By Brittany Smith
Now that December is here, it is time to prepare for the upcoming holiday season. The tree needs trimming, presents need wrapping, stockings need stuffing and its time to hang the lights up outside. Amid all the hustle, bustle and holiday music, take a few minutes to pet-proof your holiday decorations and house. It will save you time, money, hassle and a possibly fatal trip to the vets office.
- Many holiday plants are lethal to your pet if eaten. Some plants only cause diarrhea, while others can cause instant kidney failure. Keep plants like holly, mistletoe, poinsettias and lilies out of reach of your pet. Curious cats like to take a bite out of plants when you are not looking, so avoid the hassle and do not allow animals in the same room as your holiday plants unless you are watching them carefully.
- Live Christmas trees pose several threats to indoor pets. Keep a baby gate or other barrier between your pet and the tree. This keeps your furry babies from drinking the tree water. Trees are treated with numerous chemicals to make them flame retardant and pest free. All those chemicals run off into the water and pose a serious hazard to any pet who drinks the water.
- Live or fake Christmas tree ornaments are also potentially dangerous to your pet. Keep breakable tree ornaments near the top of the tree, so that if a feisty kitty or puppy comes by and steals an ornament off the tree, it won’t break in their mouth. A baby gate or barrier around the tree will also keep dogs or kids from accidentally bumping the tree and knocking over all the ornaments. Make sure you also secure your tree in case a kitty decides to climb to the top.
- Artificial snow is also hazardous to your pet if eaten. Keep all kinds of fake snow out of reach of your pets. Depending on which chemicals are used to make the snow, it could be lethal if eaten by your pet.
- Holiday lights are also dangerous to animals if not secured properly. Make sure your lights are out of reach of animals so they are not electrocuted if they happen to bump into the lights or try to eat them. Cats are always looking for the warmest spot to take a nap, so make sure that is not in the middle of your decorative lights.
- Almost all holiday food and goodies are dangerous to your pet. Make sure you and your guests do not feed your pet off the table. Be especially careful of chocolate, goodies with uncooked dough, fruit, nuts, garlic and onions. All of these foods can cause stomach problems at the very least and possibly even death if a large amount is consumed.
- Never give your pet any alcohol. Eggnog, wine and other spirits are never a good idea to give your pet, ever.
