Christmas is the best time of year to let your hair down, and as a result we often treat the holiday season as a bit of a free-for-all when it comes to our diets.
While that’s okay for us, there are many foods that we often eat around the festive season that we can’t give to our pets.
Whether they’re too high in sugar, fat or salt, or simply just toxic to their little tummies, we’ve put together a comprehensive list of foods that you shouldn’t feed your pets this Christmas.
Onion and garlic
If you’ve ever cooked (or eaten!) food at Christmas, you’d know that onion and garlic can often feature heavily in festive dishes. Unfortunately, they are both very toxic to pets!
Grapes, sultanas, currants, and raisins
All of these are a staple in many Christmas desserts. They can cause serious kidney failure, meaning your pets might be at risk if they ingest even one or two.
Lollies and candy
Candy, even sugar-free candy, can be toxic to your pets. Sugar-free candy contains a chemical called Xylitol, which is highly toxic to dogs.
Pork and ham
You might be surprised to read this one, but pork and ham are high in both fat and salt. This can upset your pet’s stomach, make them very uncomfortable, and even result in pancreatitis later down the track.
Alcohol
While many of us enjoy a few drinks at Christmas, you shouldn’t share alcohol with your pets. It is highly toxic to them, both in drinks and as ingredients in syrups and dough.
Caffeine
Even though most of us need it to get a jump on the day, caffeine is very toxic to our pets. It can cause an elevated heart rate and elevated blood pressure, as well as abnormal heart rhythms, seizures and collapse.
Puddings and cake
Christmas puddings and cakes, although yummy for us, often contain ingredients that are toxic to our pets, including sultanas and raisins. They are also extremely high in sugar!
Marinade and gravy
Believe it or not, marinade and gravy are both very bad for our pets. They can contain toxic ingredients such as alcohol, onion, garlic and are very high in salt, fat and sugar.
Chocolate
Even in small amounts, chocolate is very harmful to pets. It can cause vomiting, diarrhoea, increased heart rate, seizures, and heart failure.
Cooked bones
It’s important to never feed your pets cooked bones of any kind. They are a choking hazard and can even pierce your pet’s intestines.
While we might like to spoil our pets like we spoil each other this Christmas, it’s really important that you only treat them with pet-friendly foods. Their tummies are more fragile than ours!
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