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Christmas, a dangerous time for pets

Decorations — Don’t let your pets nibble on the tinsel, gift bows or bells. Tinsel, when ingested, can obstruct the digestive tract and lead to vomiting, dehydration and even possible surgery, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Get on your hands and knees and look at decorations from your pet’s perspective. Knocked over candles can easily burn a pet. (Thinkstock)

Pills Spilling From Bottle — Medications — Keep all drugs out of reach of pets. That includes all prescriptions, plus over the counter medications, including ibuprofen and nasal decongestants. The last thing you need is for a trip to the emergency pet ER on Christmas. (Thinkstock)

Alcohol — Controlled substances, such as alcohol and marijuana, should be kept away from those wet, curious noses, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Foods with alcohol in them also should be avoided. Pets that have consumed alcohol may vomit, have diarrhea, become uncoordinated, suffer depression, have difficulty breathing and get tremors. They can end up in comas and even die. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)

AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File

Chocolate Santa Claus are seen in a chocolate manufactory in Rostock, northern Germany, Monday, Dec. 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Thomas Haentzschel) — Chocolate — Lots of holiday treats can be unfit for pets including chocolate, so keep those chocolate Santas and M&Ms out of reach. Chocolate contains a compound known as methylxanthines, part of the caffeine family. Dogs don’t process these compounds well, says Dr. Katy Nelson, an Alexandria, Virginia, veterinarian known as Dr. Pawz. Chocolate can cause cardiac and neurological abnormalities, seizures or even death. Dark chocolate is especially bad. (AP Photo/Thomas Haentzschel)

Xylitol birch sugar on plastic spoon with birch leaves on green background. White granulated sugar alcohol substitute used as sweetener that taste like table sugar, extracted from wood of birch trees. — Xylitol — You will want to keep sugar-free snacks from your pets. Baked goods and gum contain Xylitol is a sugar alcohol that can depress your pet’s blood sugar. Nelson says this isn’t something to be taken lightly. Take your pet to a pet ER right away. (Thinkstock)

turkey — Meat and eggs — Don’t let your pet eat turkey. Its skin tends to be high in fat, especially if you butter the bird, and the bones could stick in your pet’s throat or intestinal tract. Nelson says they can fracture or puncture a pet’s GI tract. Your pet should avoid eating raw meat, too. Raw meat and eggs can contain salmonella and E. coli. Raw eggs can lead to skin and coat problems, the ASPCA says. (WTOP/Colleen Kelleher)

Root vegetables, including garlic and onions, can cause problems in pets. (WTOP/Rachel Nania) — Garlic and onions — Root vegetables, including garlic and onions, can cause problems in pets, in particular cats. Nelson says pets should avoid home-cooked foods, such as stuffing. Pets could vomit, end up with blood in their urine, have a high heart rate and excessively pant. (WTOP/Rachel Nania)

Macadamia nuts — Macadamia nuts are problematic for dogs. The ASPCA says macadamia nuts can cause weakness, depression, vomiting, tremors and hyperthermia in dogs. (Thinkstock)

Scoop full of raisins surrounded by ripe white grapes and grape vines. — Grapes and raisins — The grapes you use to dress up your Christmas platters and the raisins in your cookies are bad for dogs. They can cause kidney failure. (Thinkstock)

Bread dough — Uncooked bread dough rises and expands, especially in a warm environment — such as inside your pet’s stomach. Eating uncooked bread dough might not be fatal, but it could cause major problems for pets, Nelson says. (Thinkstock)

Christmas dinner table — Table scraps — After your holiday meal is over, avoid feeding your pet any table scraps. Anything with lots of butter, like your mashed potatoes, will lead to tummy troubles. Fatty foods also can lead to pancreatitis. (WTOP/Colleen Kelleher)

Amaryllis — Amaryllis — Amaryllis, a popular Christmas flower, is toxic to cats and dogs. It will cause vomiting, depression, diarrhea, abdominal pain, hypersalivation, anorexia and tremors, the ASPCA says. (Courtesy Wikimedia Commons/Andreas Heidemann)

LOANHEAD, SCOTLAND - NOVEMBER 23: Employees at the Pentland Plants garden centre prepare Poinsettia plants ready to be dispatched for the Christmas season on November 23, 2015 in Loanhead, Scotland. The garden center grows around 100,000 poinsettias, a traditional Christmas house plant. The Midlothian business supplies a host of garden centres and supermarkets across Scotland and the north of England in time for Christmas. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) — Poinsettias — Don’t let your pets chew on poinsettias. Their mouths and stomachs can get upset, and they may vomit. (Getty Images/Jeff J. Mitchell)

Christmas holly — Holly and mistletoe — The saponins in holly can cause gastrointestinal problems for pets, while mistletoe’s toxicity comes from toxalbumin and pharatoxin viscumin. Not only can your pet get an upset stomach from mistletoe, its blood pressure can drop and it can experience breathing problems, drooling and diarrhea, as well as a drunken walk. In the worst case scenarios, seizures and death are possible, according tot he Pet Poison Helpline. (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

dog Christmas tree — Christmas tree stand — Keep those furry companions away from the water in the Christmas tree stand if it contains chemicals to keep the tree fresh. Stagnant water in the stand can cause diarrhea or nausea. (WTOP/Nancy Miller)

Open doorway to an inviting Christmas scene with a colorful decorated wreath hanging on the wall and pumpkins on the porch in the foreground — Open doors — With guests coming and going and visits from delivery drivers, don’t forget to keep Fido in the house. This is a good time of year to update your pet’s microchip information in case it does make a run for it. Collars with ID tags and a current address or phone number are very to make sure your pet finds its way home again. Also remind out-of-town guests to keep doors closed (Thinkstock)

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Pills Spilling From Bottle

Chocolate Santa Claus are seen in a chocolate manufactory in Rostock, northern Germany, Monday, Dec. 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Thomas Haentzschel)

Xylitol birch sugar on plastic spoon with birch leaves on green background. White granulated sugar alcohol substitute used as sweetener that taste like table sugar, extracted from wood of birch trees.

Root vegetables, including garlic and onions, can cause problems in pets. (WTOP/Rachel Nania)

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WASHINGTON — The Christmas holidays are a wonderful time for families to get together, but for pets, the holidays can be dangerous.

Holiday foods and changes in their environment can pose a variety of problems.

Click through the gallery to see what can be hazardous and even deadly to your dogs and cats.

Colleen Kelleher

Colleen Kelleher is an award-winning journalist who has been with WTOP since 1996. Kelleher joined WTOP as the afternoon radio writer and night and weekend editor and made the move to WTOP.com in 2001. Now she works early mornings as the site's Senior Digital Editor.

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