Education - Care & Training Tips

Holiday Hazards For Pets

We encourage everyone to follow these tips to help ensure an enjoyable holiday season.

  • If you have a Christmas tree, keep the water stand covered. Pine sap mixed with water makes a poisonous drink for your pet. Keep in mind, too, that the smell of a live tree, or an artificial one, may cause your pet to urine-mark it. Therefore, it will be helpful to bring the tree into an isolated indoor room for a day or so, so that it smells more like "home."
  • Pick up ornament hooks and ornaments that may have fallen on the floor. If a pet picks these up, it could injure the insides of its mouth, and even more damage could be done if your pet ingests it! Additionally, if your cat is tempted to play with the ornaments on your tree, decorate the bottom third of the tree with non-breakable, plastic or wooden ornaments, or decorate only the top two-thirds of your tree. You may feel your tree looks funny, but at least you won't be spending the holidays at an emergency veterinary clinic.
  • Keep holiday treats and candies out of your pet's reach. Consider what you've placed out on your coffee table and how accessible it is to your dog or cat. Additionally, remember gifts under your tree that may be food items. People food, especially in excess, could make your pet quite sick. Chocolate, in fact, can be fatal to dogs!
  • Secure your Christmas tree to a wall or ceiling hook with sturdy fishing line. This will help prevent the tree from toppling over should your pet decide to jump on it to get to a tempting ornament, or should a large, wagging tail hit it.
  • If you have indoor holiday lights, be sure that they don't hang so low that your pet could become entangled in them. Remember to also unplug the lights when you're not home to supervise your pets.
  • As you're shopping, visiting friends and relatives, and preparing for visitors to your home, be sure to keep your pet's exercise and feeding schedule regulated. Remember the importance of daily walks for your dog and playtime for your cat, cleaning the litter box, as well as grooming your pet.
  • If you're lighting any candles, is your bird safely in its cage? You wouldn't want your bird to fly by your burning candles. Additionally, your lit candles should be out of your dog's or cat's reach, perhaps high on a counter or table.
  • Be wary of tinsel, string, and thin ribbon around the house. If your pet ingests them, it could experience serious internal injuries, or worse.
  • Poinsettias, mistletoe berries, and other plants and flowers that are popular around the holidays are poisonous to pets. Check with your veterinarian or the Rocky Mountain Poison Center at 303-739-1123 to find out what holiday plants and flowers you'll want to keep out of your pet's reach.

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*Many thanks to the Denver Dumb Friends League for providing this content!