The Naughty List: what to avoid giving pets this Christmas

While there’s nothing better than letting furry friends join in with the festivities keep an eye out for hidden dangers.

Penny and Ruby get ready to celebrate Christmas without any extras from the naughty list thanks to vet Dorothea Hoffman’s tips.

Christmas is a time for sharing and a bit of overindulging but when it comes to our pets it can be life threatening.

From chocolate, to stone fruits and roasts, some of our favourite Christmas foods are extremely toxic for our furry friends so it’s important to be aware of the foods which pets must not consume.

Glass House Holistic Veterinary Services Dorothea Hoffman said emergency centres often end up with pets in over Christmas after too much of the wrong thing.

“One grape isn’t going to kill your dog but if it ate a whole fruit cake it would be different,” she said.

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“There was a dog who had to be rushed to the vet because it got into the fat drip tray and it’s the cooked fat that they get the pancreatitis from.

“Make sure you dispose of roast strings and wraps, those are foreign bodies and your dog will die if they get into that.

“Avoid dark chocolate, bones and macadamias.

“Make sure your rubbish bin is out of reach, they’re shocking for that.”

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Ms Hoffman said avoid the urge to spoil your furry friends and opt for some quality time instead.

“Just take them for a walk, get outside and get them moving,” she said.

“They will enjoy the time more with you than the excess food.

“Most dogs if you feed them, they say ‘oh great where’s more’ they don’t have a perception of being spoiled.”

Whitfield border collie Cappucci restrains from eating Christmas treats that are bad for dogs. PICTURE: STEWART MCLEAN

If you want to avoid the naughty list here’s a few tips to follow.

• Be careful with edible gifts, don’t place under the tree, chocolate is toxic for dogs, cats and other pets
• Make sure not to feed your pet mince pies, Christmas cake or Christmas pudding some fruits are also toxic
• Don’t give your pets bones – they can splinter and cause serious problems
• Avoid macadamia nuts
• Avoid skin and drained fat – these are difficult for pets to digest and often leads to pancreatitis

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