5 Things to Avoid From Dog Safety: Tis the season! Cookies are baking, carols are playing, and your dog is sleeping by the fire. Christmas is best spent with loved ones, including dogs, but it’s not always easy to include them. Happy Halloween! Here are some safety tips!
Hall-decking
Bring out the stockings and make your home a winter wonderland!
Do not decorate with poisonous plants.
The first step to holiday spirit? Decorating! Christmas doesn’t feel like Christmas until the lights and wreaths are up, but as dog parents, we must make sure our decorations are safe and festive. Certain decorations, especially plants, can harm or poison dogs.
Poinsettias: Edible red flowers on December doorsteps can cause vomiting or diarrhoea, making Christmas less enjoyable.
Mistletoe, a Christmas decoration, can poison your dog and require an emergency vet visit. Mistletoe poisoning causes vomiting, diarrhoea, GI disorders, and cardiovascular collapse.
Solution: Luckily, these are avoidable. Keep toxic plants out of reach or decorate with artificial plants for your dog. If your dog eats holiday foliage, call your vet or the ASPCA’s 24-hour emergency poison hotline at 1-888-426-4435. For dog messes, use Four Paws Wee-Wee Stain & Odour Destroyer.
Roasting Chestnuts
Do: Give your dog a Santa Paws treat.
Don’t: Overfeed him table scraps.
Holiday meals are the best, but your dog shouldn’t indulge in gluttony.
Human Foods: With the season of giving, you may be tempted to give your dog some table scraps, but the high-calorie, fatty foods we look forward to all year can upset your dog’s stomach and cause pancreatitis. Sharing scraps promotes begging and bad manners, a surefire ticket to the Naughty List.
Solution: Every dog deserves a holiday treat. Try a Nylabone Flavour Frenzy Power Chew Toy in turkey & sweet potato or baked ham & cheesy smashed potato to treat your dog to holiday flavours. It’ll taste like a holiday meal without the fat or calories. A human version would be nice!
8 Crazy Nights
Do: Light a menorah for the holidays.
Don’t forget pet fire safety.
Family menorah lighting is the most important Hanukkah ritual, and your dog is part of your family!
Candles: Watch your pet during the Festival of Lights. Pretty candles, dog curiosity, and swishing tail = accident waiting to happen!
Solution: Supervise your dog while lighting the candles and use a gate to keep him away from the flames to avoid a Hanukkah nightmare.
Festive Gettogethers
Eat, drink, and celebrate.
Don’t: Get lost in the festivities with your dog.
Food, gifts, and playlists are all part of holiday party planning!
Holiday parties make it easy to forget about your dog. Consider your dog when hosting a party at home. New people can overwhelm dogs, and guests can cause accidental escapes.
Solution: When entertaining guests, keep your dog on a leash or behind a gate. To escape the noise, give your dog a quiet crate with a doggy bed. Sometimes a small, quiet dinner is better than a big party.
Trimming the Tree
Do: Decorate the Christmas tree with family in the evening.
Do not use glass ornaments, tinsel, or other decorations that could harm your dog.
Nothing brightens the holidays like a beautiful Christmas tree! Decorating your Douglas fir with traditional decorations can be dangerous.
Glass Ornaments: Like cats at Christmas, some dogs can’t resist pawing on these glittering decorations. Knocking them down can shatter and cut your dog.
Tinsel is indigestible and will get caught in your dog’s intestinal tract. Popcorn strings and fake dog-treat ornaments are similar. If your dog gets these decorations, you may spend the night at the ER.
Solution: Use plastic ornaments! Not letting your dog near a Christmas tree is the best way to prevent a disaster! Set up a gate or two to keep your pet away from your tree’s temptations and prevent a disaster.
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