UF Veterinarians Offer Pet Safety Tips For The Holidays

December 4, 1998

GAINESVILLE — Pet owners should keep in mind their animals’ safety during the holiday season, when hazards increase, say University of Florida veterinarians.

Drunk drivers, electrical cords and baking chocolate all pose a greater-than-usual threat to animals at this time of year because they become more common, said Michael Schaer, professor with the UF College of Veterinary Medicine’s small animal clinical sciences department.

“Keep your animals on leashes and away from roads in order to avoid encounters with drunken drivers,” Schaer said.

Holiday-related dietary indiscretions, including feeding animals baking chocolate, can prove toxic to pets, he added. Chocolate cooking bars are high in a chemical called theobromine, a stimulant which can be fatal to a small animal.

“Use common sense,” Schaer said. “Keep cooking chocolate bars in a place where your dog or cat can’t get to them.”

He added that regular chocolate candy does not pose a theobromine toxicity risk.

Certain plants abundant during the holiday season, such as poinsettias and Jerusalem cherries, also can cause problems if animals should start nibbling on them.

“The Jerusalem cherry berry has been shown to be toxic to dogs and cats,” said Schaer. “These berries can cause abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea, as well as some nervous system effects.”

He added that the sap from poinsettias is irritating to both the stomach and the eyes, though “since these plants don’t taste very good, animals aren’t prone to eat them.”

Stringy objects, such as ribbon or thread, can cause obstructions of the small bowel.

“Cats love to eat those lengths of string used to cook turkeys, because they taste so good,” Schaer said.

Electrical cords used for holiday lighting also can be tempting for animals to chew on.

“Puppies or kittens that bite any cord can develop pulmonary edema, or fluid in the lungs, which can be fatal,” Schaer said. “That’s besides the burns they can get in their mouths.”

After holiday presents are opened, pet owners should check the insides of all big boxes before throwing them out; a cat or kitten may have crawled inside to play or sleep.

The holiday season also means colder weather and more accidents related to fire — a problem that affects animals as well as humans.

“People with gas-burning stoves should be careful if they leave their pets at home alone,” Schaer said. “For the safety of both pets and people, it’s important to have good ventilation to keep carbon monoxide from accumulating in a closed room.”

Though often associated with cold weather, antifreeze ingestion by pets is a year-round problem. Antifreeze is extremely toxic, and people changing the antifreeze in their cars should be sure pets are out of the way and that any excess spillover is dried or mopped up. Finally, cold weather itself can pose a threat.

“Bring your animals indoors, especially if there’s a hard freeze,” Schaer said. “Make sure that their water supplies don’t freeze up, and make sure they have adequate protection from the elements.”