“It’s the most wonderful time of the year” Or is it? For our pets, it can be a time of temptation to eat things which are delicious but dangerous.
We have all seen pictures like these doing the rounds on social media warning us of the dangers of human food for our pets at Christmas, but they rarely give us any information about why these things are dangerous, what they do to our pets or what to do if we think our pets have had access to them. This article will explain why these Christmas toxins are bad for your pet, what to symptoms to look for and what to do in case of emergency.
Onions, Garlic, Chives, and Leeks
All these vegetables are from the Allium genus of plants. Not all alliums are edible, but the ones that are include the cultivated onion, garlic, scallion, shallot, leek and chives. The generic name Allium is the Latin word for garlic.
What do they do?
Besides making your dinner taste great, these Christmas toxins can cause severe medical problems for your dog. Symptoms can take days to appear, or could occur within minutes of your dog ingesting them.
Initially, eating these vegetables causes gastroenteritis, irritation of the mouth and nausea. All of these can cause dogs to lick their lips and drool excessively. These poisonous plants also cause abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhoea. These symptoms are uncomfortable and miserable but not usually fatal.
Alliums also relax heart muscles and dilate blood vessels causing circulatory problems and low blood pressure. This leads to weakness, lethargy and reduces the delivery of oxygen to vital organs. On top of this, chemicals derived from some of these plants reduce the ability of the blood to clot.
How do they do it?
These simple vegetables have a complicated mechanism of action. The deadliest problem with allium toxicity is the effect on the red blood cells. The toxin produced by these plants is known as N-propyl disulfide. The toxin causes damage to red blood cells by attaching to the oxygen molecules in them. This causes the cells to rupture leading to anaemia, increased heart rate, elevated respiration rate, weakness, lethargy, collapse and often, death. It is also known that there is a particular sensitivity to the toxin within certain breeds, especially dogs of Japanese descent (Akita, Shiba Inu).
Consumption of onions or garlic of more than 0.5% of the dog’s body weight are potentially toxic. For example, this would equate to a 15kg dog ingesting about 75g of onion or garlic.
What do I do if my pet eats some?
Seek veterinary advice immediately that you realise you pet has eaten any of these Christmas toxins. Treatment will normally include making your pet vomit to reduce the amount digested. Then they will be given activated charcoal to decontaminate the gastrointestinal tract. It is likely that your pet will stay at the vet if vomiting and diarrhoea has already begun. Your pet will be put on a drip to support them through any dehydration. If the blood cells have been damaged and your pet is anaemic, a blood transfusion is one of the treatment options.
Chocolate
Around Christmas time we consume a lot of chocolate! It’s no surprise that the number of chocolate poisoning cases in dogs is highest in December (closely followed by Easter) and is one of the most common reasons dogs visit emergency vets around this time.
What does it do?
Chocolate can initially cause vomiting and diarrhoea, but is a stimulant, so can lead to your dog becoming excitable, as well as developing muscle twitching, tremors, fitting and life-threatening problems with their heart. If enough of this Christmas toxin is eaten then the effects can be severe or even fatal.
How does it do it?
Chocolate contains caffeine and a chemical called theobromine. Dogs are particularly sensitive to both. Theobromine is similar to caffeine and both have a stimulant effect on dogs.
Symptoms of these Christmas toxins are seen within 6 to 12 hours of ingestion. They include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and increased thirst and urination. If these symptoms go unnoticed, dogs can rapidly deteriorate, and new symptoms are seen. These include hyperactivity, tachycardia (fast heart rate), tremors/convultions, hyperthermia (high temperature), hypertension (high blood pressure) and subsequently, death if severe and left untreated.
It’s difficult to say how much is too much. It depends on two main factors:
the size of the dog (bigger dogs can tolerate more chocolate than smaller dogs)
how much theobromine is in the chocolate they’ve eaten.
Generally speaking, the darker and more expensive the chocolate, the more theobromine it contains. So dark chocolate that’s rich in theobromine is likely to be more toxic than white chocolate, which contains very little.
What do I do if my pet eats some?
Call your vet immediately. If your dog is unwell you may need to take them to the vets straight away. Try to make sure someone has called ahead to alert the veterinary practice of the situation so that they can know what to expect and can be prepared.
To help your vet work out how serious it is, try to find any packaging that might give some information on how much has been eaten, what percentage of it was chocolate and what type of chocolate it contained (dark, plain, milk, white etc).
Over the Christmas period make sure that all chocolate is out of the reach of your dog. This includes:
Chocolate coins on your Christmas tree
Advent calendars
Boxes of chocolate put out on Christmas day
Wrapped chocolatey presents under your Christmas tree (just because it’s wrapped, doesn’t mean your dog can’t smell it)
Although chocolate wrappers are not poisonous, they can cause an obstruction if eaten. This can be very dangerous and may require surgical intervention. Signs of an obstruction may include vomiting, lethargy, your dog being off their food, not going for a poo, or finding it difficult to have a poo.
Christmas cake, mince pies and Christmas pudding
All of these festive treats contain dried grapes in the form of raisins, currants or sultanas. Grapes, and all the dried versions of them, are known to be toxic to dogs. In fact, it’s believed that these dried fruits are more toxic than fresh grapes themselves.
Other Christmassy dried fruit dangers:
Stollen
Chocolate covered raisins
Fruit cake
What do they do?
As well as possibly causing vomiting and diarrhoea, these Christmas toxins can cause kidney failure, which can sometimes be delayed for 24 to 72 hours. Signs of kidney failure can include a decrease in urination, your dog may appear lethargic, or show signs of increased thirst. Quick treatment is important. If your dog does eat any amount, however small, contact your vet immediately.
How do they do it?
It is not known why these fruits are toxic to dogs, or how much is poisonous. Some small dogs have eaten large quantities of this fruit and had no ill effects, while large dogs have become very unwell after eating tiny amounts. Whatever causes the symptoms does not seem to be dose dependent, so if your dog is known to have eaten any at all it is best to seek veterinary advice.
What do I do if my pet eats some?
Call your vet as soon as possible. Any amount of grapes, or the dried versions of them (raisins, sultanas or currants), could potentially be harmful to your dog, so your vet may ask you to bring your dog to the practice. Do not make your dog sick yourself as this can sometimes make things worse.
Sometimes the effects from these potentially toxic fruits can be delayed by several days. It’s always best to speak to your vet for advice, even if your dog seems ok.
Alcohol
Dogs and cats can get more than just drunk when they drink alcohol; they can get a trip to the emergency vet. Pets can die from ingesting alcohol, so it is crucial that access to your Christmas tiple is avoided.
What does it do?
Clinical signs of intoxication can occur within 15-30 minutes of ingestion of alcohol. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, increased thirst, increased urination, dehydration, lethargy, incoordination, disorientation, becoming cold (hypothermia), low blood pressure, and alcoholic bad breath. In severe cases, blindness, tremors, respiratory depression, coma, or seizures may develop. Death is uncommon but may occur, especially if the pet has severe respiratory and cardiovascular depression, low blood pressure, and/or hypoglycemia (low blood glucose).
How does it do it?
All poisoning problems boil down to the amount of alcohol ingested compared to weight, just like a dosage of medicine. When pets drink an alcoholic beverage that was left within reach, or that was given to them intentionally by someone, it can cause a significant toxicity problem. In addition, significant absorption can occur through the skin or by inhalation.
Dogs are highly susceptible to the effects of alcohol. Signs of mild inebriation may occur with even minor exposure. Within 15 to 30 minutes after the pet has drunk the alcohol on an empty stomach (or within 1 to 2 hours on a full stomach), central nervous system (CNS) signs, such as staggering, excitement, or decreased reflexes, can begin. Behavioural changes are seen, as is increased need to urinate. As the problem gets worse, the pet may become depressed, have a slow respiratory rate, or go into cardiac arrest. Puppies and kittens are at particular risk because of their small size and immature organ systems.
Many of the clinical signs associated with these Christmas toxins are due to the fact that alcohol has a depressant effect on the CNS. It irritates the gastrointestinal tract and also acts a diuretic. Kidneys are affected because they eliminate alcohol and its metabolites (by-products produced when the body breaks it down). Liver damage may occur after exposure, although it is much more common in animals that have repeated or chronic exposure.
What do I do if my pet has some?
Call your vet immediately and let them know what your pet has had access to and a rough idea of the quantity. If you know your pet’s weight, also pass on this information as it may be different from the weight on your vet’s computer system.
Things to tell your vet
In an emergency you can help your veterinary practice make an informed decision as to whether your dog needs treatment, if so, what that would be. Where possible you should provide your veterinary practice with information on:
The Christmas toxins your dog has been exposed to (e.g. chocolate, alcohol etc). Include any product names, or lists of ingredients if possible.
How much they may have been exposed to (e.g. 500g, 500ml, one packet etc, even approximations may help)
When your dog was exposed to the poison (e.g. five minutes, five hours or five days ago)
If your dog has been unwell and, if so, what symptoms have been seen
It is easier for a vet to care for a poisoned dog or cat if it is treated sooner rather than later. If you are in any doubt, don’t wait for your pet to become unwell before calling for advice.
It is also possible to get information on Christmas toxins from the Veterinary Poisons Information Service This is a paid service, but it is less costly for a member of the public to call for information than it is for a Veterinary practice.
How to use this information
The information presented here is intended to be used to prevent poisoning by raising awareness of Christmas toxins, rather than as a document to be used in an emergency. If you think that your dog or cat has been poisoned, or has come into contact with potentially poisonous substances, contact your local veterinary practice immediately.
Alternatives to human treats
There are many fabulously delicious and healthy treats available for your pets, many on this website! Why not try this delicious pate Christmas cracker, other pate’s are available in different flavours too. These pure meaty sticks and training treats are a hit with many pets too, as are these little fishy snacks. There are so many tasty and healthy alternatives made especially for your pets, they won’t even want to go near yours!