Christmas warning to millions of dog owners over mistake which left pet fighting for life – how to keep your animal safe
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DOG owners have been warned over a mistake that left one pet fighting for its life last Christmas. While many households may put up tinsel as a festive decoration, this could be highly dangerous to dogs if ingested, vets have said. It comes after one dog, eight-year-old crossbreed Shylah, consumed one metre of the substance last year - leaving the canine unwell.
![[Eight-year-old dog Shylah was taken ill last Christmas after consuming tinsel]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/shylah-made-full-recovery-taken-958123450.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Shylah's owner described how she had been spooked by fireworks before the incident. Shortly afterwards, they noticed that a large section of tinsel was missing from the mantelpiece. They told the BBC: "I wondered if Shylah might've eaten it, but it wasn't until a bit later when she went off her food and was sick that I got really worried.
![[One metre of tinsel was discovered in Shylah's stomach through an x-ray]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/shylah-made-full-recovery-taken-958123417.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
"Shylah is my world and I was worried sick when they said she had to have surgery.". After Shylah became sick, the owner called Wolverhampton PDSA, a local pet hospital. An x-ray quickly revealed a foreign object believed to be tinsel. Warning others against leaving tinsel within their pets' reach, Jane Cutler, a senior vet at the hospital, reminded dog owners that emergencies "don't stop coming just because it's Christmas".
![[The tinsel was successfully removed and Shylah made a full recovery]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/shylah-made-full-recovery-taken-958123421.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Shylah's owner added that if they had not acted so fast, the result may have been much worse. Tinsel and other festive decorations are not the only hazard for pet owners to consider this Christmas. Another dog, a nine-year-old Italian Spinone called Ralph, was rushed for emergency treatment after wolfing down 12 mine pies last Christmas.
![[Experts have now advised pet owners to keep hazardous decorations away from their dogs]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/two-boston-terriers-christmas-costumes-957484362.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
