Nothing is more relaxing than sitting by the fire with your dog and enjoying the lights of a Christmas tree. We are busy gearing up for the holidays at The Perfect Pup. We will be holding our regular classes but taking a short break around Christmas so our staff can spend time with their families. Check our Facebook page for our holiday schedule updates. Besides training dogs, we also always watch out for their health and safety. Christmas trees go hand in hand with the holiday, but they can be a danger to your canine companion. With Christmas less than a month away, we wanted to write a blog this week on the dangers that go with Christmas trees and dogs.
Dangers That Go with Christmas Trees and Dogs
Don’t let your dog chew or eat branches and needles.
If you have a live tree, you’ll have to make sure your canine companion doesn’t try to chew on the limbs. Oils from fir trees can be irritating to your dog’s mouth tissue. This irritation causes drooling and vomiting. There is a chance that your dog may also swallow needles that can get obstructed in the intestinal tract. They can also puncture the lining of the intestinal tract. Both of these problems can lead to deadly consequences. Artificial trees can also cause the same problems. The solution to his is to limit your dog’s access to the tree. If you cannot supervise your dog, this can be done with a dog pen that surrounds the tree.
Christmas tree preservatives can leach into the tree’s water.
Some live Christmas trees are treated with chemical preservatives to keep them fresh longer. The chemical can leach into the water at the tree’s base. This makes the water toxic to drink. Your dog will likely want to drink the water in the base if it is left uncovered. Keep them away from the water by covering it with a tree skirt, plastic wrap, or aluminum foil.
Keep Christmas lights out of reach.
Any lights that get strung on the tree should be kept away from the very bottom. Electrical cord injuries are one of the most common injuries veterinarians see around the holidays. It is very prevalent in puppies that have not been trained to not chew yet. Damage to a dog’s mouth can lead to tissue damage in the mouth and can cause long-term problems with eating and even breathing. Keep the cords away from your dog’s reach and watch the lights for any signs of suspected chewing.
Don’t use tinsel!
Tinsel is a very pretty tree decoration, but it is also very dangerous for dogs. If your dog eats even a small amount of tinsel, they are likely to suffer a life-threatening intestinal obstruction. Any type of string that gets wrapped up in a dog’s intestines can coil them up and cause the intestine to die. Keep the tinsel off the tree this year so you have one less holiday worry.
Keep ornaments away from the bottom of the tree.
A curious pup may try to knock ornaments off the tree and injure itself by trying to play with a broken one. A broken glass ornament can cause deep lacerations. Your dog may also ingest smaller ornaments that can cause an intestinal blockage. The last thing you have to watch out for with ornaments is that they may be dangerous depending on what materials or chemicals were used to create them. Play it safe and try to keep ornaments out of your dog’s reach. If your dog still wants to go after the ornaments, it would be a wise idea to purchase a pen to keep the dog away when you are not able to supervise them.