Holiday pet safety tips

Spending Christmas with Fluffy or Rover?

By the Etobicoke Humane Society

If your family already has a pet, or if you acquire one during the holidays, the Etobicoke Humane Society offers the following safety advice to make the season safer for your pets and less stressful for you:

Don’t let your pet eat the following foods: Chocolate (highly toxic to pets), alcoholic beverages, coffee, mouldy or spoiled foods, salt, chicken or turkey bones (even cooked bones can splinter and lodge in your pet’s throat and cause serious damage by puncturing the intestinal tract).
Plants that are poisonous to pets: Lilies, mistletoe, holly and yew trees are poisonous to pets and must be kept well out of reach. Lilies can cause kidney failure in cats. Poinsettias, though no longer considered a serious threat to pets, can cause stomach upset and distress if ingested, and may irritate a pet’s mouth.
Pet presents should be selected carefully; avoid anything with wires, tinsel, artificial snow, aluminium foil, strings or rope that can unravel easily, or tiny pieces that can be swallowed.
Electrical cords can cause serious injury to pets if chewed. Make sure that cords are kept tucked safely away from pets.
Keep pets away from the Christmas tree; electrical wires and hanging decorations can be tempting to pets, especially cats and small pets. Avoid tiny decorations and tinsel; if ingested, tinsel can damage your pet’s gastrointestinal system.

Christmas tree pet hazards and cautions

Real Christmas tree needles can be sharp and easily stick in your pet's paws or throat. Sweep or vacuum away the needles regularly or fence off your tree so pets can’t get to it.
Decorations made with real Chocolate are highly toxic to pets. Do not hang chocolates from your Christmas tree.
Electric cords can be dangerous to pets if chewed. Cover cords or tuck them away.
Secure your tree so your pet can’t pull it over.

Other pet safety tips

Crackers, poppers, balloons, and champagne bottles make loud noises and can be stressful to pets.
Remove your Christmas wrapping paper (and toys) from the floor to avoid your pet chewing or swallowing it.
Keep veterinary emergency numbers handy over the holidays.
Make sure your pet is microchipped and/or wearing secure, proper ID, in case he/she gets out by accident.

Originally published on CityLine