Vets are urging owners to add house ‘pet proofing’ to their
Christmas to-do lists. Ensuring that potential edible hazards and
other risky items are out of reach could avoid an unnecessary
trip to the vets over the festive period.
84% of vets who had treated a companion animal in 2017 reported
cases of toxic ingestion over the Christmas break, a recent
survey by the British Veterinary Association (BVA) has
revealed. Chocolates, raisins and mistletoe are all known to
be toxic for dogs and the proportion of vets who have seen
dogs with poisoning continues to rise. Chocolate treats remain
top of the edible hazards with 78% of vets treating a dog for
this type of poisoning.
Cats are also no strangers to a veterinary appointment at
Christmas. The survey found that almost one in four vets had
treated a cat for antifreeze poisoning (23%) and around one in
five (17%) for poisoning by seasonal plants such as lilies and
poinsettia. Mistletoe is also known to be poisonous to cats.
Festive decorations such as tinsel and fairy lights can also be a
hazard if hung within reach of a family pet.
BVA Junior Vice President, Daniella Dos Santos said,
“Christmas is a time of fun and festivities for many families in
the UK but presents, decorations and treats such as advent
calendars can prove dangerous for pets. It’s good to be aware of
what you have wrapped up underneath the tree such as chocolate
treats, as the smells can prove irresistible to curious dogs.
Decorations such as tinsel and baubles can result in the need for
surgery to remove them from the gastrointestinal tract. We advise
owners to keep presents, decorations and festive treats safely
out of reach of pets. If you are concerned that they have eaten
something they shouldn’t, consult your vet straight away.”
As many of us rush out to buy presents, prepare to decorate and
open the first windows on our advent calendars, it can be easy to
forget to ensure that the house is safe for our four-legged
friends. To help keep Christmas hazard-free for pets, BVA
recommends following these five simple tips:
-
Protect your pet from poisons – a range
of festive treats and traditions, such as chocolate in advent
calendars and sweets, raisins, xylitol (found in sugar free
treats), nuts, grapes, liquorice, poinsettia, holly and
mistletoe are toxic to cats and dogs.
-
Keep decorations out of reach – ribbons,
wrapping paper, baubles, tinsel and tree lights can seem like
appealing playthings to cats and dogs but can be very dangerous
if broken, chewed or swallowed. Batteries for Christmas gifts
also need to be kept safe as, if ingested, they may cause
severe chemical burns to the mouth, throat and stomach.
-
Forget festive food for pets – we all
enjoy a richer diet over Christmas, but fatty foods and
Christmas dinners shouldn’t be shared with the animals of the
household. They can trigger sickness and diarrhoea or other
conditions from gastroenteritis to pancreatitis, so try to
stick to your pet’s regular diet and routine. Bones including
turkey bones should not be given to pets as they can splinter
and puncture the digestive tract.
-
Give toys not treats – we all want our
pets to share the fun and many of us include a gift for our pet
on the shopping list. But too many treats can lead to pet
obesity, which can have serious consequences for their health,
so consider opting for a new toy, or a long walk if you want to
indulge your pet this Christmas.
-
Know where to go – even with all the care
in the world, animal accidents and emergencies can still
happen. Make sure you’re prepared by checking your vet’s
emergency cover provision and holiday opening hours or, if you
are away from home, use the Royal College of Veterinary
Surgeons’ Find a Vet facility at https://findavet.rcvs.org.uk/home/
For more information on pets and poisons download the free Animal
Welfare Foundation ‘pets and poisons’ leaflet at https://www.animalwelfarefoundation.org.uk/animal-welfare-advice/petcare-leaflets/#pets-and-poisons.
ENDS
Notes for editors
- BVA is the
national representative body for the veterinary profession in the
UK. We represent the views of over 18,000 members on animal
health and welfare, and veterinary policy issues to government,
parliamentarians and key influencers in the UK and EU.
- BVA’s Voice of the Veterinary Profession survey is a
bi-annual survey of vets drawn from BVA members and carried out
by the independent research company, Alpha
Research www.alpharesearch.co.uk.
The Voice of the Veterinary Profession captures the
profession’s views and experiences by asking questions about
animal health and welfare, public health, and trends in the
veterinary profession. The panel is broadly representative of
the BVA membership, which is largely in line with RCVS
membership. For more information about the survey please go
to www.bva.co.uk/voice
- The February
2018 Voice of the Veterinary Profession survey polled 415 vets.
For additional information: About 3 in 10 (29%) of companion
animal vets saw cases of foreign body ingestion or harm over the
2017 festive period.
