Keep pets safe at Christmas

Dogs with a short coat need to be kept nice and warm when the weather is freezing, long haired dogs don’t feel the cold so much.   In their natural state they’d be running about and hunting and then curling up in a grass den.   It’s much more chilly on a sedate walk in the park.    There are a lot of other hazards though for pets at Christmas time:

Keep poultry bones out of reach – they are so appetising to a dog but if they splinter and get stuck inside you’ll be spending Christmas at the vets.

A dog or cat who is slavering, pawing at his mouth or suddenly stops wanting to eat, may have a bone stuck behind a tooth.   The vet is the best one to find out and remove it.

Chocolates are deadly, even choccie biscuits can cause real illness.  Dogs can’t excrete one of the substances in chocolate, it’s toxic to them and goes round and round their system.   Keep all chocolates (and don’t forget the decorations on the tree) out of reach.

Watch out for small toys – some dogs play with them, chew them and swallow them.   Despite heroic efforts one of the vets had a westie die in his arms when a small piece of lego couldn’t be got out in time.   Small rubber balls easily get stuck.   Don’t throw anything sharp, especially the thin hide chewsticks – they can pierce the throat.

Open doors and friends coming and going – your dog might slip out and try to find Santa on his own.   It’s best to settle your dog down in a secure place when you are having a party.   He might be a stray otherwise.

It’s nice for your dog or cat to have a bit of christmas fare but no stuffing, onions, grapes, raisins, cakes or mince pies  – these will definitely upset him.    An extra portion of meat, a yorkshire pud and some veg and gravy though?   yum yum!