Did you know there are a number of festive dangers for our much loved pets?
We’ve asked the team at The Woodbridge Vets (here on Riduna Park) for a few top considerations to keep our beloved animals safe:
1 – Be careful with chocolate treats. Chocolate contains ingredients which are highly toxic for pets and can cause issues like stomach upsets, heart-rate irregularity, or worse. Be sure to keep advent calendars and the like out of the way, and don’t let children ‘gift’ their chocolate to pets.
2 – Be conscious of where you hang and stand decorations. Some decorations could pose issues to pets, particularly if ingested. Likewise, broken baubles or other similar attractive features could cause harm to paws if you don’t spot remnant pieces.
3 – Plants of a certain type are a potential hazard for pets. In particular, poinsettias and even mistletoe berries can be toxic if eaten. Stand them well out of the way, or avoid altogether.
4 – Just as chocolate is a treat best kept only for adults, mincemeat (in mince pies) can be another problem. The fruit contained in these delicious pastry nibbles could cause kidney failure when consumed by an animal.
5 – Small toys and cracker inserts can end up all over the floor of our homes during the season, but remember how easy it would be for an animal to ingest something of this nature, and potentially choke on it or make themselves very poorly. Try to regularly clear the areas around you and keep an eye on what your dog or cat seems to be chewing!
6 – It’s not just about ‘things’ which can cause issue to our pets this time of year, but atmosphere and ambience too. Remember they still need their routine, and that many won’t love the increased noise and chaos of having more visitors in your home. Try to find ways to keep them calm or able to access quieter places to disappear for a sleep if needs be.
7 – Keep to routines around walking and feeding and drinking. It’s vital that your pet is able to have as near ‘normal’ a schedule as possible to keep them healthy and happy.
8 – While not Christmas specific, it’s worth remembering that things like antifreeze are often around as a more accessible item this time of year – and they can be hugely dangerous to pets. As with many other hazards mentioned, please keep these out of reach.