How to Keep Your Pet Safe During the Holidays

The holidays are a busy and exciting time, and it’s easy to forget how dangerous some of our favorite holiday traditions can be for our pets. This holiday season, take care to protect your precious animals. Avoid an unwelcome trip to your vet by following these simple holiday safety steps.

Keep Human Holiday Treats Away

It’s natural to want your pet to share in the holiday spirit with special treats – but make sure to give them pet treats, not human foods. While it may seem like “just a taste” is safe, it’s simply not worth the risk to your pet’s health.

1.    Chocolate can be toxic for both cats and dogs, and even if your pet has safely ingested this treat before, that’s no guarantee that they won’t have a serious – and even life-threatening – reaction this time.

2.    Candy and bakery items are too rich for your pet’s delicate digestive system. Even more concerning is the fact that a common sweetener found in many of these foods, xylitol, can cause liver failure and even death in dogs.

3.    That delicious turkey (and its skin) may seem like a safe bet, but even in small amounts it has been linked to life-threatening pancreatitis in pets. Don’t risk giving dogs or cats even a bite.

4.    Common holiday ingredients including grapes, raisins and even onions can actually be poisonous to your precious pets. Err on the side of caution and don’t share.

5.    If it’s human food, the leftovers shouldn’t go to the dogs – or the cats. Any table scraps always run a risk of causing pancreatitis and other serious problems for animals.

6.    That delicious yeasty dough? Make sure the only way your pets enjoy it is by smell. Dough made with yeast has been known to cause not only painful gas, but potentially dangerous bloating.

Keep Holiday Decorations Out of Reach

You may feel confident that your pet won’t damage your treasured holiday decorations, but the real danger lies in the potential for them to ingest something that can send you on an emergency trip to the vet – or even end in the devastating loss of your beloved companion.

1.    Holiday plants range in their danger from mildly irritating to life-threatening for pets who ingest them. Holly, poinsettia, mistletoe, amaryllis, balsam, pine, and cedar are among the likely culprits that may cause anything from vomiting to life-threatening reactions.

2.    Live Christmas trees pose a hidden risk for pets. All those tricks for extending your tree’s beauty by adding aspirin, sugar or special additives to the water can pose a serious danger to your pet if they decide to drink some.

3.    Holiday ornaments cause pet injuries far more often than you might think. Whether it’s a cut from a broken treasure or an intestinal blockage from eating tinsel or precious ornaments made by a favorite child, you need to make sure delicate and potentially dangerous decorations are kept out of reach.

If your pet does happen to have a holiday mishap – from eating something they shouldn’t have, to chewing on a power cord and ending up with a burn – a qualified vet can help. Contact us at Bregman Veterinary Group for more information or to schedule an appointment. Have a safe and happy holiday season!