Pet proofing provides greatest gift of all
Safe home for furry friends leaves everyone in good spirits
Take a quick trip to the mall and it’s obvious that holiday preparations are well underway.
While we still have plenty of time to shop for the perfect gift or plan the perfect party, it is never too early to start thinking about how to protect pets from the special dangers they face during this otherwise delightful season.
Holiday traditions often revolve around food. Whether it’s a turkey left to rest on the counter or a box of chocolates on the coffee table, temptation is all around us.
The same is true for our pets. The combination of a distracted owner and easily accessible food spells disaster for dogs and cats.
Chocolate, turkey or chicken bones, fatty foods, gum or candy containing the sugar substitute xylitol, grapes and raisins are particularly dangerous. Keep pets safe by storing all food items well out of their reach.
Holiday decorations and pets are a volatile mix, too. Shiny ornaments and dangling stockings look a lot like toys. Attempting to play with them can result in trees or furniture being knocked over, potentially damaging cherished family heirlooms or resulting in an emergency trip to the vet.
Essential oils, such as those typically in liquid potpourri oils, are dangerous, especially to cats. And never leave a pet unsupervised in a room with a lit candle.
Dogs and cats will often inves- tigate new items in their environment by chewing and sometimes swallowing them. Pets can easily gnaw through the protective insulating layer that surrounds electrical cords, putting themselves and everyone else in the house at risk for electrocution and/or fire.
Dogs, and especially cats, are also drawn to ribbons, yarn, string and tinsel. When ingested, these items can wreak havoc on their gastrointestinal tracts, often necessitating surgery to remove the foreign material and/or repair the damage it has caused.
If houseplants or flowers are part of your holiday decorating plans, make sure to use only those species that are safe for display around pets. Good options include the Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii), Christmas dagger (Polystichum acrostichoides), Christmas orchid (Cattleya trianaei), Christmas palm (Veitchia merrillii) and, contrary to popular belief, poin- settias. Poinsettias are not truly toxic, but can cause mild to moderate gastrointestinal symptoms when ingested. Keeping them out of direct contact with pets makes sense, but this is one plant that doesn’t need to be banished from the home entirely.
Species that fall into the banished category include yews (Taxus spp.), American mistletoe (Phoradendron flavescens) and, for cats, many species of lily (Lillium spp.). Even the water used to nourish the Christmas tree can be toxic to pets if it contains preservatives or pesticide residues.
So celebrate the holidays with your pets, but do so in a safe manner that allows the entire family to enjoy the New Year together.