Making the season bright for furry friends: How to keep your pets safe amid holiday cheer
It’s a festive time of the year, but even amid the holiday celebrations it’s important for pet owners to be serious about keeping a safe environment for their furry friends.
Although the Christmas season isn’t typically a time for the kind of booming, pet-unfriendly fireworks that make the July 4th holiday so stressful for many pet owners, it offers an array of events and potential hazards that require vigilance over a period of weeks.
Here are some tips to keep your pets safe throughout the holidays, courtesy of the American Veterinary Medical Association and the Humane Society of the United States.
Plan in advance
Before the holiday season shifts into high gear, make sure you know how to get to your 24/7 emergency veterinary clinic before there's an emergency.
Talk with your veterinarian in advance to find out where you might need to take your pet, then plan your travel route so you're not trying to find your way in a stressful situation. Always keep these important numbers posted in a convenient spot in case of emergencies:
Your veterinarian's clinic phone number
24/7 emergency veterinary clinic (if different)
ASPCA Poison Control Center: 888-426-4435
Pet Poison Helpline: 855-764-7661
Keep holiday food away from pets
Don't share your people food with pets and advise your holiday guests to do the same. If you want to share holiday treats with your pets, make or buy treats formulated just for them. The following foods are especially dangerous for pets:
Chocolate is toxic to dogs and cats. It's safest to consider all chocolate off limits for pets, even though the harm it can cause varies based on the type of chocolate, the size of your pet, and the amount eaten.
Other sweets and baked goods also should be kept out of reach. They are often too rich for pets and may contain the artificial sweetener xylitol, which has been linked to liver failure and death in dogs.
Table scraps — including gravy, sauces, dressing, and meat or poultry fat or skin — should be kept away from pets. During the holidays, when our own diets tend toward extra-rich foods, table scraps can be especially hard for pets to digest and can cause pancreatitis.
Bones can cause choking or intestinal blockage. Plus, many foods that are healthy for people are poisonous to pets, including onions, raisins, and grapes.
Unbaked dough can cause problems for pets, including painful gas and potentially dangerous bloating.
What to do if your pet gets into people food
In such cases, quick action can save lives.
Signs that your pet may have eaten something they shouldn't include sudden behavior changes, depression, pain, loss of appetite, vomiting, or diarrhea.
If your pet has any of these signs, call your veterinarian or nearest veterinary emergency clinic immediately. You may also want to call the ASPCA Poison Control Center (888-426-4435) or the Pet Poison Helpline (855-764-7661).
What about pets and holiday decorations?
Holiday plants, lights, candles, and other decorations can pose risky temptations for pets.
Breakable ornaments can cause injuries as well as swallowed ornaments, which can cause intestinal blockage or illness. Keep any ornaments, including those made from salt-based dough or other food-based materials, out of reach of pets.
Tinsel, ribbons, wreaths, and other decorative materials also can be tempting for pets to play with and eat. These items whether swallowed whole or in part can cause choking or intestinal blockage.
Christmas trees can tip over if pets climb on them or try to play with the lights and ornaments. Consider tying your tree to the ceiling or a doorframe by using fishing line to secure it.
Water additives for Christmas trees can be hazardous to your pets if swallowed. Avoid adding anything to the water for your tree if you have pets in the house.
Electric lights can cause burns when a curious pet chews the electrical cords.
Candles and oil lamps are attractive to pets as well as people. Never leave a pet alone in an area with a lit candle or lamp; it could result in a fire.
What about pets and holiday plants?
Flowers and festive plants can result in an emergency veterinary visit if your pet gets hold of them.
Poinsettias, amaryllis, mistletoe, balsam, pine, cedar and holly are among the common holiday plants that can be dangerous and even poisonous to pets who eat them. The ASPCA offers lists of plants that are toxic to dogs and cats.
Potpourris should be kept out of reach of pets. Liquid potpourris pose risks because they contain essential oils and other ingredients that can severely damage your pet's mouth, eyes and skin. Non-liquid potpourris containing flowers, leaves, bark, herbs or spices could cause problems if eaten.
How to mix pets with parties and visitors
The noise and excitement of holiday parties and visitors can upset pets. Even animals that aren't normally shy may become nervous in the hubbub that can accompany a holiday gathering. Consider these tips to reduce emotional stress on your pet and protect your guests:
All pets should have access to a comfortable, quiet place indoors if they want to retreat. Make sure your pet has a room or crate somewhere away from the commotion, where your guests won't follow, that your pet can go to anytime they want to get away.
Inform your guests ahead of time that you have pets or if other guests may be bringing pets to your house. Guests with allergies or weakened immune systems need to be aware of the pets (especially exotic pets) in your home so they can take needed precautions.
If guests ask to bring their own pets and you don't know how the pets will get along, you can either politely decline their request or plan to spend some time helping the pets to get to know each other. That involves supervising their interactions, monitoring for signs of a problem and taking action to avoid injuries to pets or people.
Pets that are nervous around visitors should be put it in another room or a crate with a favorite toy. If your pet is particularly upset by houseguests, talk to your veterinarian about possible solutions to this common problem.
Exotic pets make some people uncomfortable and may themselves be more easily stressed by gatherings. Keep exotic pets safely away from the holiday hubbub.
Watch the exits. Even if your pets are comfortable around guests, make sure you watch them closely, especially when people are entering or leaving your home. While you're welcoming hungry guests and collecting coats, a four-legged family member may make head for the door and become lost.
ID tags and microchips reunite families. Make sure your pet has proper identification with your current contact information ― particularly a microchip with registered up-to-date, information. That way, if your pet does sneak out, they're more likely to be returned to you. If your pet isn't already microchipped, talk to your veterinarian about the benefits of this simple procedure.
Clear the food from your table, counters and serving areas when you are done using them and make sure the trash gets put where your pet can't reach it. Dispose of carcasses and bones ― and anything used to wrap or tie the meat, such as strings, bags and packaging ― in a covered, tightly secured trash bag placed in a closed trash container outdoors or behind a closed, locked door.
Trash also should be cleared away where pets can't reach it ― especially sparkly ribbon and other packaging or decorative items that could be tempting for your pet to play with or eat.
How to keep pets safe when you’re not at home
Unplug decorations while you're not around. Cats, dogs and other pets are often tempted to chew electrical cords.
Take out the trash to make sure your pets can't get to it, especially if it contains any food or food scraps.
Pet tips for traveling
Whether you take your pets with you or leave them behind, take these precautions to safeguard them when traveling:
Interstate and international travel regulations require any pet you bring with you to have a health certificate from your veterinarian — even if you are traveling by car. Learn the requirements for any states or countries you will visit and get the needed certificate from your veterinarian.
Pets in vehicles should always be safely restrained and should never be left alone in the car in any weather. Proper restraint means using a secure harness or a carrier, placed in a location clear of airbags. Never transport your pet in the bed of a truck.
If you're traveling by air and considering bringing your pet with you, talk with your veterinarian first. Certain pets, such as short-nosed dogs and cats, may have difficulty with air travel. Your veterinarian is the best person to advise you regarding your pet's ability to travel.
Pack for your pet as well as yourself if you're going to travel together. In addition to your pet's food and medications, this includes bringing copies of their medical records, information to help identify your pet if they become lost, first aid supplies, and other items.
If you’re boarding your dog, talk with your veterinarian to find out how to protect your pet from canine flu and other contagious diseases. Make sure your pet is up-to-date on vaccines. Florida is among more than a dozen states where cases of a mysterious canine respiratory illness have been reported in recent months. The illness is described as a respiratory disease that can cause coughing, sneezing and lethargy, and eventually lead to pneumonia. Veterinarians say currently it doesn't respond to antibiotics and recommend keeping dogs out of situations that would bring them in contact with other dogs and to ensure that vaccines are up-to-date.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Safety tips for keeping pets safe during holiday season
