Holiday Safety for your Pets

The holidays are supposed to be a joyful, happy time but they bring with them certain risks to your pets. Knowing what these risks are can help you keep the holidays happy for the whole family.

Holiday Hazard: Food

Everyone loves holiday food! Of course you’ll want your companion animals to enjoy some special holiday treats as well. However, many holiday goodies are not safe for pets. Some foods to avoid include:

• Sweets. Chocolate is widely known to be dangerous to dogs and this is especially true of Baker’s chocolate.

• Greasy, Fatty Foods. These unhealthy foods can cause general digestive upsets. In large amounts these foods may bring on bouts of pancreatitis in dogs or breeds prone to the disease.

• Cooked Bones.  Although raw bones are healthy, cooked bones become hard and/or brittle increasing the risk of splinters, digestive trouble and broken teeth.

Holiday Hazard: Decorations

Some decorations can be very dangerous to pets. Are your decorations safe?

• Plants Holly and Mistletoe are extremely toxic if ingested. Poinsettias can cause extreme gastric distress if eaten.

• Electrical Cords. Be sure to keep cords out of your pet’s reach and use strict supervision especially if your pet is young and/or prone to chewing.

• Candles.  Keep lit candles far out of your pets reach to prevent burns to a curious nose (and fires from them being tipped over!).

• Tree.  Avoid using preservatives in the water for a live tree as they may cause an upset stomach if your pet takes a drink. Many pet owners gate off their trees so that their pets can’t climb them or take ornaments off.

• Ornaments.  Glass ornaments should never be placed at “pet level”. Also keep your pets away from tinsel, “angel’s hair”, ribbon and string which can cause stomach or intestinal blockages.

Holiday Hazard: Guests

You may not want to think of your guests as being a health risk to your dog but there are certain risks to having lots of unknown people in and out during the holidays. Here are some things to be aware of:

• Food.  Do not allow your guests to over feed your pets or give them inappropriate foods. If your guests are not pet savvy they may not realize that the treat they are about to give can make your pet sick or worse.

• Doors.  Pets are at a higher risk of becoming lost during the holidays due to guests accidently letting them loose. Be sure your guests immediately close doors behind them and are aware of the animals. If your pets are “door dashers” you may need to lock them in a separate part of the house while people are coming and going.

• Children.  Don’t leave your pets alone with your guest’s children. The children may not know how to interact properly with your pets. The best way to prevent problems is to avoid leaving your pets and children unsupervised together.

• Stress.  Be aware of signs your pet may be getting overly stressed and have a room or “safe haven” set up for them if they need a break from guests. Sometimes even the friendliest dog becomes stressed by an upset in routine. Discourage your guests from being overly pushy for your pet’s attention.