Dog owners' Christmas Warning

[D.A.L.U.I.]

Before you let your dog into the yard, check to be sure the UPS or FedEX or other delivery person hasn't left any boxes of gift items.  Yesterday coming home, feeling great--holiday's and announcement from the home office that it was a paid free holiday from 12/23 until the Monday after the 1st--Yeah Team--I walk into the yard carrying some gifts, computer case, etc., and there was a box--obviously chocolates--torn to shreds.  At first I thought it was trash from someone else, then I found the UPS box--Irma had snifted it out an eaten them.  Because the actual amount of chocolate wasn't great for an 80# dog, we knew it wasn't stomach pump time, but ultimately she up chucked the mess, in the house on the Oriental carpets just as we're headed out to a party.  Wifey, God love her, done up in her party finery, cleaned the mess up, neutralized the carpet w/ club soda, and we left. 
Chocolate and many other foods are a real danger to dogs, but dogs have a poor sense of dietary restriction.  Check outside before you let them out all the time during this season.

[Sly Red]

Also, and this is not well reported, grapes and raisins can cause renal failure in canines.

Red

[Mikekoz13]

Great point Paul!

Here's another one. I did greyhound rescue for nine years and this saved quite a few dogs major problems. I personally know for a fact that this works. I copied this with permission from Old English Sheepdogs.org because it was the first place I could find it. I thank them for the right to copy.


What do you do if your puppy (or mischievous older dog) gets
into your holiday decorations and eats some of the glass ornaments?
This potentially lethal mishap can darken even the brightest holiday
season.

BEFORE the holiday go to a pharmacy & buy a box of cotton balls.
Be sure that you get COTTON balls...not the "cosmetic puffs" that are
made from man-made fibers. Also, buy a quart of half-and-half coffee
cream and put it in the freezer.

Should your dog eat glass ornaments, defrost the half-and-half
and pour some in a bowl. Dip cotton balls into the cream and feed them
to your dog.

Dogs under 10 lbs. should eat 2 balls which you have first torn
into smaller pieces. Dogs 10-50 lbs should eat 3-5 balls and larger
dogs should eat 5-7. You may feed larger dogs an entire cotton ball at
once. Dogs seem to really like these strange "treats" and eat them
readily. As the cotton works its way through the digestive tract it
will find all the glass pieces and wrap itself around them. Even the
teeniest shards of glass will be caught and wrapped in the cotton
fibers and the cotton will protect the intestines from damage by the
glass. Your dog's stools will be really weird for a few days and you
will have to be careful to check for fresh blood or a tarry appearance
to the stool. If either of the latter symptoms appear you should rush
your dog to the vet for a checkup but, in most cases, the dogs will be
just fine.

[D.A.L.U.I.]

Thanks for that, we've already put the doggie gate up and closed the other entrance to the front parlor where the tree is--Irma got a taste for one, but only broke an old plastic snowflake and we found all the parts--we have a LOT of old ornaments that represent many Christmas' trees. 
But if we forget to put up the gate or close the parlor doors--it's a play time for Irma and a potential heartbreak for us. 

[Sgt. Pate]

Good warning that's for sure... by the way, chocolate is poisonous to dogs, good thing she ralphed it!

[J.J.]

Also, beware of macadamia nuts.  My sister's dog was poisoned by them.

http://www2.aspca.org/site/DocServer/toxbrief_0402.pdf?docID=115

[Tyro]

Also holiday plants such as Poinsettia and Christmas Cactus.

http://headshavecenter.forumotion.net/

[Sgt. Pate]

No wonder dogs like to eat poop!  They at least know it isn't going to poison them!

[IRONHORSE]

Onions are also poisonous to dogs.