Keeping your pets safe at Christmas

Christmas is just around the corner, the excitement is building, not just for us but for our pets too. Decorations to play with and wrapping paper to hide in the opportunities are endless! Here we are to provide you with ways to keep yourselves and your pets safe during the festive period.

Christmas Food

Some Christmas foods can be a nice treat for our beloved pets but certain foods can also be quite dangerous to them. Here is a list of what you pets should and shouldn’t eat this Christmas.

Should:

Turkey. Only boneless, skinless, white meat as the darker parts of meat can be too rich for them
Cranberry sauce. It must be pure cranberry sauce with no added sugars or sweeteners.
Vegetables. Small amounts of carrots, peas, Brussel sprouts and parsnips are a nice treat for our pets. Avoid adding butter, seasoning and bulb vegetables, such as onions and leeks.
Potatoes. Potatoes are fine for your pets to eat in small quantities, they contain quite a lot of starch so too many potatoes can be hard for them to digest. Mashed, boiled or roasted potatoes are fine, as long as they are not mixed with anything else, such as butter or salt.

Shouldn’t:

Turkey or chicken skin and bones. Bones are seen as a choking hazard for our pets so they should be avoided. The skin on the turkey and the chicken is also way too fatty for our dogs to consume.
Gravy. Gravy is extremely high in fat and salt.
Stuffing. Stuffing usually contains onions, herbs and spices which should be avoided by our pets at all costs as it can cause stomach upsets.
Pigs in blankets. These may seem like the perfect treat for our furry friends but they contain way too much fat and salt for our dogs to consume.
Onions. Onions contain two compounds called disulfides and thiosulphates which can be toxic for cats and dogs to ingest.
Grapes, Raisins, Currants and Sultanas. All of these are toxic to your pet and you should seek help from a vet if your pet was to accidently eat one of these foods. (Christmas pudding cake is full of raisins, currants and sultanas)
Chocolate. A lot of us already know chocolate is dangerous to our pets but if you didn’t already, it contains theobromine which can be fatal to pets, even in the smallest of doses
Nuts. Any type of nut is toxic for our pets, so its best to avoid these altogether.
Candy canes. These are full of sugar and sweeteners and aren’t suitable for a treat for your pet on Christmas day.

Christmas Trees, Decorations and Household Items

Plants to avoid to keep your pets safe:

Christmas food isn’t the only hazard for pets around the house during the Festive period, most household items can be dangerous too. Holly, Ivy, Mistletoe, Poinsettias and Lilies are toxic so avoid these to keep your pets safe.

Christmas trees and decorations:

Christmas trees are another hazard for our pets as our pets may be tempted to play with the decorations that hang from the tree.

If you tend to buy a real Christmas tree, yes they smell and look lovely but they can be troublesome for our pets. The oils in the fir tree can be mildly toxic, causing stomach upsets. The needles themselves can get stuck in your pets paws or throat so it is best to regularly sweep up the needles and keep the door shut to the room with the Christmas tree, when you are out.

When decorating the Christmas tree, strings of lights are a popular decoration to put onto the tree. However your pets may be tempted to chew these lights if they are dangling or swinging low. A good way to solve this is by placing them out of reach or keeping an eye on your pet when they are in the room and making sure they are not left along with the Christmas tree.

Wrapping Paper

When wrapping Christmas presents, your pets may become over intrigued with what you are doing and they may want to start playing with wrapping paper or the ribbon. Keep your pets away when wrapping to prevent them running off with your wrapping utensils! If swallowed these can cause more problems than just a wrapping headache.

Cold Weather

As the snow falls (hopefully) and the temperature drops, we need to ensure our pets all have a warm place to sleep especially if they have been out in the elements exploring for a while.

Antifreeze is also used a lot by us during the colder months but did you know, the smell of antifreeze is extremely alluring to our pets. However it is hugely toxic and can also be fatal, so be careful not to spill any on the ground. Keep bottles out of reach as even the smallest drop can be dangerous.