Safety Thanksgiving Tips For Your Pets
Pets and thanksgiving go hand in hand and you should keep your furry friends safe during this day filled with treats and festivities. There are a few things you need to do before the celebrations start. It is important to make the festivities safe and pet-friendly to avoid unnecessary incidents.
Food Safety
Often, thanksgiving is more about food and treats, but not all diets are safe for your furry friends. Below are some foods you should be careful with as they might be poisonous for pets:
- Chocolates – While a tasty box of chocolate is a great treat for your guests, it can be poisonous to cats and dogs and can cause seizures, diarrhea, vomiting, high blood pressure, and other undesirable symptoms.
- Cakes and pies – Try to keep kitty and puppy noses from the mixing bowl when baking using raw eggs as it can poison them. Also, remember that xylitol – an artificial sweetener found in most desserts can be potentially fatal when consumed by pets.
- Bread Dough – When your cat or puppy accidentally ingests bread dough, the yeast found in the dough can be poisonous for your pet.
- Turkey – Boneless turkey pieces should be just fine for your guests but leftover carcasses can choke your pets and cause gastrointestinal injury.
Costume reminders
If you plan to dress your cat or dog for Halloween, you can consider buying a costume that suits the thanksgiving festivities. Just ensure the costume is spacious enough to avoid limiting mobility or obstruct breathing. More importantly, the costume shouldn’t have any choking hazards like feathers, beads, and other dangling pieces.
Decoration dangers
While corn and decorative pumpkins aren’t toxic, consuming too much can cause stomach upset for your pets. So, be extra careful of candles as your curious pets can easily knock them over. That said, avoid thanksgiving decorations that have smaller pieces as they can choke your pets. Alternatively, hang the ornaments on an elevated place.
Floral Centerpieces
Most people usually brighten their homes with an array of floral arrangements. Just ensure you know some of the plants that are toxic to cats and dogs. Some of the poisonous festive decorations include chrysanthemum, autumn crocus, and acorns from oak trees.
Conclusion
If you suspect that your cat or dog has ingested a poisonous treat or plant, act fast and visit the vet to address the problem. Remember that poisoning can be fatal for pets and hence should be addressed as fast as possible.
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