It’s the silly season and even our fur babies are getting, well, silly!

Harley recently visited our emergency vet hospital when he was caught chewing on a Christmas wreath. He was one of the lucky ones who was able to pass the ingested material. But sadly many of the pets we see end up needing surgery to remove these foreign objects.

Christmas decorations are a known attraction for pets. This includes trees, tinsel, presents, wrapping paper and lights. As new additions to the house, they are a far too exciting for a curious pet which is why we tend to see many in at our hospital over the silly season.

Some basic safety advice for pets this Christmas includes:

• Keep Christmas decorations up high and out of reach.
• Trees should be secured so they don’t topple over. A play pen can be a useful barrier.
• Don’t leave lights or candles on if an adult isn’t present. Pets love to chew on these, and they are a potential fire risk as well as ingestion risk.

Keep presents that contain ingredients toxic to pets away from the tree. This includes those containing:

• Chocolate
• Nuts
• Alcohol
• Raisins/grapes
• Garlic and onion
• Sugar-free foods (containing xylitol)
• Poisonous plants (such as lilies, ferns and daffodils)
• Glass objects

Take a moment to get down on all fours and survey your surroundings from your pet’s view point. This can help you to spot potential risks in advance and try to avoid a trip to the hospital.

If you are worried about your pet this festive season, please get in touch and find an emergency hospital (available after hours) and we can help work out if it’s a situation which needs medical treatment.