Tis the season: festive toxicological hazards for cats and dogs

ABSTRACT:

Christmas can be a very busy time in the veterinary clinic and there are many hazards within the home that may put pets at risk. Some popular Christmas treats are well publicised as being toxic to dogs and cats, such as chocolate, but there are some lesser known toxins that owners may not be aware of e.g. onions or mouldy leftovers. This article examines some of the edible toxicological hazards that may be encountered, explaining the mechanism of action, clinical signs, the toxic dose, treatment options available and patient prognosis.

Keywords: :

• Christmas
• toxins
• chocolate
• raisins
• xylitol
• ethanol
• Allium species
• mycotoxins

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

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Notes on contributors

Laura George

Laura George DipHECVN, DipAVN (small animal), CertVN ECC, VTS (SAIM), RVNLaura qualified as an RVN in 2010 and moved to the internal medicine department at DWR the same year. She worked as an internal medicine nurse for over 7 years and became the internal medicine nurse supervisor in 2016. Laura transferred to the ICU department in 2018 to become a critical care nurse and in May 2018 she was appointed critical care nurse manager. In 2020, Laura returned to the internal medicine department to continue her career in this area. In 2013, she gained the RCVS Advanced Diploma in Veterinary Nursing and followed this up by studying the Certificate of Veterinary Nursing in Emergency and Critical Care in 2016. In 2017, she achieved the Veterinary Technician Specialist qualification in Small Animal Internal Medicine and has recently started studying for her MSc in Advanced Veterinary Nursing. E-mail: [email protected]