What to do right now
- Move your pet away and pick up everything that is left, including wrappers, packaging, and plant pieces.
- Keep the label, box, recipe, or a photo of the plant. Check for chocolate type, xylitol (also listed as birch sugar, birch extract, or wood sugar), raisins, nuts, onion, garlic, and alcohol.
- Estimate how much is missing and note the time it happened and your pet's weight.
- Call your veterinarian or an animal poison control center, even if your pet seems normal. Do not make your pet vomit unless a professional tells you to.
- If you see string, ribbon, or tinsel in the mouth or under the tongue, do not pull it. Call your vet.
Which holiday hazards are dangerous, and which calculator to use
Use this table to find the right calculator for what your pet ate. If your pet ate several things, run each calculator and tell poison control about all of them, because the risks add up. Where there is no calculator, the right step is a call.
| Holiday item and what to use | Main concern |
|---|---|
| Chocolate, fudge, cocoa, chocolate gelt, baking chocolate Chocolate calculator | Theobromine and caffeine. Darker chocolate and cocoa are more dangerous. Signs can take hours to appear. |
| Sugar-free cookies, candy, gum, peanut butter, baked goods Xylitol calculator | Xylitol can cause a sudden drop in blood sugar and liver damage in dogs. Acts fast. |
| Fruitcake, stollen, mince pies, raisin bread, trail mix Grapes and raisins calculator | Raisins, currants, and sultanas can cause kidney failure in dogs. No known safe amount. |
| Cookies and candy with macadamia nuts Macadamia nut calculator | Weakness, wobbliness, vomiting, tremors, and overheating in dogs, usually within 12 hours. |
| Stuffing, gravy, and dishes with onion, garlic, leeks, or chives Onion and garlic calculator | Can damage red blood cells and cause anemia. Cats are more sensitive than dogs. |
| Lilies in holiday bouquets and centerpieces (cats) Lily calculator for cats | True lilies and daylilies can cause sudden kidney failure in cats. Pollen and vase water count. Call right away. |
| Guests' pills: ibuprofen, naproxen, aspirin, acetaminophen Ibuprofen, naproxen, aspirin, and acetaminophen calculators | Pain relievers left in suitcases and handbags are a common holiday exposure. |
| Raw bread or roll dough Call your vet or poison control now | Yeast dough can expand and cause painful bloating that may twist the stomach, and it produces alcohol as it ferments. |
| Alcohol: eggnog, punch, cocktails, rum-soaked desserts Call your vet or poison control now | Can cause vomiting, diarrhea, wobbliness, trouble breathing, tremors, coma, and death. Absorbed quickly. |
| Fatty food, turkey skin, ham, gravy, cooked bones Call your vet if a lot was eaten | Rich fatty food can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and pancreatitis. Cooked bones can splinter or block the gut. |
| Mistletoe and holly Call your vet or poison control | Usually stomach upset. Larger amounts of mistletoe can affect heart rate and blood pressure. Holly leaves injure the mouth. |
| Amaryllis, cyclamen, Christmas rose (hellebore) Call your vet or poison control | Mostly vomiting and diarrhea. Bulbs, roots, and large amounts can cause heart rhythm problems, tremors, or seizures. |
| Poinsettia Call your vet if signs are severe or do not stop | Only mildly toxic: drooling, lip licking, vomiting, sometimes diarrhea. Sap can irritate skin and eyes. |
| Tinsel, ribbon, yarn, gift string (mostly cats) Call your vet now. Do not pull on string | Can cause a string-type blockage that cuts through the intestines. Often needs surgery. |
| Liquid potpourri and simmering scented oils (mostly cats) Call your vet or poison control now | Even a few licks can cause chemical burns in the mouth, fever, trouble breathing, and tremors in cats. |
| Batteries, light cords, broken ornaments, salt-dough ornaments Call your vet or poison control now | Chewed batteries burn the mouth and gut. Cords can shock. Glass cuts. Salt-dough ornaments are very salty. |
| Christmas tree water, especially with additives Call your vet if signs appear | Standing water can grow bacteria and cause stomach upset. Avoid adding anything to the water if you have pets. |
This table summarizes the sources listed below. It is not a ranking of what is "safe." Anything your pet eats from the holiday table, tree, or bouquet is worth a call to your vet or a poison control line.
Start with the chocolate calculator. Holiday baking and gift boxes make chocolate one of the most common calls this season.
Symptoms to watch for
- Vomiting, diarrhea, or a swollen, painful belly (rich food, yeast dough, plants)
- Restlessness, racing heart, tremors, or seizures (chocolate, macadamia nuts, some plants)
- Weakness, wobbliness, or collapse (xylitol, alcohol, macadamia nuts)
- Not eating or lethargy (raisins, pancreatitis, a blockage)
- Not pooping or straining to poop (tinsel, ribbon, bones, ornaments)
- Drooling, pawing at the mouth, or trouble breathing (liquid potpourri, batteries, holly)
- Vomiting, drooling, hiding, or not eating in a cat that may have touched a lily (do not wait for signs, call now)
Some problems show up hours or days later, so a pet that seems fine right after eating something can still need care.
Holiday dangers for cats
Cats are the most likely to play with and swallow tinsel, ribbon, and gift string, which can cause a life-threatening string-type blockage. Even a few licks of liquid potpourri or simmering scented oil can burn a cat's mouth. Lilies are common in holiday bouquets, and any contact with a true lily or daylily, including pollen and vase water, is an emergency for cats. Inspect bouquets that guests bring before they come inside.
Holiday safety checklist
- Keep your pet's diet the same. Ask guests not to share plates, and put leftovers and carcasses in a closed trash can.
- Do not leave rising dough, drinks, or dessert trays where pets can reach them.
- Ask guests to keep medicine in a closed cabinet, not in a suitcase or handbag on the floor.
- Do not put wrapped food or candy under the tree. Pets can smell it through the paper.
- Secure the tree so it cannot tip, cover the tree water, and skip tinsel if you have a cat.
- Keep wires, batteries, glass ornaments, and food-based ornaments out of reach.
- Choose artificial versions of lilies, mistletoe, and holly, or keep real ones well out of reach.
- Never leave lit candles or a menorah unattended, and keep simmer pots of potpourri away from cats.
- Give your pet a quiet room during parties and New Year's Eve noise, and check ID tags and microchip details.
- Save both poison control numbers in your phone, and find your nearest 24/7 emergency vet now, since many regular clinics close for the holidays.
For the rest of the year, use the room-by-room pet poison-proofing checklist.
Detailed guides for common holiday poisonings
Frequently asked questions
Are poinsettias poisonous to dogs and cats?
Poinsettias are only mildly toxic. Pet Poison Helpline says eating them usually causes drooling, lip licking, vomiting, or rarely diarrhea, and the sap can irritate skin and eyes. Signs usually settle on their own. Call your vet if they are severe or do not stop.
Is mistletoe or holly dangerous for pets?
Yes. A few leaves or berries usually cause stomach upset, but larger amounts of mistletoe can affect heart rate and blood pressure, and holly leaves can injure the mouth. Call your vet or a poison control line if your pet ate any.
My cat ate tinsel or ribbon. What should I do?
Call your vet now and do not pull on any string you can see in the mouth or under the tongue. Tinsel, ribbon, and yarn can cause a string-type blockage that can cut through the intestines and often needs surgery.
My dog ate raw bread or roll dough. Is that an emergency?
It can be. ASPCA Poison Control says raw yeast dough can expand in the stomach, cause painful bloating that may twist the stomach, and produce alcohol as it ferments. Call your vet or a poison control line right away.
Can I give my dog turkey or ham at the holidays?
ASPCA Poison Control recommends keeping your pet's diet the same. Fatty, sweet, and spicy foods and cooked bones can all be dangerous, and rich fatty food can trigger pancreatitis. A small piece of plain boneless turkey is the most they suggest.