Keep your Pet Safe and Healthy during Festivities
Festivities are a great time to enjoy family and friends. However, holiday foods and decorations can be a potential hazard to your pet if proper steps are not taken to ensure their safety. Here are some tips to help keep your pet safe and healthy during festivities and holidays.
Foods that can be Hazardous to your Pet's Health
Avoid feeding your pet chocolate, coffee or tea products. These all contain dangerous components called xanthines, which cause nervous system, urinary system damage and heart muscle stimulation.
Uncooked meat, fish and poultry can contain disease-causing bacteria such as E. coli and parasites. For your own health, as well as your pet, wash utensils that have been in contact with raw meat, and cook meat thoroughly.
Bones from fish, meat or your Thanksgiving turkey can also cause problems if swallowed. Even small bones can splinter causing lacerations (tearing) throughout the intestinal tract. Other alternatives are
rawhide
,
Kong type toys
or
other tough chewables for powerful chewers.
Alcohol can cause serious intoxications in pets, and many dogs are attracted to it. Every year hundreds of dogs die after a single bout of alcohol consumption. Clean up glasses after parties. Dogs are often attracted by the sweet taste of drinks, especially eggnog.
Decorate With Pet Safety in Mind
Keep ribbons, yarn, string and tinsel out of your pet's reach. If ingested, these decorative items can cause intestinal obstruction and bunching of the intestine. These conditions require surgery and can be fatal. Cats are especially attracted to string.
Decorative plants such as holly, mistletoe and poinsettias can be hazardous if ingested. Place these plants well out of your pet's reach, or use imitation holiday plants.
Place Christmas trees in a stable stand, and attach the tree securely to a window or wall with something like fish line. To keep pets away from the tree, it may help to use an indoor
audible
or
bitter repellent
.
Chewing on electrical cords, including cords of lights can cause problems ranging from burned mouths, to electrical shock to death by electrocution.
Some larger lights can become quite hot, and could also cause burns. Unplug decorative lights when you are not there. Make sure to have
toys
available for your pet to chew on when they get the urge.
If your pet is create trained, that can be a cozy, safe place to hide while company is there.
An alternate way to calm your pet and to keep it from acting up is with the use of
Pherimones.

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