The festive season is here! This is by far my favourite time of the year! I love decorating the tree, planning the day, the Christmas Carols, the tragic Christmas movies and, most of all, sharing it with my two children and two furry babies who are getting older each year. I remember loved ones who are no longer with us, who will always have a place in our hearts, with their own, special ornament on the tree.
I look forward to it every year and love sharing the excitement of Christmas with my fur babies. During this season, there are also often unique hazards for our pets that we need to be aware of!
The Christmas Tree:
I normally do this in early November. (I know!) Christmas doesn’t start for me until it is up. We normally do this together as a family to celebrate the start of the holidays and it is a great occasion although it can sometimes be chaotic for our pets. The decorations, the tinsel and even the mesmerizing tree lights can be very tempting to play with. As my pets are getting older though, they are less interested in the process and also a little more reluctant to wear their Christmas outfits!
Make sure the tree is in a safe and secure place as cats, especially, may try to climb the tree. Who hasn’t experience that at some stage – especially with kittens in the house! Therefore it is important to ensure it won’t easily tip or fall over. Setting the tree up in a corner can help.
Remember when decorating, keep decorations out of reach of your pets if they are likely to dislodge them or eat them! Tinsel, tree lights and decorations can be fun to play with but may be hazardous for your pet if chewed and broken, or swallowed. It is not unusual for us to have to remove tinsel or plastic toys from dogs and cats that have swallowed them before thinking!
Of course, take care with your Christmas Lights and electrical cords as well, as chewing through these can result in nasty burns and shocks. We always lay our cords under a mat to try and make them harder to get to!
The Christmas tree always looks its best with presents underneath. Just remember that pets of all ages love to investigate and can get themselves into a world of trouble. Be sure to keep Christmas wrapping and ribbon in a safe place and away from pets as chewing on small items like paper and children’s toys can cause stomach upsets and blockages resulting in a trip to see us! Cats particularly seem to get transfixed with wrapping ribbons!
Some Christmas plants are novelties to pets and aren’t particularly pet-safe. Mistletoe and holly may cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea, so try to keep them out of reach!
Eat Drink and Be Merry:
Christmas is a time for gathering around the table with loved ones and sharing festive food and drink. However, many holiday foods can be dangerous to our pets. Like us humans, our pets often love to over indulge during this time! We recommend preparing some dog friendly treats such as chopped up carrot or biscuits baked from dry dog food for example, to hand out when you can’t resist those puppy dog eyes!
Many Christmas foods are often too spicy, too salty or just unsafe for our pets. Festive foods, such as ham, can give our pets an upset stomach or even pancreatitis and remember, cooked bones should never be fed to pets! Unfortunately, most Christmas desserts are also off the menu with chocolate and raisins being particularly toxic!
Reading all that advice, it sounds like I have been a bit of a kill joy, which is not my intention! I just want you and your pets to have the best Christmas ever and stay safe through this period. Cherish this time together and take the opportunity to spend quality time with your pets – that is the present they will appreciate the most! Long walks and plenty of fun games together.
From my family and our pets to your family and your pets I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Love,
Leigh Anne
