Keep your four-legged Family members safe and healthy during the Holiday Season
The holiday season brings many changes to the house, including visitors, new smells, holiday decorations, delicious edibles, and road trips to grandma. You must ensure your pet family is safe during the holiday season.
Similar to what we know about nutrition for ourselves, the best thing we can do for our pets is to use common sense. No chocolate. According to the ASPCA, as little as 1/4 ounce of baked chocolate can cause vomiting and diarrhea in dogs weighing over 10 pounds. Dogs should not eat chocolate. Because it contains seven times as much the obromine (a substance similar to caffeine), sweet chocolate can be more dangerous than milk chocolate. All snacks and desserts meant for humans should be avoided by pets.
Changes in diet can cause upset stomachs, so make sure your dog doesn’t eat leftovers or table scraps or give them access to a particular garbage bin. Turkey bones can cause vomiting and choke your pet.
If pets are exposed to holiday decorations such as Holly Berries, and Christmas trees, they can be very dangerous. Even allowing your pet to drink Christmas tree water can cause diarrhea and vomiting. The Christmas tree water bowls may contain tree fertilizers; if the water is left stagnant, it can harbor bacteria.
Remember that the holiday season brings about changes in the family’s environment. Our lives have become super-active, with us running from school to shopping to home to complete 27 hours of work in 24 hours. Our homes become cluttered with flashing lights, loud toys, and other strange items. It would help if you kept your pet’s routine intact. Keep their feeding times the same, and ensure they exercise daily. Be realistic about the behavior of your pet. If Fido likes to chew, you might have left large, brightly colored items under the tree. If Fido wants to climb furniture and is a chewer, the Christmas tree could be an excellent place to launch a full-frontal assault on his remote-controlled helicopter hovering nearby.
Take time to take care of your pet. They are also family members and can enjoy this time of the year with some planning and maintenance. We wish you all a happy holiday and a great new year from the best dog trainers in Charlottesville, Virginia.