For your pets sake, don't be tempted to share with them.............(or keep within reach)

- Alcoholic beverages
- Apple seeds (contain cyanogenic glycosides resulting in cyanide posioning)
- Avocado
- Broccoli (in large amounts)
- Cigarettes, tobacco, cigars
- Chocolate (all forms)
- Coffee & tea (caffeine)
- Fatty foods
- Garlic
- Hops (used in home brewing)
- Holly
- Macadamia nuts
- Mistletoe
- Moldy or spoiled foods
- Onions, onion powder
- Plum, peach and apricot pits
- Potato peelings and green looking potatoes
- Raisins and grapes
- Rhubarb leaves
- Salt
- Tomato leaves & stems (green parts)
- Yeast dough
- Products sweetened with xylitol
- Don't feed pets the cooled drippings from pots and pans. Human seasonings aren't good for pets, and the rich stock and drippings can easily upset pets' digestive systems.
- Though it's so tempting, don't give your pet cooked turkey, ham or roast during the holidays. Again, human food is too rich; feeding of human food can cause additional health problems and feeding human food will often lead to unsatisfactory eating habits when given pet food at their regular mealtimes. Consumption of human food can also result in begging when the family sits down for meals.

- BONES ARE DANGEROUS!   Please, please don't feed your pets bones, especially poultry bones. Poultry bones splinter easily - each year thousands of pets are treated for consumption of splintered bones, causing pain and sometimes death.

Be careful not to leave these foods on coffee tables in reach of pets and be sure that the lid on the trash can is well-secured.

Food, Dangerous Food
Ingesting holiday foods is one of the biggest reason for emergency vet visits during the holiday season. Rich, fatty foods can cause stomach upset, or even predispose pets to life-threatening pancreatitis or bloating. Poultry bones can splinter and get stuck in a pet's mouth, obstruct his throat, or perforate his intestines.

 Onions and garlic are other dangerous food ingredients that cause sickness in dogs and cats.  Onions and garlic contain the toxic ingredient thiosulphate. Onions are more of a danger.
Pets affected by onion toxicity will develop haemolytic anemia, where the pet’s red blood cells burst while circulating in its body.
At first, pets affected by onion poisoning show gastroenteritis with vomiting and diarrhea. They will show no interest in food and will be dull and weak. The red pigment from the burst blood cells appears in an affected animal’s urine and it becomes breathless. The breathlessness occurs because the red blood cells that carry oxygen through the body are reduced in number.
The poisoning occurs a few days after the pet has eaten the onion. All forms of onion can be a problem including dehydrated onions, raw onions, cooked onions and table scraps containing cooked onions and/or garlic.

When affected by an overdose of chocolate, a dog can become excited and hyperactive. Chocolate contains theobromine, a compound that is a cardiac stimulant and a diuretic.
Due to the diuretic effect, it may pass large volumes of urine and it will be unusually thirsty. Vomiting and diarrhea are also common. The effect of theobromine on the heart is the most dangerous effect. Theobromine will either increase the dog’s heart rate or may cause the heart to beat irregularly. Death is quite possible, especially with exercise.
After their pet has eaten a large quantity of chocolate, many pet owners assume their pet is unaffected. However, the signs of sickness may not be seen for several hours, with death following within twenty-four hours.  Clinical signs range from vomiting and diarrhea to restlessness, hyperactivity, stiffness, muscle twitching and  seizures.

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Warn family members and guests not to feed holiday foods to your pets. Instead, have a supply of your pets' favorite treats on hand and offer them when others are enjoying all those delicious smelling holiday goodies. 

If you will have holiday visitors, be sure they keep all medications out of the reach of your pets.   Common examples of human medications that can be potentially lethal to pets, even in small doses, include:
- Pain killers
- Cold medicines
- Anti-cancer drugs
- Antidepressants
- Vitamins
- Diet Pills

Stagnant water can be a breeding ground for bacteria, which can lead to vomiting and diarrhea. If your pet is likely to try to drink tree water, don't add preservatives or aspirin additives to it. You might also invest in a tree stand with a cover that will keep your pet out.

x Other Home dangers x

  *Blue-green algae in ponds * Citronella candles * Compost piles * Fertilizers 
 *Slug and snail baits * Mothballs * Potpourri * Rat and mouse bait * Batteries
 *Fabric softener sheets * Swimming-pool treatment supplies