Several insurance companies and animal health care chains list the dangers of the Christmas season for dogs and cats.
Fatty food, such as the rind on the Christmas ham, is nothing to put into small animal stomachs. It is both fat and salt, and the animal’s pancreas can overreact and become inflamed. Even tallow balls for birds are dangerous.
Keep the pralines away from the doggy. Archive image.
Chocolate can be fatal for dogs, who react to the substance theobromine. The symptoms are vomiting and diarrhoea, as well as abdominal pain, thirst and anxiety. The amount of the dangerous substance is greater in dark chocolate than in light. The amount of chocolate required for the dog to become ill depends on the dog’s size and how much of the substance it has ingested.
Nuts can stick
Raisins and grapes are dangerous for dogs, they can cause kidney damage which in the worst case can even be fatal.
The onions found in, for example, the meatballs and Jansson’s Temptation are also not good for the animals.
Nuts can get stuck in the throat of voracious dogs, then it is urgent to get the nut loose if the animal has difficulty getting air. It is possible to perform a so-called Heimlich maneuver on dogs, veterinary websites can give instructions on how to do it with small and large dogs.
Dangerous for the intestines
Nuts can also become lodged in the intestine, requiring prompt veterinary attention. The macadamia nut is toxic to dogs and can cause problems with the muscles and nervous system.
Watch out for Christmas decorations, glitter on the tree and gift strings. It looks like so much fun, but it can be really dangerous for both dogs and cats. If animals ingest such, they can suffer major damage to their intestines, or in the worst case, die. The insurance company If states that stomach and intestinal problems are the most common health problem in animals, and the one for which they pay out the most insurance money.
The Christmas rose is very poisonous to animals. Archive image.
Christmas flowers can also be dangerous for both dogs and cats. Beautiful Christmas flowers such as amaryllis, hyacinth, poinsettia, mistletoe, tazette and tulip are poisonous to them. Particularly dangerous is the lovely Christmas rose, the whole plant is very poisonous to animals.
Sources: Agria, If, Dina försäkringar, Evidensia, Anicura, Din djurklinik, Norra djurakuten.