Keeping your pets safe is paramount around Christmas. Cookie dough, raisins, grapes, macadamia nuts and coffee are all on the naughty list when it comes to pets this holiday season and all year round.
“Over 60 percent of the emergencies veterinarians see over the holidays are a direct result of pets eating indiscriminately,” said Dr. Carol Osborne, a veterinarian for over 20 years and owner of the Chagrin Falls Pet Clinic.
Osborne, a graduate of John Carroll University and The Ohio State University, has made the rounds on national news programs promoting health safety. Osborne says that holiday cheer can turn into real tears if pet owners, and especially dog owners, aren’t careful.
“Believe it or not even a single grape or raisin ingested by your dog can lead to kidney failure,” said Osborne.
For holiday meals like turkey, sweet potatoes and green beans, it can be okay to share some with your dog. However, be sure to keep Fido away from the dessert table. Chocolate can kill dogs, although the portion size can affect whether or not the treat is deadly.
“In my experience a couple bites of chocolate hasn’t proven to be a major episode at all,” said Osborne. However, Osborne warns that cookie dough can be a major hazard.
”The problem is the cookie dough will rise in your dogs tummy and they will have a tummy ache,” said Osborne. “The breakdown of is alcohol and that can lead to alcohol poisoning.”
It’s not just cookies and cake– candy is a no no too.
“A lot of those products contain xylitol which is a low carb sweetener,” she said. “The xylitol, it is a problem for pets.”
All it takes is 10 to 60 minutes of eating xylitol for it to potentially become life-threatening.
Here are some tips to keep your pet safe this holiday:
- Keep your veterinarian’s number handy
- Have a number of an ER center near your home handy
- Put the ASPCA’s poison control’s number on your fridge just in case: (888) 426-4435.
