The happiest time of the year is just around the corner. The holidays give us the chance to break the routine and spend time together with our loved ones. However, all the joy can be suddenly interrupted if we’re not mindful of our furry friends. Luckily, there are many simple ways to keep our pets safe this holiday season.
There are several risks for our pets that we can avoid quite easily if we pay just a bit of attention. All we need to do is keep an eye on the food and drinks that we might have around the house, and make sure our furry friends don’t ingest any of it. We should be careful with our holiday decorations and plants, too, to avoid any harm to our pets. And last but not least, we must tell our guests how to approach our pets before they arrive to our home. These simple ways to keep our pets safe this holiday season will ensure we don’t end up rushing to the vet’s office before opening our presents.
Keep an Eye on The Food and Drinks
It is common to have plenty of food and drinks laying around the house, especially if we’re having guests over. This is why we should make sure that we don’t leave anything where our pets could reach it. Chocolate, sweets, raisins, caffeine, alcohol, and meat scraps can irritate cats and dogs. In some cases, this could cause gastrointestinal distress, food poisoning, and even hypoglycemia. If you want to give your pets a holiday treat, there are several healthy alternatives to choose from.
Be Careful with the Holiday Decoration
Another holiday favorite that might represent a risk for our pets is our home decoration for the season. This means that we should be very careful when using tinsel, string, ribbon, or yarn to decorate our home. If our furry friends happened to ingest any of these decorations, their intestinal tract could result with severe damage. If we pet-proof our home decorations, we’ll have fewer reasons to worry about during the holidays.
Make Sure Your Pets Can’t Reach Your Plants
Speaking of holiday decorations, we should make sure we pay special attention to seasonal plants we might have in our homes. There are some plants that only represent a minor threat to our pets, like poinsettias. These flowers would only cause a slight mouth or stomach irritation if our pets happened to ingest them.
However, we should be more careful with lilies, as some types are particularly dangerous for cats. These include Tiger, Day, Asiatic, and Easter lilies, among others. These plants are extremely poisonous to cats, and the smallest ingestion can cause severe kidney failure and even death.
Let the Guests Know How to Approach your Pets
Last but not least, we should always let our guests know how to approach our pets beforehand. If our furry friend is already familiar with those who might visit, there shouldn’t be any problem. However, if we’re having new people over, we should talk to them and inform them of any important boundaries.
For example, asking them not to feed our pets might sound silly but it can make a difference. Instead, we can have a jar of pet treats near, in case anybody wants to give one to our pet. This way, they will be able to bond, and the next time they visit, they’ll both feel comfortable with each other. If our pet tends to get anxious or stressed with new people around, ask your guests to respect their space. After all, our furry friends are part of the family, and we don’t want them to be bothered or annoyed.
If we keep in mind these simple ways to keep our pets safe this holiday season, they will be able to enjoy the holidays as much as we do. Also, feel free to contact us in case you have any questions about pet-safety tips for the holidays.
