Safely Incorporating Our Dogs in Holiday Festivities

Dr. Marty Greer, DVM and Host Laura Reeves riff on safely incorporating our pets in the holiday festivities, from electricity to plants to food to weather.

Greer’s recommendations include:

• Electric cord safety – wrap thin cords with metal safety coil
• Jingle bells on low branches for warning that the dog is in trouble
• Unwrapped candy canes that aren’t dangerous on low branches
• Keep the canned spinach on hand
• Secure tree to ceiling or wall
• Crate the dog during dinner with a stuffed kong or chew bone to entertain them.
• Beware of alcohol consumption. Guests don’t always take the dog into consideration when setting down a glass.
• Make your dog part of the meal with snacks of raw carrots, small bits of meat instead of fats
• Save broth cooked with bones, carrots, celery for food dressing
• No more than 10% of meal should be additive. Commercial kibble is precisely formatted to meet the dogs needs. Substantially altering the contents of the meal can cause problems.
• Mistletoe and Easter Lilly and Yew plants are highly toxic. Poinsettia actually isn’t. Macadamia nuts and raisins are food items less known to be toxic.
• Boots are good for dogs in extreme cold or wet snow. Greer recommends the musher boots used in the Iditarod.
• Pet safe deicer and antifreeze — both products are excellent. If dogs walk on salt or deicer that isn’t suited to pets, rinse their feet thoroughly as soon as you can.
• Dressing up our dogs entertains us, but not all dogs find it funny. Let your pet make the choice on outfits.
• Slushy snow is bad as it can freeze in the feet and undercarriage.

For more information about preventing and dealing with potential intestinal blockages, listen here.