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Holiday Foods Your Pet Should Never Eat

December 15, 2016
If your family is like most, food is a big part of your holiday celebrations. Keep in mind that plenty of common holiday morsels aren’t safe for our four-legged friends! Below, your Floyds Knob, IN veterinarian tells you about a variety of foods to watch out for this time of year.

Sweet Treats

As you probably know, chocolate is a very dangerous pet poison—never allow your pet to ingest chocolate of any type or any food that contains chocolate. Candies, gum, and many baked pastry items aren’t safe either, as they’re often sweetened with a sugar substitute called xylitol. Xylitol can poison pets in very small amounts, so tightly restrict your pet’s access to any and all sweet treats.

Onions, Garlic, Scallions

It’s a safe bet that at least one dish on your holiday table will contain onions or garlic. Did you know that onions, garlic, scallions, shallots, chives, and leeks are all dangerous for pets? They’re all included in the allium food family, and they can cause toxic reactions in both dogs and cats. This goes for all varieties of these foods (cooked, raw, powdered, etc.). Keep your furry friend away!

Grapes, Raisins, Currants

Grapes, raisins, and currants have proven to be toxic to many of our canine and feline friends. Although it’s not clear what agent in these foods causes poisoning, and some pets seem to be able to ingest them without incident, it’s not worth taking the chance. Keep an eye on any holiday fruit trays that may contain these foods to make sure your pet doesn’t chow down.

Rich, Buttery, Fatty Foods

Too much rich or buttery food will undoubtedly cause an upset stomach, and it may lead to vomiting or diarrhea in many pets. An overload of fat at all once can even cause a very serious case of pancreatitis in some instances! Make sure that all dinner guests know not to slip your pet any table scraps without your consent.

Alcohol

Pets respond to alcohol just like humans do. The difference is, alcohol can poison a small pet in a very short time! If your holiday festivities will include alcoholic beverages, it’s important to keep a close eye on all drinks to make sure Fido or Fluffy doesn’t imbibe. Would you like more advice on keeping your pet safe during the holidays? We’re here to help! Call your Floyds Knob, IN vet today.

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