Holiday Safety Tips for You and Your Dog

Keep Fido safe and happy this holiday season by following a few basic rules of thumb. And remember that he doesn’t have a clue what a holiday is – only that there may be more people in his home, his family may leave him for a while, his house smells and looks different, etc. So …

• Keep to your dog’s normal routine as much as possible. Vary feedings, play time, and bedtime as little as possible.
• Do not share food from the holiday table with your dog. Much of it is too rich for Fido and could give him a tummy ache. Cleaning up doggy vomit or diarrhea should not become a part of your holiday tradition.
• Know your dog’s response to strangers and understand that response may be heightened if you are hosting a party with lots of people, noise and general merry making. If your dog is uncomfortable in this setting, let him stay in a room (in a crate if appropriate) at the far end of your home. Give him a yummy stuffed Kong, turn the lights down low, provide appropriate calming music (Through a Dog’s Ear), and close the door as you leave the room.
• Never give your dog alcohol. Seriously … people actually do this.

Thanksgiving

• No turkey bones for Fido. Why? A) He can choke to death on them. B) If successfully ingested, his internal organs can be damaged by sharp shards of bone.
• Make sure your dog cannot reach leftovers on the table or kitchen counters. And remember that what you consider garbage (all the food you toss in the trash) smells like a gourmet meal to your dog. Get the trash out of Fido’s reach as soon as you’ve finished cleaning up. And he can still smell all that good stuff when you put it in your outdoor trashcan. Make sure he can’t knock that over and help himself.

Christmas

• Consider keeping your Christmas tree blocked off (with an exercise pen or other ‘fence’), especially if this is Fido’s first Christmas. Anchoring the tree to the wall will ensure it doesn’t get knocked over.
• Assume the water required for a live tree is poisonous to your dog and make sure he can't get to it.
• Tree needles from live and artificial trees can cause damage to the mouth and belly of a dog, so make sure your dog isn’t munching up on them.
• Beware of lights on lower branches of the tree. They can get very hot and burn Fido noses and tongues.
• All those extra electrical cords you need for the holiday decorations are a big hazard for the family pet. Dogs and cats may chew them and get shocked or electrocuted. Make them inaccessible.
• Glass ornaments shatter easily and can cut Fido’s feet, mouth, and internal organs if ingested.
• Do not decorate with edible ornaments like cranberry or popcorn strings unless you want Fido IN your tree.
• Tinsel eaten by your dog and block the intestines.
• Your dog’s wagging tail can sweep all the ornaments off the bottom branches of the tree. Decorate accordingly. And burning candles on low tables are a disaster waiting to happen.
• You know those pretty wrapped gifts you so lovingly place under the tree? To your dog, they are nothing more than fun stuff to carry off and rip apart. Keep them out of reach.
• Plants toxic for Fido include holly, mistletoe and poinsettia plants. Make sure they are kept in places your dog cannot reach. The ASPCA has a long list of other plants that are toxic if ingested by dogs. 

Three Life-Saving Phone Numbers 
Love your dog? What happens if he has a health crisis in the middle of the night, on the weekend or a holiday? When you finish reading this, put these phone numbers in every cell phone and land line you own:

1. Your veterinarian
2. Local emergency vet (24/7)
3. ASPCA poison hot line - 888.426.4435. There is a $65 consultation fee and it's worth every penny.