Seasonl Advice For Dog Owners:

Seasons Greetings to you all and your dogs!
Christmas and the New Year is a time of joy and cheer for us and our families, but can be a hazardous time for your dog(s). Here are some handy tips for you to help keep your dog happy and safe over the holidays.

Your Christmas Tree & Decorations:

• Make sure you keep your tree lights and any other electrical decorations safely out of your dogs reach-especially if your dog is inclined to investigate or chew through exposed electrical cord. Electrocution can easily be caused.

• The needles which fall daily from real Christmas trees can become stuck in your dog’s paws and are also dangerous if eaten, vacuum daily and keep your dog (and other animals) away from them.

• From your dogs point of view – the Christmas tree is pretty tempting and begging to be investigated, trees can easily topple over especially once weighed down with decorations and lights etc and some dogs like to mark out against them. (Why else did human bring a tree indoors but to save going out in the cold?) Dogs can easily be caught up in tinsel and find hanging decorations particularly appealing and ripe for pulling off.  Life will be a lot easier and safer if you limit your dog’s access to the area and don’t leave tree and dog unattended!

• Many Christmas plants including Mistletoe, Holly, Pot Pourrie and Poinsettias are poisonous, keep them out of your dogs reach and seek immediate veterinary advice if you think your pet has ingested.

• Decorations which are edible to humans, e.g. hanging chocolate tree decorations will be sniffed out by your dog, so keep these away, chocolate is just pure poison to your dogs system, tinsel, tin foil, cling film etc can also be dangerous if swallowed and cause serious internal problems.

• Plastic bags and balloons are also a hazard-keep them away from your dog.

• If you like to use candles-do place where your dog, e.g. your dogs waggy tail, will not accidentally knock over.

Christmas Presents:

• Many dogs will be tempted by the sudden appearance of wrapped boxes and who could blame them, so if you don’t want yours unwrapped by Santa’s little helper, keep them boxes hidden!

• Wrappings, trimmings etc can be very dangerous if chewed or swallowed, so keep safely away when not in use & bin after.

• Make sure your dogs own Christmas present(s) are ’dog proof’ – suitable for your dog, robust enough and safe for use.

Festive Food, more food and treats:

• We often get carried away with extra festive treats and unusual foods this time of year, it’s nice to include our dogs and treat them too – but don’t forget that a sudden intake of unusual foods, or too much of anything is likely to cause diarrhoea and/or vomiting, so watch out for how much your dog is being treated-keep an eye on any guests sneaking in the treats too, or Fido will end up with an upset tummy and it could be a messy Christmas!

• Chocolate is a definite NO! It contains a chemical called Theobromine which is actually poisonous to dogs and even just a small amount can be lethal for some. Chocolate poisoning can cause vomiting, diarrhoea, seizures and death. If you want to treat your dog – buy treats designed for dogs, our rescue dogs loves to chew on a carrot or apple, keep them safe and keep them healthy.  If you suspect chocolate poisoning – contact a vet immediately.

• Sweetcorn isn’t digested and corn on the cob is very dangerous, cobs can easily cause an obstruction which will require surgery to remove if it doesn’t kill your dog. If you have corn on the cob-dispose of the cobs where your dog can’t reach and never ever feed to your dog.

• Bones - you may have more cooked meats around and your dog is sure to have spotted exactly where all his goodies are! Bones can be dangerous, cooked ones becoming brittle and easily breaking into sharp pieces which can choke a dog, don’t give anything you wouldn’t usually.

• Coffee – alcohol – sweets, yummy for us but NO NO NO for our canine friends. Give your dog a nice Christmas and keep well away.

• Grapes and raisins should not be fed to your dog, these can cause poisoning and cases of kidney failure have been documented. 

Fun, parties & visitors over the holidays:

• If you’re hosting a party/get together, make sure your dog(s) has a retreat, somewhere familiar where he can go and relax away from all the noise and excitement. Provide some favourite chews, or a stuffed Kong to help keep him occupied, exercise in advance to help him settle down whilst you get on enjoying  yourself! Try plugging in a DAP two weeks before your busiest week and keep it plugged in over the Xmas to help relax your dog.

• Many households will receive extra guests, relatives and often young children, so bear in mind that if your dog isn’t used to the extra attention, noise etc, have a quiet retreat as mentioned above. If your dog is happy mixing (not the cocktails hopefully) - keep an eye out for him becoming too excited and step in if that is the case. Ask your guests not to overfeed your dog and try to keep unwanted party food and drinks out of reach.  Don’t leave children and dogs alone attended.

• Try your best to keep your dogs normal routine as much as possible – getting away from the washing up with the excuse of walking the dog does come in handy!

• Fireworks are often used over the holiday season, especially on New Years Eve, read up on our firework advice here.

• Some dogs will become overexcited or frightened when around unusual noises such as children toys, balloons popping, party bangers etc and intoxicated (you know-the drunk) visitors as well as flashy lights etc can also cause a dog to feel uneasy, so plan in advance to help keep your best friend relaxed, if your dog is known not to cope well with these types of situations, provide a known quiet retreat where he likes to be, give some favourite chews/toys to help keep occupied, leave the radio/TV on to help block out some noise, make sure he has the remote control handy too but don’t let him on the karaoke!

• If you are visiting and taking your dog with you – don’t forget to pack his bag too! Check in advance that your dog is welcome, exercise beforehand to help him settle down when you get there, take a bit of his bedding, water bowl, own food, toy etc.

Cold Winter Weather:

• Many dogs will feel the cold weather, especially older and short coated ones. Keep yours out of any draughts when sleeping at night and keep warm during the day - dog coats are cosy for walks out. Dogs don’t like being cold anymore than we do!

• Always keep your dog away from water, no matter how solid the ice may appear on top if frozen over – never let your dog anywhere near cold and frozen water of any depth.

• Anti-freeze (ethylene glycol) is always around this time of year and is extremely dangerous - even a very small amount. Many dogs are attracted to its sweet taste; please remember not to leave any anti-freeze lying around or accessible to you dog(s) or cat(s). Seek immediate veterinary advice if any is swallowed or even suspected of coming into contact with your dog (or cat).

• Winter roads - local authorities often use chemicals and salt to melt the ice on the roads and pavements, good for us and our cars, but not so nice for your dogs feet, as dog boots are likely to be out, avoid if possible, as it can irritate your dogs pads, rinse off paws when home if walked through.

© Endangered Dogs Defence & Rescue December 2007