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Holiday Pie of Pet Dangers

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Nov 13, 2024, 12:00 AM ET

Pet Toxicology Experts Slice Up a List of Common Yuletide Toxins

MINNEAPOLIS, Nov. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The perfect holiday season is filled with food, fun, family and friends. For your pets, however, it can be a cornucopia of potential toxin dangers.

"If you're having people over for the holidays, also watch for any little kids who like to sneak food to pets."

As pet lovers head into Thanksgiving and Christmas, the toxicology experts at Pet Poison Helpline have put together a seasonal pie recipe that includes the Top 6 Holiday Toxin Dangers based on case data and toxicologist concerns.

"The holiday season is one of the busiest times of the year at Pet Poison Helpline," said Dr. Renee Schmid, a senior veterinary toxicologist and director of Veterinary Medicine at Pet Poison Helpline. "Holiday gatherings are often filled with many unusual situations for pets, such as new foods coming in the house, or perhaps visitors bringing unknown items into the home. It is also more difficult to watch your pets when the house is filled with lots of people, especially young children. Adults are focused on the safety of the kids, and people often forget to also keep an eye on their pets."

The Top 6 Holiday Toxin Dangers are:

"We receive more calls regarding chocolate than any other potential toxin," Dr. Schmid said. "It may not be unique to the holidays, but I'm confident it will again be the most common toxin this holiday season. If the chocolate contains xylitol, marijuana, raisins, or macadamia nuts, then the ingestion can become even more serious. In all cases, if the pet ingests a large enough quantity, it can be deadly."

Chocolate contains theobromine and caffeine, which, when ingested in toxic amounts, can result in vomiting, diarrhea, hyperactivity, elevated heart rate, abnormal heart rhythm, tremors, seizures, and possibly death. Xylitol is a natural sugar substitute commonly found in candies like chocolate, chewing gums, foods like pudding, sauces and jams, toothpaste and more. If enough xylitol is ingested, it can cause life-threatening low blood sugar and acute liver failure.

Common foods such as grapes, raisins, onions and garlic are used in many holiday recipes. In fact, these items are often used in combination or in multiple dishes.

"Stuffing is a potential trifecta of dangers," Dr. Schmid explained. "Most stuffing, or dressing, contains onions and garlic, and some recipes call for raisins. Any one of these items can cause concern if consumed in too great a quantity. When they are consumed in combination, it can be exponentially more dangerous due to the different effects each can have."

Last Thanksgiving, Elizabeth Laroche was putting leftover stuffing in a storage container, when some of it fell on the floor and her dog Rocky quickly gobbled it up.

"We were dumping our left-over stuffing into a Tupperware^® when a small amount hit the floor," explained Laroche, who lives with Rocky in Vanceboro, North Carolina. "We use raisins in our stuffing, which I know are dangerous to dogs, so as soon as I saw Rocky go for the stuffing, I knew there was a problem. Since we didn't know how much he had consumed, we tried to induce vomiting, but were unsuccessful."

Pet Poison Helpline discourages pet owners from inducing vomiting at home without consulting a veterinarian first, as certain toxic or damaging material can cause more harm coming back out and inducing vomiting may be harmful in certain pets. Cat owners should never induce vomiting. Regardless of what you may find on the internet, there is no safe or effective way to make cats vomit at home and using something like hydrogen peroxide can cause significant and potentially fatal injury to a cat's gastrointestinal system.

"If your pet has consumed something you're concerned with, call your veterinarian or Pet Poison Helpline before inducing vomiting on your own," warns Dr. Schmid. "If inducing vomiting at home is the best option, having a professional on the phone to assist can be critical."

Later that night, Rocky started showing signs of poisoning.

"Rocky started shaking and crying, and was vomiting a lot," Laroche said. "He has a weak stomach to begin with, so it hit him hard. It was 1 a.m. and we decided to call Pet Poison Helpline first to see if we could treat him at home. The professional we spoke with recommended we take him in to see a veterinarian, so we left the house as soon as I hung up the phone."

Rocky was taken to the Pet Emergency Clinic in Greenville, about 30 minutes away from Laroche's home. Once there, the medical team consulted with Pet Poison Helpline to develop a treatment plan. Rocky was kept overnight but had to stay with his regular veterinarian during the day. He then spent a second night at the emergency hospital. While at both clinics, Rocky's kidney functions were tested, he received fluids and was monitored for further symptoms or reactions.

"Fortunately, Rocky did not ingest enough of the dangerous ingredients to cause any lasting problems," Laroche added. "If you're having people over for the holidays, also watch for any little kids who like to sneak food to pets. Our accident happened while we were cleaning up, so you should probably also keep your pets out of the kitchen when cooking or cleaning. Things can drop on the floor and pets like Rocky are fast!"

Another popular holiday staple is fresh-baked bread rolls, but pet owners need to watch out while any dough is rising.

"Unbaked bread dough that contains yeast can be dangerous when ingested by dogs and cats," Dr. Schmid explained. "When ingested, the unbaked bread dough expands in the warm, moist environment of the stomach and releases carbon dioxide gas, which can result in a bloated or distended stomach. The carbon dioxide gas is what makes bread rise. Although it is less common, this can progress to twisting of the stomach, also known as gastric-dilatation volvulus (GDV) or bloat. Signs of bloat or GDV include vomiting, non-productive retching, a distended stomach, an elevated heart rate, weakness, collapse and death."

It's not just holiday cookies making the season merry. Due to the increased availability of both medical and recreational marijuana, as well as the variety of foods, pills, oils and tinctures, marijuana, or THC, is more accessible now than ever before.

"It may sound funny to get your dog stoned, but it is actually very dangerous," Dr. Schmid warned. "Signs of marijuana poisoning you'd expect include a dazed expression, glassy eyes, incoordination, slow response times and dribbling urine. Other signs include vomiting, drooling and changes in heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, breathing. or coma. Just like alcohol, pet parents should keep their recreational and prescription drugs away from pets."

Pet Poison Helpline created Toxin Tails to educate the veterinary community and pet lovers on the many types of poisoning dangers facing pets, both in and out of the home. All the pets highlighted in Toxin Tails have been successfully treated for the poisoning and fully recovered.

About Pet Poison Helpline
Pet Poison Helpline®, your trusted source for toxicology and pet health advice in times of potential emergency, is available 24 hours, seven days a week for pet owners and veterinary professionals who require assistance treating a potentially poisoned pet. Per incident and subscription service options are available. We are an independent, nationally recognized animal poison control center triple licensed by the Boards of Veterinary Medicine, Medicine and Pharmacy providing unmatched professional leadership and expertise. Our veterinarians and board-certified toxicologists provide treatment advice for all species, including dogs, cats, birds, small mammals, large animals and exotic species. As the most cost-effective option for animal poison control care, Pet Poison Helpline's fee of $85 per incident includes follow-up consultations for the duration of the case. The company also offers pethelpline^(SM) and pethelplinePRO^(SM) subscription services directly to pet lovers. Based in Minneapolis, Pet Poison Helpline is available in North America by calling 800-213-6680. Additional information can be found online at www.petpoisonhelpline.com.