Christmas can be a dangerous time for pets. Pet owners need to take precautions to ensure that their pets are safe during the holiday season. For some pets all the excitement of the holidays can be stressful. That is why all pets are on Santa’s nice list – even if they don’t write Santa letters.
If pets could write letters to Santa I’m sure they would ask to be kept safe, comfortable, and to be loved. That’s really not asking for a lot!
Many of the plants associated with Christmas are poisonous to animals. Holly, mistletoe, poinsettias, and lilies need to be out of the reach of pets. For cat owners I would advise you to not even bring these plants into your home. It is hard to find a place that is out of reach for a cat.
If you put out reindeer food on Christmas Eve place it somewhere your pet can’t get to eat. The same goes for outdoor decorations. Cords should be hidden so that you dog doesn't chew on them and hurt themselves.
Christmas trees can cause a lot of problems for animals. The needles from a Christmas are hard for a dog to digest. Tinsel can be very dangerous for animals to ingest. Clean around your tree daily to remove any tinsel or needles that are on the floor. Don’t hang ornaments on the bottoms branches. Cats especially like to climb in Christmas trees. If possible secure you tree on the top and bottom to prevent it from falling over and harming your pet.
Never tie a ribbon or anything else around your pet’s neck. This could lead to serious injury or death. There are collar available that have Christmas designs and little bells. If your pet seems uncomfortable with the bell you should remove it.
If your pet stays outdoors for long periods of time make sure that their water doesn’t freeze during cold weather. Don’t feed your pet table scraps. People food is for people, magical reindeer food is for magical reindeer, and pet food is for pets. Our food is often too rich for our pets to eat. Eating too much human food can upset your pet’s stomach. Do not give your dogs table food, especially poultry. These bones splinter easily and can cause serious health problems for your pet.
If you plan on having a party or guests stopping will be by, help your pet to cope. Find a room where they can escape the excitement. If you are having lots of people at your house consider putting your pet in a room away from the guests. You don’t want someone to accidentally let your pet outside. If your pet isn’t used to being around small children put them outside or confine them to one area of the house. Try to make your pet as comfortable as possible. You don’t want your pet writing a letter to Santa telling him you should be on the naughty list. And you really don’t want your pets to receive letters from Santa that agree!
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