Episode 33  ·  12m 35s

Tinsel, Turkey, and Twinkle Lights — Holiday Pet Hazards, Part 1

Dr. Michael LoSasso, DVM & Julie Schwenzer Frisco Emergency Pet Care
Holiday safety Chocolate toxicity Tinsel foreign body Electrocution Escaped pets
"The holidays bring joy, celebration, and hidden dangers for our pets. Dr. LoSasso breaks down the seasonal risks that sneak into homes this time of year and how to keep dogs and cats safe."
— Julie Schwenzer

Episode summary

In Dr. LoSasso's ER, "chocolate season" isn't a single day — it runs from Halloween all the way through Easter. Risk scales with how dark the chocolate is, how much was eaten, and the dog's size; darker, more expensive chocolate is more dangerous, and it's compounded by all the sugar-free candy floating around holiday gatherings, much of which contains xylitol. He's also seen more than one entire holiday turkey vanish off a counter, snatched whole by a family Lab or Bernedoodle — trash volume spikes around the holidays too, which means more opportunity for dogs to get into food scraps they shouldn't.

A hazard many owners genuinely don't think about: tinsel. Cats are drawn to anything string-like, and tinsel pulled off a tree is a classic setup for what's called a linear foreign body.

"That string acts kind of like a wire saw inside the intestinal tract, and can actually cause a lot more damage to intestines than something solid, like socks or a washcloth — something a doodle would eat. Cats actually have a higher tendency toward linear foreign bodies."
— Dr. Michael LoSasso, DVM

The tricky part is timing — a cat that swallows tinsel may not show any signs for a day or two, with vomiting often the first clue something's wrong, by which point surgery may already be needed. Dr. LoSasso says younger cats seem to get into it more often, but any age is at risk, and the simplest fix is skipping tinsel entirely rather than trying to keep a determined cat away from the tree.

Chewed a cord? Unplug first, then get it checked

Something about the plastic on holiday lights and decorations seems to attract young dogs and cats — Dr. LoSasso's theory is a distinctive smell from being packed away in storage. If a pet is actively in contact with a live wire, unplug the power source before touching them; touching them first risks putting yourself in the circuit. Visible burns in the mouth are the obvious sign, but the less obvious danger is non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema (NCPE) — a delayed inflammatory fluid buildup in the lungs from the electrical current that can impair oxygen exchange even in a pet that looks completely fine right after the incident. Any electrical exposure warrants a vet visit and likely chest X-rays, even if the pet seems normal.

Rounding out the list: candles present a real fire risk, particularly with cats that get up on countertops — a pet doesn't need to get burned itself to knock over a live flame and start a fire, so unattended candles are worth reconsidering. And with more guests moving in and out of the house during the holidays, open-door escape risk goes up, especially with visitors who aren't used to living with a dog and aren't disciplined about keeping doors shut. Dr. LoSasso's standing recommendation: microchip both dogs and cats, and make sure that chip is actually registered with the company — a point he and past episodes have returned to more than once, since an unregistered chip doesn't help anyone find their way home.

Questions answered in this episode

The following questions are answered by Dr. LoSasso in this episode, drawn directly from the conversation. These are real clinical answers from a practicing emergency veterinarian with 30+ years of experience.

Dr. LoSasso says it effectively starts at Halloween and doesn't let up until after Easter — a long stretch covering Halloween candy, holiday gift chocolate, and Easter basket treats. Risk depends on how dark the chocolate is, how much was eaten, and the dog's size; darker, more expensive chocolate is more dangerous, and cats are far less sensitive to it than dogs.
No. Dr. LoSasso says cats aren't sensitive to the methylxanthines (the caffeine-related compounds) in chocolate the way dogs are, and they're also not sensitive to xylitol — a dog's pancreas reacts to xylitol as though it were a huge dose of sugar, but a cat's doesn't respond the same way. Both remain genuine dog-specific hazards, common in holiday candy.
Cats are drawn to anything string-like, and tinsel pulled off a tree and swallowed can become a linear foreign body. Dr. LoSasso explains this type of object acts like a wire saw inside the intestinal tract, causing more damage than a solid swallowed object like a sock. Cats are more prone to this type of injury than dogs. Symptoms may not appear for a day or two — vomiting is often the first sign something is wrong, and by then surgery may be needed.
Unplug the power source before touching the pet — don't touch them while they're still in contact with live current, or you risk becoming part of the circuit yourself. Dr. LoSasso says visible signs include burns in the mouth, but the more dangerous risk is non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema (NCPE) — a delayed inflammatory fluid buildup in the lungs that can impair oxygen exchange even in a pet that initially looks fine. Any pet involved in an electrical incident should be seen by a vet, even if they seem okay right after — that's why an ER may recommend chest X-rays.
Dr. LoSasso's theory is scent-based — the plastic on lights and decorations, freshly unboxed from storage (often alongside candles or other items), may carry a distinctive smell that's enticing to a young, curious pet, even if it doesn't smell appealing to a person.
Yes. Dr. LoSasso says it's a genuine increased risk whenever guests are in and out of the house, especially visitors who aren't used to having a dog and aren't as disciplined about keeping the door shut. He strongly recommends microchipping dogs and cats and registering that chip with the appropriate agency, so a pet that does get out has the best chance of being identified and returned home.
JulieThe holidays bring joy, celebration, and hidden dangers for our pets. Heading into the holiday season, what's one chocolate-related hazard you find yourself warning pet parents about every year?
Dr. LoSassoChocolate is kind of complicated because it depends on how much and what kind. Chocolate season for those of us in the ER starts at Halloween and doesn't let up until after Easter — a long season. The darker and more expensive the chocolate, the worse it is for your dog. Cats tend to stay out of it and aren't nearly as sensitive to the caffeine. We definitely see chocolate exposure around the holidays, and we tend to have a lot of candy around, so if that includes sugar-free candy with xylitol, that's increased exposure too. We have holiday meals, turkeys — I've seen more than one turkey snatched off the counter in its entirety by the family Lab or Bernedoodle or whatever large dog is around. And there's a lot more food in the trash at holiday time than the rest of the year. Something people may not think about: if you use tinsel on your tree, cats love anything that looks like string, and they'll pull tinsel off just like they'll pull grass out of an Easter basket — increased foreign body risk, especially for cats. And there's a specific holiday uptick in electrocution — something about Christmas lights being plugged in makes puppies want to chew on them, cats too. I think the plastic smells a little different, maybe from being packed in the attic with candles or other decorations, and that different smell can be enticing to a young dog or cat.
JulieThat makes me think of the scene in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation where the cat gets fried.
Dr. LoSassoSigns of electrocution will be burns in the mouth. If you come across a pet that's shaking and has hold of a wire, unplug it — don't touch them, or you risk getting involved in the circuit yourself. Burns in the mouth are the obvious sign, since that's typically where they grab the wire. What people don't know about is non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema, NCPE — the electrical current causes an inflammatory process in the lungs, and you end up with fluid that looks a lot like congestive heart failure. You could actually end up dying from electrocution later, from decreased ability to handle oxygen and impaired lung function. So even if you unplug it and the puppy looks fine, I'd still encourage getting them checked — that's why we'd want to take chest X-rays.
JulieIs dark chocolate or xylitol as toxic to cats as it is to dogs?
Dr. LoSassoNo. Cats aren't sensitive to the methylxanthines in chocolate — the caffeine that's toxic in dogs — in the same overwhelming way. Cats also aren't sensitive to xylitol, that's specifically a dog problem, where the pancreas responds to it as if it were a truckload of sugar when it's not sugar at all.
JulieIt's also scary to think about the foil candy is wrapped in, and how tinsel gets caught up in the body.
Dr. LoSassoI see a lot of foil — usually large dogs getting into the Halloween candy basket, with colorful evidence in the yard the next day. I'm not as concerned about the foreign body risk there, those wrappers tend to be small. Tinsel is different — it can cause serious linear foreign bodies. That string acts like a wire saw inside the intestinal tract and can cause a lot more damage than something solid, like a sock. Cats have a higher tendency toward linear foreign bodies than dogs.
JulieHave you seen all types of cats in these emergencies, or specific breeds or ages?
Dr. LoSassoNothing really specific. It tends to be younger cats, though it could be a 12-year-old that's had tinsel around his whole life without issue. It's much easier to just stop using tinsel than to keep a cat away from the Christmas tree entirely.
JulieWhat about candles, or pets getting burned or causing an accident?
Dr. LoSassoI haven't personally seen candle injuries, but they're definitely an increased risk, especially with cats that get up on countertops. You think "he won't go near it," but he might get close enough to bump it — he may not get burned himself, but it's a real fire hazard. I'd be careful about live flame and make sure someone's watching it.
JulieDo symptoms show up right away if a pet ingests one of these things?
Dr. LoSassoDepends which one. Chocolate tends to show up quickly if it's a sufficient quantity of dark-enough chocolate for the dog's size — a couple Hershey's Kisses in a 100-pound Lab might just cause some GI upset, maybe an especially silvery stool the next day, no real signs. A smaller dog with enough dark chocolate can get really jittery, hyper, with a high heart rate — those dogs need to be seen anytime they get into it. A cat that gets into tinsel, you might not realize for a day or two, not until they start vomiting — and now we've got a foreign body that may need surgery.
JulieHave you seen a lot of pets escape because of guests coming in and out of the house?
Dr. LoSassoWe don't see as many as on Halloween, since the door isn't open quite as often, but it's still an increased risk with visitors. Someone staying at your house who isn't used to having a dog might not be as religious about keeping the front door closed as you are. I'd encourage everybody to microchip their dogs and cats and register those chips with the appropriate agency, so if they do get out, they can be identified and rehomed.
JulieWe've had dog owners visit who still leave the door open even knowing we have dogs — that's a head scratcher.
Dr. LoSassoIt's funny, we got that phrase backwards — "were you raised in a barn?" People actually raised around livestock keep doors closed, because a closed door was closed for a reason. It's the people who weren't raised around large animals who leave doors hanging open. Those are the ones who actually should be asked that question.

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Dog ate chocolate Xylitol poisoning Dog ate a foreign object

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