Holiday habits that are bad for your dog

’Tis the season of frenzied shopping, cooking til the proverbial cows come home, and big family get-togethers, and among all of this, your doggos are ecstatic that you’re spending so much time at home. With all the distractions and goings-on, it’s easy to overlook some common holiday habits that could be harmful to your dogs. Here are some you need to look out for:

1. Christmas present bones

You may be aware of a Facebook post that recently did the rounds of a vet explaining how she had to saw off a marrow bone that got stuck around the dog’s lower jaw. While dogs love to chomp on a bone, especially those juicy ones with the marrow still inside, bones are actually quite unsafe for dogs and completely unnecessary. They can be sharp and brittle, causing damage to the mouth and teeth, and if fragments are ingested, these can perforate the walls of the stomach and intestines.

Sometimes the bone fragments are too large to pass through the gut at all, requiring invasive and expensive surgery for removal. Similarly, if they get stuck on the lower jaw or teeth, it can be a traumatising experience for your dog, and most dogs need to be sedated or anesthetised in order to cut the bone off. That cute ribbon-wrapped bone gift for your best bud just isn’t worth the potential risk, rather give it a skip.

2. Decorations and festive plants within chomping range

Dogs are naturally curious and/or naughty, and that piece of harmless, hanging tinsel glittering in the light can easily become a choking hazard. The same goes for glass or aluminium Christmas tree ornaments and decorations that can shatter into sharp pieces. Unless you know for certain that your pupper won’t touch it, start the tree decorations higher up where they’re out of the reach of curious lips and paws, or place the whole tree somewhere where it can be admired from a distance.

Also look out for houseplants that are commonly gifted around this time but can be toxic to dogs. These include the bright-red poinsettia, mistletoe, and holly, as well as other plants that could be given as gifts like lillies (especially Calla lillies) and delicious monster plants.

3. Smuggling leftovers and titbits

We all know the big, manipulative I’m-so-hungry-feed-me eyes that peer out from under the table, but don’t fall for it! Apart from being unhealthy – like continual fatty pieces or bones – there are many foods that we enjoy that are not ok for dogs to consume. These include onions, anything with xylitol, grapes and raisins, milk and ice creams (we see you bowl licker!), macadamia nuts, chocolate and a lot of salty foods like popcorn, chips or pretzels (too much salty foods could cause sodium ion poisoning). Of course there are also the obvious hard no’s like anything containing alcohol, marijuana or caffeine

4. Leaving your dog alone on New Years

If those fireworks sound loud to you, they are a raging bomb on your dog’s far more sensitive ears. Dogs can hear sounds four times farther away than we can, and can hear frequencies that the human ear cannot. So it’s understandable that they may be panicking, especially if they are left to deal with it alone. Some dogs injure themselves trying to jump over fences or walls in an attempt to get away from the noise, injuring their throats and bodies on the spikes. If you’re going to be out, leave your dog with a trusted friend/family member or hire someone to stay with them.