“Hello, I’m Dr. Kate. I’m here to talk about some common holiday safety tips for your pet. The holidays are a wonderful time of year but can lead to some added health risks for your furry friend. Here is how you can minimize or eliminate those risks:

Christmas Trees – make sure they are secured upright so that they do not fall over and cause your pet harm. Also, if you have a live Christmas tree, avoid water additives as they can cause stomach upset if ingested.

Avoid Mistletoe, Holly, and Poinsettias – These plants, if ingested can cause upset stomach and nausea. It is safer to have artificial plants or avoid plants all together.

Ornaments, Tinsel, and Toys, Oh my! Dogs and cats have a tendency to consume things and these things can cause an obstruction or gastrointestinal problems. Avoid tinsel all together and make sure your ornaments are securely fastened on to the tree and out of reach for your furry friends.

Candles and Lights – avoid leaving candles unattended as pets have curious tendencies and can easily burn themselves while investigating an open flame. When it comes to holiday lights, make sure that your pets do not have access to chewing on the wires as that can lead to foreign bodies or, even worse, electrocution.

Treats and Leftovers – Make sure sweets are put away where your furry friends cannot get to them. Things like chocolate and artificial sweeteners are toxic to our pets! Also, a lot of times we think it is a good idea to give our friends some of our leftovers; however, most of our leftovers are high in fat and spices and are too rich for our furry friends to handle. It is best to avoid feeding any leftovers to our babies. Instead, give them a kong filled with a healthy dog treat.”