Keep Your Pets Safe this Holiday Season

When decorating for the Holidays and getting ready to spread seasonal cheer, the last you want to hear about is how dangerous those ornaments can be. We don’t mean to stifle your spirit, but keeping these simple tips in mind will help keep your pets safe. It will also save you a lot of clean up and hassle.

Deck the (tops of) the halls. Holiday plants like holly and mistletoe are poisonous for pets. Feel free to enjoy them, but make sure the furry ones can’t reach them.

Place those ornaments carefully. When putting ornaments on the tree, we tend to look for balance and avoid leaving gaping holes in the design. Well, you might want to leave one gaping hole—all along the bottom of the tree. Save your pet and save yourself some trouble and consider keeping those lower branches free of lights and breakable ornaments, especially if you have a kitten or a puppy.

Choose your ornaments wisely. When it comes to having pets, you might want to just avoid certain types of holiday decorations altogether. Things like tinsel are best avoided, especially if you have a cat that can get beyond those lower branches.

(Don’t) Keep in Real? A live Christmas tree is a wonderful addition. If you do opt for a live tree, though, make sure you keep the pine needles off the floor as much as possible. If ingested, the needles can puncture your pet’s intestines.

Mind the base. Make sure your tree is secure in its base to keep it from toppling over when nudged or tugged from below. Placing your tree in a corner also helps avoid tip-overs.

Be a Scrooge when it comes to snacks. As always, make sure people food, especially treats like chocolates, stay out of your pet’s reach. It can be tricky keeping track of everything with all the hustle and bustle of holiday events, so extra vigilance might be needed.

Find a quiet place. Speaking of which, when festivities are at their busiest and you have people over, try to arrange a quiet place for your pet to escape the commotion.

Go for a low-fiber diet. When all those presents are unwrapped, make sure the paper and bows get put away before they become someone’s unhealthy snack.

One last important tip for the season: have a wonderful time! Happy Holidays!