Cats and dogs at Christmas: the top 10 dangers to avoid
Attention! The holiday season can be dangerous for pets, and their owners can fall victim to excessive bail. Control of veterinary emergencies.
It is well known that no year-end family celebration is complete without good food and feasts around a well-appointed table. But as you might not suspect, the confectioners’ truce can be fraught with danger for the animals who share your daily lives… and for your food.
Anais Lamoureux, an internal medicine specialist at AniCura Nordvet veterinary hospital, sounds the alarm. “On the eve of Christmas, cat and dog owners should be especially careful. Many of them encourage pets to try Christmas food, although they usually contain foods that are strictly forbidden for them. Chocolate and even raisins in Christmas desserts, for example, are toxic to dogs and can damage their organs and even be fatal,” warns the expert. When you happen to come across an abandoned dish in your merriment…
More broadly, Christmas treats are high in fat and salt, which is harmful to the health of cats and dogs. In short, if you want to please them, you’d better serve them a special holiday treat… after consulting your vet. This will avoid stressing emergency situations, which are more demanding during this period, especially in cases of poisoning, as in humans. But it is not only food poisoning that is dangerous. There are animals that have been injured by tree decorations, burned with garlands or candles, and even electrocuted.
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Chocolates, sweets, decorations… Veterinary ambulances on board to treat cats and dogs at Christmas
Chocolate and even raisins are poisonous…
“As soon as I put up the Christmas tree, my cat comes around, maybe the smell attracts him,” says Olivier from Toulouse, who sticks to real spruce, cut with an axe. And once he lost his balance and luckily fell over the tree that buried him without much damage. He was left with a great fear. Failures that can turn out very badly. As for this cat that peed on a wreath lying on the floor and received a 220 volt shock! “In general, you have to be careful with everything they get their hands on, emphasizes Anais Lamureux. Ribbons, decorative figurines or even Christmas balls are sometimes accepted by our pets and can cause more or less serious internal problems and surgical interventions. And you have to be careful about everything. Even flowers used as table decorations can be poisonous to dogs and cats. This is especially true of poinsettias, whose water is detrimental to their health. And last but not least, you should handle firecrackers and other fireworks with care. “Unfortunately, several animals are injured and injured every year due to careless gestures,” says Anais Lamoureux. Don’t get drunk, think of them!
Top ten dangers to avoid
Among the most common problems our little friends encounter during the holidays, veterinarians first identify chocolate poisoning. Then comes poisoning by ingestion of plants such as poinsettia or fir needles, or ingestion of nuts, onions, or other foods. There are many things to be poisoned, but you should also be careful of burns from candles, for example, electrical injuries. Also be careful not to swallow foreign objects such as angel feathers, garlands, Christmas balls or even toothpicks… Scented candles are also especially popular with our cats and dogs. You should also know that salt poisoning is dangerous, and grape ingestion, which can be fatal, is more serious. After all, it’s your responsibility, be careful when handling fireworks!
