5 Tips for Keeping Dogs Safe this Christmas
Written by Dr Claire Stevens
Christmas is a time for family gatherings, indulgence and making merry. But the festive season can be both stressful and risky for dogs. The tips below will help keep your pet stress-free and safe this Christmas.
Exercise is Key
If you’re expecting a houseful of guests you need to take steps to make things less chaotic for the dogs that live there. Start by exercising your dogs to burn off extra energy and help them destress, which will, in turn, make them less pent up and more likely to snooze while your guests party on.
Create a Safe Haven
Place your dog’s bed in a quiet, secure haven that he can escape to in order to seek some peace from the noisy festivities.
Keep Decorations Out of Reach
Christmas decorations such as tinsel, flickering Christmas lights, glass baubles and other shiny objects are particularly enticing to pets, who will paw and chew on them if given a chance. Yet, while these decorations seem relatively harmless, they can be very dangerous, especially if ingested. Christmas baubles are very delicate and break easily if handled roughly resulting in sharp shards that will shred your dog’s paws, mouth and intestines. Dogs can get entangled in tinsel or they can get shocked if they chew on Christmas lights. Be sure to keep hazardous decorations well out of your pets’ reach. Same goes for wrapping paper and ribbons, which can also pose a risk if swallowed.
No Junk Food
Let’s face it, healthy eating and Christmas festivities do not go hand in hand, and so you may have resigned yourself to the fact that you are going to indulge just a little over the festive season. But while a little Christmas indulgence won’t really hurt you, letting you save those healthy resolutions for the New Year, the same cannot be said for your pooch. The rich foods served at the Christmas dinner table are not good for your dog. Foods commonly served with Christmas roasts, such as onions, garlic and chives, as well as cooked bones can be lethal for dogs. So too can foods such as sweets, chocolate and other dairy products. Christmas pudding contains diary, raisins and possibly also alcohol, all of which are bad news for dogs.
Special Treats
To ensure your dogs don’t feel left out of the party, rather give them healthy treats, such as Hypro Premium Tasty Chews, which come in Kangaroo and Duck flavours. These low-fat chews are not only highly palatable, they are rich in lean protein, vitamins and antioxidants essential for good health. Put some of these healthy chews inside a Kong toy to keep your pooch busy while you entertain your guests.
Providing your pet with a quiet corner he can retreat to, together with some healthy treats to keep him out of mischief will give you peace of mind that he is safe so that you can relax and be merry with your family and friends as the party gets into full swing.
