When the seasons change and the really cold weather starts I am sadly reminded of an incident from
Holidays and Pets
my childhood. I was pretty young, probably 5 or 6 years old, and at the time my mother was working the third shift at the local hospital as an RN. It was winter and one night she came in and woke me up to tell me that when she went to start the car my young cat was accidentally killed. He had crawled up inside the engine compartment to try to stay warm and well, you can imagine what happened. He was a beautiful little orange tabby. My mom felt so bad about it and of course I was very saddened by the tragic death.
But, there are simple and easy things you can do to prevent such a tragic accident from occurring. If you live in an area where you have cold weather then the easiest thing to do before you start your car is to tap on the hood of the car before you get in and this should scare away any small animals that may have crawled into the engine area or wheel wells of your car. If you have cats then the ideal thing is to keep them indoors so they don’t seek out dangerous shelters from the cold and other elements. If they are kept indoors they are less likely to suffer injuries or even death from the cold, ice, snow, other animals, cars, etc.. This is good not only for your pets but for your wallet as well as an emergency trip to the vet can be quite costly.
The Holidays bring with them many holiday traditions which can actually be harmful to your pets. Plants like mistletoe and holly can cause dangerous and maybe even deadly reactions. If you have a live Christmas tree keep your pets from drinking the water in the tree stand as it can cause digestive problems. Decorations like tinsel can cause bowel obstructions which require surgery.
The Holidays also typically bring a lot of food which you may think is ok for your pets to have. It is best to not give them table scraps to begin with, both for physical and behavioral reasons. Their digestive systems aren’t made to handle people food flavored with spices and salt and pepper and whatever else you might throw in the pot. And foods like macadamia nuts, grapes, raisins, chocolate, and coffee can cause weakness and vomiting and possibly more serious problems. For behavioral reasons it is best not the train them to expect to receive people food, otherwise they may look for it instead of their own food which has the proper levels of nutrients that their bodies need. Besides, who wants to do the two step around Rover when you are in the kitchen trying to cook a fabulous holiday meal and he is there following you around waiting for you to give him people food.
And last but not least, if you are having company over make sure you take your dog out for a walk or play his favorite game with him before guests arrive to get rid of his energy and calm him down so as to not be over excited when your company arrives. This will make your festive occasion much more enjoyable for your guests, your pet, and yourself.
Happy Holidays!!