Pet Safety for the Holidays

With the holiday season fast-approaching, you will undoubtedly be making lists and checking them twice. For pet owners everywhere this usually means thinking about what the holidays have in store for our favorite, four-legged friends.

So here’s a list of things to remember this season from The St. Johns County Pet Center, as you try to keep you and your pet’s holiday as stress-free and fun as possible.

Thanksgiving is a great time to sit together as a family and enjoy some quality time, and of course turkey. Even though your pet may join you in the dining room, human food is off limits. Although the bones might look appetizing, poultry bones can often splinter in the animal’s throat, choking or blocking their airway or intestines.

When the holiday decorations and lights go up, the cords come out. Often time’s pets will want to chew on them. For cats who like to play and chew yarn, electrical cords seem like fair game. Don’t let your little cat/kitten get burned – electrical safety can be important for your pet as well as your family, so take the time to tape down cords. In addition, if you decorate with snow globes, be careful as many snow-globes contain antifreeze which can be lethal to your pets.

Holly, mistletoe and poinsettias may add to the Christmas spirit of your home, but many of these holiday plants can be mildly to severely toxic to pets. You’ll want to keep dogs and cats away from these common holiday plants, as well as pine needles which can puncture their stomach.

If your pets are kept outdoors most of the year, keep in mind the change in temperature (even here in Florida) and how it can affect your pets. Please bring your dogs and cats inside when the weather gets cold. You wouldn’t be comfortable sleeping outside in the cold – neither would your pet!