Tinsel
Also called: christmas tinsel · tinsel garland · garland · christmas garland · icicle tinsel · streamer · streamers
Dog
Dangerous
Described signs
Repeated vomiting that does not let up, refusing food, low energy, dehydration, belly pain and straining to poop with no result; sometimes a strand can be seen showing at the anus, and it must not be pulled. Tinsel is not a poison: what it does is stay anchored at one end while the rest travels on, and then the gut pleats up along the strand and the strand saws into it. String and ribbon are the foreign bodies that do the most damage in dogs. The smaller the animal, the less it takes to block it.
Cat
Dangerous
Described signs
Repeated vomiting, refusing to eat, dehydration, low energy, belly pain, hiding more than usual; sometimes the strand can be seen caught under the tongue or showing at the anus, and it must never be pulled. Cats are the species at risk: tinsel is shiny, it moves and it gets carried in the mouth, and once swallowed it becomes a linear foreign body, which is the kind of foreign body most common in cats. One end gets anchored, often at the base of the tongue, the rest travels on and the gut pleats up along the strand until the strand cuts into it. There is no amount small enough not to matter, least of all in a small cat or a kitten.
This is a compendium of public veterinary sources, not a diagnosis. The weight of your pet changes what a dose means.
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