While sipping on some eggnog, listening to Bing Crosby, and reflecting on the memories from holidays past, take a moment to assess your pet’s environment. Is it safe? Free of potential choking hazards and poisonous ingredients? Is it primed for your pet to enjoy the season, as well?
Even for a resolute Scrooge, the holidays can be a distracting time as we become truly flurried, not unlike the Montana weather. Presents to buy, trees to decorate, cookies to bake…In the shadow of so many inviting and comforting things to do, your pet could be at risk. To help with this, we brainstormed the pet safety tips you can use to eliminate holiday dangers dangling provocatively at your pet’s eye level.
The Weather Outside Is Frightful
The holidays can be a time of stress for many pets. There are changes in your busy schedule leading to disruptions in your pet’s routine, more visitors than normal, and new decorative additions that can distract or upset.
Furthermore, the weather doesn’t always permit extra time outdoors, limiting exercise and relief to the goings-on in and around the house. The best ways to mitigate possible stress levels for your pet are to:
Deck The Halls
It can be hard to accept that certain items that give us so much joy can cause painful injury or even death to our pets. Displaying artificial plants isn’t always a welcome idea but considering the damage real holiday plants can cause, you may want to think again. If consumed, holly, mistletoe, lilies, and poinsettia can cause vomiting, diarrhea, organ failure, and death. Even your holiday tree poses risks for your pet.
Likewise, cover your tree’s water to reduce exposure to preservatives, fertilizers, insecticides, and fire-retardants, which are possibly leaching from your commercial tree. Chewing on and eating fallen pine needles can cause oral irritation, digestive upset, and intestinal punctures, too.
Dangerous Baubles?
On that same note, some of our favorite decor may not be as innocent as it may seem. Please scrutinize the following holiday items, and consider our advice when planning for your pets’ holiday safety:
Glass ornaments – These should only be displayed near the top of your tree so your pet cannot swat at and break them. Broken glass can quickly cut paws or sniffing noses and, if chewed on or swallowed, painful oral lacerations.
Candles – The flickering flame of a real candle is enticing to pets; cover with hurricane glass or place them high above your pet’s eye, whisker, and tail level.
Tinsel – So tantalizing for cats, tinsel can lead to dangerous intestinal obstructions (and an expensive surgery) if eaten.
Electric Lights – Make sure that all cords and wires are out of your pet’s reach to eliminate chewing and entanglement.
Gift Wrapping – Eating paper, ribbon, bows, or other decorative gift wrapping items can cause blockages in your pet’s digestive system. If you leave gifts under the tree, monitor them closely leading up to the big day. Should your pet have a special wrapped gift under the tree, make sure he or she can’t get into it.
Other Rules Of Thumb
You know your pet best, but there are new temptations all around your home during the holidays. Keep vigilance in the kitchen and dining room and never allow your pet near:
If you notice any behavior shifts or vomiting, diarrhea, or fever please contact us immediately.
As partners in your pet’s health and happiness, we wish you and your’s a very warm (and calm) holiday season!
