holiday pet safety: the dos and don’ts of decorating

Hello again! I’m Heidi Cooley, DVM. In my latest blog on holiday pet-safety tips, I want to discuss decorations. There are many types of holiday decorations your pet can get into: tinsel, lights, candles, ornaments, toxic plants, chocolate, and candy. It’s enough to make a veterinarian sweat just thinking about it.

The good news is there are precautions you can take to keep your pet safe during the holidays and still enjoy a fun and festive celebration.

Common holiday hazards

Tinsel is such a fun addition to holiday décor. The multicolor foil strands and garlands add sparkle and brightness that dazzle humans and pets alike. That’s why it’s important to keep tinsel out of reach of curious dogs and cats. If your pet should ingest tinsel, it could get lodged in their gastrointestinal tract and cause a blockage that could be potentially fatal (or at least lead to costly surgery). Unfortunately, there isn’t a pet-friendly equivalent, so it’s best to avoid putting up tinsel altogether or placing it in an area where your dog or cat can’t reach it.

While wrapping paper is mostly innocent, its accoutrements can often pose risks for your pets. Ribbons, bows, bells, or any other small add-on to your wrapped gifts are—you guessed it—potential choking hazards. If you like to decorate your gifts with all the bells and whistles, make sure the packages are placed in an area your pet can’t get to. Also, don’t forget—animals have excellent sniffers. So if you give or receive a gift at your home containing food, you’ll most definitely want to stash it away.

It's hard to imagine the holidays without twinkling string lights, and fortunately, there are ways that lights and pets can coexist in the same household. First, it’s important to purchase LED versus glass lights. Glass lights are easily breakable and the last thing we want is a dog or cat to ingest or step on shards of glass. Second, you’ll want to ensure that string lights are out of your pet’s reach. Keep the lights up high or tightly secured so they can’t be easily ripped down by curious creatures, and consider using cord protectors. And candles? If you have active dogs or cats, skip the candles this year or use LED ones.

In our previous blog, we discussed the dangers of holiday trees, specifically the real or fake needles that can cause gastrointestinal upset for your pet. Setting up a baby gate can help keep your nosy pet and tree separated. As for winter plants, holly, mistletoe, lilies, and poinsettias are considered toxic to pets. If ingested in large quantities, they can cause stomach issues, seizures, and possibly death. Christmas cactus is considered nontoxic, so if you’d like a winter plant around the house, this is a safer bet.

Speaking of trees, as beautiful as glass ornaments are, make sure your tree ornaments are nonbreakable and place them high up on the tree. That way your inquisitive pet won't knock them over and possibly cut themselves. Also, avoid small ornaments as they can be easily swallowed and become lodged in your pet’s gastrointestinal tract.

And lastly, if you love having chocolate around during the holidays (who doesn’t?), let’s say in a dish or advent calendar, you’ll need to be extra careful. Chocolate is dangerous for both dogs and cats and can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and possibly death. Same goes for xylitol. This artificial sweetener, which is found in some chocolates and candies, is considered highly toxic to pets and can cause seizures, organ failure, or death. If you think your pet has ingested chocolate or xylitol, take them to the vet immediately.