Ah, Valentine’s Day. With all the pressure to be romantic, it’s already stressful enough. The last thing you need is for your pet to get sick or hurt in the middle of it.  But with a little extra caution, you can have a special day with the love of your life (oh, and that human you’re dating too).

Roses are red, violets are blue, lilies are toxic.

Pets love things that smell, and flowers are no exception. In general, eating them causes major stomach upset at best and possible poisoning at worst. Roses are a thorny problem, as they can puncture the mouth, throat, intestines or stomach if swallowed. And if you have a cat, even a bite of a lily or brushing up against the pollen can be deadly.  If you notice vomiting and changes in how much they’re drinking or urinating, take your cat to a vet immediately for possible kidney failure. Other major flowers to avoid in bouquets are tulips, daffodils, irises, poinsettias, narcissi, amaryllis flowers, and hyacinths.

Candles—not always a bright idea.

In the movies, rooms filled with candles look lovely. In reality, rooms filled with candles are just waiting for your cat to walk by and take a swat or for your dog to knock a few over with his tail. It’s ok to light a few but keep the flames to a minimum unless you’re keeping your pet entirely out of the room.

All chocolate is bad. Some chocolates are even worse.

Life is like a box of chocolates—and you never know which one your dog is going to accidentally get. Milk chocolate? Bad, but slightly less dangerous. Dark chocolate? Very bad. A piece with Macadamia nuts? Possible symptoms include vomiting and muscle tremors. Most people don’t realize that baking chocolate is actually the most dangerous of all, so be especially careful if you’re whipping up a special homemade dessert. But in the worst case scenario, it’s important to factor in how much chocolate your dog ate along with his size. If it’s a really big portion or a really small dog, you should rush to the vet. And if you opt for sugar free or reduced sugar candy, make sure it doesn’t have xylitol which is even more dangerous than chocolate.

Keep the wrappings under wraps.

You get a lovely present, your cat gets a gift bag and ribbons to play with. Win/win, right? Unfortunately, they can pose dangers like choking or possibly being swallowed if your pet is left playing with them unsupervised. Just make sure to toss everything safely in the garbage to be on the safe side.

Reference:

VETMED