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Animal House: Holiday Hazards For Your Pets

Kurt Bauchardt
/
Flickr via Creative Commons

One of the joys of the holidays is decking your home with festive decor.  But those treasured decorations could pose a problem for the family pet.  Dr. Matt Fraker, from the Prairie Oak Veterinary Center, has some advice.

  • Tinsel and ribbons are oh-so-tempting to your pet.  But if they're ingested, they can cause serious problems to your pet's digestive tract. The intestines accordion pleat against themselves trying to work a foreign body string through.
  • Keep tinsel of home made garlands off of trees.
  • Electrical cords are very interesting to pets who like to chew on them. Electrocution and mouth burns are possible.
  • Holiday greenery can poisonous to pets, including poinsettia and lily.  The Humane Society has a  list at their website of plants to avoid.
  • Dogs can overturn Christmas trees if they go under to play or drink the water in the tree stand.  Block their passage under the tree. 
Reporter, content producer and former All Things Considered host, Laura Kennedy is a native of the Midwest who occasionally affects an English accent just for the heck of it. Related to two U.S. presidents, Kennedy appalled her family by going into show business.