Holiday Safety: Why Christmas Decorations Can Be Dangerous for Pets

The anticipation of the winter holidays brings joy and excitement. A big part of December traditions is decorating the home to create a cozy festive atmosphere. However, many pet owners don’t realize how harmful some seemingly harmless decorative items can be.

Which Decorations Pose a Risk?

Most pet parents know that small toys can be dangerous because pets may swallow them. But during the holiday season, homes fill with a variety of additional hazards, including:

• Tinsel, garlands, and streamers .These are especially tempting for cats. Due to the hook-like papillae on their tongues, once a cat catches a piece of tinsel and starts chewing it, they can accidentally swallow it. Inside the intestines, such foreign objects can cause trauma or severe inflammation.
• Glass ornaments. If a dog or cat eats a fragment of a broken ornament, it can injure the mouth, and if swallowed, the esophagus or internal organs. Broken pieces can also cut the paw pads.
• Candy. Some people decorate their Christmas tree with sweet treats. Sugary items can cause vomiting or diarrhea, and chocolate can lead to poisoning.
• String lights. Many pets are curious about wires. Chewing a plugged-in string light can result in burns, electric shock, or even be fatal. Even LED lights require caution — always secure the power unit. Some pets may swallow small batteries, which requires emergency surgery. Without urgent removal, battery ingestion can cause heavy metal poisoning, chemical burns, or gastrointestinal perforation.

Keeping pets safe during the holidays is the responsibility of every caregiver. With attentiveness and the right precautions, you can prevent dangerous situations during this joyful season.

How to Make Your Home Safe for the Holidays

Planning to decorate your home for Christmas? Here are simple but effective tips to help protect your pet from hazardous decorations:

1. Place tinsel and streamers out of reach , such as on curtain rods or the ceiling.
2. Choose decorations that don’t break , such as wooden, metal, fabric, straw, or similar ornaments. Instead of hanging candy, opt for tangerines.
3. Secure the Christmas tree well so it cannot fall over with your pet. To keep pets away from the tree, you can spray its branches with diluted orange or lemon essential oil.
4. Regularly sweep up fallen pine needles .

If you notice that your pet has eaten a decoration — or if tinsel is protruding from the mouth or rectum — do not pull it out. Bring the pet to Animal Clinic immediately. Our veterinarians in Kyiv and Kyiv region will locate the foreign object and remove it quickly and safely.