How To Keep Your Dog Safe Over Christmas

Happy Howl-idays! Our top tips to keeping your dog safe over Christmas

Word on the street is… Santa Paws is comin’ to town. Which means the most wonderful time of the year is almost here!

So if you’re preparing an at-home-get-together with your favourite people, are you also preparing a safe environment for your pup?

If not, Christmas has come early for you. Because we’ve put together our top tips for dog safety over the festive (and sometimes frantic) season.

So let your pooch deck the halls this Christmas, instead of Christmas decking your pooch!

Doggy-proof the decorations

With all the tinsel, baubles and choking hazards in your living room, your pup may find themselves barking up the wrong (Christmas) tree this silly season.

Sticking their snout where it doesn’t belong rarely ends well.

They could get tangled in tinsel, or even be electrocuted from the lights. And in particularly grinchy cases, the tree could call ‘TIMBERRR’ right on top of your terrier.

But it’s not just the tree that could be a Great Dane-ger to your dog in December. Candles, ribbons, wrapping paper, nativity scenes and any Christmas cracker knick-knacks could also pose a threat.

But wait – there’s myrrh. Many of the most common festive flora are also extremely toxic to dogs. So before you haul out the holly, make sure you read up on poisonous plants for pups.

And when you’re Christmas-ifying your home, keep all your decorations out of reach of sneaky snouts. After all, even during the holidays, safety gets the final sleigh.

Store the presents under wraps

We hate to break it to you, but the presents-under-the-tree days may be over.

Why? Because dogs ingest more batteries over December than any other time during the year.

And those power packs? They pack a punch. In fact, with a hard enough chomp, batteries can cause metal poisoning and chemical burns to your dog’s mouth, throat and digestive tract. If they’re swallowed whole? Obstruction. Either way – get your pet to the vet.

Not to mention the other ‘tasty’ battery-free presents that could make your pooch yelp ’ooch’.

So from now on, let Santa keep all the prezzies in his workshop right up until Christmas morning.

Let only humans woof down the festive food

With an entire festive feast of woof-les for breakfast, bark-becue for lunch and pup-sicles for dessert – your pooch will be thinking “Bone appétit!”

But sadly, you’re going to have to resist those puppy dog eyes at the dinner table this holiday season.

Many festive foods can cause dogs digestive problems, which often lead to vomiting, diarrhoea, and in some cases, pancreatitis and liver failure.

So what are the main dishes on the naughty list? Steer clear of ham, pork, small bones, chocolate, lollies, nuts, avocados, grapes, garlic and onion.

But good news! When your pooch gets a glimpse of our dog food collection, they won’t even give your meal a second sniff.

Keep your canine calm

Let’s be honest. The loud bang that comes from an unexpected Christmas cracker can have even us saying “What the bark?!”

Not to mention that frightfully-loud second-cousin-twice-removed who keeps popping up at family festivities – what was their name again?

If these stressful situations get you in a tizz, imagine how the noises and big crowds can make your pup feel on Christmas Day.

So before you welcome the flock of family into your home, make sure your dog has a quiet place to go when the festivities start ­hound-ing them.

And if they’re having a really ruff day, you can always call on your dog stress and anxiety relief products to save the day.

And we all know, dog and puppy treats always get those tails waggin’ again.

Be an emergency watchdog

Even if you’ve prepped your pup for the big day, incidents can still happen.

So in case of emergency, make sure you and your family know what to do.

That means having your pet first aid kit on hand and your local vet’s number saved on your phone.

And if you like to party till the dogs come home, why not go a trot further? Note all the after-hours veterinary clinics in your area as well.

For example, this list of emergency vets from RSPCA has all Melburnian doggies covered.

Is your pup on the nice list this year? Then check out PetPost’s dog collection for gifts that’ll have them leaping and bounding with joy.