Warning: Christmas trimmings toxic to pets

Pet owners who dish up a plate of Christmas dinner for their cats and dogs could be inadvertently poisoning them, according to the RSPCA.

Almost a quarter of 867 people surveyed by the charity who said they would give their pets a festive treat, were unaware that many of the traditional festive trimmings are toxic to cats and dogs.

Last year, more than a dozen dogs were admitted to RSPCA hospitals after being treated to Christmas dinner by their owners.

Angela Grigg, manager at Putney Animal Hospital, London, said: “We had 15 cases on Boxing Day as a result of people giving their dogs their own Christmas dinner with turkey and stuffing.

“Turkey is very rich and stuffing contains onions which is not good for dogs. It caused them to have vomiting and diarrhoea and they became dehydrated. One or two of them were so severe they had to go on drips.

“The owners told us they were giving their dogs Christmas dinner as a treat but some human food can be toxic for dogs and in extreme cases could cause death.

“All of these cases were completely avoidable. If you want to give your dog a nice treat at Christmas take them for a lovely walk, or if you want to give them something to eat buy them a special treat especially designed for dogs.”

Foods which cause illness in animals include grapes, raisins, and sultanas — which can cause kidney failure — and chocolate, which contains theobromine and can cause fits, comas, and heart failure, the charity said. Gravy containing high levels of salt can cause kidney problems if given in excess and alcohol can cause deadly poisoning.

The survey also revealed that 31% of animals had opened or destroyed Christmas presents, 26% of owners said their pet had pulled down the Christmas tree, and 17% had eaten Christmas decorations.

Craig Osborne, from RSPCA Newbrook Farm in Birmingham, said staff had treated 37 animals over Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and St Stephen’s Day last year, including a kitten which had swallowed tinsel. He said: “The kitten had ingested tinsel and we had to operate to remove it. We often get cases of dogs and cats swallowing bones or squeakers from toys and if they are unable to pass foreign bodies, such as those mentioned, this can lead to severe vomiting, diarrhoea or constipation.

“Some require hospitalisation and some have serious complications that require life-saving surgery.”

He said people should not give their pets left-over bones from Christmas dinner and should not leave any presents containing chocolate within easy reach.