The holiday season is filled with joyful times with loved ones — including our pets! Simple preparation is recommended to minimize potential health and safety hazards for pets in order to avoid expensive pet insurance claims during the winter holidays. Holiday festivities increase the opportunity for pets to get their paws on harmful foods, drinks and decorations. The most common toxic treats that Nationwide insured pets ingested last holiday season were chocolates, nuts and raisins. |

Holiday pet illnesses cost millions

Last year, Nationwide pet insurance members spent more than $41 million on medical conditions commonly associated with the holiday season. Related: 5 most common and 5 most expensive pet insurance claims During the four days surrounding Christmas Day and New Year's Day last season, pet owners took their dogs and cats to the veterinarian more often than the rest of the year to treat the medical maladies associated with holiday animal hazards. |

Average cost of surgery: $1,803 per pet

Some pets prefer to munch on non-digestible holiday items including tinsel, ribbon, gift wrap and ornaments. Ingestion of such items can lead to surgery, which is the most expensive medical condition on the holiday list with an average treatment cost of $1,803 per pet. If a pet consumes toxic food or a foreign object, he or she should be taken to a veterinary hospital immediately. In preparation, pet owners should locate the nearest 24-hour emergency animal hospital prior to any holiday celebration. |

Take extra precautions

"We encourage pet owners to be aware of the dangers that surround our pets during the holiday season," said Carol McConnell, DVM, MBA, vice president and chief veterinary officer for Nationwide. "Food or sweets left on low-lying tables can be a major hazard and holiday decorations can easily become a harmful toy for household pets. Pet owners should take extra precautions during the holiday season, and always know the location of the nearest veterinary hospital and a phone number for an animal poison control center in case of an emergency." The slideshow above lists the most common pet medical conditions associated with the holiday season, based on claims from Nationwide's database of 700,000 insured pets during the time frames of December 24-27, 2017 and December 31, 2017-January 3, 2018. The data provided includes the average cost to treat the medical condition and the average daily increase of the clams versus the rest of the year. Make your holidays fun and festive by keeping these seasonal threats away from pets:

(Source: Nationwide)