Christmas is always a very fun and exciting time with so much happening across the festive season, but it can also be quite a dangerous time for our pets. It’s really important to be extra cautious over the Christmas period and ensure you’re checking everything that your cat, dog, rabbit and other pets may be in close proximity of. From toxic decorations to poisonous foods, the following points will help you to identify what dangerous there are and how to keep your pet away from them.
Lots of Chocolate
If there’s ever a time for heaps and heaps of chocolate to be passed around, it’s Christmas. From selection boxes to huge tins of treats, chocolate is everywhere over Christmas and it’s very easy to take your eye off the ball and have a curious four-legged friend sneak a treat or two for themselves. The problem with this is that chocolate can be extremely poisonous to dogs and cats, especially if consumed in large quantities. Whilst it’s easy to leave the box of Quality Street on the coffee table, it’s best to keep any open chocolate out of reach and out of sight of your dogs, as you don’t want to run the risk of them getting into any. This doesn’t mean you can’t still treat your dog and keep them involved in the festive fun, however, as online retailers like Petwell sell a range of delicious dog treats that you can use to reward your dogs for their good behaviour, or simply treat them over Christmas!
Dangerous Decorations
You’ve probably never thought to check the hazards that come with your Christmas decorations, but when you have pets in the house it’s important to do this. Many Christmas decorations, especially baubles, can be toxic and contain dangerous substances that would be very dangerous to dogs and cats. The aim is to find Christmas decorations that are labelled non-toxic, as this way you can rest assured that they are safe to use around the house. Similarly, you need to be conscious of whatever decorations you are putting around the house, as anything small could be a potential hazard when dogs are around. Try to keep any fragile or delicate Christmas decorations out of reach of your pets to ensure no accidents occur.
Avoid Chicken or Turkey Bones
We all want to spoil our pets at Christmas, as we want them to be involved and have a great day too but feeding them meat from the bone is not going to go down well. Turkey bones that have been cooked in the oven for hours before can splinter when chewed and this can be extremely dangerous for dogs. If your dog consumes the splinters it can cause them to choke which can be life-threatening. If you want to feed your pet meat over Christmas, make sure it’s just the meat with no bone or cartilage that they could potentially struggle with.
Keep them Active
It can be very easy to get caught up in the Christmas chaos and forget to take your four-legged friends out for their daily walks, but it’s important to make sure they get the exercise they need no matter how busy you are. The busy Christmas period can be quite overwhelming for dogs so its beneficial to get them out into the fresh air and give them chance to run around and burn off lots of energy.
