How To Celebrate A Pet-Friendly Christmas - Safety Tips For Pet Parents
With Christmas and New Year right around the corner, your house is bound to be filled with people, joy and lots and lots of food.
As excitement for Christmas increases, the chances of accidents involving your Pet increases too.
To avoid such mishaps and make Christmas truly a Merry day for both you and your Dog, read on.
Important Discussion Points In This Guide
- Christmas Tree Safety Tips
- Christmas Food Safety Tips For Pets
- Christmas Party Pet Safety Tips
A few tips to keep in mind to celebrate a Pet-friendly Christmas are:
Pet-Friendly Christmas - Tree Safety Tips:
Placement of Christmas tree
If your fur-mily goes all in for Christmas with a beautiful big tree, then you need to spend some time thinking about where you are going to place it.
With a dog or cat at home, it is best to place the Christmas tree in a corner of the room.
For added safety, you can also tie the Christmas tree to a pole or a sturdy object to avoid the tree falling off from an excited pet leaping on it!
Use pet-safe Christmas decorations
Instead of candles, you can choose artificial lights/string lights to decorate your tree.
As a pet parent, you should also be wary before choosing decor items like ribbons or tinsels - as the chances of your pet accidentally ingesting them are high.
So, to remove such safety hazards opt for string lights and make sure they do not have any open wirings.
Place the decor away from your pet’s reach
Once you have chosen the right kind of pet-safe decoration for your Christmas tree, you should also make sure to place them at a height that is out of your dog or cat’s reach.
Place them on the higher branches to avoid your pet chewing, pulling or tangling on them.
Clean up your pine tree
If you have a real pine tree at home, it is best to clean up any pine needles that fall off and to keep changing the water in the tree stand.
An excited dog or cat may accidentally ingest the pine needle or stagnant water leading them to fall sick.
Cover the area around the tree
For added safety, you can add a barrier or place aluminium foils around the tree. The crinkling sound of foil will keep your pet away from the tree.
Pet-Friendly Christmas - Food Safety Tips:
Keep pets away from Xmas Chocolate & Candy
Chocolate and Candy are highly toxic for your dog. The Xylitol and Theobromine found in these sweet treats are hard for your dog to digest and can cause an increase in their heart rate.
To avoid chocolate poisoning or other problems keep the chocolate boxes away from your Pooch’s reach.
Table scraps can be dangerous
With dinners and parties lying ahead, feeding your dog leftover turkey or chicken bone may seem like a safe option. But these bones pose a choking hazard.
Even cooked poultry bones can cause possible blockages. It’s also best to keep your cat away from meals that contain garlic, as it may cause garlic poisoning.
Do not go heavy on the cake treats
A fun part of Christmas is the delicious plum cakes. And one furry individual in your family is bound to walk around the table with puppy eyes begging for a piece or two of the cake.
But as pet parents, you should know that cakes with raisins, nuts and dried fruits are not good for your dog’s health.
To keep your dog safe this Christmas - it is best to limit the amount of “Human Food” given to your dog.
Remember the 10% rule
Since your dog can’t indulge in human treats, do not try to overcompensate for that with dog treats.
Remember that only 10% of your dog’s daily calorie intake should come from treats and let’s try to stick to that limit. If you are feeding them holiday-specific dog treats, consult with your Vet and adjust the rest of their meals accordingly!
Pet-Friendly Christmas - Party Safety Tips:
Take them for a walk
Before the festivities begin in your house and family and guests start pouring in, spend some time with your dog by taking them out on a walk.
Not only does this provide them with the much needed daily exercise but it also helps with tiring them down and reducing their energy. Walking your dog before the Christmas Party also helps with calming their anxiety.
Create a safe space for your pet
With guests in your house, there are bound to be loud noises and movements. A normal environment for humans can be extremely overwhelming for pets.
In such situations, it is best to provide a safe room for your pet where they feel calm. Provide them with fresh water, toys and their favourite cosy bed to relax in, until the party gets over.
Do not punish your dog
For a pet who is used to being around their mom and dad, it is quite natural for them to get excited or anxious around their dad’s friend or mom’s sister.
So, if you find your dog or cat behaving differently than usual, it is completely normal. Do not punish them for such behaviours. Instead, you can try to calm them down with a walk or provide a separate safe room for them.
Clean up any mess
With pets in the house, you need to clean up any mess left from the party.
Be it dishes or gift wrappers, dispose of them or keep them out of your pet’s reach. This will ensure that your pet does not accidentally push a valuable item or ingest pieces of garbage.
Now that you know how to celebrate a pet-friendly Christmas, here are a few more tips you can incorporate to make the holiday season a joyful event for your dog:
- Bake some pet-friendly Christmas treats for your Pooch.
- Buy gifts (dog chew toys, cat wand toys & more) for your pet!
- Play interactive games like tug of war or a stimulating game of “Sniff the Treat Out” with your pet.
For more exciting ways to celebrate a pet-friendly Christmas, check out this blog.
We hope that you and your family have a safe and joyful Christmas and a Happy New Year!
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