Deck The Halls With Pet Safety In Mind

By Nan Talleno

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - There are a few things to be aware of as you decorate for the holidays in order to keep your companion animals safe this season.

Deck the halls but be careful of those boughs of holly. They could be dangerous!

Holiday plants may be beautiful to look at but they can be extremely dangerous to your pets if even small parts of these plants are ingested. Mistletoe, holly berries and poinsettias can be toxic to both dogs and cats, and can produce gastrointestinal disorders and cardiovascular problems.

To be safe, keep all plants out of every paw's reach.

Remove all ribbon, string, tinsel and icicles away from your pets. If ingested they can all potentially cause severe and dangerous intestinal blockage. Keep all candles and lighted decorations out of reach and never leave lit candles unattended.

Check around holiday trees frequently as ingested pine needles can puncture your pet's intestines.

Make sure the tree is well secured. Keep all small items such as small decorations and tree ornaments, replacement string light bulbs, ornament hooks, thumb tacks and anything small and easily swallowed out of your pets view as these objects can create a serious choking hazard and become dangerous if ingested.

Keep all treats like candy canes and chocolates as well as all sweets in general, out of sight too. And keep in mind that the sugar sweetener xylitol is toxic to both dogs and cats.