15 Holiday Safety Tips for Dogs

Do you want an emergency visit to the vet clinic? Obviously, no one wants to spoil their holiday. But for this, you must be aware of holiday safety tips to keep your pets safe from hazards and accidents. No doubt, it’s always a great experience to take your pets with you to events, but your lack of attention can put them in big trouble. When enjoying the holiday with pets, you need to take care of many things to ensure that your pets remain safe. In this article, we’ll share some valuable holiday safety tips for dogs. So, don’t go anywhere.

How to Make Holidays Safer for Dogs – 15 Tips

During the holiday season, we plan celebrations, decorate homes, and prepare delicious dishes. Meanwhile, all these things pose a serious threat to pets. So, it’s important to be aware of the holiday safety tips for dogs to ensure that your pets remain safe during the holiday season.

1. Decorations Must be Away from Your Dog’s Reach

Almost everyone decorates their room during holidays, but only a few people consider pets’ safety. When decorating homes, there will be lots of candles, seasonal plants, and trees. When you celebrate events, there will be lots of new sights and tastes for pets. Unfortunately, pets have the curiosity to taste them. Pets might damage your decorations, and it might be hazardous for them as well.

2. If Some Decorations Can’t be Placed Out of Their Reach, Block The Way

Dogs use their eyes, nose, and mouth to investigate new things and sights. Some decorations have a chewy texture, and dogs love that. Trees and candles don’t attract dogs, but curiosity leads them to investigate them. Chewing a glass ornament, electric cord, or poisonous plant can result in an emergency visit to the vet.
The best practice is to make your home pet-proof during holidays. Unplug electrical supplies when you’re away from home. Moreover, block the way of dangerous objects like electrical cords and seasonal plants.

3. Keep Gift Packing Materials Out of Their Reach

Another valuable holiday safety tip for dogs is to keep gift wraps and ribbons away from their reach. Dogs can easily chew paper or ribbon, and when they swallow these items, it can upset their stomach. Moreover, they can damage their respiratory system, so there is a possibility of death as well. The best approach is to keep your dog away when packing gifts. After packing gifts, please keep all the packing supplies away from their reach.

4. Holiday Season Treats and Sweets Can be Toxic

During holidays, people love to fill their bags with snacks and sweets. It’s good to have them, but unfortunately, they’re not safe for pets. For example, chocolates can be dangerous for pets. Moreover, avoid using your favorite treats as a reward. So, keep these items from your pet's reach to have a safe and joyful experience.

5. Be Careful When Preparing Food

All human foods are not safe for pets. As mentioned earlier, magical smells and tastes will attract your pets, so ensure that everything is in a closed container. Uncooked items can be dangerous for dogs. Garlic, onion, and other such things can be hazardous for dogs, so the best approach is to keep them away from your pet.

6. Don’t Feed Table Scrap to Pets

We love our four-legged companions, but when we feed them human foods, it can be dangerous for them. Therefore, it’s essential to clear the dining table as soon as possible. Bones can cause serious health issues. Some other dangerous things on the food table can be raw eggs, coffee, grapes and raisins, nuts, onion, salt, and candies.
Most pets have naked of digging trash. In doing so, they might eat poisonous foods. So, keep the trash in a closed container or throw it outside where pets can’t access it.

7. Holiday Guests

During holidays, there will be increased activities and lots of guests at home. It might be a joyful experience for you, but it can upset your pets. Moreover, it upsets their daily routine. So, ensure that you don’t change their feeding and exercise schedule. Pets should be away from main doors. Dedicate a room where pets can relax. Let your guests know about that room so that they don’t go there.
Provide a litter box, plenty of food, and water in that room. Turn on your pet’s favorite music so that they’re not irritated by outside activities. If you’re failing to release stress, take your pet to the vet.

8. Holiday Plants and Flowers

Now, you might be wondering what the difference between holiday plants and other plants is. Holiday plants are used to brighten up a home, and they’re only used for special occasions. But unfortunately, most of them are toxic for pets. When pets ingest these plants, they cause gastrointestinal upset.
Some examples of toxic plants for pets are Lily, Holly, Amaryllis, and Juniper. Poinsettias are generally less toxic, but they can still cause stomach and mouth irritation.

9. Christmas Tree

Holiday trees look good, but they pose a serious threat to your canine friends. Dogs might attempt to climb on them. When a tree falls on them, it may result in injury. So, the best approach is to secure it by using a hook or stable stands.
Keep your pets away from Christmas tree water because it might contain additives that can upset your canine stomach.

10. Limit Their Exposure to Wires and Lights

As mentioned earlier, pets are curious, and they love to investigate when they see new things at home. There will be lots of electric wires and lights everywhere during events, so there is a possibility of oral burns and electrical shocks. You can’t stop them from chewing electrical cords, but you can take electric cords away from their reach.
Hang holiday lights out of their reach. Cover lights and wires so that they’re out of sight and less accessible to pets.

11. Toys and Batteries Can be Dangerous

Here we’re not talking about pet toys. Batteries contain zinc, and when pets ingest them, they cause renal damage. Therefore, it’s important to keep small toys and board game pieces away from your pets. When dogs chew hard plastic toys, it can break their teeth. When your child plays with these toys, you need to keep an eye on your pet.

12. Alcohol

During holidays, people love to do parties. Moreover, alcohol is present in baked goods, such as fruit cake. Therefore, it’s essential to keep them out of your pet’s reach. Only a small amount of alcohol can lead to death. So, whenever you enjoy parties, keep your pets away from that place.

13. Holiday Costumes for Pets

It’s a good idea to keep your pets in special dresses on holidays. But ensure that the costumes allow pets to move freely, bark, and breathe easily. Moreover, the dress shouldn’t have any dangling parts. Otherwise, pets will tear it off and swallow. All the pets don’t like to be dressed up, so if your pet is also one of them, the best practice is not to dress them on holidays.

14. Keep Purses and Bags Away from Their Reach

As mentioned earlier, pets are curious, and they love to put their nose in everything. They’ll investigate all the bags and purses to see what’s inside. There might be toxic items in the bags, such as chocolates, snacks, and candies. Moreover, there will be human medications as well that are dangerous for pets. Keep your bags and purses away from your pet’s reach to minimize the risk of danger.

15. Don’t Leave Your Pet Alone

When it comes to holiday safety tips for dogs, it’s the most important one. You can’t leave your pets alone, especially when there is lots of the hustle and bustle around. Moreover, when you leave your pet alone, they might play with electric lights or chew wires. As a result, they might get an electric shock.
If you feel you can’t keep an eye on your pet all the time, the best way is to keep your pet in a dedicated room and lock the door. Keep visiting the room to provide feed and clean the litter box. In this way, you can keep your dog safe and enjoy your party.

Final Words

It’s not easy to keep your feline friends safe during holidays. There are many poisonous plants, decorating trees, ornaments, gift packs, foods, treats, and other stuff, so it’s not easy to ensure your pet’s safety. But thankfully, after following the tips mentioned above, you can’t only enjoy your holiday but also keep your dos safe. So, that’s all from this guide of holiday safety tips for dogs. If you have something else to share, you can share it in the comment section.