Keep Your Pet Safe This Holiday Season

Pets and holiday decorations usually don’t mix well together. Decorations pose hazards for pets, like breakable ornaments, electric lights, and lit candles.

Don’t worry: You can still flaunt your holiday decorations and leave out your delicious snacks, by taking a few precautions. Avoid cat-connected catastrophes, and dog-related dilemmas this holiday season.

Here are 7 tips to keep your pet safe during the holidays.

Tip 1: Keep pets away from the tree

There are many harmful things about a Christmas tree to a pet… Including the tree falling on your furry companion. To prevent possible injury to curious pets, place the Christmas tree in a corner and securely anchor it to the ceiling or wall. Invest in a quality stand to secure the base of the tree.

If the Christmas tree is a magnet for your pet’s paws, try a safe, non-toxic solution… spray the branches and base of the tree with a bitter apple solution. Its smell is odorless to humans but offends animals.

Tip 2: Holiday Favorite Treats

It’s essential to keep the safety of your pet in mind during this holiday season. You can include your pet in the holiday festivities by making them yummy Pet-friendly treats!

Here’s a list of typical holiday treats that are toxic for our furry friends:

-Candy Canes-Macadamia Nuts-Chocolate-Bleu Cheese-Garlic-Raw or Undercooked Turkey-Bread Dough-Festive Drinks-Sage (Cats are especially sensitive)-Cake Batter-Too Much Of Anything

Tip 3: Be wary of electrical cords

If you decide to use lights to decorate your tree or around the house, it’s advised to keep them out of reach of your pet. They’re pretty and hard for most furry friends to resist. If they begin playing with them they could wind up tangled… and if they chew on a cord they could be electrocuted. Let’s avoid this fiasco this holiday season!

Accidents do happen, and it’s best to plan for the worst and hope for the best. Spot’s dog insurance and cat insurance policies have accidental coverage in case you want to be extra precocious with your furry family members this holiday season.

Related: Tips For Bringing Home A New Pet

Tip 4: Don’t let them get a hold of these decorations

Often times, pets confuse holiday decorations for toys or snacks. Be sure to keep the decorations listed below out of reach of your pet. Tinsel

-Snow Globes-Wrapping Paper-Food As Ornaments-Metal Hooks-Bells-Liquid Potpourri

Another suggestion is to distract your pet with a non-hazardous pet toy. 

Tip 5: Candles? Keep them up high

It doesn’t matter if your pet is nosy or not, candles can be hazardous in the reach of our furry friends. Just one brush of the tail could knock a candle over. Play it safe and keep the candles up high.

Tip 6: Keep toxic plants out of reach

Many pet owners are aware of toxic foods to pets but are still in the dark about which plants are poisonous to them. Not to mention, our pets are still very much attracted to these plants, just like our holiday snacks.

Keep your furry family safe by knowing which holiday plants are harmful to them.

-Poinsettias-Lilies (Especially Cats)-Holly-Mistletoe-Amaryllis-Christmas Cactus-The Christmas Tree

Tip 7: Delay putting presents out

Keep your gifts and your pet’s stomach safe this holiday. To protect your dog from eating something that’s not meant for them, it’s recommended to wait until you’re about to open presents to put them out.

Spot Pet Insurance customers have access to Spot’s VetConnect 24/7 helpline which is included with all coverage. If you’re worried your pet might get into some trouble this holiday season, consider signing up for pet insurance to help keep your companion safe!