Our Top Pet Safety Tips for the Holidays
A Few Reminders to Help You Enjoy a Wonderful Holiday Season with Your Pets
Over the years, Grady Veterinary Hospital has featured many holiday safety tips. In this roundup, we’re collecting our most useful advice for keeping your cats and dogs safe through the season.
5 Holiday Foods that Are Safe Pet Treats
When we treat ourselves, we also want to treat our pets! In our article “5 Holiday Foods that Are Safe Pet Treats,” we offer healthy treat options from the holiday table. Remember, treats are good in moderation, so think in bites, not bowls.
- Plain Cooked Lean Meat, Poultry or Fish
- Raw Baby Carrots or Frozen Green Beans
- Plain Scrambled or Boiled Eggs
- All-Natural Peanut Butter
- Plain, Cooked Pumpkin, Canned or Cubed
15 Foods & Ingredients to Keep Away From Your Pet
On the other hand, there are plenty of foods that are dangerous to share with pets. Here’s the list from our article, “Holiday Food Safety Tips for Pets.”
1. Raw meat, poultry or fish
2. Cooked or raw bones
3. Onions
4. Garlic
5. Avocados
6. Mustard – the seeds, powder or condiment
7. Raw yeast dough
8.Raisins and grapes
9. Nuts
10. Green tomatoes
11. Raw potatoes
12. Alcohol
13. Chocolate
14. Candy and gum
15. Anything containing the artificial sweetener xylitol
Dangerous Holiday Pet Pictures You Should Never Take
Holiday pet photos are darling, and we love them as much as anyone. However, it’s never the right time to put a pet in danger for a picture. We show examples in our article, “Dangerous Holiday Pet Pictures You Should Never Take.” Here are the basics:
- No tinsel or ribbon
- No toxic plants
- Absolutely no alcohol
- Avoid light strings
- Avoid toxic foods
Christmas Decoration Safety
Decorating is half the fun of the season! In our article “13 Quick Tips to Keep Pets Safe this Holiday Season,” we share guidance for mixing pets and pretties:
- Secure Your Christmas Tree to the Wall
- Keep Tree Water Clean and Fresh
- Avoid Tinsel with Cats
- Salt Dough Ornaments Are Toxic
- Keep Glass Ornaments Out of Reach
- Keep Batteries Out of Reach
- Unplug Your Christmas Tree when You’re Out of the Room
- Extinguish Candles when You Leave the Room
- Avoid Decorating with Toxic Plants
- Keep Potpourri Away from Pets
- Cats Often Try to Eat Confetti
- Noisemakers Disturb Many Pets
- Fireworks are a Dog’s Worst Enemy
3 Holiday Pet Safety Videos
If you’d rather watch holiday pet safety tips, check out these three:
- Pet Safety Tips for the Holidays
- Holiday Food Safety Guide for Pets
- Holiday Gathering Safety Guide for Pets
This time of year is wonderful for those who love to celebrate holidays of all stripes! We’re wishing you and your pets a festive season of joy and happiness!