The holiday season brings a lot of joy for everyone who celebrates. From tasty treats to exciting gifts, every member of your family gets to participate in the festivities! But have you thought about how to safely include your furry family members? Here are a few tips from CAA Insurance to keep them safe and happy throughout the season!
Food
It can be tempting to share your festive feasts with your pets so they can enjoy the fun too, but the best thing you can do is keep them on their regular feeding schedule! If you want to give special treats, stick to things made for them. Take extra caution with the following toxic foods as well:
- Onions, leeks, garlic, grapes, and raisins. They can cause kidney damage.
- Turkey bones and other cooked bones can lead to dangerous intestinal blockages.
- Chocolate, alcohol, and caffeine.
Decor
One of the best parts of the season is putting up decor so you are surrounded by the beauty of the holiday spirit. But being mindful of how to decorate safely is important!
- If you like to put out snow globes, keep them out of reach of your pets. They often contain ethylene glycol, the same substance used in antifreeze, which is toxic when ingested. If a snow globe breaks, make sure you clean it up promptly.
- Hide or tape down your wires and make sure batteries are not accessible to your pets. The cords from your lights are tempting for cats especially to chew on, and batteries can burn your pet’s mouth and esophagus or even poison them if they chew them.
- If you put up a tree, keep in mind that tinsel and ribbons are shiny and tempting to your pets and can cause intestinal blockages if swallowed. Stick to decor that they can’t swallow at all to be safe. And if you are using a real tree, keep the water covered—it can harbor bacteria and mold, causing gastrointestinal issues if your pets drink it.
- Edible gifts should be kept out of reach until it’s time to open them. Even if they’re wrapped, your pets can probably smell the food and might dig in!
- There are a few decorative plants to be aware of as well:
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- Poinsettias – Causes upset stomach.
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- Mistletoe - Causes low blood pressure and a slowed heart rate.
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- Holly - Causes upset stomach.
Travel
If you’ll be spending the holidays somewhere else, check ahead to make sure your destination is clear of hazards for your pets! Bringing them along for the celebrations can be important since they are part of the family, but you always want to be sure they will be safe throughout the festivities.
On the other hand, if you’re staying home but bringing in houseguests, give them a heads-up about how they can contribute to your pet’s safety! If you have rules about where they can be, what they can eat, or anything else, share that from the start.
Be mindful, whether you are far from home or not, that your pets could get overwhelmed with how much is going on. Holidays are exciting, but any change in routine can be a lot for animals who can’t understand what’s happening. Give them extra love and attention to help them enjoy it all too!
Pet Insurance
Even when you put all this work into preparing a safe and happy holiday for your pets, accidents can still unfortunately happen. CAA Insurance is here to keep you covered for any possible illnesses or accidents with pet insurance. Get your free quote now and put that protection in place before anything happens. Through our partnership with Pets Plus Us, CAA Members get 13.5% off policies, and non-members get 9% off. *
From the CAA Insurance team, we wish you Happy and Healthy Holidays that are nothing but purr-fect!
*CAA Members receive a preferred rate of 13.5% off. Non-members receive a preferred rate of 9% off.
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