This is the season to spend time with your family and this means including your pets in the festivities. Here are some tips to keep your dogs and cats safe and healthy.
The Christmas Tree:
- Try to place your Christmas tree in a corner of the room, blocked off from your dog Make sure it is securely anchored to prevent it from being tipped or pulled over when the cat climbs it!
- Christmas decorations including tinsel, baubles and ribbon can look like fun new toys to play with to your inquisitive pets. However they can cause choking, so remove the temptation and place decorations out of paws reach. Be careful your pets don't swallow ribbons and foreign objects. Play should be supervised.
- Keep Christmas lights out of paws reach too by placing them on the higher branches – this will also reduce the chances of burning, tangling and chewing.
Avoiding a Christmas Food Disaster:
- Don’t share Christmas lunch with your dog – snesnible amount of left over, low fat is fine but foods such as cooked bones, chocolate and onions can be fatal if ingested. Too much of a good thing (such as the ham bone) may mean a trip to an emergency centre. Keep your pets away from the table and unattended plates of food and be sure to secure the lids on garbage cans.
Overwhelming Christmas Parties:
- If you are having a Christmas party give your cat and dog a room on their own in a quiet part of the house. This will create their own space that they can retreat to. Make sure they have fresh water and a place to snuggle up and get cosy.
- It is easy for dogs to get overwhelmed and overstimulated when there are lots of new people around. Try and take them for a walk before guests arrive to reduce their energy levels and anxiety. If fearful of fireworks have a strategy so they don't get distressed, if necessary discuss with the vet.