Happy Holidays

I am going to reiterate after the previous holiday blogs for Thanksgiving to please be careful in preparing your pets for a safe and happy holiday. Christmas season is a VERY busy time for Emergency Vets as they help pets with holiday mishaps. Please visit the previous posts to go over keeping your pets safe and comfortable as guest visit your home!

In addition to all of the same food dangers we discussed for the Thanksgiving blog, let’s talk about a few Christmas considerations.

Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate!!!! Please keep a close eye as you set out treats that might contain chocolate & xylitol (also known by other names like: birch sugar, wood sugar, birch bark extract). When you have guests bringing foods please be sure to check the ingredients and place them safely out of reach! Guests might also bring wrapped treats and put them under the tree which your pets might sniff out and get into, so please be sure to ask if any of the gifts contain edibles of any kind and keep those off the floor.

Be aware when guests are staying in your home that many supplements, toothpastes and medicines can also contain xylitol or other dangerous ingredients for dogs and ask them to keep things secure and out of your dog’s reach as people not used to living with dogs might not think to keep things safely away from your pup. Dogs (and cats) are always more drawn to new people’s things and will often investigate in ways they would normally not.

Mistletoe is toxic to both dogs and cats! Often time people gift wreaths with mistletoe or add it to wrapped boxes so be sure you keep mistletoe well out of your pups reach! Poinsettias & Holly are also toxic to dogs and cats, though they need to consume large amounts to be truly dangerous. But licking the leaves can cause drooling, vomiting and diarrhea so best to keep these safely away from your pets.

Christmas tree considerations. While making salt dough ornaments is a very safe activity, your dog eating them is not, be sure to hang salt dough ornaments higher and out of reach! Pets also might try to drink water from the tree if you have a live tree, it’s a good idea to use a tree skirt or cover of some kind to keep them out of the water as it can cause GI upset. If you own pets tinsel is a NO GO, many pets are attracted to it and can eat it, this is especially true for cats. This can easily get caught in their intestines and cause life threatening complications. Also string ribbon can be very dangerous when ingested, stick to bows or keep the ribbon out of reach! Keep a close eye out for chewing those light wires! Fragile glass ornaments are best kept off trees with pets, or kept up high and out of reach.

Snow globes! Did you know if you break a snow globe the contents are extremely dangerous for pets. The liquid inside is ethylene glycol, the same deadly chemical in antifreeze that smells sweet and attracts pets which can easily be fatal when ingested.

Taking your dog with you to events and gatherings.

When attending winter events, consider things might be chaotic and loud, and that your pup might be more comfortable staying warm and cozy at home!

Watch for things like rock salted sidewalks and roads that might irritate their paws.

Have a plan for what you will do if you can see they are stressed whether at outdoor or indoor events. Reactive behavior and anxiety can be triggered by being over tired and overwhelmed in new environments or with so many new stimulating activities.

Have a time out rest spot where your dog can rest and decompress. Bring their familiar beds, toys and chews. You might need to hangout with them for them to truly rest.

Keep in mind when visiting other homes that they might not have been as careful as you about puppy proofing for all of the things listed above.

Advocate for your dog’s needs! Family members can gaslight you and make you feel too extra, but that is far better than having bad things happen and having to work to put back the pieces later, if you even can. Advocate, you know them best!

See the previous blogs on introducing dogs, and preventing resource guarding incidents.

A few holiday favorite games & activities:

Making Christmas crackers for dogs: Just be sure to keep the ribbon from being ingested, you can easily forgo it and just twist the ends if you have a pet that might want to eat it.

If you plan to dress your dog in holiday hats, take the time to make it a stress free occasion for them!

If you do scent work with your dogs, this is a fun game! Use wrapped gifts as your containers and have your dog find the correct box under the tree.

Make a paw print ornament. Just be sure to keep them from eating the ornaments 😂.