The holidays are finally here and we couldn’t be more excited. But, there’s one thing we need to keep in mind: the safety of our pets at home. There are so many Christmas decorations, so much food everywhere you look and so many people coming and going that accidents can happen. Consider these pet safety tips and enjoy your peace of mind this holiday season!
1. Pet-proof your Christmas tree
Your Christmas tree may be the single most dangerous thing for your pets during the holidays. Okay, that was a bit dramatic, but in all seriousness, you must pet-proof your Christmas tree no matter what. This is one of those things you shouldn’t skip because pets are super curious, and a Christmas tree is impossible for them to just ignore. This can result in upset stomachs and accidents, which leads to expensive veterinarian bills. What you can do is create a barrier between your pets and the Christmas tree by placing a baby gate or something similar. Also, anchor the tree securely so it doesn’t come crashing down if your cat or dog manages to jump onto it. Trust me, it will happen, so prepare for it.
2. Keep the tree water out of reach
If your Christmas tree is natural or you bring other live plants into your home during the season, make sure the water reservoir is out of reach from your pets. Your Christmas tree can release toxic sap when it drinks water, and because the stand smells so good, your pets will be in danger of ingesting that sap. To keep that from happening, make sure you block their access to the tree stand.
3. Pet-proof your Christmas lights
Christmas lights can be a real threat to the safety of your pets, not just because they could get tangled in them and get injured, but also because of potentially deadly internal injuries, intestinal blockage or electrocution due to chewing on the holiday lights. To make sure this doesn’t happen, fasten the Christmas lights tightly and keep the cords out of reach from your pet’s mouths. Also, block their access to loose cords or cables of any kind, which is something you should do year-round.
4. Keep ornaments out of reach as well
Ornaments look like toys to your pets, so you can bet they will try to chew on them or maybe even eat them. This poses a threat because they could get cuts in their mouths, throats, digestive systems, and it could cause other serious injuries. Especially if the ornaments get eaten. Make sure you hang them just out of reach and place a barrier between your pets and your Christmas tree.
5. Keep gifts and candy away
Your beautifully wrapped gifts look amazing under the tree, just make sure your pets don’t have access to them. I recommend you place them under the tree on Christmas morning, not before. Candy should also be kept away because your pets could easily get sick from eating something they shouldn’t. Hang your stockings high, and just keep an eye on things!
