Keep your Pet Safe this Holiday

Creature Comforts is a Kalamazoo mobile vet that truly believe it is our job to help our clients and patients get through the holidays safely. This time of year can cause anxiety, upheaval, and drama as well as some danger. During the holiday season there are a lot of potential risks in addition to the cold weather.

When putting up your holiday tree, it is important to think of your cats (if you have any). As anyone with a cat probably knows, they love to climb. In order to prevent a fallen tree and shattered ornaments, it’s a good idea to use heavyweight fishing line to anchor the tree to the wall or ceiling. In order to avoid broken glass brought on by the tail of your dog, try shatter proof ornaments. You should also avoid tinsel, as cats and dogs alike may eat it and that will be a call to the vet! If you are worried about the harmful potential of your tree, there are a variety of methods to anchor your tree risk-free.

Besides the tree, there is also lot more food around than normal during the holidays. Besides risking overeating, there are foods that are particularly dangerous to dogs if ingested, including chocolate, onions, and grapes. It’s important to make sure you keep these foods away and let your guests know to watch their food and not feed any to your pets. There are more foods that animals should not eat as well and can be found online.

Your pets, like you, can also experience a lot of anxiety during the holiday season. Whether it be because they are left alone for long periods of time, or that they are surrounded by too many people. If you’re going to be gone for long periods of time, maybe enlist the help of a pet sitter, and if there are going to be a lot of people (especially young children), consider separating your dog or cat from the commotion.