Christmas is a time for celebration… not a time when you want an unexpected trip to the vets! It’s important to remember that Christmas can create additional hazards for our pets. So here’s some top tips to stay safe this Christmas.
Food
The sights and smells of Christmas food can be too much for some pets to resist! Remember to keep food out of sight and reach of inquisitive pets, particularly if the food is toxic to pets. We know you know, but here’s a reminder of foods which are commonly found at Christmas and can cause problems for pets at Christmas:
- Chocolate
- Grapes, raisins, sultans and currants (found in Mince Pies Christmas cake and Christmas pudding)
- Alcoholic drinks
- Onions and garlic
- Macadamia Nuts
- Christmas leftovers (these may not necessarily be toxic but they shouldn’t form a major part of our pet’s diets and leftover bones in particular are a major hazard for our pets.)
Presents and Decorations
Presents under the Christmas tree can prove too tempting for some pets! Don’t leave pets unattended with presents under the tree, particularly if your parcels contain anything your pets shouldn’t have! Boxes of chocolates are obvious dangers, but you can’t put it past some dogs to unwrap (and eat) anything from socks to kid’s toys!
Not forgetting that tinsel, baubles and Christmas lights are all potentially hazardous if pets are silly enough to get tangled up or worse still try to eat them! If you have pets which are prone to chewing, make sure they don’t get a taste for the cable on Christmas lights.
We hope you and your pets have a happy and safe Christmas this year!
