Community Corner

10 Pet Safety Tips for the Holidays

Here are 10 easy tips to ensure your pets stay safe over the holidays.

The holidays are quickly approaching, stirring excitement and anticipation for the upcoming activities, meals and decorations.

As we prepare for all the festivities, pet owners must consider holiday pet safety.

A pet's well-being and safety can be compromised with holiday changes such as festive plants, lighting, and more.

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So how exactly can a pet owner best prepare for the holidays? There are 10 easy common-sense tips you can incorporate into your holiday plans to ensure your pets stay safe:

1. Secure, hide or cover all electrical cords and electronics. Holiday lights and decorations usually lead to many new cords being scattered around the house. Be sure all cords are taped down or completely out of reach for your pets as they can trip on them, chew them up, or even experience an electric shock.

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2. Keep all holiday foods out of your pets' reach. The holidays always inspire delicious food, drinks and desserts. Remember that dogs can’t eat chocolate so make sure this is out of reach. Also, animals that ingest alcoholic beverages can experience nausea or upset stomach.

3. Keep your pets' daily routine as consistent as possible. The holidays are filled with tons of parties and activities that often change up our daily routines. Try to keep your pet on their regular daily routine because they don’t adapt to change very well.

4. Keep your pets out of any rooms with a holiday tree. Although this may be difficult, the fact is that decorated trees pose many dangers. Cats and dogs enjoy playing with dangling decorations and could knock over a tree or a glass ornament. Dogs may use a tree the same way they would outside, as an area to relieve themselves. If a pet accidentally eats a hook, ornament or tinsel, they could experience intestinal problems. Animals may drink out of the water bowl the tree sits in; therefore, avoid adding chemicals to make the tree last longer.

5. Avoid using long strings, lights or décor in areas accessible to pets. Pets always want to play and could easily mistake a string of lights as a toy; this could lead to choking.  

6. Carefully watch all candles and turn off unmonitored candles. Lighting scented candles are a great way to get in the holiday spirit. But keep all flames and fires away from pets. They may get curious around a lit flame, which could lead to knocking the candle over.

7. Be careful with holiday plants. There are many holiday plants that are dangerous for your pets. Common items as mistletoe, holly, poinsettias and lilies can be poisonous to your dog or cat. Certain plants affect different animals and breeds in unique ways. Be sure to research how your specific pets are affected by different plant species.

8. Update vaccinations and ID tags. Make sure ID tags include your current address and contact information. This should be done year-round, but it is important during the holidays as we usually have many guests in our home. Guests aren’t always familiar with the day-to-day pet rules and could present opportunities where your pet could escape the house.

9. Create a safe haven for your pets. Many pets have an area or room where they feel safe. This is especially important for your pet security during the holidays when there are strangers around, as well as lots of loud noises, such as firecrackers on New Year's Eve. Pets need an area where they can retreat to if they are scared or overwhelmed.

10. Keep a list of emergency phone numbers for your pet. You should always have the contact information for your veterinarian, a 24-hour pet hospital, and the Animal Poison Control Center easily accessible. Follow these safety tips and help your pets enjoy the holidays, too!

This information was provided courtesy of AllState Insurance.


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