Protect Your Pets at Xmas
Xmas is with us again, a time for fun , on the other hand it is also a dangerous period for both us and our beloved pets. Pet Sitters London have attempted to identify their top tips to minimize the dangers to our pets over Christmas. Pet sitters are frequently asked for guidance or notice possible risks to pets at Christmas. This is often a neglected part of pet care.
1. Your Xmas Tree
The most important this about this is ensuring that it is in a safe location and is strongly fixed. This enjoyable activity of putting it up with your children, needs to be done in such a way that the cat, when it jumps up onto it, will not crash it down on to everyone. Animals and cats can be disrupted at Christmas and can become panicky and liable to do anything, with the crowds, with all the new smells and sounds. If you can avoid putting the tree close to furniture that will help the pet jump onto the tree. Ideas include tying the tree to the ceiling and wall with some wire. A temporary hook into the wall is a great safety feature. Weighting down the tree roots / stem to improve stability is another way of avoiding problems.
Real trees pose a further risk from the pet digesting the pine needles – so hoover them up regularly. Some of the water additives for prolonging the life of the tree are dangerous, make sure your animal cannot drink this water.
2. Xmas Decoration Care.
Glass Christmas balls are particularly dangerous, an alternative are the wooden and plastic balls. Eating these can be very dangerous. Another danger are the bight ribbons and streamers that can be attractive to dogs, and can block the digestive tracts.
Take care with using hooks on fixing the ornaments to the trees, use string – it is far safer.
3. Electrical Dangers.
Care with the electrical leads, man and beast can trip over them, bringing down what ever is attached. So tidy the wires up. Be very wary if you have a dog or cat that chews and is curious. Keep things turned off if no one in the room, or shut the door.
4. Animal Behaviour
Though you may appear to have plenty of time, you are often distracted and paying more attention to other people / things than your cat.
It is important to have a rational understanding of the reliability of your pets. If in any doubt close the rooms with any potential danger to, or caused by pets.
Animal behaviour can become erratic at Xmas with the new sounds, smells and people. Pets are protective and can see a reduction in attention, their favourite spot taken by the tree and presents as a threat to their quarters. They are much more likely to change behaviour, cats become scatty and scared, they can even go off their food – even if you are giving them some nice Beef or Turkey. Dogs risk being aggressive, if they do not have enough exercise or too much attention to the visitors. A particular danger even with very well behaved and trained dogs is the “ out of the ordinary” attacks on kids and babies. Separate them if not being supervised carefully all the time. If busy consider a professional dog walker from a company such as Dog Walkers London. If you do not have the time for exercising the dog, book your dog sitter for a few sessions over Christmas, though you may need to do this early as they are often busy doing pet sitting at Christmas.
5. Boxes of Christmas Presents
animals. Be especially careful if you have moved their bed to put the tree up and the presents around it. Dogs can rip the presents to pieces in minutes if you are unlucky. A great follow on risk is stomach blockages from the ribbons that they can eat, resulting in a trip to the local London veterinary clinic.
6. Care with Christmas Food
Even at Christmas avoid feeding animals at the table, this habit is very difficult to break as they do not understand why it was OK at Christmas but not now!
Mistletoe and Poinsettias. Other dangers are things like onions that may be with your meat that could be given to the pet. Chocolate is also another risky treat for pets, as well as sugary products that are not part of a normal animals food. Sugary products can cause teeth problems and with thirty – fiftypercent of pets suffering from being over weight these calories should be avoided. For pet and human, perhaps go for a dog walk, he would probably prefer it.
7. Home Safety
A good check of the house is worthwhile, our pet sitters, often identify risks and pass them onto the owners, common ones include live candles that would be knocked over by pets, especially dogs wagging tails.
I would advise Christmas tree lights to be turned off at night and when no human is present in the house.
Dec 26, 2009 | 0 | cat care tips
