Third Day of Christmas Hazards

On the 3rd day of Christmas my true love gave to me, a box of Christmas Decorations and wrappings.


While holiday decorations can make a home feel more festive, they can be tantalizing traps for pets. Keep decorations and ornaments higher up on trees so they’re not consumed by pets. The same goes for christmas wrappings, especially stringed ribbons.  Also, exposed cords from electric lights can cause electrocution or oral burns if chewed. 




Though they’re not poisonous, if a pet decides, the colorful garland or tree trim might make a tasty treat, when ingested these strings can result in a life-threatening linear foreign body, intestinal perforation, and septic peritonitis (infection in the abdominal cavity).  A linear foreign body occurs when pets swallow something stringy, like ribbon, tinsel, yarn, or floss. The stringy-item wraps around the base of the tongue or anchors in the stomach and is unable to pass through the intestines. As the intestines contract and move, this string slowly saws through the intestinal tissue, resulting in severe damage and possible rupture of the pet’s intestinal tract.  The treatment for linear foreign bodies involves complex and expensive abdominal surgery, hospitalization, pain management, IV fluids, prescription diets, antibiotics, and frequent monitoring of laboratory values. Even after surgical removal, some pets may not survive. 


If a pet does ingest a long piece of tinsel, ribbon, thread or string, advise the owner to immediately bring the animal into the clinic for an examination. Most importantly, if pet owners report they can see the string hanging from the pet’s mouth or anus, tell them not to pull on it as doing so may result in further tissue damage. Only trained veterinary professionals should remove such strings.  The outcome can be good if the pet is treated before severe signs and intestinal damage result. If the intestine is perforated the prognosis becomes much worse.