Help Your Pet Avoid Holiday Season Dangers

With all the hustle and bustle, it is easy to forget that some of the festivity surrounding the holidays can pose potential dangers for our dogs and cats.  Here is a quick list to help you keep your pets safe, and avoid spending precious time in an emergency room.

The Christmas Tree
• Make sure it is securely seated and not easily toppled over by curious dogs and cats
• Place your fragile ornaments high on the tree above the reach of playful pets.  Broken glass and swallowed ornaments can cause serious injury
• Keep the tree water covered and inaccessible.

Decorations
• Shiny, moving things can be irresistible to pets and people, alike.  Pets and young children often like to put these treasures in their mouths.  Keep these temptations safely out of reach.
•Plants and berries can be a poisonous.  If not necessarily life threatening, they can certainly cause vomiting and diarrhea, or other illness.  Poinsettias are high on the list of plants to keep out of reach of pets.
• In addition to the danger of intestinal obstruction from swallowed decorations, many are strung on strings and ribbons.  These strings and ribbons can, if swallowed, cause serious obstructions that require surgery.
•Similarly, keep your wrapping supplies away from your four-footed friends. 

Foods
• , keep those turkey strings securely away from nosey nibblers.  And no skin, bones, or trimmed fat.
•Portion control:  for all of us!  The temptation to share with your pets can truly be irresistible for all concerned.  Treats should be small tasty bits only.  Again, no fat and no strange foods.
•Remind all family members and guests that your pet should not be fed indiscriminately.  These little angels are very good at sneaking treats at every opportunity and if everyone is treating, “just a little bit!,” those little bits add up quickly.  So be aware of what your pet might be ingesting, and adjust meals accordingly.
•Boxed food gifts:  A dog can smell chocolate buried beneath layers and layers of wrapping, so keep all boxed or wrapped foods behind closed doors and high up.  I once had a toy poodle patient who climbed up the shelves of a linen closet and got into a box of chocolate-covered macadamia nuts on the top shelf!  Really!

Parties, Travel, and Guests
•Changes in daily schedules can be disruptive, not only to the stomach, but also to behavior.  If your pet becomes overwhelmed by activity and guests, then he might not be the best guest to have around the party.  If appropriate, introduce your pet to the festivities slowly and calmly.
•If you choose to confine your pet in a room away from guests and activity, be sure to provide some diversion…..soft music, safe toys or chew sticks, for example.  A bored confined puppy will look for something to do.  While many cats won’t mind being left out of the fun, a dog is more likely yearning to be part of the group. 

Keep your pet’s safety and happiness in mind these next few weeks. If you included your pet in he family fun, be sure to also allow him adequate quiet time to rest.

Have a safe and happy holiday season!

Do you have a question for Dr. Lemke?  Send it to Susan.Larson@patch.com, or post it in the comments section of this article.