Christmas is such an exciting time for all us fur babies! We become surrounded by strings that light up, dangly things that hang and sparkle from these trees that suddenly shoot up in our houses, and decorated boxes covered in paper, ribbons, and bows with tiny objects tied to them. Our homes become transformed into a winter wonderland……..wonder what this shiny thing is, wonder what is up in this tree, wonder where this cord goes, wonder what is in this box. The smell of fudge or fresh baked goodies make us want to put our agility training into action to see how high we can jump and retrieve the frisbee covered in beautifully decorated treats on tables in the house. All these wonders can lead us straight to the nearest veterinarian if our owners are not careful about all their Christmas cheer! Share this list with your pet parents so we can have a safe holiday and not have to visit our doggie doctor!
1. Do not light candles in homes where there are pets.
2. Do not use poinsettias, holly, or mistletoe to decorate as these can be poisonous.
3. Keep chocolate candy, cookies, and coco out of a pet’s reach; chocolate is toxic and some sweets contain the artificial sweetener xylitol which can be deadly.
4. Avoid stringed decorations like tinsel, icicles, or stringed popcorn. If eaten, a string foreign body can be deadly.
5. Don’t use edible decorations….like popcorn or gingerbread.
6 Don’t use glass ornaments which if broken can be dangerous to paws and the intestinal tract.
7. Keep extension cords and wires out of our reach…one bite can be deadly!
8. Use an artificial tree instead of a real tree to prevent pine needle injuries and ingestion of stagnant water associated with a real tree.
9. Keep alcohol out of reach ….drunk doggy can lead to dead doggy!
10. Do not give us your table scraps….this makes our pancreas mad!
11. Do not keep fire starter logs where pets can lick or chew on them. They contain dangerous chemicals.
12. Respect your pets privacy my allowing them to retreat to their quite place while you have a Howling Christmas and a Yappy New Year!!!!
