20 Days till Christmas

I feel like my countdown is speeding up the arrival of Christmas.

Realizing that's not possible.. I shall continue.

Christmas food does not mean just Fruitcake.. Though that on its own could probably do some damage..
I am speaking of the large amounts of food available for Fido and Fluffy to steal.. and steal they will!
You may not see it, but chances are your animals have been secretly stealing food their whole lives.

Table, floor, package, bag, box, plate, garbage, bowl, basket, tin, napkin, cupboard, baby, toddler, Grandpa, there are many ways. 

Yes a cat will steal candy from a baby. 
Many dogs will as well.. cats just enjoy this action, dogs feel ashamed. 

My guess is by now we are all aware of the dangers of Chocolate.. yummy yummy evil Chocolate.

Chocolate

Story Time

Many years back.. more than 15..
Our family dog Fury - super sweet, slightly stupid - all around fantastic.

He stole one of my Christmas Stocking gifts.
Thief !
A Terrys Chocolate Orange.
This thing....

Jerk.

He ate the whole thing.
Chocolate, wrapper, and box.

We were not aware that Chocolate was toxic back then.. but we knew it was not good for him.
We called him a dumbass and watched him to make sure he was okay.
He had to make several trips outside throughout the day and night...but other than that our trash compactor doggie was fine.
Fury was a good 50 to 60 pounds..possibly 70, I can not remember.

Weight is key when it comes to how much chocolate your dog ingests.
What type of chocolate is the most important factor.
Dark Chocolate is much worse than Milk Chocolate. 
Bakers Chocolate & Cocoa Powder are the worst!
Here is a Toxicity Meter, it can be helpful to know what you may be dealing with and what can cause the most problems.
It is not in place of a Vet - it is simply a tool.

According to this meter, Fury was not at high risk.. which actually surprised me. Though there was not a spot to add in the wrapper and box.
If this was Dark Chocolate I would have had more to look out for but Fury probably would still be okay.

Bakers Chocolate would be a mad dash to the emergency vet, same with Cocoa Powder

White Chocolate does not contain the same ingredients as the others. There is little to no risk of toxicity  - but it is still not good for your dog! So don't give any to Fido.. but you can worry less if he gets into it.

If you are asking - Well what about my Cat?
CHOCOLATE IS TOXIC TO CATS 
The reason it does not seem to be mentioned as much is due to the reasoning that Cats are much less likely to consume Chocolate than Dogs.
But they still can!
They just generally do not find themselves as attracted to sweet things - they can not taste sweet.
Thinking about the new Chocolates that have salt or salty ingredients - this could post more of a problem.
Fluffy likes salt.

For and 11 pound cat - I just picked a random weight.
2 ounces of Dark Chocolate = Emergency. 
Given the fact that most of these salty chocolates are made from dark chocolate - it is very important to be aware!

A kitten ingesting any form of Chocolate should be a cause for concern.


Bones

Bones are not good for your pet.
Why? In the wild they would eat bones.. this is nonsense..
When was the last time you saw a wild Fluffy or Fido boiling their dinner prior to eating it?
When a bone is cooked it can splinter.
If your pet swallows a bone it could pierce the intestines causing serious danger and damage... and pain!


Though most agree on not feeding cooked bones - there is more of a division on the issue of Raw bones.

The theory that wild animals eat bones and are fine - this is a hard one to prove. Sure they eat them, but are they fine?
In the wild an animal like a Wolf would be killed very quickly by other Wolves if it was sick. You do not see sick Wolves because sick = dead in the wild.

If there is a possibility for harm to come to your animal by consuming something that it does not actually need - why allow it?
They don't need it! 
Keep them away!
No need...
Sure they may be fine... or they could break a tooth, cause an animal to become blocked, cause damage to their intestines, cause choking , possibly cause death...

I do not see a need for bones.
Get rid of the bones.
I said no bones!
Drop it!
Good boy. 

Be aware of the garbage as well. Keep it secure, Fido..and even Fluffy.. lack manners and have no problems with dumpster ... or trash can.. diving. 


You may not think of this
The string around some types of meat... the butchers string.... it smells like candy to your pet.
String is kitty crack. Meaty kitty crack.
Dogs care less that it is string.. they will just gobble it up without a thought.

String bad. 


Those little pad type things...the icky ones in the meat packages. Those are bad.. you do not want your pet eating plastic.
Also it's disturbing.

Grapes & Raisins 
Though they are not certain what the toxic substance is - there is one...
Keep your tarts to yourself.

Grease & Gravy 
The fat content is very high in these items.
You do not want to give your pets a large amount of fat. They get enough in their food.
Problems arising from this could be digestive upset..barf, diarrhea, which could cause dehydration.
Pancreatitis which can require hospitalization for treatment.

Bread Dough
Raw bread dough made with live yeast can be hazardous to cats. When a cat swallows raw dough, the warm, moist environment of the stomach provides an ideal environment for the yeast to multiply, resulting in an expanding mass of dough in the stomach. Expansion of the stomach can be severe enough to decrease blood flow to the stomach wall and affect breathing. Also, as the yeast metabolizes the sugar in the dough, alcohol is produced. The alcohol can be absorbed, resulting in alcohol intoxication. Affected cats can have distended abdomens and show signs such as drunkenness, disorientation and vomiting (or attempts to vomit). In extreme cases, coma, seizures or even death from alcohol intoxication might occur. Cats who have abdominal distention or seem drunk should be monitored by a veterinarian until they recover. All rising yeast dough should be kept out of reach of cats.
I never would have thought about that....so I did a copy and paste...

( Is it odd that every time I said Dough - I have to stop  myself from sounding like Homer Simpson?)

Xylitol
 This is a sweetener used in a lot of sugar-free foods, instead of using sugar in many baked goods this season, people are trying Xylitol instead. Good for humans.. not so good for Dogs, actually very bad for dogs. Cats have not been reported to have a problem with this - but better safe then freaking out and in the emergency clinic at 2am Christmas Eve.
In Dogs it can cause a severe drop in blood sugar followed by liver failure. 
Read this PDF
Kind of freaks me out to think that as little as 4 Chocolate Frosted Muffins could cause Liver Failure. 
That was a Spaniel, their average weight is 40-50 pounds. I think my dog is like 14 pounds!

There is a lot of gum made with Xylitol - I am not sure how or why they would get into gum but it has been proven fatal.
Stupid gum.


Around the holidays you pet may act different. If you think you do not have to be worried because Fluffy or Fido is not one to be a thief - you are giving your animal too much credit. 

Think of all the stupid things humans do... and we can read!

This is not a complete list - if you are not sure of a certain food - look it up.

Just be careful !!
Sometimes Dogs and Cats are stupid.. they do weird things.. like eat a Terry's Chocolate Orange...Box and wrapper included.

Tomorrow I will cover - Drinks, Tobacco, and other things I have not thought of yet....