5 Tips To Keep Your Pet Safe This Christmas

Keeping your dog or cat safe during the holidays can be a difficult task. With so many distractions and potential dangers around the holidays like breakable ordainments, presents, open sockets, are just a few of the dangers.

Let’s take a look at some simple ways you can save your pet from harm these holidays, but before we do that, if you haven’t done so already, check out last year’s post on some gifts you can get your pet HERE.

1.  Watch Your Christmas Lights

All the lights that decorate your house are stunning and help brighten your home during the winter weeks, but they can also pose a hazard to your pet. Pets can get electrocuted, strangled and come to harm if you’re not careful. Be sure you fasten holiday lights to your tree and place cords out of reach of your playful pet. Also, block access to any loose cords or wires and cover any open sockets.

2. Pet-Proof Your Christmas Tree

A lot of the holidays revolve around the Christmas tree. Failing to pet-proof your tree could result in upset stomachs, painful injuries, and huge veterinary bills. You should always watch your dogs and cats carefully around the tree at all times. If possible, set up your tree in a room that you can easily close off when you’re not home. Many pet owners also create a barrier using a plastic pen or baby gate so pets can’t access the tree.

Curious canines and felines will want to explore the odd tree that appeared in their living rooms. Dogs and cats are notorious for trying to jump onto—or even into—the tree, which could easily cause it to come crashing to the floor and injury to themselves. Make sure you anchor the tree securely to avoid a dangerous tree-tipping disaster. Check your tree stand daily to confirm that the eyebolts are still locking the tree in place.

3. Be Careful of Christmas Decorations

If possible, keep tree ornaments and Christmas decorations away from your pet. Chewing on ornaments can cause cuts in the mouth, throat, and digestive system, as well as other serious injuries. Also, tree tinsel, when eaten, can result in gastrointestinal blockages that have the potential to harm or even kill your pet. It is best to avoid such decorations altogether.

4. Pick Safe Christmas Plants

Popular Christmas plants like mistletoe, poinsettia and holly can be poisonous if ingested. Eating the leaves or berries of these common plants can cause stomach upset, diarrhea, excessive drooling, and vomiting and, at the very worst, death. The poinsettia flower is typically only toxic when ingested in large quantities.

Christmas bouquets and floral arrangements that contain lilies are very hazardous to pets, especially cats. All it takes is a few bites of a lily plant to cause potentially fatal kidney failure. Cautious pet owners should probably steer clear of including these beautiful but dangerous plants in their home.

5. Keep Treats Out Of Reach

At Christmas, humans have a little too many sweets, and while people can handle a little extra sugar once in a while, pets cannot. Keep any chocolate, cakes, and sweets away from your pet and do not feed them under the table. If you believe your pet may have eaten something, he or she shouldn’t have, take your pet to the vet immediately. In addition, keep our phone number, Vancouver Veterinary Hospital and SPCA on the fridge if any harm or injury comes to your pet.

If you’d like to book an appointment with us, visit our contact page HERE.