Keeping Pets Safe Through The Holidays

The holiday season is a festive time filled with decorations, food and finery. It can also be a dangerous time of year for Buddy and Fluffy, unless their families take a few precautions. The pet care experts at Best Friends, a national company of quality pet resorts, offer these tips to ensure a dog-gone great holiday season.

Hang Decorations High

That towering Christmas tree will attract your curious kitty or playful pup. Be sure it is well secured so that it won’t come toppling down if your pet bounds into or onto it. Keep electrical cords and tree lights out of reach; they can cause serious harm if chewed on.

Choose ornaments with your pet in mind. Don’t hang glass balls in reach of your pet and use garland, rather than tinsel, which can cause intestinal obstructions if ingested. Be sure to retrieve any ornament hooks that drop on the floor.

Holiday plants can also be a threat… Avoid mistletoe, holly berries and leaves, and Hibiscus – or place them high out of reach. The Poinsettia, though typically thought of as poisonous to pets, is fairly low in toxicity.

Food, Dangerous Food

Some holidays foods can also spell disaster. Rich, fatty foods can cause stomach upset, or even pancreatitis or bloating. Poultry bones can splinter and get stuck in a pet’s mouth, obstruct his throat, or perforate his intestines.

Keep chocolate well out of reach. The scent of cocoa is enticing to dogs, but as little as one ounce can be fatal for a small dog (under 10 lbs). Like other poisons, chocolate poisoning requires emergency medical treatment.

Do have a supply of your pets’ favorite treats on hand. Be sure to offer them when other family members are enjoying all those delicious smelling holiday goodies. Check your local Best Friends Resort for a variety of healthful and delicious pet treats. From healthy, all-natural Christmas cookies for dogs to canned Alaska salmon for your feline friends, for just a few dollars, you can find treats, which also make great stocking stuffers, for every pet in the household.

Deck Your Pet

There’s lots of fun holiday attire available – from fancy velvet collars to Santa outfits to angel wings. If you want to deck your pet out for the holidays, a few precautions can make it fun for both of you.

Choose attire that doesn’t restrict your pet’s movement in any way and don’t cover his eyes. Also, choose attire that won’t interfere when your pet needs to relieve himself.

Finally, introduce his holiday finery gradually. Make a fuss over how great he looks and allow him to get accustomed to wearing it a little at a time before the holidays.

Gifts For All

Children’s toys can present a poisoning or choking hazard to curious pets. Be sure small toy pieces, plastic model cement, crayons, markers and paints are put away or out of reach when not in use. Wrapping paper, ribbon, and tape also represent potential dangers. Remove them as soon as possible.

And be sure to have some special gifts on hand for your dog or cat. A new toy or treat is a great distraction, and will help your pet feel like part of the family!

For more information, or the location of a Best Friends Resort near you, call 888/FOR-PETS.