Hidden Christmas Hazards for Pets: Snow Globes, Liquid Potpourri, Batteries and Gift Wrap
Most pet owners know to keep chocolate off the coffee table at Christmas. Far fewer know that a broken snow globe, a pot of simmering potpourri or a single button battery from a musical card can be just as serious. These hazards hide in plain sight because they are not food and they arrive in the house only once a year. Here is what to look out for this December, room by room, and what to do if your dog or cat gets into something.
Snow globes
Some snow globes, especially older or cheaply made ones, contain ethylene glycol, the same sweet-tasting chemical used in antifreeze. When a globe breaks, a curious dog may lap up the liquid, or a cat may walk through it and lick its paws clean. Even a small amount of ethylene glycol can cause kidney failure, and treatment works best within hours, long before a pet looks ill.
- Keep snow globes on high, stable shelves away from tails and paws.
- If one breaks, shut pets out of the room, mop up with paper towels while wearing gloves, and wash the floor.
- If your pet may have licked any liquid, call your vet or a poison line straight away, even if they seem fine. Our guide to antifreeze and winter hazards explains why speed matters.
Liquid potpourri, simmer pots and essential oils
Liquid potpourri and scented oils for warmers often contain essential oils and cationic detergents. Cats are particularly at risk: they can be burned in the mouth and throat by licking a spill or their own fur after brushing against it, and the effects can be severe, including drooling, mouth ulcers, breathing trouble and tremors. Dogs can be affected too, mainly through drinking from an open pot.
- Use solid wax melts or a closed electric diffuser kept well out of reach, or skip scents altogether in homes with cats.
- Never leave a simmer pot unattended on the stove or a tea-light warmer on a low table.
- Concentrated essential oils such as tea tree, wintergreen, cinnamon, citrus, pine and peppermint are a particular concern for cats. Ask your vet before using any oil in a room your cat spends time in.
- Dry potpourri is less dangerous but can cause stomach upset or a blockage if a dog eats a bowlful.
Button batteries
Musical greetings cards, light-up jumpers, remote controls, digital thermometers, toy sets and tealight LED candles often run on small coin-shaped batteries. If a pet bites one, it can leak and cause chemical burns to the mouth, throat and stomach, and a swallowed battery can get stuck.
- Put gift packaging, new gadgets and spare batteries away as soon as presents are opened.
- Check that battery covers on toys and remotes are screwed shut.
- If your pet chewed or swallowed a battery, do not try to make them vomit; a corrosive item can burn again on the way back up. Call your vet immediately.
Oxygen absorbers and silica gel packets
Food hampers, jerky treats, dried fruit and new shoes come with little sachets inside. They are not the same thing:
- Silica gel ("do not eat" beads in clear sachets) is generally of low toxicity, though a small dog can still get a blockage from the packet.
- Oxygen absorbers in food and pet-treat bags usually contain iron powder, which can cause iron poisoning if a dog swallows one or several. They often smell of the food they were packed with, which makes them tempting.
If you are not sure which type your pet ate, keep the packaging and call your vet or a poison line.
Ribbon, string, tinsel and curling ribbon
Cats love to play with ribbon, and that is exactly the danger. Swallowed string-like objects can catch in the gut and cause a serious condition called a linear foreign body, which often needs surgery. If you see string hanging from your cat's mouth or bottom, do not pull it; it may be anchored inside. Go to the vet. Gather wrapping paper, ribbon and bows into a bin bag as presents are opened, and see our cat-proof Christmas tree tips for tinsel and ornaments.
Wrapped food under the tree
A dog can smell a box of chocolates or a bag of nuts through several layers of paper. Every year vets see dogs that unwrapped a present overnight. Keep food gifts on a high shelf until the day, and ask visitors to hand food gifts to you rather than putting them under the tree. If your dog does get into chocolate, our dog ate chocolate guide walks you through what to do.
Hand warmers and heat packs
Single-use air-activated hand warmers, handy for markets and outdoor carols, contain iron powder. A chewed-open warmer can cause iron poisoning, and the packs can also get hot enough to burn a mouth. Keep coat pockets zipped and hang coats away from inquisitive noses.
Candles, wax warmers and fireplaces
Wagging tails knock over tealights, and cats walk across mantels. Use LED candles at pet height and a fireguard in front of an open fire or log burner. Keep fire-starters, matches and lighter fluid in a closed cupboard.
Guests' bags and medicines
House guests bring handbags and washbags full of sugar-free gum, mints, painkillers and prescription pills. Ask visitors to keep bags off the floor or in a closed room. Human medicines such as ibuprofen, paracetamol (acetaminophen) and antidepressants are among the most common causes of calls to pet poison lines.
A quick room-by-room check
- Living room: snow globes up high, LED candles at pet height, food gifts off the floor, battery covers closed.
- Kitchen: no unattended simmer pots, oxygen absorbers straight in the bin, a lid on the rubbish bin.
- Hallway: coats with hand warmers hung up, guests' bags off the floor.
- After presents: ribbon, batteries and packaging cleared away before the pets are let back in.
What to do if your pet gets into something
- Move your pet away and take the item or packaging away from them.
- Do not make them vomit unless a vet tells you to. With batteries, detergents and some other chemicals this can make injuries worse.
- Call your vet, an emergency clinic, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (+1 888-426-4435) or the Pet Poison Helpline (+1 855-764-7661). Both US lines may charge a consultation fee. Outside the US, call your vet or local emergency clinic.
- Have the packaging, your pet's weight and the time it happened ready when you call.
Many clinics run reduced hours over Christmas, so check now where your nearest out-of-hours vet is, and keep a pet first aid kit stocked. For the food side of the holiday, see Christmas foods that are toxic to dogs.