This is the second part of a two-part series on how to keep your pets safe and healthy during the holidays. Part one covered holiday foods.
The holidays are coming, let the celebrating begin! Whether it’s parties, visits from family and friends, putting up the tree, decorating or wrapping gifts, it’s an exciting time of year and a welcome break from routine.
Our cats and dogs may not enjoy the seasonal hubbub the way we do, however. While it may be the “most wonderful time of the year” to us, the holidays can be a source of confusion and stress to our pets.
Look at it through their eyes. There are unfamiliar people coming in and out of the house. Rooms may suddenly be off limits. The smells are different, the sounds are different, the décor is different. And why is there an enormous tree in the living room?
Some pets love all this action. Others are discombobulated by the changes and strange people, and they react by behaving differently. They may hide, stop eating, have “bathroom” accidents or even become aggressive. They are stressed, and we may unwittingly contribute to it.
“Our pets feed off our stress,” says Dr. Elizabeth Pulice, veterinarian at Perkiomen Animal Hospital in Perkiomen, Pa. “They see us running around more, cleaning the house, decorating, people coming over, and they know things are different. They can get what’s called stress colitis: a bad upset stomach just from the changes in routine.”
At Dr. Pulice’s practice, they see more stress problems in dogs. “Dogs will act differently,” she says, “eating what they’re not supposed to, whether food or decorations.”
“So keep things as normal and routine as possible,” she advises. “Try to keep to regular feeding and walking schedules.” And keep an eye on your pet.
“We see around the holidays that pets get sick,” she says. “The additional stress compromises their immune systems, and an illness or condition that may be brewing underneath gets set off. We have to be very observant, especially around the holidays.”
Cats, in particular, tend to retreat, to lay low. “They will hide until they are very sick, before we can see that something is wrong,” Dr. Pulice says.
Here’s what you can do to keep your pet safe and healthy during the holidays:
Visitors
You know your pet, and can tell whether – and how much – it wants to be involved with the celebrations. Some are the life of the party, even welcoming guests at the door. On the chance that a pet will escape outside in the commotion, be sure it’s wearing a collar and tags with your phone number, and for additional peace of mind, is microchipped.
For pets frightened by the hustle and bustle, create a safe place they can retreat to, ideally a room away from all the action. Stock it with food, water, their bed, a litter box for a cat and anything else that comforts them.
Keep guests away, especially if your pet doesn’t like strangers. Cats in particular often don’t do well with children they don’t know, no matter how gentle the kids try to be with them. Even otherwise-docile animals can bite or scratch if they’re scared.
The Tree
To a cat, a tree is the biggest, best toy you have ever brought home. We’ve all seen the videos of them climbing – and toppling – fully decorated trees. “People tell us they’ve given up on Christmas trees because of their cats,” Dr. Pulice says.
If you have cats or a rambunctious dog, anchor any large tree, real or artificial, to the ceiling to help keep it from tipping. Skip the tinsel or other string-like decorations, and keep glass or easily breakable ornaments off the bottommost branches.
If it’s a real tree, don’t let pets drink the water in the tree stand. It can be loaded with bacteria and upset their stomachs. Don’t let them chew the branches, either. Swallowed needles can pierce their intestinal tract or cause a blockage.
Decorations
Ornaments are especially attractive to cats, who will bat them around and possibly break them. A cat that plays with tinsel, ribbon or other stringy material may accidentally swallow some. This can often require x-rays and surgery if the cat’s intestinal system can’t pass the object.
Certain holiday plants are toxic if eaten. Lilies are extremely poisonous to cats. Any part can cause kidney failure and death. Mistletoe can cause cardiovascular issues. Poinsettias, on the other hand, aren’t as toxic as they’ve been made out to be. If ingested, it will give a dog or cat an upset stomach, but it won’t kill them. Holly berries will do the same.
Watch that pets aren’t chewing or playing with electrical wires, and keep batteries where pets can’t reach them.
Candles and Fragrances
If there are lit candles anywhere within a pet’s reach, don’t leave them alone in the room, not even for a second. Even a normally incurious cat can become fascinated by a flickering candle flame.
Scented candles, diffusers and plug-ins, though harmless to us, can make our pets very sick, because their bodies can’t process the vaporized chemicals the way we do. The scent of many essential oils, including cinnamon, peppermint and pine, can make a cat or dog ill enough to cause organ failure and death. Liquid potpourri can burn if they lick it, and some ingredients are toxic if ingested.
Always have the phone number and location of the nearest 24-hour emergency animal hospital on hand. If your pet has ingested something they shouldn’t, note what it is they ate and, if possible, the amount. Call your vet, the animal hospital or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at 888-426-4435.