Holiday Safety Tips for Pets: Keep Pets Safe This Holiday Season

One of the things I love most about this time of the year is the anticipation and excitement of the approaching holidays. And while wrapping gifts, decorating the house, baking cookies and preparing our festive dinner can be exhausting, the pleasure I derive from these annual activities is totally worth the effort. Even our two Oriental Shorthair cats, Dr. Hush Puppy and Sir Hubble Pinkerton, get into the spirit of the holidays, waiting not so patiently to exchange holiday presents with me and my husband.

Since most of us consider our pets part of the family, we want to keep them happy, healthy and safe. Here  are some important holiday safety tips for pets.

1. During this festive season, our daily schedules frequently change and streams of visitors may come and go; all of which can be quite upsetting to our fur-kids. So it is very important to keep our pets’ schedules as normal as possible, making sure they are fed their regular diet, and getting their necessary exercise.
2. While attractive holiday decorations are delightful to the eye, it is crucial to keep them pet-safe. To prevent accidents, make sure the Christmas tree is anchored securely to prevent it from tipping. Since tree water may contain fertilizers cover the water cup so pets cannot drink from it. Veterinarians suggest avoiding adorning the Christmas tree with tinsel icicles and tree decorations. These can easily be ingested accidently, causing major gastric disturbances and obstructions leading to an emergency room visit, highly preventable using this simple precaution. Substitute safe, unbreakable tree decorations, keeping those heirloom glass ornaments for the top of the tree and forget the mistletoe and holly. These decorations are highly toxic to pets when ingested.
3. Most of us enjoy sharing part of our holiday fare with our pets. Most pets enjoy receiving a treat of a small piece of white meat turkey or roast beef, but be sure not to overdo it. Due to the high fat content in turkey skin, pork and sausage, these “treats” should be avoided. Many holiday foods are rich, difficult to digest which can cause our pets a nasty belly ache.

Foods Dangerous to Pets:

Avocados - Contain a dangerous toxin which can damage the heart, lungs and tissue of many different animals.

Chocolate- Toxic if consumed in even small quantities

Onions and Garlic- Can cause gastric upset and anemia if consumed in large quantities.

Grapes and Raisins- Can cause acute kidney failure.

Macadamia Nuts- Are toxic and can cause elevated heart rate, hyperthermia and vomiting.

If you suspect your pet has ingested anything toxic, contact your veterinarian immediately or call the ASPCA poison control center.

For more holiday safety tips for pets visit the ASPCA website. Please share any other safety tip suggestions with a comment.

Wishing you, your family and your furry companions the safest and happiest of holidays.