Keeping Your Pet Safe and Comfortable During the Holidays

Keep your pet healthy and happy throughout the holidays with these helpful tips.

• Human food should stay on the table. That tasty spread might be perfect for your human family and friends, but don’t pass anything off to your pet. Chocolate, onions, grapes, chives, raw meat, raw dough, and garlic are just a few foods that might cause your pet to fall ill or need an emergency trip to the vet. Let guests (especially children) know what they can and can’t give them.
• Store trash bags where pets can’t reach them. We know leaving trash bags in the middle of the kitchen is a quick solution when you’re having a party. Nobody needs to search for the trash can and you save time to boot. This is a bad idea, though, especially when you have a curious pet in the house prone to ripping things open. Before you know it, food scraps and other potentially harmful things find their way to the floor (and your pet’s mouth). Put the bags behind a closed door. Trust us, this is the better option in the long run.
• Have a safe place ready before the holiday in question. When your pet feels scared or overstimulated, they need to have a spot they can go to until the party ends. You don’t need to set aside an entire room. A crate or pet fence placed in a quiet, out of the way area (meaning, low traffic) makes a big difference.
• Use caution with candles, tinsel, and other decorations. Holiday decorations are fun and make any home look festive but be responsible about it. Don’t place lit candles where your dog or cat could accidentally hit them with their tail (not only could their tail catch on fire, but the candle could fall and set the house on fire!). Shiny decorations can be tempting toys, so keep those up on shelves or other high places.
• Don’t forget to give them some attention. Even if you have a million things to do, take a moment to give your buddy a good scratching. With so much going on, they need your love and affection to get through it all.
• Never leave your pet out in the snow. Frostbite is a very real possibility, and smaller animals are particularly vulnerable if they get trapped in several feet of snow.