The holidays are a joyous time of the year filled with many traditions, but, unfortunately, we sometimes expose our pets to dangers during this busy season. Some of these dangers may be life threatening, so taking preventive measures to ‘pet proof’ your house during the holiday season is prudent, especially if you have a young pet that likes to explore new things.

Holiday plants are used to decorate homes and make them look festive, but many of them are toxic to pets. The toxicity can range from mild to severe depending on the type of plant, amount ingested, and the size of the animal. The most common clinical signs after ingestion of a toxic plant are drooling, vomiting, and diarrhea, but lethargy, weakness, tremors, seizures, cardiac arrhythmias, and death can also occur.

Poinsettias and Pine Needles: Ingestion causes irritation to the oral …