Skip to main content

Tips For The Holidays

As exciting as the holidays are, sometimes all the strange people, noises, and things going on can be overwhelming to your furry friends. With Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas all around the corner, here's some helpful hints to get you through the holidays.

General Tips:
Stick as closely as possible to your normal routine - try not to vary your dog's feeding, walking, or playtime schedule

Avoid giving your dog table scraps as some of the foods we enjoy can be harmful or deadly to our pets. As a reminder, alcohol is also toxic to dogs.

If you host or bring your dog to a party, remember that some guests may not be comfortable with dogs and as a result, their energy (see energy blog post) may frighten or make your dog uncomfortable or just being around strange, new people in general may cause your dog to be uneasy.

Halloween:
Trick-or-treat candies are not for pets. All forms of chocolate can be dangerous and even lethal to dogs. Small amounts of Xylitol can cause liver failure and death in dogs.

Don't leave pets out in the yard - vicious pranksters have been known to tease, injure, steal, or even kill pets on Halloween night.

Keep pets confined and away from the door as they may try to run out or be started by unknown strangers approaching their territory

Keep lit pumpkins, electric and battery-powered Halloween decorations out of reach.


Thanksgiving:
Turkey bones can pose a choking risk to dogs. Avoid giving your dog any bones from human food. Raw yeast can also be a life-threatening food. It's best to all around avoid giving your dog table scraps to avoid issues.

Keep an eye on the holiday table and secure leftovers and garbage bins from curious dogs

Christmas:
Holly, mistletoe, and poinsettia plants are poisonous to dogs. Keep these out of reach. Avoid edible ornaments, cranberry, or popcorn string as your dog may knock over the tree in attempt to reach them.

Lights on lower branches of Christmas trees can overheat and burn your dog. Watch out for electrical cords as some dogs may chew them and get electrocuted.

Avoid glass ornaments which can break and easily cut a dog's feet and mouth. Tinsel is also dangerous to dogs as it can obstruct circulation and if swallowed, block the intestines.

Both live and artificial tree needles are sharp and indigestible. Consider blocking off your tree with a baby gate, play pen, or other "fence"

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

What To Consider Before Gifting A Dog For The Holidays

With Christmas being right around the corner, it's not uncommon for families to get puppies as a gift for their family member or themselves over the holidays. As wonderful as a gift dogs and puppies are, unfortunately, often times they are soon surrendered for adoption because not enough research was done to ensure the dog you are getting is a good fit for you and your family. Often times, important things to consider prior such as dog's breed, dog's energy levels, dog's temperament, dog's grooming and health needs, the time, attention, and training required, etc. are overlooked before bringing a dog home. For example, if you are interested in a low maintenance dog, a golden doodle, though adorable, may not be the best choice because they require daily brushing and regular grooming every 6-8 weeks to avoid matted hair (see blog post on matting ). Dogs are not objects, dogs are living, breathing creatures and most importantly, they are family. We encourage everyone ...

What Are You Feeding Your Pup?

Like people, dogs are what they eat. 40% of dogs are obese, 46% of dogs die of cancer, and heart, kidney, and liver disease are an epidemic. A lot people don't know about the foods their dog is eating, simply because the labels that say "organic, gourmet, high quality, complete and balanced", etc. are often misleading and don't mean much at all. Dog food may legally contain "4-D" meat: meat from dead, dying, diseased, and disabled animals. You may not think that what your dog eats can directly correlate with their health, but it can and it does! Ingredients in Dog Food to Avoid: Find a full list of ingredients to avoid here:  Ingredients To Avoid Ethoxyquin  - used as a preservative which is also found in herbicides. Vets have noticed that this ingredient is associated with development of kidney and liver damage, cancer, immune deficiency syndrome, blindness, and leukemia Propylene Glycol  - Also found in anti-freeze, it's placed in dog food to...

What To Do In The Event of Natural Disasters

As our beloved dogs and cats are a part of our family, it's always best to be prepared in the event of a natural disaster so they do not get left behind. Here are a few tips to prepare for in case disaster strikes: Upload all of your pet/vet records/identification records to a safe place (in the event that the paper copies get lost or destroyed) either to an email, phone, or hard drive. Also it's best to have a Rescue Alert Sticker that lets first responders know there are pets inside your home that need to be saved. Blizzards: Since we are in the middle of this year's winter weather, we will start with tips on how to keep your pup safe during blizzards. Keep your pet indoors as much as possible and limit outdoor time to bathroom breaks. It's very important that you do not leave your pets outdoors during frigid temperatures. If you are cold, that's a good indication that they are cold as well. When they do go outside, make sure you are prepared. Keep the...