Pet Pitfalls

A few weeks ago, after one of our increasingly-rare nights out with friends, we came home at 1 a.m. to find the contents of JM's gym bag spread all over the house, a suspiciously empty chocolate-bar wrapper (I admit it, it was mine) and a dog that was running circles around the ceiling. Chocolate is poisonous to dogs, and she was so strung out that we could see her heart pounding in her tail. I immediately called the emergency vet clinic, and was informed that she hadn't eaten enough to kill her, but it was pretty scary to see her like that (and also kind of funny). And, from the looks of it, she had some very trippy dreams that night. All of this is to say that I decided to educate myself about what human foods are poisonous to dogs and become a more diligent and careful pet owner.
But, things are starting to get very festive around here, with decorations and presents and holiday foods everywhere. I admit that I have been a baking (but sadly not a blogging-about-baking) fool these past couple weeks, and my pants, so comfortably loose post-marathon, are starting to shrink up again as a result. But, in all this festive frenzy I have to keep a constant eye on the other voracious eater in the house. No, not JM - he's annoyingly disciplined - I'm talking about the dog, again. Human food in general is unhealthy for dogs, so try to keep visitors from slipping your pooch a cookie or two. But, if you have a four-legged friend in your house, here are the things you should be especially careful about, all year long.

Human Foods That Are Toxic to Animals
Alcohol
Caffeine
Chocolate
Grapes/Raisins
Macadamia Nuts
Mushrooms
Onions/Garlic
Raw Potatoes
Tylenol
Tomatoes (cats only)
Xylitol Sugar-substitute (found in sugarless gum)

Also Watch Out For:
Tinsel
Broken Glass or Ornaments