Important doggy tips for Christmas

CHRISTMAS TIPS

Christmas is a time of year for family and friends, which leads to festive gatherings. This also can be an added stress and dangerous time for your furry friends. With all of the heightened activity, be sure you make time for your dogs. An adventurous hike, romp in the snow or a mentally challenging walk, will make your dog more manageable, content and calm for the 24th, 25th and 26th.

Trees and ornaments

If you have one of those ‘real’ trees with the water canister at the base, make sure your dog is unable to get to it to drink the water. This can lead to the tree falling and or your dog getting sick.

If you like to decorate your tree with such food items as candy canes, chocolate, tinsel or popcorn strands, either place them high enough that the dog can not reach them, or remove them altogether.

Poinsettias, Mistletoe and Holly will make your dog sick if consumed. Keep all plants off the floor and out of reach of your dog.

Treats and food

If you are aware of any food that may be wrapped as a gift, remove it from under the tree until Christmas morning.

Be aware of your dog eating the ribbons, bows or other little trinkets on the gifts.

Christmas is big time of year for marketing ‘Dog Treats’. Although they can be cute and festive looking, don’t get sucked in to buying them. As an alternative to family and friends exchanging gifts for their pets, encourage them to donate to a local shelter or pet food bank on behalf of your dog.

If you do want to give your dog a treat for Christmas, make sure it is not a rawhide. These can either get stuck in the dogs’ throat or they can expand in the dogs stomach when drinking water thus leading your dog to surgery.

Smoked bones will give many dogs’ nasty diarrhea.

A healthier and often less expensive alternative is to go to your butcher or local market and ask for a raw beef or buffalo bone. The marrow is nutrient dense and tasty. Working on the bone also cleans their teeth and will keep your pooch occupied.

For those of you having the family over for turkey, make sure all the scraps get wrapped up and the carcass is taken care of immediately after dinner. Turkey and chicken bones can splinter, sending shards through the dogs intestines.
As you may or may not be aware, chocolate can be fatal to many dogs, as can onions. With that being said, please ask your family and guests not to feed your dog any human food.

If you are heading out to see family or friends and bringing the dog, respect your dog’s need to have his or her own space.

Some dogs love the attention and being around lots of people. Some dogs would prefer to chill out in their kennel. In either case, make sure you have a quiet location and kennel for your dog should he/she decide to take a break from the humans, especially if there are young children around. With all the sugar and excitement, this can annoy the dog and possibly encourage the dog to snap. You may even consider leaving the dog at home.

Toys

Some toys you don’t want Santa bringing your pooch:

Felt tennis balls- they wear down the teeth.

There is a type of ball on the market that has the option to place a treat inside a single hole. This is very dangerous as there is no second hole to release the suction build-up, thus creating a vacuum which could then potentially attach to the dogs tongue.

Toys that are too small or too big for your dog: this could be a chocking hazard or become jammed in their mouth.

Toys with ‘add-on’s’ like buttons, collars, hats, hair or loose rope can be ripped off and swallowed. As well, toys that are filled with beans or pellets can be a problem. Ensure that you check the toys frequently for tears and stuffing poking out. At this point, toys should be tossed.

If you are buying your dog a Frisbee, be aware that the hard plastic types can break and or chip the teeth. As well, some dogs will chew the Frisbee and ingest the plastic. There are a few different fabric Frisbees available on the market, which is a safer choice.

If you have youngsters, be sure to pick up potential hazards for the dog. This would include game pieces, little toys, lego bits, etc.

Some “Good Toy” options:

Kongs – good for chewing
Fabric Frisbees-
Hockey or Lacross balls- healthier on teeth
Old t-shirt with a knot tied- encourages tug-o-war

The following is a list of foods that can be dangerous to your dog:

·     Alcohol

·     Aspartame

·     Avocados

·     Aloe Vera

·     Baby Food (can contain onion powder)

·     Broccoli in large amounts

·     Chocolate

·     Cigarettes, tobacco, cigars

·     Citrus oil

·     Coffee grounds, coffee beans & tea (caffeine)

·     Fat trimmings (can cause pancreatitis)

·     Garlic in large amounts

·     Hops (used in home brewing)

·     Human vitamins containing iron (can damage the lining of the digestive system)

·     Large amounts of liver

·     Moldy/spoiled foods

·     Mushrooms

·     Macadamia Nuts/Walnuts

·     Nutmeg

·     Onions

·     Pear, plum, peach and apricot pits, apple cores (seeds contain cyanide)

·     Potato peelings and green looking potatoes

·     Raisins and grapes (damages the kidneys)

·     Raw fish

·     Raw Potatoes

·     Rhubarb leaves

·     Salt in large amounts

·     Tomato leaves & stems (green parts)

·     Turkey skin

·     Voltarin (in arthritis medication)

·     Yeast dough

·     Xylitol (in sweetened gum)

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.