Pets and Holiday Food Safety

Don’t let food ruin your pet’s holiday! Food is a culprit for some of the most common holiday pet emergencies. 

Be cautious of the following:

• Dark and baker’s chocolate. While milk chocolate is not poisonous, it will cause a pet to have an upset stomach. However, dark chocolate and baker’s chocolate contain high levels of theobromine and caffeine. Animals are extremely sensitive to both, and ingesting either type of chocolate could be fatal.

• Xylitol. This sugar substitute causes a dog’s blood sugar to drop quickly. This poisoning can be treated, but causes liver failure if not treated properly.

• Macadamia nuts. Dogs experience severe weakness in their back legs, appearing paralyzed, after ingesting macadamia nuts. Dogs usually recover from this condition within three days.

• Bread dough. When bread dough is ingested it continues to rise, causing an intestinal blockage.

• Latkes and sufganiyot. Pets’ ingestion of these Hanukkah treats could result in a variety of gastrointestinal issues, including vomiting and diarrhea, and some ingredients can have more dangerous consequences. The onions in latkes, for example, can cause Heinz body anemia in both cats and dogs.

If a pet ingests any potentially harmful product, pet owners should call a veterinarian or a local emergency animal hospital immediately.