Keeping Pet Safe during Holiday:

Safety of your pets is a concern during holidays. With a little common sense and careful planning, your pet’s holidays can be safe and enjoyable. During the holiday season, particularly at Christmas and Thanksgiving, we do tend to take precautions to keep our homes safe, whether in the context of decorations and appliances we use or if we are out on a holiday. For parents this is something quite routine, as decorations like electric lighting could pose a hazard and it therefore becomes necessary to plan accordingly. The same holds true for pets. Don’t forget that they are as much of a responsibility as kids, as they are your dependents.

Decorating your house is an inalienable feature to most festivities and this can be quite a problem if you have pets. Apart from the fact that they may rip apart some of your favorite decorations, many of these items are hazardous to pets. Paper decorations are quite harmless and the only threat may be to the decorations itself. A lot of the decorations that we use however do contain glass, candles and small parts of plastic, which can be hazardous to your pet. Puppies and kittens are particularly playful and do tend to chew on their toys. There is always the risk of them choking, in addition to which some of the ingredients used may also be toxic.

Lighting is probably the most common feature of any festivity and is probably one of the biggest hazards. Make sure that any lighting is, as far as possible, out of reach of any pets. Also make it a point to unplug any wires when you are not around as a pet chewing on a live wire could not only give it a severe shock, but could also cause a fire. A good way to protect any electrical wiring from pets and vice versa would be to douse the wires with an ingredient like bitter apple. It does taste terrible but is quite harmless if ingested.

Many of us also have guests over a lot of the time during the holidays. Big gatherings may be particularly traumatic to most pets, so if you notice your pet attempting to get away from the commotion and attention, provide it with a quiet and comfortable space for refuge. Although you may love the idea of your pet being the center of attention at a party, your pet may not share your sentiments.

Be careful with foods and diet too, as we do generally pamper our pets with tidbits from our scrumptious festive meals, but these may not always be healthy. Also make sure that any leftovers are disposed of properly. In addition to the risks of certain ingredients, over indulging on rich foods can contribute to obesity. No matter how hung over you may be, make sure that you don’t skip on giving your pet its much needed exercise.