It’s true that many people consider pets being a part of their families, and they include them in all of the festivities. Christmas was considered to be a perfect family holiday for a long time. But, nowadays, the pets are the family members. A dog is one of the loveliest pets many of us own. We can’t image our life without dogs.
Many young pairs and old people even hang a Christmas stocking for their dogs on a fireplace next to the kids or grandkids. While a holiday season is fun, it can be dangerous for your dog. Take a look at the list of the most important Christmas safety tips for dogs.
1. Sweet treats
Do you know that chocolate is poisonous for dogs and it’s a basic ingredient in candies. Often the candies are available to our little friends so it’s important not to cakes and goodies in such place where the pets can get it. When offering sweets or other goodies to your family members, it’s better to cover them afterwards or put somewhere where your dog couldn’t reach it.
You could keep your dog on a leash or in some other room. I remember one holiday when our family light-mindedly left a chocolate cake on the kitchen table and went out to celebrate Christmas. We couldn’t even imagine that the pet could reach the cake and there were the chairs that helped the pet get the chocolate. When we came back, the chocolate was no more on the table, there was only an empty box on the floor.
Chocolate crumbs showed where the dog was, all in chocolate, looking guiltless. Some time later, the cake was on the kitchen floor from the dog’s stomach and our dog felt very bad. We called vet and, luckily, our little friend is still alive and healthy.
2. Poisonous Christmas plants
The majority of marvelous holiday ornaments and artificial Christmas plants are lethal if eaten by the dogs. For example, the leaves and stalks of Poinsettia plant are highly poisonous. Also, the leaves and berries of the mistletoe plant are toxic.
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3. Ice melting chemicals
Nowadays, a lot of people use ice melting chemicals on paths and sidewalks. They burn and injure dog’s paws and are poisonous if eaten. Though, the pet rarely eats the recent ice melting chemical, it can easily eat it when licking the snow from the paws.
The decision is to keep your dog on a leash when going out and wash its paws when coming inside the house. Or, even the better option is to purchase safe ice chemicals which are accessible now in the shops. Companies that provide food for pets also produce boots to keep their paws protected.
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4. Glass ornaments
A lot of people enjoy decorating their homes for Christmas. Think about your dog when doing it. Decorations made of glass are mostly colorful and glittered and sometimes seem as eatable things. But, unfortunately, they are only playthings. Your dog can easily break it down and having some glass in the mouths or underneath its paw is the cause of seeing a vet. In order to avoid it, create the dog-friendly ornaments.
Choose plastic decorations instead of glass ones. They can also be eaten but won’t harm your dog like glass will. One more option is paper decorations which are almost harmless to the dogs.
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5. Frozen water
Keep in mind that dogs must not drink frozen water. When your pet is an outdoor one, buy either a heated bowl or change the water constantly. But the best alternative is surely a heated bowl.
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6. Tree water
Vivid Christmas trees should be watered regularly and most of us add chemicals in the water to make them more beautiful. All these chemicals are extremely poisonous for the dog. One of such chemicals is aspirin.
Sometimes aspirin can be given on the recommendation of the vet, but the quantity of it used for Christmas tree is harmful for your pet.
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7. Tinsel
Remember, that tinsel normally consists of plastic and metallic paint, and is very toxic and hazardous to dogs and small kids. They are produced without thinking they can be eaten. Moreover, eating tinsel leads to the stomach aches.
The best choice is to put popcorn festoons on your Christmas tree rather than tinsel. It’s not the best food for your pet, of course, but it is safe.
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8. Trips and visitors
There is always much to do during the festive season like numerous trips outside and plenty of new guests to your dogs. It doesn’t matter how enjoyable the visits and trips are for everybody, they can become a catastrophe for the pet. You can forget to feed your dog being far away from home. A hungry small dog is a big issue for your furniture, peculiarly when there aren’t any kids near.
There are less problems from old pets but everything can happen. All you need to do is to take the dog with you every time you go out. And don’t forget to feed your dog well. It’s a good idea to buy playthings at a pet shop. Sometimes they have such places where you can put food. The pet should work to take this treat out of the plaything. In such way the dog will be busy and won’t be hungry.
While waiting for the visitors, let your dog be in another room and keep it on a leash until the dog gets familiar with the guests. In such way your visitors and the pet will get acquainted with one another and will be happy during the celebration.
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9. Onions and garlic
The majority of Christmas evening meals have a traditional fried onion casserole and green beans. The second one is ok for the dog. Though, garlic and onions are poisonous for them. Your pet can have serious health issues if it eats a big amount of garlic, which is less poisonous than onions are.
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10. Dressing dog for outdoors
Most of our dogs are home ones and if your dog is a cold weather persistent breed, you should think smart before going out with it when it’s cold outside. It’s better to put on a warm outfit on your dog and allow it to be outdoors not much time. When your pet has too much fur, a coat will be also necessary.
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11. Fatty foods
Not only people are waiting impatiently for Christmas food, but our dogs as well. Holiday evening meals are often rich in fatty foods. The majority of us like giving some of it to the pets. It’s ok if the food is not too oily such as chicken or turkey skin. Whilst dogs love it very much, it is harmful for them. Anything extremely fat leads to inflammation.
Follow these tips and keep your dogs safe this holiday season. I wish everyone to have an incredible Christmas and Happy New Year! If you have any other tips, feel free to share them with us.