’Tis the season! The holidays are just around the corner and it is important to know the unhealthy foods, dangerous decorations and safety, and health measures you can take with your pets to help them have a festive time of year.
Keep the Routine!
It’s important to try to keep your pet’s every day routine, such as food and exercise, normal to keep them comfortable and relaxed (we all know the holiday season can be a bit stressful).
There is No Place Like Home for the Holidays
A very important part of the holiday season is spending it with friends and family.
- Make sure your pets have a quiet room in which to to relax and retreat. With the constant flow of people, some pets can become overwhelmed and stressed, that is why it is important to have a space for them to unwind and get away from the holiday hustle and bustle.
- In addition to that, some of your guests might be staying the night. Make sure all medication or other harmful products are zipped and packed up out of reach from your pets.
- Also, make sure your holiday guests understand your pets’ personal boundaries and comfort zones.
Chestnuts Roasting On an Open Fire
The holiday season is known for delicious meals and sweet treats. Even though these extremely scrumptious meals can be hard to resist, some of these foods can be harmful to pets.
- Holiday cookies and candies can contain xylitol that can be extremely lethal to pets! Keep all sweets and goodies away for your four-legged children including chocolate which can also be harmful.
- Celebrating the holidays with adult beverages and cocktails can be all fun and games until your pet has a little too much. Pets cannot have alcohol; it can lead to illness, respiratory issues, and death. Please drink responsibly.
- Comfort food is a perfect way to indulge in the festivities but watch out, pets should not have spicy or fatty foods. These foods can cause pets to have nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting. The holiday turkey bones can also cause harm to your pets, such as digestive tract obstructions. Keep a watchful eye on what your pets are eating over the holiday meals.
- Instead, keep your pet’s healthy treats handy to help them feel included and fulfilled!
Deck the Halls with Boughs of Holly
Holiday decorations play a very big role when getting into the holiday spirit. Unfortunately, some holiday decorations can cause harm and hurt pets, so here are some holiday decoration safety tips!
- Be sure your Christmas tree is secured down so your furry-family members do not tip it over or cause it to fall. Also, make sure your pets are not ingesting or getting into tree fertilizer and stagnant tree water, it can cause sickness, diarrhea, and nausea.
- Christmas lights can bring holiday cheer, but their wires can cause pet-parents fear. Make sure pets cannot get to holiday lights and ornament wires and batteries. These can cause electrical shock, burns, and damage to the digestive system and mouths of your pet.
- In addition to artificial holiday decorations, natural decorations can also cause harm to your fuzzy-friends. Holly can cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea if ingested by your pets. Poinsettias can also cause vomiting and diarrhea, along with irritation in the month and lips. Mistletoe can cause your pet to suffer from cardiovascular and gastrointestinal issues. Specifically, in cats, holiday lilies can cause kidney failure.
- Tinsel is a great way to decorate your home for the holidays, but it can cause a lot of trouble for your pet. If digested, pets can suffer from vomiting, dehydration, obstruction in the digestive system, and can lead to surgery.
- To help your pets be more inclined to stay safe, give them plenty of toys like treat dispensing toys and catnip for the kitties, to keep them out of trouble.
With these safety precautions and tips, we hope you and your pets have a healthy and happy holiday!
