The holidays are in full swing, and it's time to bake, decorate, plan our activities and...make sure that our pets are joining us in the fun! With three cats and two dogs in the house, Angeline and I have to take great care in ensuring that our furry friends are safe and receive the love and attention they need year-round, but it can be especially important during the busy holiday season, when we are working and traveling more than usual!
The 5 Pet Safety Tips for the Holidays from Purina has been a huge help as we navigate the busy holiday season! Especially with the newest addition, Kylie...did I say 2 dogs? Yeah, it's three now.
Look at her little face! How could I have said no?!
With all the hustle and bustle of shopping for presents, hosting and attending parties and catching up with friends and family, Purina wanted to share some tips on how to make sure the holiday season is safe (and fun) for all of our four-legged family members. Things can be so stressful for our pets during the holiday season, and I for one and so grateful to Purina for giving their helpful advice on how to keep our furry friends safe!
Even if our toes aren't.
Our homes can be a dangerous place for our pets, and when you take into account all that is involved with the holiday season, it can become even more so. For instance...all those glittery lights we love to set up? My cats are drawn to them like magnets! Gizmo especially loves to hang out around the Christmas tree, and you may think that's cute - because it really is - but when she wants to chew on the tree branch, the risk of electric shock comes into play, and that's not a good thing!
House guests, festive foods, decorations, and outside gifts can all pose a risk to the health of cats and dogs. For instance, my cat Hazel...she is the sweetest thing ever - but she is terrorized every time anyone comes over to visit. She almost had a heart attack when I had to take her with me during the Hurricane Irma evacuation. She doesn't do well with guests and hides whenever anyone is here - imagine what that's like for her during this holiday season!
Bailey and Toby love everyone and get incredibly excited whenever we have guests, but there are concerns for them too! Did you know that our most favorite holiday plant, the Poinsettia, is actually poisonous to animals? It is!
Over the years, I've learned that our cats LOVE to chew and scratch at the gifts under the Christmas tree, so now I mostly wrap them last minute or use gift bags. All of those ribbons and bows could end up in their bellies and cause all sorts of health issues!
Check out this 5 Pet Safety Tips For The Holidays by Purina vet, Dr. Zara to make sure that your pets stay safe this holiday season, where she covers things like:
- Why you should mark hazardous gifts as "Non Pet-Friendly."
- The dangers of ribbons, bows and decor.
- Which holiday plants are dangerous.
- Dangerous food ingredients for pets.
- Why you should keep purses and jackets hidden.
Marcie W.
This is definitely some helpful information! We like to make our dog a part of our holiday celebration, but keeping him safe is always the top priority.
Mel
These are great tips to keep your pets safe for the holidays. Loving those photos of you and your pets. Kitties just love getting into trees, don't they? Ha!
lisa
Love these tips and I agree they are very helpful! We always add Sparkles in our holiday celebrations we actually go a little out for her with some special toys. We know she gets so excited by the tree and gifts so we make it a point to make sure she is safely away from anything that might harm her.
Liz Mays
That's so smart to put non pet-friendly on gifts. I'll really think about to whom I give poinsettias from now on too.
Desiree Lopez
This is a good reminder to be careful with our furry babies during the busy holidays. We stopped using tinsel because we realized our dog was trying to eat it! That could have been an ugly situation really fast!