Special Edition: Pets Around the Holidays!

 Hi everyone!! Happy Holidays! So, many holidays are coming up, and all of them have their own great traditions. Sometimes, though, those traditions aren't great for pets. Here's a rundown of the things that might be a problem.

• Foods
• Decorations
• Flowers
• Presents-Wrappings and the presents themselves
• Snow(If you get snow)
• A tree(if you have one) 

All of these things can be a really fun part of your tradition, and I don't want you to have to give those things up! 

Ok. Dogs and cats are allergic to, or love but can't handle many things we have around the house. Here's a list.

• Chocolate
• Onions/Shallots/Green Onions/etc.
• Grapes
• Raw Chicken/Turkey Bones
• Poinsettias
• Wrapping Paper
• Christmas Trees(solely cats-dogs are okay, so long as they won't knock the tree over or break anything)
• Lactose

That last one may have you confused. Most dogs and cats are actually lactose intolerant. So, please, no ice cream, scalloped potatoes, pudding, all of that. Maybe your cat or dog is ok with it, but small amounts are the best, to preferably none, but that's your choice. Onions, shallots, and green onions are all in the same family, and they are very poisonous to dogs and cats. No garlic either! Grapes can cause kidney failure in both dogs and cats, so keep those grapes and raisins sealed up tight in a spot your pets can't get into, like a high cabinet. Poinsettias are poisonous to everyone, so no eating those. You might be better off having fake ones. Wrapping paper is a challenge to explain. It's not poisonous, but it can block of the intestinal tract, and can cause problems with swallowing or bowel movement. You may want to have a "presents table", or a "presents cabinet". No chicken or turkey BONES. Meat is good for cats and dogs. That's what they are meant to eat. But chicken and turkey bones, when raw, are brittle and fragile. A dog shatters it in their mouth, and then they have little bone slivers everywhere, capable of making cuts in the mouth, stomach, and intestines. When the bones are cooked, they firm up, and they are chewable.

Christmas trees have their own subcategory because they are very complicated to explain. So, a cat sees a tree, "Tree is climb." Now, your cat is stuck in the Christmas tree, and is probably breaking all your expensive glass baubles, and chewing the light wires, etc. So, you need to not have the cat in the Christmas tree. How, though? They love it so much! You can repel them using oranges-Most cats don't like the smell of oranges. So what you do, is you slice up an orange, and hang it on the tree somehow, just make sure the smell reaches the cat. They most likely won't go near the tree. Then, you put a new or just for Christmas cat tree near the tree, and fill it with nice toys and maybe some treats. Now, they have their own nice tree just for them. Also, put hardier ornaments down at the bottom, and the more delicate ones up at the top. If you want to avoid the whole scenario, you COULD just get a fake tree, but it is possible to keep the cats out of it. Depending on how big your dog is, they may be able to get at the higher, more delicate ornaments. Teach a 'wait' command, or block off the tree somehow. 

So, now that we've covered some of it, I turn to snow. One of the most obvious winter things. It's great, but cold. Very cold, which can be a problem for your pets. So, always wipe off your pet after you go in. It can help them be warm and dry, and you could get a heated bed. 

Candles-pretty self explanatory; don't put the candles where your cat or dog can burn themselves.

I am done for today, have a great holiday season!