10 Holiday Treats Your Dog Should Never Eat
Chocolate, chestnuts, and a cheese board are some of the holiday goodies you look forward to the most at this time of year. But your dog can wind up under the weather if they take a bite. You’ll want to keep these treats away from your dog to keep Fido safe and sound all season long.
Treats You Should Never Share with Your Dog
While you might want to celebrate the season with your four-legged friends, you don’t need to share everything with them. Here are some foods you should never give your dog.
- Chocolate
- Nuts: macadamia nuts, pecans, almonds, walnuts, Brazil nuts, raw cashews, pistachios, and hickory nuts
- Cheeses: blue cheese, Roquefort, flavoured cheeses, cheese balls with herbs and garlic
- Grapes and raisins
- Christmas pudding
- Mince pies
- Garlic
- Onions
- Boiled bones and wishbones (choking hazards)
- Artificial sweeteners
What to Do if Your Dog Eats One of These Foods?
How these foods affect your pet depends on a lot of factors, including your dog’s size and how much they consume. Regardless of how much they eat, call your vet to see what you should do. These professionals can advise whether it’s safe for Fido to recover at home, or they may suggest you rush to a nearby clinic.
How to Afford a Surprise Vet Bill
An unexpected visit to the vet clinic can be challenging for many families during the holidays. But with Fido’s life on the line, you can’t postpone their care until you have the cash.
While this might feel like you’re stuck between a financial rock and a hard place, you have options.
1. Talk to Your Vet
Some vets might be willing to negotiate their prices on certain things if you talk to them. They can easily use generic drugs and other medications to help your dog recover for a more affordable price.
Some vets also offer a financing plan that allows you to push out your due date or break up your bill into multiple, smaller payments.
2. Research Online Personal Loans
Your vet may not be willing to negotiate, or you may not be able to afford your financing plan. In this dire situation, you can go online to research short term personal loans. Online personal loans might be an option if you’ve maxed out your credit cards during the holidays and have nowhere else to turn.
One of the biggest benefits to online loans is how easy applying can be. You can fill out an online application using simple financial information you might know off the top of your head or have on hand. That means you can find out if you qualify right there in the clinic waiting room.
3. Look into Charity
If Fido needs surgery or other expensive treatments, an online loan may not be enough to cover the costs of his ongoing care.
At this point, you might want to set up a GoFundMe or similar page to circulate on social media. You can also search for national organizations such as Help-a-Pet or The Pet Fund to access funds for your dog’s long-term care.
Bottom Line:
While the list above covers common festive foods, there may be other snacks you shouldn’t share not mentioned here today. Check out the SPCA’s list of approved goodies. When in doubt, don’t feed Fido anything but his own chow this holiday.
