There are many things that change in your home during the holidays. Packages and visitors come through the door, decorations adorn the house, big meals are made with special foods, and wrapped gifts surround a new tree in the main part of your home. As much fun as this can be, it can also pose some stress and risks to your dogs.听Learn some important holiday safety rules, tricks, and tips that can help keep you and your pets happy during this season.
Deliveries
When hosting visitors, keep a leash and collar or harness securely on your pets, with ID tags showing your cell phone number.听Be sure your pets are .听Dogs can slip out the door in a heartbeat and be gone. Alternately, keep an exercise pen set up at the door so you can open the听door, but your pets can鈥檛 escape.听听
Electric Cords听
The听skinny cords on Christmas tree lights are not well insulated and easy for a puppy to chew into. Electrocution can result, so safety is paramount. Keep the cords covered so pets stay safe.听Also, consider keeping the lower branches of the tree free from lights.听If you catch your dog chewing on a cord, unplug the cord immediately and move it out of their reach.
Christmas Trees & Decorations
You can easily add a safety measure by tethering your tree to the ceiling with a plant hook and a thin wire. Curious climbing pups or those with enthusiastically-wagging tails will appreciate not having the tree fall over on them. Also, monitor and prevent pine needle and tree water ingestion.
Hang bells on the lower branches to help alert you to your pet鈥檚 exploration of the tree. Either keep your special, breakable ornaments at the tops of the tree or in storage the years you have young dogs romping around. Another option is to surround the tree with an exercise pen to remove any temptation to much on ornaments.
Tinsel, yarn, strings, and other items with long strands can be fascinating to pets. Avoid using these products in areas where pets can get into them.听Strings of popcorn and cranberries may be especially enticing, so keep these out of reach.
Plants
Traditional holiday plants like mistletoe听and holly are听toxic to dogs. Yew, the evergreen many people have in their landscaping is extremely toxic. As a safety measure, avoid bringing clippings into your home to use as garland unless you can identify the variety.听 Poinsettias are not听toxic,听but any plant ingestions can lead to听oral irritation,听vomiting and/or diarrhea.听
Toxic Foods
Several common holiday foods that humans can safely eat are unsafe for dogs. These include chocolate, raisins and grapes, Macadamia nuts, and sugarless products containing xylitol. Avoid putting food-containing gifts under the tree, wrapped or unwrapped, when your dogs will be in the room unsupervised. Alcohol innocently set on a low table or the floor can be quickly raided by a pet, leading to serious consequences.
Gifts under the tree occasionally include meats and cheeses. Too much fat from these can be dangerous. Bones and fats from ham, turkey, and other meats can cause pancreatitis or intestinal blockages. Mesh wrappers and leg holders on meats听can also smell tempting but cause bowel obstructions. If you鈥檝e got a dog who gets into trash cans, be sure to empty them when they鈥檙e full of food.
Sidewalk Salt
Avoid using regular sidewalk salt and instead, use cat litter or pet-safe sidewalk salt products.听Wash your pet鈥檚 paws if they do track through salt that isn鈥檛 pet-friendly.听
Antifreeze
Ethylene glycol, antifreeze, is highly toxic to pets. It has a sweet taste and听remains liquid when other water sources are frozen.听Ingestion initially will mimic alcohol consumption, but quickly leads to irreversible and fatal kidney failure. Keep antifreeze wiped up and stored in covered containers. Suspected ingestion should require a trip to the veterinarian immediately.
Make sure pets have an unfrozen water supply available to them when they are outside. Heated water bowls are available, with a wire coil surrounding the cords to keep pets safe from chewing through a cord.
Candles & Oils
Dogs can easily tip candles over or venture too close to the flames. Even potpourri oils are dangerous when licked from the source or off their coats.听Place these high or听avoid altogether. Consider using plug-in room scent products as an alternative.
Visitors
Identify which home-made treats are for your pets and which are for your family and friends. You don鈥檛 want to be the one who bites into a deliciously-decorated dog biscuit.
听Marty Greer, DVM, JD has run the Veterinary Village Small Animal Clinic in Wisconsin since 1982. She is an expert in canine reproduction, is author of Canine Reproduction and Neonatology and a frequent lecturer on the subject. Dr. Greer also studied law at Marquette University and is a partner in Animal Legal Resources, LLC and is a board member of the National Animal Interest听Alliance.听Director听of Veterinary Services-Revival Animal Health听President-Society of Veterinary Medical Ethics.
This article is intended solely as general guidance, and does not constitute health or other professional advice. Individual situations and applicable laws vary by jurisdiction, and you are encouraged to obtain appropriate advice from qualified professionals in the applicable jurisdictions. We make no representations or warranties concerning any course of action taken by any person following or otherwise using the information offered or provided in this article, including any such information associated with and provided in connection with third-party products, and we will not be liable for any direct, indirect, consequential, special, exemplary or other damages that may result, including but not limited to economic loss, injury, illness or death.