The potential toxicity of chocolate, grapes, sultanas, onions, garlic, macadamia nuts and artificial sweetener xylitol are well documented.

Much has been written about the risk of overindulgence of fatty foods in dogs (which can lead to pancreatitis), bones (which can lead to intestinal obstruction or constipation) and dodgy leftovers (which can cause vomiting and diarrhoea).

Now that most of us are legally able to host social gatherings, we're more likely to have visitors, not all of whom are conscious of keeping their food, drink and personal items like medications out of an animal's reach.

But what about alcohol?

In many households, alcoholic beverages are commonly consumed during celebrations, particularly on New Year's Eve.

They may also be used in or on desserts like trifles and fruit cakes.

And you probably guessed it - alcohol is toxic to pets.

The higher the alcohol content, the more toxic the beverage.

While cats tend to make themselves scarce at parties, many dogs love being around visitors, and while they're greeting visitors, they cannot help but notice the array of food and beverages associated with social gatherings.

For this reason, dogs are more likely to ingest alcohol - usually by taking a sip, or many, from an unattended glass or plastic cup.

Occasionally, alcohol is deliberately given to animals by people - usually under the influence themselves - for a laugh.

The result is anything but funny.

Alcohol ingestion can be fatal. More commonly, it leads to a trip to an emergency veterinary clinic.

Signs of alcohol toxicity can develop rapidly, and can include excitement, lethargy or apparent sedation, a depressed demeanour, inability to walk properly, shivering (affected animals may not be able to regulate their body temperature), vomiting, difficulty breathing and even unconsciousness.

Like people, animals that are under the influence of alcohol are at increased risk of misadventure, such as drowning in a pool or being hit by a car.

Depending on the amount of alcohol ingested, affected animals may become profoundly dehydrated.

If your dog ingests alcohol but has not yet developed clinical signs, your veterinarian may induce vomiting.

However, as alcohol absorbs quickly this needs to be performed very soon after ingestion.

Affected animals may require hospitalisation and active warming, intravenous fluids and intensive supportive care.

Dogs that experience difficulty breathing may need to be placed on a ventilator.

The moral of the story is simple: pets and alcohol don't mix.

Alcoholic beverages should not be left unattended in the vicinity of animals (or children for that matter).

If you aren't able to prevent your dog from accessing alcohol at a social gathering, it may be safer to confine them to another part of the house, have a friend mind them, or board them at a kennel or veterinary hospital until the festivities are over.

If you do include pets at parties, it is important to advise all guests not to give them food or water, unless it is part of their normal diet.

REFERENCE

Cortinovis C, Caloni F. Household Food Items Toxic to Dogs and Cats. Frontiers in veterinary science 2016;3.

Dr Anne Quain BVSc (Hons), MANZCVS (Animal Welfare), Dip ECAWBM (AWSEL) is a lecturer at the Sydney School of Veterinary Science and a practising veterinarian.