Make a Resolution to Keep Your Veterinary Pet Patients Safe This New Year’s Eve

We’ll soon be ringing in the New Year! To keep animals safe at home this New Year's Eve, because no one wants to start the New Year with a visit to the vet, we’ve compiled tips to help keep your patients safe no matter how they choose to celebrate.

Grapes

Many people like to ring in the New Year by eating twelve grapes – one for each time the clock chimes at midnight – for luck, but not keeping the grapes out of their dog’s reach is risky.

In 2001, ASPCA Poison Control was the first to report that dogs can develop kidney failure after eating grapes or raisins, but the mechanism of action wasn’t clear. In 2022, we cracked the code and discovered that it was likely tartaric acid that made dogs so susceptible to grape, raisin and tamarind toxicosis.

Dogs ingesting more than 1 grape or raisin per 10 pounds of body weight may be at risk to develop acute kidney injury. For recent ingestions above the level of concern with subclinical patients, emesis is recommended along with fluid diuresis for 48 hours.

Fireworks

Fireworks are often a big part of New Year’s Eve celebrations in the United States, but pet owners can forget and be unprepared for the loud noises. If fireworks are common in your area, be sure to share with your community that sedatives may be helpful for pets and owners can reach out to you to get their prescriptions and refills.

If pet owners are setting off their own fireworks, they should keep pets away to avoid traumatic injuries or burns. If ingested, fireworks can be toxic to pets. It’s important for owners to keep them away from the ashes, as they often have very high levels of heavy metals and can cause electrolyte disturbances, bradycardia, tremors, weakness, ataxia and methemoglobinemia. Ingestion of most residential fireworks usually causes milder clinical signs, but large ingestions can be more severe. Download and share this helpful infographic with pet owners.

Glow Sticks

Glow sticks can light up the night to make any celebration extra special, but cats and dogs love to investigate these luminescent items. While the active ingredient, dibutyl phthalate, isn’t toxic, it’s very bitter and often causes a strong taste reaction with drooling, head shaking, running around the house and occasionally vomiting.

Most of the time, pets who bit into a glow stick can be managed at home. Pet owners should offer them a small amount of milk or canned food and take them into a dark place to wipe down any glowing areas with a damp cloth to prevent re-exposure to the bitter taste.

Champagne Toasts

For many people, celebrating the New Year wouldn’t be complete without a midnight toast of champagne, but pets are commonly exposed to alcoholic beverages when drinks are left in places where they can steal a sip. Caution pet owners that adult beverages made with milk or cream are particularly attractive to pets and should always be kept out of reach.

If pets ingest enough to be an issue, they will show signs of inebriation, often presenting as ataxia, depression, recumbency, hypothermia, disorientation, vocalization, acidosis, tachycardia, dyspnea, aspiration pneumonia, tremors, coma and seizures. Treatment is largely symptomatic and supportive with maintaining euhydration, correcting acidosis and hypoglycemia and ensuring that inebriated pets don’t aspirate, especially if they vomit. For more information on ethanol intoxication, click here.

Charcuterie Boards

Winter holidays are often accompanied by lots of guests and different types of food, including charcuterie boards that tend to contain high-fat meats, cheeses, fruits, nuts, chocolate, olives, roasted garlic and more. Aside from the ever-present risk of pancreatitis, garlic can cause hemolysis and secondary renal injury, chocolate can cause stimulatory signs and grapes can cause acute kidney injury. There may be additional risks depending on which foods have been included in the charcuterie board.

Pet owners should be cautioned about these foods and well-meaning guests who may feed pets or leave food within a pet’s reach. If a client does report that their pet has gotten into a charcuterie board, ensure that you get a thorough list of everything on the board so that any potential foods of concern can be addressed. For more information on toxic foods, click here.