Swallowing Hazards

  

Every Christmas season the iconic Christmas tree is put up and decorated in a glorious fashion. As such we would like to put some light onto possible hazards that it can pose to pets.

• If a live tree is selected then one must consider watering to keep the lush green colour, this however can be problematic as some dogs and cats like to drink the tree water; the water itself is not poisonous, but some fertilizers can be poisonous to animals causing various signs of sickness.
• Ornaments and lights hung on our trees can often become fun and interesting toys for our pets. They can commonly be chewed and ingested by our dogs and cats. This can become very dangerous especially if the pet becomes electrocuted when playfully biting into the lighting wires or if ornaments are swollowed. Swollowed parts can easily become lodged in the digestive tract and causing obstruction. A lodged foreign body usually requires surgery in most cases to remove it. In addition, glass ornaments and lights commonly leave cuts and lacerations in the mouth if chewed. 
• Holiday decorations like ribbon and tinsel can also cause some problems if ingested by our cat or dog. This is more commonly seen in cats that like to play with string. This type of foreign body may cause the intestine to fold onto itself like an accordion, this in turn causes a lack of circulation to parts of the intestine and may require extensive surgical treatment. Clinical signs of foreign body obstruction include vomiting, lethargy and abdominal pain. If there is any known ingestion of foreign body, the animal should be seen by a veterinarian immediately.