When families get together for the holidays, it's easy to
forget the furry members of the group.
Dr. Richard Hopper, extension veterinarian at Mississippi State University,
said the holidays can be traumatic for house pets. Decorations offer a
wide range of potential dangers.
"Be prepared for odd behavior because sometimes guests in the house
upset the pet," Hopper said. "Pets can become jealous and aggressive towards
children, quit eating or have bad behavior such as soiling the carpet."
Some pets enjoy the noises, people and excitement of the holidays.
Others don't. Pet owners should consider their pet's temperament and history
when the holidays arrive.
"Smaller dogs owned by older, retired people often tend to get upset
or nervous when children are around," Hopper said. "These dogs resent losing
the attention of their mature owners."
Hopper said if a pet has a history of being agitated around guests,
owners should consider consulting their veterinarian about a low dose of
tranquilizers for a few days. Tranquilizers also help some pets who
have trouble traveling. Short of using these, owners could board pets who
have trouble with holiday guests.
But even if the pet adapts to extra people in the house and a disturbed
routine, the holidays present many dangers to pets. Dr. Pat McCoy,
toxicologist at the veterinary college, said chocolate, part of many holiday
celebrations, should never be given to pets as it is toxic to them.
"One ounce of milk chocolate per pound of body weight or one ounce
of baking chocolate per 10 pounds of body weight can be fatal to a dog
or cat," McCoy said.
With the holidays come leftovers, some of which can be fed to pets.
Hopper said dishes like turkey and dressing can be fed to dogs, but don't
use dogs as a garbage disposal.
"Animals can suffer from food poisoning," Hopper said. "Dogs are
more tolerant to food poisoning than are people, but if you leave food
around too long, don't feed it to your pets."
Other no-no's for pets are poultry or small bones and spicy dishes.
Holiday decorations offer another potential danger for pets. Cats
are fascinated by tinsel on Christmas trees and tend to play with and eat
it. However, tinsel can obstruct the animal's intestines causing the cat
to vomit repeatedly. If this happens, immediately take the cat to
a veterinarian who can remove the obstruction.
Many pets enjoy watching Christmas lights and may want to play with
them, but electrical cords can electrocute pets that chew on them.
"Watch your pets carefully to see if there will be a problem with
any of the Christmas decorations," Hopper said. "Many pets do not bother
decorations, but others are attracted to them and should be kept away for
their own safety."
Holiday plants are a beautiful seasonal item potentially dangerous
to pets. Few are fatal, but they can cause problems.
"Holly and poinsettia are mildly toxic to pets, usually causing vomiting
at worst, but mistletoe berries are more toxic," McCoy said. "One berry
is not a problem, but if a pet eats a cluster of mistletoe berries, they
need to be treated."
Symptoms that a pet has eaten these berries are vomiting, diarrhea
and convulsions. Dogs with their less discriminating taste eat more mistletoe
berries than do cats.
Cats, however, face a danger from drinking Christmas tree water or
eating pine needles, which are toxic to cats. This causes vomiting, diarrhea,
weakness and trembling, McCoy said.
"In any case where an owner suspects a pet has eaten something they
should not have, call your veterinarian and tell them what they ate and
how much," McCoy said. "The veterinarian can tell them what action they
should take for their pet."
Written by Bonnie Coblentz
