4 Smart Tips to Keep Your Pet Safe During the Holidays

Winter holidays with the bright lights, the delicate ornaments and festive garlands are particularly exciting. All this stuff is fun for us, but some items are potentially hazardous to our fur family.

One of the best parts is to set up a Christmas tree but with your pet in mind. Take a few minutes to consider these safety tips on Christmas before you set up the tree and begin lining the decorations.

Tips for Christmas Tree Safety

A beautiful tree may be a tempting treat for your dogs. Puppies, dogs with anxiety, and dogs in training may find your tree irresistible!

Here are some risks to keep in mind, along with a few precautions.

Needles and Branches

A Christmas tree can be particularly dangerous with its branches and needles. Dogs and cats like the leaves and the oils of the fir tree can irritate the mouth, causing symptoms like vomiting. Don’t let your pets munch on the tree.

Pine needles can cause intestinal discomfort when they are consumed, which can cause vomiting. If the needles of a tree are ingested, they can puncture or obstruct the digestive tract, which could have lethal consequences. Artificial trees may not have the attraction of live trees but the materials can still cause problems if ingested. Don’t let your pets munch on the tree.

Fertilizers and pesticides used on the trees may also pose a hazard.

The perfect way is to reduce the access of your pets to the area where your Christmas tree is set up. This can be done with the dog kennel or just restricting access around the tree with barriers.

Keep Your Pet Away from Christmas Tree Water

Please be sure that the water reservoir in the tree stand is not convenient for dogs or cats to get to.. As the tree drinks water, toxins can be released in the water. The tree stand can be saved from your dogs by covering it completely by aluminum foil and a tree skirt.

Be Careful with Decorations

Those decorations and baubles you use to embellish your Christmas tree and your house are definitely beautiful, but they can be a real threat to your animals. If any lights or ornaments break, be sure to sweep up the mess thoroughly.

For other decor, keep your dogs in mind. Don’t put food in Christmas stockings. That could tempt your dogs to eat the stocking. Keep decorations out of reach of your dogs whenever possible.

Choose healthy Christmas Plants

Common plants, such as holly and poinsettia may be harmful if eaten. These contain toxins that can cause extreme gastric distress when they are eaten.

Generally, the poinsettia flora is only harmful when eaten in large quantities, but other parts of the plant can be more dangers. The poinsettia's milky white sap tends to cause diarrhea, excessive drooling or vomiting, which may put a pet's health at risk.

Follow these tips and make your dog happy in this festive season. Happy Holiday to you and your family.

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