Dogs and Christmas

Bella's dog Walking Halesowen would like to offer a little advice about bringing the joy of Christmas into your home this year.

The festive season can be a strange time for our dogs. Their usual home environment is filled with trees, flowers and other decorations and there are odd noises such as crackers and fireworks. Your routine is likely to change and there may be unfamiliar visitors coming to the house.

We have tried to give you a few of the most common Christmas dangers around the home for your dog below. It goes without saying, if in doubt about your pet’s health contact your vet and they will be able to advise you.

Food hazards

Chocolate, onions, nuts, blue cheese, fruit cakes, puddings and mince pies can all be toxic to dogs. Watch out for turkey bones as these can cause choking, constipation or cause damage to your dog’s intestines

Christmas trees

Most species are low toxicity but may cause a mild gastrointestinal upset (vomiting and/or diarrhoea) if chewed. Pine needles in themselves can get stuck in paws and cause irritation as well as potentially causing irritation or perforation of the intestines if eaten. Vacuum daily and ideally keep plenty of water in the bucket to help reduce the number of fallen needles.

Decorations

Christmas decorations are designed to look attractive and beautiful, unfortunately this usually means they are also tempting to your furry friends. Whilst not often toxic in their own right they can still cause significant problems if ingested. Baubles will tend to splinter or smash into shards which can cause irritation, perforation or blockages and dogs tend to eat tinsel a little like spaghetti - often consuming an entire ribbon of tinsel in one go! Again these are often not especially toxic (even if not particularly nutritious either) but can bunch up and cause blockages or, more worryingly start to work their way through the guts whilst some is still in the stomach, this effectively runs a thread through the intestines and causes a linear foreign body which can be extremely serious!

Your dog may also get a nasty shock if they chew through the electrical cable for your Christmas lights!

Holly, mistletoe and poinsettia

All of these pretty types of festive foliage are mildly toxic if ingested and can cause vomiting, drooling, diarrhoea to name a few, so should be avoided or kept well out of reach.

Batteries

Ingestion of batteries is more common at this time of year. If the battery is chewed and pierced it can cause chemical burns and heavy metal poisoning. If they are swallowed whole it is possible they will cause an obstruction. All batteries are potentially toxic so if you suspect your dog has chewed or swallowed a battery speak to your local vet.

Presents

One area where people can come unstuck is with Christmas presents. We put a lot of effort in hiding away potential problems but then wrap up auntie Flo’s big box of chocolates to place under the tree. Although we can no longer tell what it is... our dogs can! Apart from the irritation of having them unwrap someone else’s present and having diarrhoea in the living room on Christmas day, there is likely to be an emergency trip to the vets needed. Make sure any tasty or tempting presents are placed high enough out of the way so that your dog can’t help themselves.

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