A couple of years ago, Shannon Bennett and her family got a box of chocolate-covered cherries as a Christmas gift.  

The present was wrapped, so they put it under the tree without thinking much more about it. They had no idea what the box contained.

“My golden retriever figured it out very quickly,” Bennett said.

While the family was in another room, Boone sniffed out the box of chocolates. Then proceeded to open it. And eat them.

Luckily, ripping wrapping paper makes a lot of noise.

“We caught him just as he was tearing into the box,” Bennett said. “So he only got a couple of bites.”

Although chocolate is toxic to dogs, Boone was lucky. Holiday mishaps such as that can be dangerous to animals. And they can happen to even the most well-informed pet owner.

Bennett is a veterinarian.

“Thankfully he was a big enough dog, and it was a small amount of milk chocolate,” said Bennett, who works for Turner Veterinary Service. “He was perfectly fine.”

Most of the year, pet owners know what will get their pets into trouble. They make sure to keep the lid on the trash can because Fido likes to paw through the garbage at night or they know not to leave any rubber bands lying around because Fluffy tends to eat them. But the holiday season brings with it special foods, plants, decorations and visitors, all of which come with potential problems and pitfalls for pets, some of which owners might not think about. 

So Bennett has some recommendations.

For food:

* Be aware of what your pets are eating for table scraps and how much they’re getting. Many foods, particularly rich food, can upset pets’ stomachs.

* Be careful what you put under the tree. Animals can smell candy, cookies and other foods, and they will open presents to get to it. (Like Boone.)

* Don’t put bowls of potpourri, chocolate or nuts where pets can get to it. All are dangerous if eaten in a large enough amounts.

For plants:

* Although many people think poinsettias are harmful, Bennett believes the danger has been overblown. Unless your pet is small and has eaten a lot of the plant, she said, a poinsettia likely will cause only mouth irritation.  

* Mistletoe and amaryllis — common Christmas plants — are toxic and should be kept away from pets who might like to munch. 

For decorations:

* Keep tinsel and wrapping ribbon away from pets, particularly cats. If swallowed, those string-like decorations can damage a cat’s intestines and require surgery to remove.

* Watch pets, particularly cats and young dogs, around Christmas tree lights and other wires. They might try to chew them.

* Hang Christmas tree ornaments higher than pets can reach. Cats and dogs can swallow ornament hooks and pieces of broken ornaments.

* Don’t put chemical preservatives in Christmas tree water. It can sicken pets who drink the water.

For visitors:

* Be aware of your pets’ anxiety level. Consider moving them to a room or other area of the house where there’s less turmoil. (“Holidays are fun for us, not fun for them,” Bennett said.)

* If children are visiting and your pet isn’t normally around children, oversee their interactions.

What else to know:

* Keep your vet’s phone number, the phone number to your area’s emergency vet and the ASPCA poison control center handy in case you see your pet get into something dangerous or you discover your pet isn’t acting right. That poison center can be reached at 1-888-426-4435. (One reason to heed Bennett’s plant/food/decorations advice: The ASPCA poison hotline charges callers $65.)

* Don’t get a new pet during the bustling holiday season and don’t give one as a gift. Pets are a commitment that lasts far past the excitement and novelty of the holiday season.

In general, Bennett recommends that pet owners be especially aware of their pets and what they’re doing.

“A young, playful kitten is going to be more likely to get in trouble than your 18-year-old cat that you’ve had for years and sort of takes everything in stride. Let the animal be the guide,” she said. “If they seem overly interested in something in particular, get it out of their reach.”

Have an idea for a pet feature? Contact Lindsay Tice at 689-2854 or e-mail her at ltice@sunjournal.com

Copy the Story Link