Holiday Safety Tips for Your Dog or Cat

Most families cannot wait for the holidays. It’s the time of year when magic is in the air. Even though they’re festive, the holidays can also be a hazard for our pets. Here are some holiday safety tips for your dog or cat to prevent any incidents’ from happening during this jolly time.

Pet Proof Your Christmas Tree

The biggest danger for your pet during this period is undoubtedly the Christmas tree. Forgetting to secure this holiday classic could lead to serious injuries for your cat or dog. Curious by nature, some pets will want to explore the tree erected in their living room. Both cats and dogs are known to want to jump in the tree, and literally make it fall. Your furry friends can also be tempted to eat the fir needles, which could lead to stomach problems.

If you don’t have a gate to block off access to the tree, it is preferable to place it in a room where you can close the door when nobody is home. Obviously, you know your pet the best, so you are the most suited to make the best decision for your situation.

Dangerous Holiday Plants

Some of the popular holiday plants should be avoided when you have pets, because they can be dangerous for your furry friends.

• Holly: Eating this plant could lead to digestive problems and even a nervous system depression.
• Mistletoe: When ingested, mistletoe can cause a severe irritation in the digestive tract and the whole body. Symptoms include slower heart rate, lower body temperature, difficulty breathing, loss of balance, excessive thirst, and sometimes seizures, coma, and even death.
• Poinsettia: Eating the leaves of this plant generally causes light to moderate digestive problems. The signs of a possible ingestion include excessive drooling, vomiting and diarrhea.

Tree Water Reservoir

Make sure the tree’s water reservoir is well protected, so your cat or dog cannot drink from it. As the tree absorbs the water, it can leak out a toxic sap into the water reservoir. This sap has an appetizing odour for pets, so you must make sure the reservoir is not easily accessible. To do so, you can cover it with aluminum foil or a tree skirt.

Christmas Lights and Decorations

The tree sparkles vibrantly with its multicoloured lights, silver garlands, and many Christmas ornaments, but all of these can be a real danger for your furry friend. If your cat or dog were to chew on some light strings, they could get electrocuted and this could cause some serious even fatal injuries. It’s important to secure the lights to ensure they are not dangling and attracting your pet’s attention.

Christmas ornaments may just be decorations to us, but to our pets, they look like shiny new toys they want to get their paws on. Unfortunately, if your pet chews or eats ornaments, it can lead to serious injuries. Try to place the decorations as high as possible in your tree so they are less tempting to your cat or dog.

Holiday Gifts and Feasts

Gifts, stockings, sweets, and alcoholic beverages must be out of your pet’s reach at all times. Furthermore, you need to be careful with leftovers on the table – the odours can be tantalizing, but some food like poultry bones, chocolate and pastries can have severe consequences on your furry friend.

By following these safety tips, you are making sure you’re doing everything you can to have a wonderful Christmas with your beloved pets.