It’s officially the holiday season, and we want every member of our family to feel safe and secure. That includes our furry friends! Let’s explore some holiday safety tips for pets. After all, our pets are our children, too! 

A Few Helpful Holiday Safety Tips for Pets

Secure the Tree

December 25^th is Christmas. Many families wait until Christmas Eve to decorate their tree. When time is of the essence, it is crucial to make absolutely sure that tree is completely secure in its stand. Many pets like to paw at the tree and its branches. However if the tree isn’t sturdy, it can come tumbling down on our beloved pet.

Don’t Drink the Water

While we’re talking about the tree, be sure to keep your dogs away from the water. For one, the lack of water will dry out the tree. Additionally, that water can be quite unhealthy for the dog. When water sits stagnant, it becomes rife with bacteria. This can be harmful if consumed and can make your playful pet sick.

Skip the Tinsel

Tinsel may be shiny and pretty, but it is also far too inviting to cats. Kitties just love to eat this stuff and it can play havoc with their little immune systems. In serious situations, swallowed tinsel can lead to an obstructed digestive tract, which can even result in surgery. The smarter play is to skip the tinsel. 

Watch Out for the Chocolate

When it’s the holiday season, that usually means there are lots of unhealthy sweets around. These can be delicious, but they can potentially poison curious pets. For example, it is highly recommended that you don’t feed your dog any chocolate. Pets require different diets than humans, so you should familiarize yourself with other snacks that are not recommended for pets as well. It is also best not to feed the animals right from the table. Though it may seem cruel, it really is best to avoid “treating” pets. It can do more harm than good. Avoiding extra food is unfortunately one of the best holiday safety tips for pets. 

The ASPCA has a great article about the “people foods” to avoid feeding your pets.

Keep Pets Away From the Pool

Many homeowners have pools. Even though it is likely that your pool is closed for the colder months, it can still be dangerous. A curious pet could wander out to the pool area, fall in and drown. That would certainly put a dark cloud over the holidays. 

To help prevent this situation, keep both your children and pets safe by installing a pool fence. A proper pool fence creates a barrier to the water. Additionally, a pool alarm can provide an immediate warning if someone has accidentally become submerged in the water. Keep your man’s-best-friend from unsafe spaces by investing in a gate alarm such as the MagnaLatch Alarm, which beeps each time the gate is opened, and sounds twice if the gate is not fully and securely latched.

Kids and Pets

Finally, kids and pets are usually best friends, but there can definitely be wrinkles in this relationship. For example, cats have claws and sharp teeth and can become easily spooked. A very small child may not understand proper boundaries. The same is true with dogs. A dog may seem friendly, but you can never be too safe. A startled dog could snap, especially if a child is pulling its tail. 

For this reason, it pays to rely on active supervision. Kids should not be left alone with pets during parties. A parent or babysitter should monitor the situation to recognize danger before it occurs. We have two articles to help here:

• Read more about kids and cat safety.
• Read more about dog safety.