Holiday Safety Tips to Keep Your Pet Safe

Another year has passed, bringing many new joys to our hospital as our client family has continued to expand. We often find ourselves saying how very privileged we feel to share in the lives of the pets we care for and their human families. It is truly an extremely rewarding career! Many of you will notice some new faces within our staff in addition to those of us who have been a part of this hospital from the beginning. Please take a moment and flip to our “Meeting the Staff” page, where you can read all about our newest additions.

As we are once again within the exciting frenzy of the holiday season, we always like to share some pointers for keeping you furry family safe and sane during the hustle and bustle.

Holiday plants - Pointsettias and Mistletoe are poisonous if digested – so if you have and avid vegetarian in the home, it is best to avoid them.

The Christmas tree and its ornaments – many of us can share stories of finding our cat halfway up the tree, peering out at us with pure glee that we brought this wonderful new toy for them – OR – of the dog who viewed the assortment of ornaments as an “all you can eat buffet”. While these stories are certainly humorous – our holiday decorations can pose a serious threat to our pet’s health. The primary worries are:

Tinsel and cats. They like to eat it and, usually, it’s a lethal dinner.

Tempting ornaments and dogs. Many dogs will chew and swallow small ornaments resulting in an obstruction that requires surgery to save their life.

Chocolate. Chocolate and dogs don’t mix. Sorry big guys but the Godiva is all ours.

Bones left over from the holiday dinner. These are not good to share as they will result in either a really unhappy belly or and obstruction.

Also, please keep in mind that pets can become uneasy during large holiday gatherings - make sure they have a quiet spot to escape to if they feel overwhelmed.

Keeping these safety tips in mind, we hope that you and your furry family have a truly happy holiday.

Sincerely,

All of us here are Keystone Animal Hospital