Holiday Safety Tips for Pets

The holidays are a time for celebration, but some traditions are dangerous for our four-legged friends. Keep your pets safe this holiday season:

• Beware of toxic foods. Chocolate, grapes, raisins, onions, caffeine and alcohol are among the foods that can harm pets. Stick to pet-friendly foods to avoid a costly visit to the emergency veterinary hospital.

• Skip leftover bones. Cooked bones can splinter and harm your pets. The gristle and fat on leftover bones can wreak havoc on their stomachs.

• When dinner is served, distract your pets with their own treat. Distract your dog from begging at the dinner table or hiding at your feet anxiously waiting to grab any little morsel that drops to the floor with their own special treat. Maybe it’s a new made-for-pet chew bone or a Kong toy filled with a yummy treat.

• Set guest guidelines. Pets can be sensitive to loud noises, new people and an increase in activity. Often they will escape a house unnoticed when people are coming and going from your home. Make visitors aware of your pets, so they don’t leave doors open or feed them foods from the table that could be potentially dangerous.

• Avoid certain holiday décor. Decorations can be a choking hazard and some holiday plants are toxic to pets, like poinsettias and mistletoe. Keep them out of reach or avoid using them altogether.