Christmas time is filled with fun but it can also be a confusing and sometimes dangerous time for your pet. Many of the seasonal additions to the house including Christmas trees, decorations and presents may entice a more curious kitten. Not to mention the sudden change in rules and routine, things they are not allowed to touch; strange people entering your home; and plenty of unusual noises and enticing smells. Here’s our list of potential risks your pet might face this silly season.

Christmas Trees and Lights

You can imagine how exciting a giant tree in your lounge room with lots of shiny cool looking toys on it, is for our pets.  But so many ornaments can be dangerous for our pets to ingest. If you have a puppy or kitten in your home, you will need to put your Christmas tree out of harm’s way. If your pet is small enough you might be able to fence your tree off with a pet playpen. Another option is to consider using a smaller tree that you can display high up on a table out of your pet’s reach. Or put your tree in a room where your pet will not be allowed unsupervised. Potential dangers include:

• Broken Christmas ornaments – If your puppy or kitten gets these in their mouth the shards of plastic or glass can cause painful and dangerous internal injuries.
• Tinsel – This looks shiny and harmless to your pets but if they swallow tinsel it can potentially obstruct their intestines.
• Lights and electrical cords – Chewing on electrical cords could cause electrocution or a house fire.

Watch out for symptoms such as decreased appetite, vomiting, diarrhoea, listlessness and weight loss in your pet and contact a vet immediately if you think your pet has ingested a Christmas decoration.

Christmas Presents

Your pet does not understand that they have to wait for December 25th to open presents! So to avoid early opening of gifts it really is best to wait until Christmas Eve to place presents under the tree, especially food presents with an enticing smell. Once the presents have been opened and your pet is admiring their new Christmas treats, quickly clean up any gift wrap, plastic packaging, ribbon or bows that could strangle or be swallowed by your pet.

Christmas Food

We are all excited to have our dog join in on our special day, but it is important to remember, not all the foods we serve up are safe for dogs to digest. Avoid feeding your dog any Christmas leftovers. Cooked ham/chicken/turkey bones are NOT safe for dogs, so even though your dog is staring at it and drooling, it is important you don’t end up with a massive vet bill via emergency vets on Christmas Day. Much of what we love to eat at this time of year can be deadly to pets. Never let dogs or cats anywhere near access to:

All of these foods or the additives that can be found in them are very dangerous if ingested – and dogs, in particular, can be very crafty about sneaking a taste. Supervise your pet carefully and be aware of signs of toxicity – including breathing issues, panting, drooling, twitching, diarrhoea, and vomiting.

Children

If you are expecting new children to visit on Christmas Day, it might be a great opportunity to teach them to leave your pet/s alone whilst they eat and sleep. If you will have kids running around, squealing and getting over excited, it may be a good opportunity to keep your pet separate to avoid overstimulation. 

Heat

The silly season and scorching heat come hand in hand in Brisbane. It is important that our dogs ALWAYS have access to shade and water, the heat can affect them easily and you do not want to experience any heat distress. Check out our blog 5 Common Conditions To Avoid During The Hotter Months for other useful summer health tips. 

Silly Season Tip

The festive season is a busy time for everyone but don’t forget to allocate time to spend with your pet and try to get at least 20-30 minutes a day to exercise your dog.

One of the most important things is to enjoy your family and fur friends during the silly season. Our pets are one of the best ways to lower our stress levels during this hectic time so keep them close and keep them safe.

Have a Merry Christmas and we look forward to supplying you with Australia’s Best RAW Pet Meat in 2021.