The Christmas decorations are up, the festive lights twinkle in the night, and the cat and dog are up to mischief. The holidays are a joyful time but they also present many new temptations to our animal friends — temptations that may be lethal. Decorations, festive plants, and holiday treats are all potential hazards.

Overindulging in festive foods, from turkey to mince pies, may help contribute to our waist lines and New Years’ resolutions but when our pets overindulge in treats, specifically chocolate, this may prove fatal. Chocolate contains the toxin theobromine. This toxin affects both cats and dogs by acting on the cardiovascular system and can lead to heart failure if too much is ingested.

As theobromine levels are related to chocolate quality, brands with higher coco content (such as dark, high quality chocolate) are more dangerous. Treatment of chocolate poisoning requires immediate and intensive care including flushing remaining toxin from the body and supporting the cardiovascular system.

In addition to clear toxins, exposure to simply the wrong foods can also be problematic. For example, animals with food allergies may have adverse reactions when given the opportunity to eat some of our foods directly from unguarded trays or from the hands of well meaning guests. Therefore be diligent with food placement and ensure that well meaning guests do not share!  

We all love our Christmas trees to be well decorated with twinkly lights, tinsel, and glass ornaments. Our pets love them too!  Cats enjoy playing with, and chewing on, long, shiny objects. Chewing on light cords can lead to electrocution (often observed as burns in the mouth) whereas eating of tinsel and ribbons can lead to obstruction of the intestines — a condition that usually requires exploratory surgery and removal of the offending object. Glass ornaments are fun to bat at and, when they fall and break, can lead to lacerations of the paws. Ensure that trees are tied, lights are secured, and, if possible, select pet-safe cloth or plastic ornaments.

A final holiday hazard is plants. Many animals, especially kittens and puppies, enjoy sampling our indoor greens by chewing on leaves and flowers. When ingested, many plants, such as pine, cedar, and poinsettias, are irritating to the gastrointestinal tract resulting in diarrhea and vomiting. Some plants, such as lilies and mistletoe, can cause life-threatening damage to certain organs. Ingestion of mistletoe can result in cardiovascular collapse, but fortunately for us this plant is generally placed high up for kissing height and not at cat/dog ingestion height.

Lilies are a different story. The whole of the lily plant, right down to the pollen and the water the flowers are sitting in, are highly toxic in cats and ingesting even small amounts of lilies can cause kidney failure within a few days. The damage from the lily toxin is considered reversible only if caught early (i.e. within hours of ingestion) and treated very aggressively. It is for that reason that even the words “possible lily exposure” send feline veterinarians into treatment overdrive. Among cat intoxications, fresh flower arrangements are considered one of the biggest sources of exposure so please omit the lilies if there is any chance that the recipient’s cat is a “closet vegetarian.” Although not considered kidney toxic in dogs, lily ingestion can still cause significant GI irritation in this species.

One thing to remember is that if you are worried that your cat or dog has ingested a toxin or has become injured it is imperative to seek out veterinary care. Your veterinarian has the knowledge to safely treat your pet. Some home or internet based “remedies” can be dangerous, if not fatal, and should not be attempted without first speaking to your animal health care team.

With a little thought and planning we can keep the holidays a safe and happy time for ourselves and our animal friends.