Christmas is a wonderful time of year to spend with your pet. Both presents and food overflow, but there are some (presents) and food that are hazardous to your pets. Keep this in mind this Christmas to ensure a safe season for all in your household.
Christmas Lunch & Cooked Bones:
We all like to include our furkids in our festivities, but do be careful not to feed your dogs leftovers from Christmas without checking what exactly you’re giving them.
Cooked bones can be very dangerous, as the sharp and brittle pieces can break off and easily get stuck in your dog’s throat or stomach. Both cooked and uncooked meat can cause canine pancreatitis and this can potentially be fatal to your dog.
Other things to avoid are Christmas pudding, as this contains ingredients that are toxic to dogs. Prepare for the day by purchasing more dog-friendly treats that you can give your dogs while enjoying your own lunch or dinner – or try making your own homemade dog treats.
Other Food Items that is on the No-No List:
- Alcohol
- Avocado
- Caffeine
- Chocolate (And Sugar in general)
- Corn Cobs (If they break off large pieces and swallow them whole, it can cause intestinal obstruction, a serious and potentially fatal medical condition.)
- Fatty Meats (too much can lead to inflammation of the pancreas due to high fat content)
- Fruitcake (nuts, fruits and alcohol)
- Garlic
- Grapes
- Macadamia nuts & derivatives using Macadamia flour
- Onions & Chives
- Pitted Fruits
- Pork Crackling (can lead to inflammation of the pancreas due to high fat content)
- Raisins
- Walnuts
- Xylitol (be extremely careful around this with dogs!!)
Presents:
We all know our dogs have an amazing sense of smell, and if they can get to them, may want to rip open some of those gifts early! Even if they’re not meant for them 😉 Put any presents that may contain harmful food substances out of their reach.
Any gifts containing chocolate and or Xylitol should be especially well out of their reach – else you will be visiting your vet and Xylitol ingestion and be fatal. Sadly this happens a lot of Christmas time. 🙁
There are even some well intended pet gifts that are not good for dogs – such as the very much debated raw hide products. Rawhide bones and other edible chews can sadly pose a choking and intestinal blockage risk to dogs. Rather steer clear of these, and buy hooves, pigs ears and other natural, edible treats instead.
Houseguests, Noise & Chaos:
Dogs (and cats) are highly sensitive to noise. Many are shy or nervous around strangers, and or children. The general chaos of the holiday season may stress them out. Make sure to provide them a safe, comfortable place to go to if they are uncomfortable. Remind guests not to leave doors open so dogs can run out. If you have a particularly nervous animal – be it dog or cat – it may even be best to put them in a room of the house they like (like potentially your bedroom) with a nice juicy, filled hoof or puzzle game to keep them busy, their bed and water. Be sure to check in on them and perhaps let them out for potty breaks.
If even being in their own room away from the noise and general chaos might be too stressful for them, there are some great calming supplement options available at most pet- and vet shops such as CalmEze and CBD products for dogs that you might wish to consider.
Be safe and well this Christmas, and may you and your beloved furkids have a wonderful festive season!
You must be logged in to post a comment.