Dangerous Christmas decorations for pets

Author: John Stephens
Date Of Creation: 28 January 2021
Update Date: 4 November 2024
Anonim
The dangers of pets & Christmas decorations
Video: The dangers of pets & Christmas decorations

Content

We all love to decorate the house with Christmas ornaments and feel the warmth of this long-awaited party. We buy large Christmas trees and eye-catching wreaths to decorate our home in the purest American style. However, how do you think your pet reacts to these decorations?

If the answer is biting them, playing with them, or trying to catch them, you should rethink this year's Christmas decorations and pay attention to all those dangerous Christmas decorations for pets. At PeritoAnimal we want to help you, that's why we offer you a list with the decorations and the consequences of not taking the necessary measures.

What You Should Know Before Decorating Your Home

Before talking about each of the dangerous Christmas ornaments for our pets, it is essential to talk about the location of the Christmas decorations. Since the Christmas tree it is the object that has the most harmful decorations, we must pay special attention to the place where we are going to place it. As much as we like to have a big tree, beautiful and full of ornaments, if our pet is a puppy, it will tend to bite objects, to send itself to them or if it is a curious adult, we have no choice but to opt for a smaller Christmas tree that should stay out of your reach. Keep in mind that you could eat the tree or be crushed by it if you fall on top of it.


To find the best spot, you should take into account your pet's height and climbing skills. This means that we will have to place the tree in a place that is taller than it is, and difficult to reach if our pet is a cat. You should apply the same logic to the Christmas wreaths you use to decorate your home's façade or interior, and the hanging objects.

Cables and Christmas Lights

There are many people who decide to install Christmas lights in their garden or Christmas tree, because the result is really spectacular. But, have you thought about the consequences for your pet? Especially if our little companion is a dog that likes to bite everything it finds, a restless cat that is attracted to all the shiny objects or a rodent that we let loose around the house, we should keep out of your reach both the cables and the Christmas lights.


When installing, it is important to keep the cables securely retracted, in case you leave them loose, your pet could try to play, curl up and even suffocate with them. In addition, once the lighting installation is finished, try not to leave the cables on the ground, since if our pet bites them while connected to the current, it could suffer an electrical discharge. In this regard, keep the christmas lighting off whenever you are not using it or are out of the house, since biting the lights while they are connected can not only damage our pet through the windows, but can also cause an electrical discharge.

Christmas balls

Cats are especially attracted to Christmas balls filled with glitter and made of shiny materials. Also, those dogs who play with balls will easily have the urge to pick up this round object so identical to their toy. That is why, avoid the glass balls or made of materials that when breaking can cause serious injuries to your pet. At PeritoAnimal we advise you to opt for homemade Christmas balls, made with felt or rope, and try to keep them out of your reach.


Since nowadays there are several ornaments for the Christmas tree, which go beyond the typical balls, we recommend that you apply this advice to these objects as well and try not to buy them made of glass or materials that are dangerous for your pet.

Garlands, bows and glittering stars

As mentioned in the previous point, all shiny christmas ornaments especially catch the attention of cats. And if we add to this fact that it is a hanging object that you can play with, then the party is assured. So it's very likely that your feline companion will take off that wreath you've placed so carefully on your tree or try to reach the star at the top of the Christmas tree. And in the worst case, what can happen is the tree falling on top of your pet.

However, it is not only cats who can be attracted to these dangerous decorations, dogs may also want to play with them and even eat them.In this case, you should know that ingesting these objects can cause both asphyxia and an intestinal obstruction. To prevent this from happening, it is best to keep the tree away and try to choose ribbons, bows and stars in opaque and less flashy shades.

Table centerpieces with candles

Although the Christmas tree is the most dangerous decoration for our pet, it is not the only one, as you must also be careful with the centerpieces and candles. For prevent our pet from suffering from burns for trying to play with the lit candles, we recommend that you place them in places you do not have access to and light them only when necessary. Remember to delete them when you leave the house. In case of an accident, we advise you to consult our article in which we explain how to act in case of burns in dogs.

In turn, the centerpieces have the same effect on our pets as the Christmas tree, if they are made up of bright, round and eye-catching motifs. To solve this problem and make the centerpiece less dangerous, we advise you to opt for more original tableware, without candles or harmful materials. You can choose to make them yourself and make sure you don't use shiny or risky objects for your pet. You can make a center based on cylindrical containers lined with fabric, felt or colored rope, for example.

Christmas flower, one of the most toxic

Within the list of toxic plants for dogs and cats the Christmas flower stands out as one of the most dangerous. Ingesting it can cause our pet to suffer from digestive disorders that can trigger diarrhea and vomiting, while direct contact with the animal's skin or eyes can result in an irritation, rash or itching.

If you decide to decorate your home with this plant, try to keep it as far away from your pet as possible, especially if your little companion tends to eat the plants in your garden or grass.

Homemade repellent to keep our pet away from decorations

If even after having applied all the above advice and placing the Christmas ornaments as far as possible, your pet managed to reach them, you have the option of making a homemade citrus-based repellent. To prepare it you need to gather:

  • Spray
  • Water
  • Lemon juice
  • Cinnamon Oil

Take a container, mix a pint of water with the juice of three lemons and add two or three drops of cinnamon oil. Fill the sprayer with the homemade repellent and spray each of the Christmas ornaments with it. Remember that both dogs and cats have a highly developed sense of smell and there are certain reject odors like those used for this mixture. In this sense, if you want to further enhance the citrus scent, you have the option of adding orange juice. Check that he does not ingest it and does not use cinnamon essential oil, choose a natural suitable for consumption and do not add too many drops, because if he consumed this mixture and he took more cinnamon, it could cause a digestive disorder in your pet.