13 Tips for Dog Proofing Your Christmas Tree
Real Christmas Trees Can Be Dangerous, Too Because pine needles are not digestible, eating them can hurt your dog. Fallen needles can make a tempting chew toy for puppies. Even older dogs might enjoy the scent and put the needles in their mouth. Because they're sharp, needles can puncture your dog's GI tract.
Here are 10 tips on how to keep your Christmas tree canine-free.
Pine needles from Christmas trees can cause gastrointestinal problems in dogs. Throat issues and vomiting can result from a dog eating pine needles, and the needles can get trapped in a dog's paws. Christmas tree water can also be harmful if drunk by a dog.
To keep the dog and cats out, take a plastic lid, such as a margarine or ice cream pail lid. Cut a slit to the middle, and then cut out a circle in the middle the size of the tree trunk. Slip this around the tree trunk and lower it so it covers the water container. You may have to tape it down to keep the pets out.
A live tree can be especially hazardous. Dogs and cats like to chew on the limbs, and the fir tree oils can be irritating to the mouth tissue, causing such symptoms as drooling and vomiting. Also, if your pet is chewing on the branches, there is a good chance he is also swallowing some of the needles.
Put fragile ornaments on higher branches To keep your family heirlooms safe, and protect your dog from broken glass, put fragile ornaments towards the top of the tree, or switch to plastic. Depending on how rambunctious and curious your dog is, you may want to leave the bottom third of the tree bare.
You can use treats to train your dog to stay away from and leave the tree alone and reinforce the behavior. Other methods involve creating a negative association with the tree, using a barrier your dog will not like to walk on, such as aluminum foil, can be used, or products available from a pet store.
In many cases, once the tree gets into your home the mold on the tree begins reproducing, triggering an allergic reaction known as “Christmas Tree Syndrome.” About 7% of the general population with allergies suffers from Christmas tree allergies.
Being allergic to a Christmas tree – often called the Christmas tree syndrome - is a condition that causes wheezing, sneezing, coughing, sore eyes, and potentially serious asthma attacks.
They are not digestible and can be mildly toxic depending upon your dog's size and how much she ingests. The fir tree oils can irritate your dog's mouth and stomach and cause her to vomit or drool excessively. Tree needles also can obstruct or puncture her gastrointestinal tract.
The Dangers Associated With Christmas Trees Live Trees: Fir, spruce, and pine trees make excellent Christmas trees and are generally non-toxic to pets. The needles, however, can cause oral irritation and in excessive amounts, gastrointestinal upset.
Christmas trees are one of many holiday plants that can be toxic to pets. While trees aren't the greatest concern for pets, they are considered "mildly toxic," according to pet supply company Hartz. The oils from trees and tree needles can cause upset stomachs in animals.
Ingestion of artificial tree material also can cause GI irritation and possible GI obstruction if enough is ingested. When pets drink Christmas tree water, mild vomiting and diarrhea are possible, and if Christmas tree preservatives are added to the water, usually it will still only be mildly upsetting to the GI tract.
In the long run, the ideal solution is for dog-owners to train dogs to pee on non-plant areas. A sign post, a mailbox 4-x-4 or the legendary fire hydrant are all better upright targets than a tree, and a mulched or gravel bed is a better outdoor potty than a groundcover bed or planting of black-eyed susans.