The holiday season is in full swing with plenty of different foods around the table, ingredients for baking, and family visiting. With all the hustle and bustle of event planning, make sure you are keeping your pet in mind. Although a variety of different fun holiday food is okay for us, it is not so safe to share all your goodies with your furry loved ones. Make sure to keep things like chocolate, xylitol (sugar free gum & candy), yeast, fatty scraps, raisins, and grapes away from your pets this holiday season.
Another issue we often see in the veterinary clinic are toxins being left out when visitors arrive. Make sure, when you are celebrating holidays with a pet around, to check for anything they could sniff out. A few major things to remember are mouse or rat poison, insecticides, medications, pain relievers, vitamins, and minerals. Also, with this being the season for sniffles, make sure you put away everything for your cold or flu, including keeping tissues out of reach.
During the holidays one of the biggest issues is also going to be decorations. While they are festive and fun, it is important to keep your pet in mind while laying out the sparkly tassels and trinkets. Cats will be attracted to anything they can paw at, so make sure you keep these things out of reach. When it comes to ornaments on the tree, make sure to keep anything edible or small on the top section of the tree, out of reach of hungry and playful dogs and cats. Plants are great for a pop of color for the season, but keep in mind that some plants are toxic to pets so they will need to be placed out of reach or replaced with a different type. Some plants to be wary of during the holiday season include: holly & mistletoe, poinsettia, lilies, daffodils, and amaryllis.
This list may seem like a lot, but keeping your house pet friendly during the holidays with a few simple steps with make this time of year much more joyful and worry free.
Happy Holidays from your Fox Hill Family!