Puppy and Christmas Tree?

[dominosarah]

Cali hasnt been eating for the last 2 mornings.  I have recently put up my Christmas tree which is real.  I know she was trying to bite the pine needles yesterday and caught her drinking the water in the tree stand which only contains water, nothing else.  After searching on the internet i see that pine needles are poisonous to dogs.  Can i spray that bitter apple spray on the bottom of the tree or get rid of the tree?  I feel bad cuz i never thought about a tree being bad for pups.  She is starving by the afternoon and then she eats.  No diarrhea or vomiting, just tummy growling real loud and no appetite.   Thank you.........sara

[April2]

Hey Sarah, I've heard of people putting their tree in a playpen or putting a safety gate up or something around it, somehow blocking it from babies, puppies and/or kittens. You might want to give that a try!

[dominosarah]

Thank you so much for your response.  Have a happy holiday too and thank you for being a big part of all our babies..........sara

[Thomas Dock, CVJ, Vet. Technician]

Hi Sara...you might get a better answer from the docs over in the Ask A Vet forum, but here is my two cents:

Pine needles do contain oils that can be irritating to the GI tract and, given their sharpness, they can be irritating and cause mechanical injury as well.

You can try to spray the tree with bitter apple, but, in my experience, the deterrant sprays and gels only work about 75% of the time.  Some dogs even develop a taste for bitter apple!!  You would probably be better serviced by blocking off Cali's access to the tree.

As far as her morning meal...this could just be a phase.   My Mastiff is sometimes hit or miss on his morning meal, but then he seems to make up for it in the evening.  As long as she is active and you are not experiencing any vomiting or diarrhea, she is probably ok.

I hope this helps you...have a great holiday!