNING: "There is no safe bone. Chicken bones, cooked or uncooked, beef bones and fish bones have all killed dogs," Bessler said. "Bones get stuck in the esophagus, stomach and intestines, and can poke through the walls of those organs, meaning almost certain death.

"To those people who say, 'But dogs eat bones in the wild!' I say, 'Bones kill dogs in the wild, too.' A bone that fits down the throat of a wolf does not fit down the throat of a Yorkie."

AVOID SHOCKING ACCIDENTS: Like human babies, puppies, kittens and other young animals explore objects by mouthing or chewing on them. Keep electrical cords, Christmas tree lights and other such decorations out of reach.

EVEN REAL TREES CARRY RISKS: "A lot of pet owners are choosing to go with artificial trees," said Sonja Olson, head of emergency at Florida Veterinary Specialists. "It's not that real Christmas trees are toxic to pets, but tree needles can be irritating and extremely harmful to pets' digestive tracts when swallowed.

"Pets also like to drink tree water, which may sort of taste like tea, but it can be harmful to their digestive tracts."

IF IT LOOKS LIKE A TOY, BITE IT: "The glass tree ornaments look like regular toys to dogs, so they'll bite into them and get a mouth full of glass," Bessler said.

THE DARKER THE DEADLIER: While it takes a lot of milk chocolate to make an animal sick, "dark chocolate is 10 times more poisonous," Bessler said. "The worst is baking chocolate."

THIS DOESN'T GO DOWN EASY: "Potpourri and especially the oil-based potpourri people often burn over a flame can be very harmful to pets," Olson said. "Cats will lick it off of their paws and ingest it. This type of oil is a very significant irritant when ingested."

HOLLY IS NO SMART SNACK: Many plants associated with the holidays aren't fatally poisonous to animals. But poinsettias and holly can cause mouth irritation, drooling, vomiting and diarrhea. Cats that eat lilies can suffer kidney failure.

JUST SAY NO TO DOUGH: In the process of rising, bread dough expands in the stomach, and the yeast produces ethanol. That can cause alcohol poisoning, stomach distension and torsion (twisting), and other serious conditions.

ALL THAT SPARKLES IS NOT HEALTHY: Cats like to play with tinsel, but when they swallow it, the silvery strands can become impacted in their intestines, Bessler said. "Sometimes the strings can cause their intestines to get bunched up into a knot. And if the problem continues, it can actually saw through the intestines."

A staff report

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