By Ruth Stroud, Special Advertising Sections Writer

Too much of the wrong kind of holiday cheer can be hazardous for your pet. From toxic plants to fur-singeing candles to splintering turkey bones and noxious chocolate treats, the dangers that stalk unsuspecting pets and their owners at this time of year are legion - and can prove expensive if they require emergency vet services.

Mindy Parvin of Stone Mountain, Ga., paid $1,500 for surgery to save her cat’s life two Christmases ago after the 11/2-year-old kitty, Gladdy, managed to ingest about two feet of thick upholstery thread while the family was distracted by Christmas activities.

The cat just "had a fetish about string," said Parvin, who knew better than to decorate her tree with tinsel, since she knew Gladdy "would go wacko over it."

Instead, she believes, the cat sneaked thread out of the sewing box. The string got twisted around the cat’s insides "from the top of her stomach to the bottom of her intestine," Parvin said.

She knew something was wrong when Gladdy hid for days, wouldn’t eat, and had diarrhea.

The vet told her the cat would have been dead in two days without abdominal surgery.

It’s a common problem for cats to swallow ribbon or tinsel, said veterinarian Gina M. Davis-Wurzler, an assistant clinical professor at UC Davis’s School of Veterinary Medicine.

"I can no longer use ribbon . . .on packages I wrap, as my cats are incessantly drawn to [it]."

As for dogs, ingesting chocolate, particularly dark baker’s chocolate, is a common and potentially lethal problem, Davis-Wurzler said.

Chocolate contains a caffeine-like ingredient called theobromine, which can cause vomiting, diarrhea, seizures and even death, explained veterinarian Mark Nuñez of VCA Animal Hospital in Burbank, adding that chocolate ingestion is the No. 1 reason for emergency visits to his office during the holidays.

The California Veterinary Medical Assn. advises against putting gifts of chocolate under the tree or on a table that offers easy access for a dog.

Davis-Wurzler related this story of a canine patient that was brought to her with presumed chocolate poisoning: "When we gave him medication to make him vomit, he vomited large pieces of plastic holiday decor (holly, I think), Styrofoam, ribbon and pieces of glass ornaments. Had we known that he had eaten glass ornaments, we would never have tried to make him vomit. He actually passed the remainder of the decorations a couple of days later and did great."

Many other food-related problems pets face during the holidays are nontoxic but just as dangerous, said veterinarian Jeff Werber of Century Veterinary Group in Los Angeles. Too much fatty holiday food can cause pancreatitis, an inflammation of the pancreas.

Symptoms include abdominal tenderness, severe anorexia and vomiting. The small bones in turkey or chicken can also be choking hazards for dogs and cats, he added.

Some plants are toxic to cats and dogs, including poinsettias, mistletoe, holly and amaryllis.

And the standing water that keeps your tree hydrated could "be a good source of bacteria," so keep your animals away from that, Werber said.

The ornaments on a tree can injure animals when their wagging tails cause the tree to topple. Werber suggested putting a battery-powered "Scat Mat" around the tree, which emits a gentle shock to keep pets away.

Just as people often get lonely during the holidays, animals also feel neglected and can get sick when their routines are upset, said Cassie Jones, a veterinarian with Vicente Animal Hospital in Rancho Palos Verdes. Signs of stress in cats include hiding, not eating, pulling their hair out and urinating in the house. For dogs, barking excessively and having diarrhea might be signs of an unhappy state. Jones suggested boarding pets at a familiar place when you’re going to have a big party.

Below are a few other suggestions on keeping your pets safe during the holidays:

• Avoid tying yarn or ribbon around your pet’s neck; use a festive collar instead.

• Since Christmas trees can become climbing posts for kittens, safely secure your tree, possibly anchoring it to the wall with fishing line.

• Avoid feeding pets high-calorie foods that will cause them to pack on weight.

• If you take your dog on a trip to the mountains, get doggy boots to help prevent frostbite when he is walking in the snow.

Ruth Stroud is a freelance writer based in Manhattan Beach.

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