Keeping Pet Safe during Holiday:

Safety of your pets is a concern during holidays. With a little common sense and careful planning, your pet’s holidays can be safe and enjoyable. During the holiday season, particularly at Christmas and Thanksgiving, we do tend to take precautions to keep our homes safe, whether in the context of decorations and appliances we use or if we are out on a holiday. For parents this is something quite routine, as decorations like electric lighting could pose a hazard and it therefore becomes necessary to plan accordingly. The same holds true for pets. Don’t forget that they are as much of a responsibility as kids, as they are your dependents.

Decorating your house is an inalienable feature to most festivities and this can be quite a problem if you have pets. Apart from the fact that they may rip apart some of your favorite decorations, many of these items are hazardous to pets. Paper decorations are quite harmless and the only threat may be to the decorations itself. A lot of the decorations that we use however do contain glass, candles and small parts of plastic, which can be hazardous to your pet. Puppies and kittens are particularly playful and do tend to chew on their toys. There is always the risk of them choking, in addition to which some of the ingredients used may also be toxic.

Lighting is probably the most common feature of any festivity and is probably one of the biggest hazards. Make sure that any lighting is, as far as possible, out of reach of any pets. Also make it a point to unplug any wires when you are not around as a pet chewing on a live wire could not only give it a severe shock, but could also cause a fire. A good way to protect any electrical wiring from pets and vice versa would be to douse the wires with an ingredient like bitter apple. It does taste terrible but is quite harmless if ingested.

Many of us also have guests over a lot of the time during the holidays. Big gatherings may be particularly traumatic to most pets, so if you notice your pet attempting to get away from the commotion and attention, provide it with a quiet and comfortable space for refuge. Although you may love the idea of your pet being the center of attention at a party, your pet may not share your sentiments.

Be careful with foods and diet too, as we do generally pamper our pets with tidbits from our scrumptious festive meals, but these may not always be healthy. Also make sure that any leftovers are disposed of properly. In addition to the risks of certain ingredients, over indulging on rich foods can contribute to obesity. No matter how hung over you may be, make sure that you don’t skip on giving your pet its much needed exercise.

Pet Holiday Care:

The holiday season is the one time of the year when diets and healthy eating are often forgotten. While most people tend to bounce back easily within a few weeks, it is not advisable to subject your pets to the same intense dietary changes as this can have serious repercussions. It is also very important that you do not feed your dog or cat table scraps and leftovers as the spices and condiments used in your dishes are not suitable for animal consumption. It is perfectly natural to want to share the holiday cheer with your pet and you can do it too, but make sure that it is in a way that does not compromise his health. The simplest method to ensure that your pet has a healthy diet plan despite the seasonal festivities is to follow a pet holiday menu.

A pet holiday menu should consist of healthy treats for pet. These treats could include his/her favorite biscuits or choice of meat or treats. A dog holiday menu would include boiled or steamed slices of meat or a change in his type of ready-made food. If your dog is used to dry dog-food, you could give him the wet variety instead. You can also prepare a larger amount of his food in advance. Separate this into small sealed containers and then place these containers in your freezer. As and when you need to feed him/her, you can heat one of the containers and then give him his food. Cats and dogs prefer fresh foods as compared to dry pellets. You can also make a little stock with the bones left over from the chicken or turkey. Do not add salt to the stock and add this stock to his food to enhance its flavor. If you have a cat you can do this with the tails and heads of any fish you have purchased for your own use. Do not give your pet sweets or chocolates as these are definitely not good for them and can even be fatal.

In addition to your pet holiday menu, you can also pamper your pet by spending a little more time playing with them each day. Dogs are especially fond of playtime and if you can extend it by even a few minutes they would be more than happy. You can even buy a couple of toys or a new collar for your pet. A great way to include your pet in the joy of this season is to spend a little extra time fussing over your pet every night, just before you go to bed.