Holiday Pet Safety Tips

We always get a lot of questions around the holidays. You may not have considered your family pet to be a major part of of the holiday, but your dog can be a source of stress or setbacks if you don’t know how to take care of them during a busy holiday time. After all, there are a lot of things going on around this time, whether you are traveling away for the holidays or planning to host the dinner. Taking care of your dog in these situations is important.

When Traveling Away:

Is Your dog going with you or staying? Regardless of the answer here are some tips:

1.Make sure vaccinations & ID tags are up to date
2.Pack their food in measured & labeled bags
3.Have their vet records with you (store on your phone or physical copies)
4.Have some of their favorite toys
5.Have some regular and high level treats as your dog may be slightly uncomfortable at first
6.If your dog is coming with you, make sure you know where a local vet and emergency vet are located
7.If your dog is staying home make sure you look into references on where your dog will be staying and ask for daily updates

When Hosting:

If your hosting holiday dinner you will need to prepare your dog for guests.

1.Brush up on your dogs manners by using the training you have learned (or get training prior to the holidays)
2.You may want to keep your dog on a leash if you know they are rowdy
3.If your dog gets stressed during gatherings its ok to keep them safe in a crate with toys/treats
4.If your dog is ok around people, let your guests know your dog will be there
5.If others are bringing their dogs let them know what rules you expect them to follow

The Holiday Feast:

We all know that a big part of Thanksgiving is the food. But keep in mind that your dog wants it just as much as you do, if not more. You may need to consider your dog’s behavior during mealtime, and whether or not food should be shared with them.

1.You can keep your dog away from the dinner table by using obedience commands such as “Place” or “Down”
2.If your dog doesn’t have the endurance to stay in command then you can put them in their crate or another room during meal time
3. As for sharing food, remember that what is good for you is not necessarily good for your dog
4. Fatty foods, grapes, onions, sage, and many others are dangerous for your dog (see list on our website)
5.Do NOT give your dog dinner table bones! They can easily crack and splinter and injure your dog
6.If you want to give your dog a table treat make sure its unseasoned veggies, turkey or chicken (see list on our website)