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Winter holidays can be happy events but they can be disastrous and even downright deadly for pets.

Some of the holiday risks to animals can include seasonal decorations, ornamental lighting, ingestion of inappropriate or toxic items, excessive consumption of rich foods or harmful food, candle flames, and many other hazards.

During this time of year we want to include our pets in celebrations, but holiday dangers and seasonal threats really exist.

Fortunately, anyone can take a few pet precautions and make the season’s festivities into safe and humane holiday celebrations.

For instance, during gatherings make sure that animals are occupied with their own treats and activities.

Good holiday etiquette means that pet owners take steps to make sure pets are mannerly and that your guests and family are alert to the need for restraint of food treats.

Rich foods and inappropriate feeding can create health complications for household critters. Dangerous food items include holiday favorites such as chocolate, coffee, onions, fatty foods, alcoholic beverages, and cooked bones.

Pet safety can be as simple as making sure you have appropriate treats on hand for the pets and make sure to monitor the quantity being dispensed.

Alert guests to the household pet rules and make sure your pets behave. Many guests will not appreciate your drooling darling or fur additions to their good clothing.

Plan ahead to avoid problems or fine-tune your guest list to pet people. In some cases, baby gates or play pens can keep animals from getting underfoot while still allowing them to be part of the celebration. Pets need to be part of the family activities, but safely.

Sometimes it might be advisable to place pets in an adjacent room or yard so they can have their own “pet party.” Since most kids love animals you might want to combine the two, and ask young visitors to occupy pets away from the main festivities.

Now even though there are some holiday pet adoption drives, giving pets as presents is NOT a good idea. If you are thinking of getting someone a pet for a holiday gift, use the clever humane alternative instead.

For instance, you can gather the pet necessities for the new critter and wrap each gift separately and then be sure to conclude the gift opening party with a picture of the ideal pet and/or a pet adoption certificate from an animal agency or similar entity.

Your actions will be fun and conscientious-and will build up the excitement and anticipation of the new arrival.

Need some other ideas?

You can get pet breed and training books, pet beds or housing, dishes, brushes, accessories, toys, and certificates for grooming and other services like training and veterinary care.

I like to see people make the effort to get a new pet a family affair–where they search for the pet together. Families grow closer through the researching and planning for a new household member. Those efforts will also keep the pet in the home and make the adaptation easier for everyone-not just the new pet. The big perk is that your humane actions sets a good example for kids and others within your influence.

If you already have a pet, make charitable contributions to animal related charities in their honor. Families can research and select the agency together and both wild and domestic animal rescue agencies could use the help.

• A variety of plants (holly, mistletoe, poinsettia, lilies, Christmas rose, etc,) can be toxic to to pets.
• Pine needles can create problems if ingested.
• Unsecured Christmas trees pose hazards to climbing critters as they can topple or be knocked over.
• Don’t forget to prevent the ingestion of Christmas tree water since stagnant water or preservatives can be toxic.
• Other holiday hazards include menorahs, candles and liquid potpourri pots.
• Fire and burns are not the only threats to pets and the household. Scented items can also be harmful–especially to birds.
• The ingestion of inappropriate foods, tinsel, ribbons or garlands can cause sickness or obstruction.
• Breakable items such as glass and other ornaments pose a threat.
• Electrical cords, heated decorative bulbs, hooks, and a wide variety of other adornment items create temptations. Use topical pet deterrents and barriers for protection.
• Keep décor items out of reach of your pet or in places your animals cannot get to them.
• Nicotine poses a threat. Keep it out of reach.
• Keep trash lids on tight. Chewed aluminum foil and e-coili are risks to pets.
• Store food in secure containers out of reach to prevent ingestion or poisoning.

Taking a few steps to plan your holidays and the arrival of new pets can protect and save the life of many critters-but it will also save your sanity!

Photo Credit: Gatto Mimmo