Animal safety during the Christmas holidays. Many people don't realize ho

We are quickly approaching the happy, holiday season. Unfortunately, too many people don’t realize how many safety and health hazards effect animal safety during the Christmas holidays. Many of us want to include our furry friends in the Christmas festivities, but we don’t always understand how important it is protect our pet’s from the dangers presented by their “people parents.”

Decorations and Animal Safety During Christmas Holidays

One of the most serious hazards is our beloved Christmas tree. Christmas trees seriously effect animal safety during the holidays. Playing with the ornaments, or otherwise, investigating your Christmas tree, is tremendous fun for cats. If the tree isn’t anchored securely it may fall on one of your pets. Think of creating a moat of foil around the base of the tree. Most cats hate walking on foil. Also, consider anchoring your tree to the ceiling with fishing line to keep your cat from knocking the tree down if he gets too excited about this whole “Christmas” thing, and jumps on the tree. Along with the chaos of broken lights, possible injury to your pet and/or others–when the tree falls over, the water at the base of the tree is likely to be spilled at the same time. The fertilizers and bacteria contained in the stagnant water can cause your pets to experience nausea or diarrhea if they drink it. Prevention is truly the best solution when considering animal safety during Christmas holidays.

Tinsel Torture

Remember that cats love all things sparkly. They are always looking for new things to play with. Tinsel is thin and sharp and can easily wrap itself around a pets intestines or ball up in the stomach if ingested. Long, stringy things are a cat’s favorite. Some of the most dangerous toys for cats involve ribbon, yarn and small parts. All things readily available during the Christmas season. If your kitty (or dog, for that matter), decides that tinsel and other shiny or stringy things are both beautiful a-n-d delicious, bear in mind that your cat ingesting these things can cause an obstruction to their digestive tract, severe vomiting, dehydration and even surgery to remove the obstruction. Some vets suggest cat owners forego tinsel, wreaths and garland altogether, rather than risk harm to your precious pet.

Plants, Candles, Wires etc.

Holly and mistletoe are extremely toxic to pets and can cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. If ingested, mistletoe can cause stomach upset, breathing difficulty and even heart failure in extreme cases. Lilies can cause kidney failure in cats if ingested. There are beautiful artificial plants made from silk or plastic that will be a happy and healthy alternative (and you don’t have to replace them every year 🙂
When thinking about animal safety during Christmas holidays, don’t forget those lovely, romantic, candles. Leaving lighted candles unattended is just asking for a terrible accident. Pets may burn themselves or cause a fire if they knock candles over. Be sure to use proper, stable, candle holders, and place them on a surface where they are not easily disturbed. If you have cats, the candles should be extinguished when you leave the room.
Loose wires, punctured batteries and broken ornaments can cause fatal consequences that threaten animal safety during Christmas holidays. Be vigilant about protecting loved ones. Loose wire can deliver a lethal electrical shock. If an animal bites into a battery, a punctured battery can cause burns to the mouth and esophagus. Shards of glass from a broken ornament can seriously harm your pet’s mouth and digestive tract. Don’t let a sad incident pertaining to a lack of animal safety during the Christmas holidays, steal the joy from your family.

Foods That Effect Animal Safety During Christmas Holidays

We all disrupt our regular, healthy diet with wild, yummy indulgences during the holidays. I know– you want to include your furry family in the festivities, but it’s very important to know what not to feed your pets for animal safety during Christmas holidays. All chocolate is extremely poisonous for both dogs and cats, However, 90% of chocolate toxicity calls to a Pet Poison Hotline, are for dogs.Also, anything sweetened with xylitol (used as a sweetener in gum, candy, baked goods and toothpaste), is extremely dangerous for your pets, so be sure they do not have access to any chocolate or other sweet treats. Grapes and raisins can seriously harm your pets so all fruit cakes and grapes on cheese trays are off limits for Fifi and Fido. If your pet is an adept “unwrapperer,” don’t leave candy under the tree. Make sure to isolate your pets from the dinner table and unattended plates of food. Do google People Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pets. You will be astounded by the profound negative effects some people foods can cause our very loving (and always hungry) little critters. Please refrain from feeding them fatty or spicy foods, and of course, bones. Feeding rich holiday food to pets can cause pancreatitis, which is a painful and potentially life-threatening condition. Intestinal and choking hazards abound during the holidays. Be sure your family and guests know not to feed your furry friends any leftovers or “nibbles” under the table. Keep lids on garbage cans securely and safely closed.ch is a painful and potentially life-threatening condition. Intestinal and choking hazards abound during the holidays.

Alcohol, Prescription Drugs and other Hazards

Always be sure to keep your alcoholic beverages away from where pets might gain access to them. If alcohol is ingested it can make your pet terribly ill and may even lead to them going into a coma, and can result in death from respiratory failure. Keep uncooked cookie dough away from your pets. It will actually make your pet’s stomach act like an artificial oven. When the yeast metabolizes it will cause your pets stomach to bloat from the carbon dioxide, and the animal will get alcohol poisoning from the ethanol. Don’t forget that dogs and cats should not eat any of grandma’s rum cake either. Foods are seriously effect animal safety during Christmas holidays.
If you are planning to put gifts under the tree for your pet, or stuff your pet’s stockings, be sure the toys can’t be chewed open and allow them to ingest stuffing, squeakers or other choking hazards that will effect animal safety during Christmas holidays. Kongs can be stuffed with chewy treats that are safely digested. Try giving your kitty a stuffed catnip toy or a interactive cat dancer.
If you have friends or family staying at your house over the holidays they may have a suitcase on the floor and store multiple medications in a zip lock bag. Be sure to tell your guests to keep their meds zipped up in their purses or other bags so that nosy and adventurous pets cannot ingest anything toxic.

Sound and Over-Activity Can Jeopardize the Safety of Animals During Christmas Holidays

Be sure your pet has a quiet place to escape noise, too many people, or mischievous children who won’t leave them alone. They need to have their own peaceful space to retreat from all the action.
New Year’s celebrations present hazards for pet’s as well. Noisy, scary, fireworks and noise makers can startle and disturb them, as well as harming their sensitive eardrums. I always put my cats in a secure safe environment before the cacophony begins at midnight. Be prepared and vigilant about animal safety during Christmas holidays.

Since some of your quests may not have pets, or may be accompanied by small children, be sure to inform them of the importance of not feeding your animals any non-doggie or non-kittie treats.

The holidays are such a wonderful, but hectic time for families. Our pets bring so much love and happiness to our lives. Keep them safe. There is nothing more important than keeping ALL your loved ones, big and small, safe for the holidays. From the Joan Hansen Team, we are wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!