Cat Care

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.