Holiday Hazards 101: Best Friends Animal Society’s Guide to Protecting Pets This Season
With the holiday season well underway and homes full of celebrations, decorations, and winter coziness, Best Friends Animal Society, a leading national animal welfare organization working to end the killing of dogs and cats in America’s shelters and take the country no-kill*, is reminding pet owners to take a few simple precautions to help keep their dogs and cats safe.
Family gatherings, toxic plants, rich foods, alcohol, sparkling décor, and even fireplaces can create unexpected hazards for pets. However, with a little planning, the season can stay merry for the whole family. Here are some tips to keep your pets safe:
Holiday Get Togethers: More guests mean more noise, open doors, and dropped food. Set pets up for success with a quiet room where they can retreat, complete with their bed, water, and toys. Remind visitors to keep doors and gates closed so dogs and cats don’t slip out during the holiday bustle.
Festive Foods and Alcohol: Many holiday staples can be dangerous or even life-threatening to pets. Chocolate, grapes and raisins, xylitol, rich fatty dishes, bones, and unbaked dough should all stay off limits. Alcohol is also highly toxic to pets, so drinks should be kept well out of reach during parties. A good rule of thumb is to make sure trash bins are secured so curious pets can’t investigate leftovers.
Toxic Holiday Plants: Beautiful seasonal plants can be hazardous when pets get too curious. Mistletoe, holly, amaryllis, lilies, poinsettias and some varieties of pine can cause stomach upset or worse if ingested. Choose pet-safe alternatives or place plants where pets cannot reach them.
Decoration Hazards: Holiday décor is especially tempting for pets, particularly curious cats. Tinsel, ribbon, string lights, loose ornaments, batteries, and small decorative objects can be choking or obstruction risks. Secure Christmas trees to prevent cats from climbing or tipping them or anchoring the tree with fishing line to keep your feline “tree climber in training” from bringing it down. Finally, keep breakable or edible ornaments on higher branches and out of pets’ reach.
Faux Fir, Fewer Fears: Choose an artificial tree without flocking, faux snow is a no-go for curious nibblers, and pick a size that won’t hurt your pet if they decide to scale it.
Fireplaces, Candles & Cozy Season: As temperatures drop and fireplaces and candles come out, burns and fire hazards can increase. Always use screens around fireplaces, never leave flames unattended, keep menorahs and candles well out of reach, and ensure pets don’t lie too close to heaters or fire sources.
For anyone hoping to bring extra joy into their home this holiday season, consider adopting a dog or cat from a local shelter or rescue group rather than purchasing from a breeder or pet store. According to Best Friends’ data, if just 6% more people adding a pet to their home chose to adopt instead of purchase a pet from a pet store or breeder, the country could become no-kill.
To learn more about keeping pets healthy and safe this holiday season, visit bestfriends.org.
*No-kill is defined by a 90% save rate for animals entering a shelter and is a meaningful and common-sense benchmark for measuring lifesaving progress. Typically, the number of pets who are suffering from irreparable medical or behavioral issues that compromise their quality of life and prevent them from being rehomed is not more than 10% of all dogs and cats entering shelters. For any community to be no-kill, all stakeholders in that community must work together to achieve and sustain that common goal while prioritizing community safety and good quality of life for pets as guiding no-kill principles. This means cooperation among animal shelters, animal rescue groups, government agencies, community members and other stakeholders, all committed to best practices and protocols.