Holiday Safety Tips For Pets

With families gathering  for Christmas and the Holiday season, it’s time to remember our pets as well.

Casie Schornick, Director of Community Outreach for the Humane Society of Tuolumne County, was Thursday’s KVML “Newsmaker of the Day”.

Schornick offered several safety tips for pets during the holiday season.

First, chocolate can make pets very sick.  Chocolate can cause a pet to vomit and have diarrhea.

Be sure to store chocolate away from pets. Open counters or ledges are not good places — some dogs may ‘counter-surf’, and cats easily reach counters.

Poultry bones are also a hazard that could splinter or cause blockages.

Holiday floral arrangements such as mistletoe and holly are toxic for pets.

Although ribbons and tinsel are  popular decorations for gifts and trees, they can pose a danger if your pet swallows it. It’s possible for both tinsel and ribbons to cause an intestinal blockage.

Christmas tree water breeds bacteria and some trees are grown with fertilizers.

Holidays are often filled with friends and family going in and out of the house. If your pet is excitable or tends to get stressed with noise and crowds, consider placing your pet safely in a crate or a room that’s “out-of- bounds” to guests. Give him or her blankets, food, water, toys … and check in with her regularly to make sure she’s okay. This will help to ensure your pet stays safely with her family, rather than accidentally slipping out the door.

With all the pretty lights during the holiday season, you probably have a variety of extension cords running every which way. Some pets have a real ‘taste’ for extension cords — keep an eye on them to prevent chewing. Where possible, tie cords out of the way. Some hardware stores also sell a plastic tubing into which you insert cords to keep your gnawing little pet from hurting herself.

Additionally small batteries and small toys left lying around can be choking hazards.

For more information on pets, pet safety or the Humane Society itself call (209) 984-5489.

The “Newsmaker of the Day” is heard each weekday morning at 6:47, 7:47 and 8:47 on AM-1450 KVML.

Written by mark@mlode.com