Keep Your Dogs Safe at Christmas

Poisonous foods to keep away from your dog for a very merry Xmas!

We are all guilty of sneaking our dogs some festive treats at Christmas but it's important to know what could spoil the fun. Too many fatty foods can cause harm to our pets, for example, pancreatitis, and a trip to the vets is the last thing we want at Christmas time especially.

Meat on the bone

Take into consideration that the bones can cause lots of issues for our dogs. They can get lodged in their throats or break and splinter and cause a choking hazard.

Onions, garlic, and leeks

These veggies along with shallots and chives are all from the same family and can harm the red blood cells in dogs which leads to anaemia - which can be seen by pale gums and a fast heart rate - this can be life threatening and signs may not be visible until days after ingestion. Also these veggies are still toxic even when cooked.

Sauces

Whilst apple sauce isn't good for cats, our dogs can have it as long as it's unsweetened. Mint, bread (contains onions & garlic) and cranberry sauce isn't suitable for all pets, and gravy can contain high levels of salt and fat (crisps are also best kept away for the same reasons).

Alcohol

This is an obvious one. With lots of drinks around at this time of year, it's easy for our dogs to get a hold of the food and drink! Just make sure spills are cleaned up and the cupboards are shut, you never know what our pets might help themselves to.

Chocolate

We all know chocolate is highly toxic to our pets, however if you're a dark chocolate lover, be extra wary as this is even more dangerous due to the theobromine levels.

Dried fruit & Grapes

We see these mainly in our Christmas puddings/cakes, mince pies and even fake reindeer food so be sure to keep these away from our pets, because even in small quantities they may cause kidney failure.

Nuts

In particular, macadamia nuts are highly toxic, however others will just cause an upset stomach and signs may not appear straight away.

Blue Cheese

The substance, Roquefortine C is in blue cheese that is toxic for our pets. Now, we all know how much dogs love cheddar as a treat but other dairy products like cheddar and cream also have the ability to cause upset stomachs as they are hard for your dog to ingest.