Personal Insurance Blog

Pet Safety at Christmas

Have_a_safe_and_happy_holiday_with_personal_insurance_from_Andrew_G_Gordon_IncChristmas time can be as stressful on your pets as it is you.

It is best to keep your pets on their regular routine as much as possible.

You need to remember your pets when decorating for the holiday.

Tinsel, ribbon, glass ornaments, and gift wrap may entice puppies and kittens, but if ingested these items could cause serious damage to the intestines and may have to be removed surgically.

Bright twinkling lights should never be hung low on the tree, your pets could get electrocuted if they were to bite them or the wires.

Christmas tree needles or tree water can be harmful to your pets.  Don’t let them drink the tree water, it could contain tree needles or pine sap which mixed with water makes a poisonous drink.  Always make sure your pets cannot get to the tree stand by keeping it covered.

Be careful when placing wrapped chocolates under the tree.  Your pets can smell the chocolate through the wrapping and could eat it. Chocolate is very toxic to cats and dogs!

And what about those beautiful plants we like to decorate with at Christmas, can they be harmful to our pets?  Yes, they can be.

MISTLETOE:  The berries of the plant can be toxic to pets, if they eat enough they may exhibit vomiting or diarrhea, in more serious cases they could have trouble breathing or cardiovascular collapse.  Seek medical attention for your pets if they exhibit any of these symptoms, they need treatment right away.

POINSETTIA:  The leaves stem, and flowers are mildly toxic to cats, if ingested they irritate the mouth and stomach and may cause vomiting.  The symptoms usually resolve themselves. 

HOLLY:  The red berries on the holly are poisonous to your cats.  If your cat eats them,  they may show symptoms of vomiting or diarrhea.

AMARYLLIS: The amaryllis is another plant you often see at Christmas time.  These flowers are poisonous to cats.  They not only cause vomiting and diarrhea they can also cause neurological effects and cause excessive salivating and tremors.  If you suspect your car has ingested amaryllis flowers you should contact your vet as soon as possible.

Happy Holidays from your friends at Gordon Insurance! Feel free to contact us with any insurance questions about safety: car safety, home safety, pet safety, and more on holiday safety

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