Common Holiday Pet Hazards

The holiday season can be a joyous occasion for you, and it may even be an exciting time for your pet. But just like humans, our pets can also get stressed out during the holidays. It’s important for us to take extra care of them and keep an eye out for any potential holiday hazards, including dangerous decorations for pets. Here are some common holiday pet hazards to watch out for.

Guests

It can be exciting to have guests over, but it can also be overwhelming for pets. This is especially true for cats, who tend to be more aloof than dogs. To avoid any unnecessary stress, consider preparing a quiet area, maybe even in another room with plenty of hiding spaces, for your cat to hang out in while the holiday hubbub commences.

Keep food out of reach

Holiday gatherings usually involve setting out some snacks for guests, but some of your favorite snacks may be toxic or dangerous to your pet. This is why it’s important to make sure snacks are placed in a location that your dog or cat cannot get to. It only takes a couple minutes for a dog to find their way into that bowl of chocolate peanut butter cups, but it can take a couple days for them to fully recover from the experience of eating chocolate, which is poisonous to dogs.

Holiday decorations

Some holiday decorations can also be a hazard for pets. Dangerous decorations for pets include Christmas tree ornaments and tinsel. Cats in particular love to play with dangling, shiny, small toys, and that’s exactly what those ornaments on your tree look like to them. Make sure to hang any fragile ornaments high out of reach. Wood, metal or other durable ornaments may be fine to hang on the lower portion of the tree.

Aside from ornaments, tinsel and ribbon are potentially dangerous decorations for pets. Cats love to chew on these decorations, and they can be harmful if ingested. The bits of tinsel and ribbon may get caught in their intestines, which can cause a blockage that requires surgery. If you think your pet may have eaten tinsel or ribbon, you should take them to a vet right away for an examination.

Holiday plants

Another holiday pet hazard to be aware of is poisonous plants. There are several types of plants that fill our homes specifically during the winter holiday season that can be dangerous to pets if eaten. While not all of them may be poisonous, they can still present a danger if ingested in large enough quantities.

Some plants that can be harmful to pets include juniper, lily, mistletoe, amaryllis, chrysanthemums, evergreens, holly, ivy and azaleas. While poinsettias are mildly toxic to both dogs and cats, ingestion doesn’t usually cause more than a mild irritation to the mouth and stomach, although it may also result in vomiting.

To get your dog ready and looking their very best for the holiday season, contact The Soggy Dog today for all your grooming needs.

Categorised in: Dog Safety

This post was written by Writer