Poisonous holiday foods that are harmful to your pets
16th December 2015
Did you know that many (in fact most) Christmas foods can be highly poisonous to dogs? Mince pies, Christmas cakes, nuts, grapes and chocolate can all prove fatal, so we’ve pulled together a list of food to keep away from your dog this Christmas.
- Chocolate
- Currants/Sultanas
- Grapes
- Xmas pudding/cake
- Mince pies
- Holly
- Mistletoe
- Poinsettia
- Alcohol
- Cream
- Nuts
- Blue Cheese
- Onions
- Mushrooms
- Plus: Yeast
- Coffee
- Salt
- Chewing Gum
- Cat food
Two other products that see owners rushing to the vets at Christmas is ingestion of batteries and anti-freeze. If the dog pierces the battery it can cause chemical burns and heavy metal poisoning. If it is swallowed whole it is possible it will cause a blockage. Antifreeze (Ethylene glycol) is very dangerous. It’s sweet-tasting, very palatable to a dog and even a relatively small quantity can cause serious kidney damage and be fatal. The longer the delay between ingestion of the anti-freeze and initiation of treatment, the less favourable the prognosis.
Handbags, containing sugar-free chewing gum, pain relief medication etc are prime targets for an inquisitive dog. Ask your guests to close their handbags and put them out of reach of your canine friend. The Xylitol in sugar free chewing-gum can have terrible consequences (speaking from experience here after my pug ate 48 pieces from a pot of gum, stolen from my handbag.)
Naturally, if you think your dog has ingested any of these items, please call your vet immediately. The more quickly you can get your dog to the vet, the better his/her chance of making a full recovery. Don’t wait. Act immediately.
For a complete list of foods and items that are poisonous to a dog visit:http://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/
