The Holidays can be such a joyous time of year. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanzaa or none of the above there are plenty of ways to enjoy the holidays with your whole family and that includes your pet. To be on the safe side, it is important to know that while there are plenty of times to include your pet in your holiday festivities, there are some things you have to watch out for. The holidays should be a time of joy, but those pet owners who are not careful may have a tragedy on their hands if they don't know what to look out for.
To help you make the holidays as painless and joyful as possible, here are the top three threats to your dog this winter and how you can prevent a calamity from occurring to dampen your holiday spirits.
Holiday Greenery
One of the best parts about Christmas is the fact that there are so many traditions that require upholding, and these are great ways to make sure that your holiday is as pleasurable as possible. Christmas trees, holly, mistletoe, poinsettia plants-these things all complete the Christmas atmosphere but they can all pose a threat to the health of your pet. All of the above are poisonous to your dog if enough is consumed, so just to be on the safe side never put any of these things anywhere where your dog can reach them. Have some type of gated system around the Christmas tree to keep your dog from getting too close, and put other plants up out of the reach of your dog, no matter how clever they may get.
Our canine companions have a tendency to get rather intelligent when it comes to figuring out how to get into things that can hurt them; cut them off at the pass and make sure everything is out of their reach.
Holiday Sweets
The holidays are a time of sharing and caring, and who said that we can't do that with our pets? While it may be tempting to want to pass a few pieces of candy from your Christmas dish to your faithful four-legged friend, you would be doing them much more harm than good. Sugar does awful things to a dog's system and chocolate does even worse. Baker's chocolate and concentrated chocolate can be a real killer, as is the case with other highly caffeinated products or those with a high concentration of chocolate.
If you are being tempted to share, think twice. Chocolate can send your dog into massive convulsions, and even a coma from which they may never return. Do the right thing and get a candy dish for puppy-approved Christmas treats so that every time you have a treat your dog can have one too. That way you won't have to worry about them wanting or getting any of what you have.
Cold Weather Products
When the winter months hit, people tend to break out a whole slue of products designed to help them combat the cold weather. This includes salts, antifreeze, and other things of that nature. There is no doubt that having a safe environment would be rather difficult without salt for your sidewalks, and if you don't want your car engine to freeze antifreeze is a must-have, but did you know that both of these can cause serious internal damage to your best friend?
Antifreeze is the main culprit that gets dogs every year, and if you don't be careful you may have to deal with a tragedy along those lines this year. The bad thing about antifreeze is that dogs like the taste, so avoid a tragedy by getting pet-safe antifreeze alternatives or keeping it under lock and key, far away from where your pet will ever be able to get into it. Don't allow them to drink out of puddles or lick their paws after a walk either as it doesn't take much to get them sick.
The worst way to spend your holiday is to spend it mourning over the loss of your pet. Take the necessary precautions and protect your best friend from these and the many other dangers that winter months pose.
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