Keeping Fido Safe at Holiday Time

With Thanksgiving around the corner and Christmas right behind that, it seems to be the perfect time for some safety tip reminders.  You may know of these already, so consider this a review.  If you question any of these reminders please feel free to check with your veterinarian.

 

What a cute Santa!

Bones: 

Bones, whether they are turkey or chicken, should not be given to your dog.  They will splinter and can cause damage to your dog’s throat or digestive system.  It is best to not give any type of bone to your dog. 

Gravy:

Gravies are rich as they are made from flour and some type of fat.  Fat is not good for dogs, they don’t need homemade turkey gravy to celebrate the holidays.

Alcohol:

That includes any and all booze.  I would assume that you are not giving your dog beer or Vodka any day of the year.

Chocolate:

Chocolate may be your favorite, but Fido could possibly die if he eats it.  When you put out a tray of fancy chocolates for your guest please place them out of the reach of your dog.  Also ask your guests to kindly refrain from giving food/candy of any kind to your dog.

Note:  For a complete list of foods not to give to your dog,  please click this link.

Our dog's first Christmas, tree out of the way just in case!

Tree Safety:

Your dog may be perfectly well behaved around your Christmas tree, but watch out for the wagging tail.  As a safety precaution I only use unbreakable ornaments at the height where our dog’s tail might hit and knock something off the tree.

Ornaments, Lights and Hooks:

Oh how we love the beautiful ornaments!  Your dog might also and those glass ornaments are very dangerous.  Don’t forget the metal hooks you use to hang those ornaments and treasures.  You never know what a dog or puppy will become fascinated with.

Company:

With Holiday company coming your front door will be opening and closing a lot.  Make sure you know where Princess is at all times.  An open door and lots of people coming and going might be an invitation for the dog to sneak out.  Make sure the dog has a color with tags.

Gifts: 

Shiny bows might attract your puppy so be aware.  It might be a good idea to keep your beautifully wrapped gifts where the little pup can’t reach them.  When our dog was a puppy I purposely left bows off the packages just in case.

This one loves her Wubba

Gifts for the Dog:

Don't forget to buy your dog appropriate toys and monitor play time

Down Time:

Make sure to give your dog some down time, alone time.  Dogs need to unwind and relax even during this festive time.  And a few pats on the head and kind words may be just the ticket.

Photos belong to AbbyG