Christmas & New Year
Here you can find some helpful advice on keeping your dog safe and having fun with them over the festive period.
Christmas Decorations/Trees
We all love to make our homes look festive over the Christmas & New Year period but be aware:
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Make sure your advent calendars are out of your dog's reach.
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Real trees can be hazardous if dogs chew the tree or needles. Fir tree oils can cause irritation to the mouth tissues; the needles when ingested can get caught in the intestinal tract. Try to limit your dog's access if you think they will chew your tree whether real or artificial.
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Don't hang chocolates/sweets from the tree. This could cause the dog to jump up at the tree and knock it over, or they could eat the chocolate which is poisonous to them.
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Don't put presents under the tree as your dog will be tempted to open them for you, especially if you have wrapped confectionary.
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All tree decorations are a great temptation to a dog as they think you have hung them up for them to play with. Turn off your Christmas lights when you are not in the room. Make sure decorations are shatter proof and be aware of tinsel, as few strands can cause an intestinal obstruction.
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Presents For Your Dog
Always think quality not quantity when buying presents for your dog.
Purchase a strong reputable brand of dog toy, and ask yourself is this toy to play with you, or a toy to help keep them stimulated.
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Make sure all collars and leads you purchase have a good strong clasp.
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Treats for your dog, come in several forms, meat, chewy, veggie, dental, natural, or dog chocolate. Make sure you buy the correct size for your dog.
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Ration out your dogs treats, make sure that treats only add up to around 10% of your pets daily calories.
Your Dog On Christmas Day
Christmas Day is usually very busy for most families with children opening presents and often visitors coming for dinner/tea. Our pets are often forgotten.
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Make sure your dog goes for a walk, a dog that as been exercised is more likely to be content and go to sleep.
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Make sure dog as a place that it can retreat like its crate too out of the way of giddy children and noise.
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Dispose of all wrapping paper, its often coated so does not dissolve if eaten by your dog.
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Children's toys often have many small parts or contain batteries which could cause harm to your dog.
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Keep all chocolate and sweets out of reach.
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Your dog does not require a Christmas dinner, it will be too rich and may give your dog a poorly tummy vets often refer to this as "turkey tummy".
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Remember not to feed your dog the following:
Christmas Cake
Christmas Pudding
Mince Pies
Stollen
Fruit Cake
All the above contain raisins, grapes, currants and sultanas all of which are harmful to dogs.
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Christmas Plants
Poinsettia, Holly and Mistletoe are the plants we most associate with Christmas. But, did you know they are poisonous to both dogs and cats.
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Other plants to also put out of your dog's way are:
Amaryllis
Lily
Christmas Cactus
Christmas Rose
Ivy
Daffodil
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