Tis the season to be busy. The holidays are all about family, friends, fun and food – but it’s also a very busy time of the year. The holidays are fun for all including dogs, but dogs can get overexcited by guests and injured or poisoned by holiday treats and decorations. With all the hustle and bustle of the season, sometimes it’s easy to forget about things like holiday pet safety.
This post is brought to you in partnership with Rachael Ray Nutrish for pets.
A shimmering tree, brightly-wrapped gifts, delicious meals, and family gatherings make the holidays magical for you and your family. For your dog, however, these same joys can be hazardous. I want to share with you some important tips for holiday pet safety.
But first I want to share a picture of my babies.
My son was home for the Thanksgiving holiday. I’m not sure if he was more excited to spend time with me or our dogs, Winston and Lilly. One thing I do know for sure is that Winston and Lilly were very excited to see him. In fact, Winston has been a bit of a pill since his big brother left and is clearly missing him. I almost didn’t share this picture, because of all the mismatched blankets on the sofa – but then I figured it’s best to keep it real. If you have dogs, your furniture is probably covered in blankets too.
Things you can do to make the holidays safer for your pets:
Watch the holiday decorations! Place your Christmas tree in a corner, and make sure it’s secure. If you have a dog or cat that likes to jump on the tree, you can try placing aluminum foil, bells or anything else that creates noise on the tree’s bottom limbs to warn you of an impending tree disaster. We had to switch to an artificial tree a few years ago when we adopted Winston, since he thinks all trees are for peeing.
Also, keep electrical cords tucked away and other decorations out of reach. Most dogs are curious by nature, so they will want to check out any additions to the decor. Watch out for dangling objects that can be pulled down and cause injury. Tinsel especially needs to be hung higher on the tree or avoided all together.
For those buying a live Christmas trees this year, keep the area free and clear of pine needles. While they may not seem dangerous, the needles can puncture your pet’s intestines if ingested or get stuck in their paws. Don’t let your pet drink the tree water – it can make him or her sick.
Avoid giving your pets table scraps from holiday meals, and warn guests not to feed them table scraps. Winston and Lilly are master beggars, so we make sure to have some of their favorite treats on hand like Rachael Ray Nutrish Soup Bones. They are perfectly happy getting one of those treats, instead of what’s on the table.
Holiday plants such as mistletoe and holly are toxic for pets, so keep them out of reach or out of the house all together. Poinsettia sap can irritate your pet’s eyes and tummy. If you’re not sure about a new plant, a quick online search will tell you if it’s hazardous to your pet.
Don’t forget rules, boundaries, and limitations just because it’s the holidays. Our Lilly doesn’t respond well to change, so the holiday season is a bit scary for her. It’s important to enforce the house rules during the holiday season, so that timid pets like Lilly feel secure.
Happy holidays to you and your pets!
Many thanks to our friends at Rachael Ray Nutrish for sponsoring this blog post about holiday pet safety.
I’m sure I didn’t think of it all. What are your tips for keeping pets safe during the holiday season?
This is the second time recently that I’ve heard Mistletoe is toxic to pets. Definitely good to know!
Fantastic tips – we always used to hang chocolate on the tree but since we got the dog we stopped just to be sure she wouldn’t get it 🙂
I love poinsettias but since we have cats we don’t get them anymore since I hear if they digest them they could get hurt badly.
I will have to say that our Allie could care less abou the Christmas tree but our bigger outside dog is so nosy that she wants to be in the action and would probably knock it over. I love the part about your dog peeing on the tree, I almost choked because I was drinking when I was reading that part. Great tips.
What amazing tips to keep the pets safe at the holidays. We have several and it is a priority. We do tell our guest about our pets and which ones are allowed outdoors and not so that they don’t accidentally let out a pet.
I didn’t know about the toxic plants! Definitely great reminders!
Great info There aree a lot of pets who get in trouble over the holidays- eating ribbon, ornaments etc. There is also the part about plants so many arent good for pets and could kill them. It pays to be careful during the holidays.
My cat just loves taking the ornaments off and trying to get me to play fetch with her. Instead of using her ball, I guess she thinks the ornaments are her new balls!
Thank you for posting this article about pet safety. My husband and I have 2 cats and when we first put our Christmas tree up last year, they both liked to chew on it and play with the ornaments. This year, we’ve basically trained them to leave it alone and they are no longer interested. Having lots of guests over is still an ordeal, because the cats like to run under everyone’s feet and they can get stepped on and trip up guests. We always warn company when they come over and try to keep the guest list reasonable. Pet safety is certainly important!
Thanks for sharing these important tips. It’s so important to keep our fur babies safe. Your right about the blankets and it’s the same in this house. Makes it comfy for them but clean when company comes 🙂 I actually had a guest feed my dog chocolate at one of our Christmas parties so now the dogs are watched carefully and I remind my guest to please do not feed the animals in the house. Thankfully it didn’t hurt him but it did make him sick. Not fun for her or I. I also do not use glass balls with pets in the house. I don’t want the kittens to get hurt either.