Pet Dangers Increase During Holidays
The holiday season is filled with joyful times with loved ones — including our pets! Simple preparation is recommended to minimize potential health and safety hazards for our pets in order to avoid expensive pet insurance claims during the winter holidays.
Holiday festivities increase the opportunity for pets to get their paws on harmful foods, drinks and decorations. The most common toxic treats that pets ingested last holiday season were chocolates, nuts and raisins.
Here are the most common pet medical conditions associated with the holiday season. This data includes the average cost to treat the medical condition and the average daily increase of occurrences versus the rest of the year.
Tinsel, ribbon or other foreign body ingestion (surgical removal).
- Average cost to treat: $1,803
- Average daily increase of occurrence vs the rest of the year: 37%
Food/plant toxicity (from raisins, nuts, lilies, etc.)
- Average cost to treat: $573
- Average daily increase of occurrence vs the rest of the year: 21%
Chocolate toxicity
- Average cost to treat: $454
- Average daily increase of occurrence vs the rest of the year: 30%
Drug toxicity or overdose
- Average cost to treat: $395
- Average daily increase of occurrence vs the rest of the year: 32%
We encourage pet owners to be aware of the dangers that surround our pets during the holiday season. Food or sweets left on low-lying tables can be a major hazard and holiday decorations can easily become a harmful toy for household pets. Pet owners should take extra precautions during the holiday season, and always know the location of the nearest veterinary hospital and a phone number for an animal poison control center in case of an emergency.
