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Friday, December 09, 2011
Many of the things we love about celebrating the holidays are actually a
little dangerous for cats and dogs. Sharing our own treats with pets is
almost never a good idea. At best, giving people food to pets provides
them with too much salt and fat. At worst, certain people foods can be
harmful to health or even, potentially deadly. And many of those harmful
foods are staples at holiday celebrations.
Raisins –
Found in baked goods and party mix, raisins are one of the most serious
problem foods for dogs. It’s been widely reported that ingesting large
amounts of grapes or raisins can lead to renal failure in dogs – but
there is no consensus on how much is a large amount. With the wide range
of dog sizes and breeds, different amounts may be dangerous for
different dogs. Macadamia nuts are also thought to cause issues for
pets.
Chocolate – Everyone’s favorite treat, including
your dog, but chocolate is another potentially dangerous food. Again,
the level of danger is dependent upon the amount ingested, the size of
the dog and the potency of the chocolate. While white and milk chocolate
are less likely to be harmful than dark chocolate, unsweetened baker’s
chocolate and 100% cocoa.
Artificial Sweetener – If
you’re watching your caloric intake this Christmas, you may be sticking
to artificially-sweetened treats. Beware, the sweetener xylitol is
suspected of causing a sudden drop in blood pressure in dogs, as well as
depression, loss of coordination and seizures. Other sweeteners such as
sucralose and aspartame are not proven to cause the same problems, but
why take a chance? It's safest for pets to avoid sweeteners.
What else should you watch out for this season?
Ribbon & tinsel can be irresistible to cats, and dangerous if swallowed, potentially causing intestinal problems.
Candles can look and smell beautiful, and start fires if knocked over by pets.
Toothpicks, a common way to serve appetizers and party food, can puncture intestines if swallowed.
Plants are
beautiful at Christmas, but a bad idea if your pet likes to chew them.
Some plants, such as lilies, are more toxic than most. But poinsettia
plants are not the dangerous decoration of popular legend. Poinsettias
may cause mild to moderate stomach irritation if your dog or cat ingests
the plant, with symptoms of drooling, vomiting and diarrhea, but that
is true of most plants.
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