Are Christmas Ornaments Dangerous for Pets?

Before we get into each of the possible dangerous Christmas ornaments for your pets, it is essential to discuss their location.

Out of all the Christmas decorations, the Christmas tree is the centerpiece. As Christmas trees tend to be highly decorated, with lots of baubles and ribbons, they are the biggest safety hazard for your pet.

We all like having a big Christmas tree, lush and loaded with ornaments, but if our pet is a puppy, or tends to bite, pounce on or chase objects, you will have no choice but to opt for a smaller Christmas tree that can be placed outside its reach. However, keep in mind that a pet might attempt to eat a small tree, and that it can fall over and crush your poor animal.

What is the best and safest place to put the Christmas tree if you have a pet? It depends on the animal's height and on whether it can climb or not. The tree must be placed somewhere higher than the pet, and it must be completely out of reach if the pet in question is a cat.

You must apply the same logic to Christmas wreaths and colorful light strings that you may use to decorate the outside or inside walls of your house, and any other hanging objects.

Here you can learn more about what to do if your dog eats the Christmas tree.

Many people decide to install Christmas lights in their garden, windows or around the Christmas tree, and the result is truly spectacular holiday décor. But have you ever thought about the consequences for your pet?

If our little friend is a dog that likes to bite anything new, a restless kitten that is attracted to all bright and shiny objects or a rodent that you let loose at home, you must always keep wires, cables and Christmas lights out of its reach.

At the time of the installation, it is important to keep the cables together and in order. Try tying them with a clasp, a string or a clip. If you let them hang loose your pet might use the cables as playthings and become entangled, even strangled.

The wires or cables should never be left on the floor, as your pet could bite them and get shocked by the electric current. Whenever you're not using them, especially if you're not at home, unplug the Christmas lights.

Cats feel attracted by the glittery and shiny Christmas baubles. In addition, dogs that usually play with balls easily can succumb to desire to take that round object and use it as a toy.

We recommend not using glass baubles at all, nor any made of other materials that many break or smash and cause serious injury to your pet. Consider homemade or artesanal baubles made with felt, crochet or string instead, and in any case keep them out of reach.

Nowadays there is a very wide array or possible ornaments for the Christmas tree besides the traditional baubles. Apply the same tips to those objects and don't buy any glass ones, as they are very dangerous for your pet.

As we discussed in the previous section, all kinds of bright or shiny Christmas ornaments capture the attention of cats. If those shiny ornaments are also hanging, your cat will inevitable see them are the best catch of the year.

Don't doubt for a second that your feline friend will try to pull down that beautiful golden wreath around your Christmas tree and even see that bright tree-topper star that crowns the tree as prey. In the best case, your cat won't succeed. In the worst but likely case, the tree will fall on your pet and it will be badly hurt.

While these kinds of ornaments are especially attractive for cats, dogs may also want to play with or even eat them, which makes them really dangerous. Eating a wreath or ribbon is very dangerous, as it can cause bowel obstruction or suffocation.

To prevent it, the most advisable measure is to keep the tree out of reach and to not use ribbons, bows, wreaths or tree toppers at all. If you do, however, make sure they're matte or opaque and in more subdued colors.

Although the Christmas tree is the most dangerous ornament for your pet, it is not the only one. You must also be very careful with the traditional table centerpieces with candles.

To prevent your pet from being burned, we recommend placing them out of reach and only lighting them when necessary, and always when there is a human present. Remember to blow them off whenever you leave the house and to have a first aid kit for pets ready.

Much like Christmas trees, holiday centerpieces are often made up of round, bright and eye-catching objects. To reduce the risk for your pet, we recommend you look for unique, different centerpieces without any candles or dangerous materials. You can make one yourself; for instance, what about cylindrical containers lined in fabric, felt or tightly wound ribbons?

In the list of plants toxic to dogs and cats we can find one of the traditional Christmas plants: Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima). In fact, this plant is particularly dangerous for pets.

Ingesting poinsettia can cause digestive disorders that can trigger diarrhea and vomiting, while the direct contact with the skin or the eyes of the animal may result in irritation, rash or itching.

Remember that ivy berries are toxic, and their foliage can cause dermatitis and rashes. Holly is even more dangerous, as its berries can cause diarrhea and vomiting, and they even have caffeine, which cats and dogs can't digest.

If you decide to decorate your home with this Christmas plant, you try to keep it as far away as possible from your pet, especially if your small companion tends to eat the plants in your garden or grass.

Here you can learn more about symptoms and first aid for poisoning in dogs, and here you can find the symptoms and first aid for poisoning in cats.

If you want to read similar articles to Are Christmas Ornaments Dangerous for Pets?, we recommend you visit our Facts about the animal kingdom category.