Holiday Hazards
 

Christmas lights:  Chewing on electrical cords can cause electrocution & burn wounds. Keep cords protected and keep pets away from Christmas trees with lights.

Decorative trees: These can be an attractive lookout point for many cats. Falling trees pose an obvious risk of trauma causing fractures and strains

Tinsel & garlands: Anything resembling string can pose a risk of intestinal obstruction and perforation, but it is especially common in cats. These long thin foreign objects can cause the intestine to bunch up around them and slowly saw through the intestine. Always supervise your pets playing with string or tinsel, although it's best to not use tinsel at all.  If you find tinsel in their mouth or coming out with their stool it could already be trapped in their intestine and may need to be seen by a veterinarian. Similar to the tinsel & garlands, ribbon used on gifts can be an enticing toy that can also cause an intestinal obstruction.

Presents: Cookies and chocolate and coffee cake, oh my! Boxes of food and chocolate are a common gift and can be a hidden hazard wrapped in gift wrap. Pets can often sniff them out and consume the entire box. Please see our notes on chocolate toxicity. If presents are not going to be opened immediately, please check that gifts do not contain food. Other foods can cause indigestion, vomiting, diarrhea or potentially even pancreatitis. 

Candles: Animals may be intrigued by a flickering flame, but they do not understand what it is and may burn themselves if they get too close. Wrestling animals may knock tables or bump candles onto the floor and cause a house fire. Lit candles should never be left unattended. Flameless battery-powered candles make an excellent alternative.

 

Ice Melts: Many brands of sidewalk ice melts are on the market. The most common ingredients in these ice melts are sodium chloride, potassium chloride, magnesium chloride, calcium carbonate, and calcium magnesium acetate. A few ice melts contain urea. Cats may be exposed by walking on the ice melts themselves or by ingesting granules brought inside on the shoes of the owner’s.Ingestion of urea is not a toxicity issue in small animals. Ingestion of sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium salts can lead to vomiting and electrolyte abnormalities. Wash pets paws and kick off snow and salt before entering the house to avoid ingestion.

Ethanol: Due to their small size, cats are far more sensitive to ethanol than humans are. Even ingesting a small amount of a product containing alcohol can cause significant intoxication. Cats are attracted to mixed drinks that contain milk, cream or ice cream (e.g. White Russian, alcoholic eggnog, Brandy Alexander). Ethanol is rapidly absorbed orally and signs can develop within 30-60 minutes. Alcohol intoxication commonly causes vomiting, loss of coordination, disorientation and stupor. In severe cases, coma, seizures and death may occur. Cats who are inebriated should be monitored by a veterinarian until they recover.

Plants: Seasonal plants can cause a plethora of toxic signs. Some of the more common holiday plants and associated toxicities have been included below.

Christmas tree preservative: Christmas tree preservatives primarily contain dextrose and NPK fertilizers. The concentration of metals (copper, iron, zinc, magnesium) is usually small in commercial products. Most cats that drink water containing Christmas tree preservative develop no signs. Occasionally we can see mild GI signs, rarely, bacterial/fungal contamination of the water may lead to more severe signs.

Christmas trees: Christmas trees may be one of several species. The most common are: Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), Balsam fir (Abies balsamea), Black spruce (Picea mariana), Blue spruce (Picea pungens), White spruce (Picea glauca), Scotch pine (Pinus sylvestris), Norway spruce (Picea excelsa), Red Pine (Pinus resinosa), and Red spruce (Picea rubens). The most common clinical signs after ingestion of the needles are vomiting, anorexia, abdominal pain and depression.

Mistletoe: Most ingestions involve American mistletoe (Phoradendron spp.). Mistletoe contains lectins, but ingestion of a few leaves or berries will generally cause just a mild gastritis. If purchased in a store, the berries frequently have been removed and replaced with plastic "berries" which can be a foreign body.