How to Keep Your Dog Safe During the Holidays

The majority of pet owners do not realize that their homes are a potential for disaster and the safety of their dogs is at risk. Complete these steps to keep your dogs safe through the holidays.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Common Sense
• Garbage cans with tight fitting lids.

1. Keep these substances up and away from your dogs. Chocolate, raisins, grapes, onions, macadamia nuts, apple seeds and pear seeds are all toxic to dogs.
   
   Common plants such as azaleas, rhododendron, and foxglove can all cause heart failure if ingested.
2. Do not leave food unattended. Dogs definitely have a sweet tooth and even a well trained dog may be tempted to snatch a treat, counter-surf, or raid the inside garbage bins as well as the outside garbage can when no one is paying attention.
   
   Make sure garbage and leftovers are safely disposed of right away. Put a heavy item on all outside garbage can lids so that stray or wild animals cannot get into the trash as well.
3. Dog-proof your home to keep your dog safe. No chocolate of any kind should ever be given to your pet and it should be kept well out of his reach. All chocolate should be kept in closed containers on high shelves in latched cupboards.
4. During social gatherings, remember to advise your guest, both kids and adults, not to give your dogs anything except their normal treats. Rich foods may cause a painful pancreatitis, and guests may not be aware of the dangers that are obvious to you. Some people are under the false impression that a dog can eat anything. Kindly show them what treats are available for them to feed Fido.
5. When having a party, if at all possible, keep your dogs in a separate room with some toys and a comfortable place to lie down. Play some soft music, especially classical, to help them relax. Pets that have their own room will feel safer, less stressed, and won't be able to accidentally escape to the buffet table or out the front door.
6. If the holiday you are celebrating involves wrapped gifts, and you have a chewer in house, keep the gifts up off the floor and on a table out of reach. Puppies chewing on ribbon can choke and /or get strangled. Ribbon that has been ingested by a dog may also bind up his intestinal track and cause damage.
7. Christmas tree lights may create a hazard. If the tree is too large to put up on a table away from the dog, then make sure that the wires from the lights are not hanging down where they can be grabbed by the puppy to chew.
8. Keep glass ornaments and tinsel, during the Christmas season, up out of reach on higher branches. Puppies can again choke on the tinsel and glass ornaments tend to break. You don't want your Grandmother's heirloom ornaments broken, nor do you want your puppy swallowing broken glass.
9. Consider getting a Dog Insurance Policy to protect yourself and your pup against any unforeseen circumstance that may arise.
10. Lastly, keep current identification on your dog at all times. With holiday parties and guests abounding, your pet may have more opportunities to escape. Buy a new Pet ID Tag with personalized engravings for your pet, and be sure that their leash is still in good condition and does not need to be replaced.

Tips & Warnings

• By following these simple steps you are sure to keep your dog safe during any holiday gathering.
• Each holiday season veterinarians witness an increase in accidental chocolate poisoning in dogs.
• Keep in mind that theobromine, caffeine and theophylline molecules, which are all naturally occurring molecules that are toxic to dogs, are found in several foods, plants, beverages and medications, with chocolate and colas being the biggest culprit.