What's for Thanksgiving dinner?  and Tinsel, Tinsel, everywhere.  

    

Thanksgiving and Christmas are fun times of the year that we share with friends and family. It's important to remember a few safety tips to keep your pets healthy and happy this Thanksgiving and Christmas season.

• People food and treats are not pet treats. All forms of chocolate can be harmful to your pets. Xylitol is a sweetener added to gums and candy and is very toxic to pets. Candy wrappers can become lodged in the digestive tract. Thanksgiving dinner is often a time for "food snatchers" and any amount of fatty foods can be harmful to your pet causing G.I. upset, and even more severe forms of Pancreatitis.  Keep all forms of human food and treats up and out of reach of your pets.
• Visitors are great, but not always for a scared pet.  The door bell keeps ringing and strangers keep coming over and over again! Often times fearful pets are more happy when they are put in a quiet room during times when visitors are arriving. Turn on a TV or radio in the room to help your pet with the anxiety of the scary visitors, as well as keep them safe from the frequently opened doors.  After all visitors have arrived, and things have calmed down, then invite your pet in to check out the guests.  
• Decoration are tempting play toys. Pets are attracted to lights, candles, tinsel, packages and decorations and can knock them over easily. Strings, lights, tinsel, and small decorations can be chewed on and become lodged in the digestive tract. Keep your decorations well out of range of your pet, and supervise them with any decorations.  The Christmas tree itself can also be a tempting chew toy, and the water supply a spare water bowl.  Whenever your pet cannot be supervised around the tree, keep them in a separate room. 
 
•Traveling???   Plan ahead if you are planning on taking a trip.  Many dog and cat boarding facilities and pet sitters require advanced reservations.  Current vaccines are required for your pet if you plan on putting them in a boarding facility.  If you are traveling with your pet, health certificates and vaccines may also be required.  Please contact our office for more information 503-657-3171.