Holiday Pet Safety Tips

How can I keep my pet safe during the holidays?

These are some helpful holiday tips to keep your pets happy and safe over the holiday season:

1. Keep chocolate in a safe place away from pets. Depending on the dose ingested, chocolate can cause vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, hyperactivity, increased thirst and urination, and an increased heart rate. The dark baker's chocolate is especially toxic.

2. Candies or gum containing the sweetener xylitol can cause a drop in blood sugar, resulting in depression, loss of coordination and seizures.

3. Pets should never be fed "people food". Bones can splinter and cause blockages. Greasy, spicy and fatty foods can cause an upset stomach, and a very serious condition called pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas). Pancreatitis can become life threatening.

4. Alcohol can cause a pet to go into a coma, possibly resulting in death from respiratory failure.

5. Keep a watchful eye on your pets around decorations like ribbon or tinsel, which can become lodged in the intestines and cause a blockage.

6. Holiday plants such as mistletoe, holly berries, and poinsettias can cause vomiting, nausea, diarrhea and cardiovascular problems. Keep plants out of reach of pets.

7. Holiday activity and company in the house may stress your pet. Pets are very sensitive to changes in routine. Try to spend some extra time with your pet and acclimate them to the activity. Advise houseguests of your pet’s care requirements and routine so they will understand not to feed them treats, and so they will take care to watch for escapes from the house or fence.

Have a safe, happy holiday season!