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Your pet and the holidays

Here are some tips for keeping your pets holly jolly over the holiday season and out of danger.
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By Lisa Kedian
Special to the Cochrane Eagle

The holidays are a wonderful time of year – but they can also present some danger to your pets. Here are some tips for keeping your pets holly jolly over the holiday season and out of danger.

Foods to avoid giving your pet during the holidays (and always):

  • Chocolate can cause seizures and death in dogs and cats. Darker chocolate, such as unsweetened bakers chocolate is more toxic than milk or white. The toxic ingredients in chocolate include caffeine and a chemical called theobromine. Don’t feed or allow your pets to get their paws on any holiday chocolate treats.
  • Ingesting onions or garlic can damage healthy red blood cells, leading to life-threatening anemia if not caught and treated in time.
  • Xylitol has become more popular in recent years and is now included in a lot of “sugar free” labelled items. Xylitol can cause low blood sugar and liver failure in dogs.
  • If you have any coffee, tea or other caffeinated beverages, don’t leave it anywhere your pet could take a sip. The caffeine can prompt seizures, abnormal heart rhythm and death in pets.
  • Cooked chicken or turkey bones become very brittle when cooked. They can splinter easily and break into shards. They can become stuck in your pets mouth, throat or intestinal tract. Never feed these to your pet.

Pet hazards with holiday decor:

  • Holly, mistletoe and lilies are poisonous to pets if ingested and should be kept out of reach of your pets.
  • Keep Christmas gift wrap and decorations off the floor so your pet doesn’t get any ideas of chewing or eating them.
  • Pets aren’t fans of loud noises, so be aware of things like popping champagne bottles, Christmas crackers, balloons or nearby holiday fireworks.
  • If you have a real Christmas tree, fallen needles are very sharp and can easily get stuck in your pet’s paws or throat. Sweep tree needles up regularly or keep your pet and tree separate.
  • Cover up electric cords so your pet can’t chew them.
  • Cats, especially, will show a great interest in decorations hanging from your tree. Try to use unbreakable decorations and nothing too small that they will be able to swallow.
  • Avoid tinsel or ribbons as these are dangerous to the gastrointestinal tract if your pet swallows them.

Most pet related Christmas dangers are easy to avoid so just have fun and remember to be pet safe! Provide lots of enrichment opportunities for your pets so they can stay out of trouble this holiday season.

Lisa Kedian is the communication coordinator from the Cochrane and Area Humane Society

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