Pet Safety For The Holidays
Holiday festivities can create a variety of problems for both people and their pets. While you can’t always control every holiday problem, it’s up to you to take precautions on behalf of your pet. With a little thought and preparation you can make the holidays happy and safe for your entire family.
Eating the wrong thing is the biggest danger to your pet during this time of the year. In fact, it’s the number one reason pets end up in the emergency clinic. During the holidays there are a lot of temptations for your pet, including extra food and decorations.
The best way to prevent decoration disasters is to replace fresh greenery with artificial plants. If you must decorate with fresh greenery, be sure to use special care when hanging and removing decorations to ensure pets can’t access dangerous items. Always hang greenery (artificial and real) securely and out of the reach of pets.
When selecting gifts for your pet, be sure to choose things that are appropriate for their size, age and ability. Keep your pet’s allergies and weight in mind when selecting treats. Even though letting pets unwrap their gifts can be fun to watch, you should monitor them closely with ribbons and bows which can cause severe intestinal issues if ingested.
Remember to consider your pet when decorating your tree. Tinsel and ribbon might be intriguing to pets and can cause major problems if ingested. Ornaments, if chewed, can cause cuts in your pet’s mouth, throat and intestines. They can also create choking hazards. It’s a good idea to encircle your tree with an exercise pen to keep curious pets away from your decorations. You might also want to run extension cords through plastic pipes to stop pets from becoming electrocuted.
A feast, even just one day a year, isn’t safe for pets. Too much food, or too many fatty foods can cause severe and life threatening inflammation of the pancreas known as pancreatitis. Symptoms include sudden vomiting and pain in the abdominal area. Also, many holiday foods are poisonous to pets or can cause a choking hazard. Avoid offering table scraps and let your guests know that they shouldn’t share their meal with your pets.
We hope that this information has been helpful as we strive to provide education on all aspects of pet care.
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