9 Holiday Safety Tips for Dogs

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Can you believe it’s the holidays already! I’m not sure which I enjoy better, Thanksgiving or Christmas. Because I have two new puppies, Ruby and Callie, it got me to thinking about Christmas safety for my dogs.

For us, Christmas is a special time of year where our friends and family get together.

Part of getting together is having a huge feast of food. Who doesn’t love a good Turkey or Ham? Don’t forget all the fixings! Now, I’m hungry already, Yum! 

This will be my dogs, Ruby and Callie’s first Christmas. I’m hoping they love all the family, kids and treats! I’ve been working on a recipe for all the dogs in our family to enjoy.

We have a ton of extended family coming in, dogs included for Christmas Dinner. There will be about 7 dogs in total. All in one house!

I am working on some precautions for a safe and happy Holiday with the dogs. This way all dogs leave happy, healthy and with full bellies.

Holiday Food Safety for All Dogs

It’s only natural to want to share our meals with our dogs. Sharing food with the dogs, especially fatty foods, can be hard to digest for our pups.

Poultry bones can cause damage to your dogs digestive tract. It can result in an unnecessary surgery if it’s not passed properly and gets stuck.

Who doesn’t love that crispy, perfectly browned Turkey coming out of the oven! For our furry friends, the skin of a Turkey should always be avoided. Turkey skin can cause a life threatening condition, Pancreatitis in dogs.

Tips for Keeping your Dog Safe During the Holidays

Keep your food on the table and out of the dogs bowl – Most Turkeys are baked with spices and the skin. Spices can be toxic for our dogs. The skin can cause pancreatitis. Onions, Raisins, grapes that can be stuffed into dressing can be dangerous and cause our dogs to become ill. If you’d like to share you Christmas dinner with your pets here is a recipe or buy them a special treat just for them at dinner time.

Holiday Dinner Recipe for Your Dog

Just Say No to Deserts for Dogs – Candy, deserts, and Chocolate can be harmful to dogs. Quite often candy includes xylitol, which is often found in gum or sugar free deserts. Xylitol is quite toxic for dogs and can be deadly if consumed.

Plants and Flowers – I love flower and plants. Often times, our guests will bring flowers. There are quite a few holiday plants that are dangerous to dogs. Here is a handy list of dangerous plants.

It’s always best to keep your dogs and even cats aways from plants. Baby’s Breath, Amaryllis, hydrangeas and more should be avoided.

Holiday Party Precautions and Your Dogs

If you’re planning a holiday party you’ll want to plan ahead for your dogs to remain safe and secure.

Visitors – Visitors can upset your pets. Dogs that are shy, excitable or simply don’t do well in crowds. If your dogs are nervous around people or crowds, it may be best to place them into a separate room with their favorite beds and toys. Turning no music or a tv will help drown out and keep your dogs company.

Watch the doors and exits – If your dog is comfortable around guests, they can easily feel spooked. If the door is open and run.

One time the UPS man came to the door and Ruby ran out. The door opened and she was out in no time. Luckily, she stuck close to the house. It took over an hour to get her to come back inside.

As your guests are leaving or entering, you’ll especially want to keep a close eye on your dogs so they don’t accidentally get out of the house.

Name Tags and Microchips – Always make sure your dog has an up to date ID Tag and Microchip.

More Tips for Keeping your Dogs Safe

Christmas Trees and Holiday Decorations – Just like we enjoy candles, trees and decorations. Our dogs love them as well. If you light a candle, never leave your dog alone with the burning candle. They could knock it over or potentially burn themselves trying to play with the candle.

Pine cone needles from trees can cause digestive and intestinal damage, even perforating your dogs intestine’s if ingested.

Holiday decorations on trees can puncture and damage a dogs intestinal lining. Keeping glass ornaments higher will help to prevent your dogs from ingesting glass.

I no longer keep ornaments from the lower branches. I push the presents further underneath the bottom of the tree. This way you don’t even notice that there are no ornaments on the bottom.

Christmas Tree Safety for Dogs

Dogs must look at Christmas Trees and think “Wow, look at all those balls!” Toys just hanging there for the taking.

I’ve had dogs all my life. This is Ruby and Callie’s first Christmas. My previous dogs pretty much ignored the tree. Or they would play ball with every low hanging ornament on the tree. I’m hoping Ruby and Callie will do the same.

Below are some safety tips for keeping your pets safe from the Christmas Tree.

I plan to place my tree in an area where I can watch my dogs. This way they don’t wind up with an injury or huge veterinary bills.

Christmas Trees – Dogs and Cats are curious and will want to check out that tree. If possible you should always set your tree in a room where you can easily keep on eye on them.

Watering a Tree – If you have a live Christmas tree it will need watering. Make sure the water is not accessible for your dogs. Wrap with aluminum foil or a tightly wound tree skirt. Trees can release toxic sap or pesticides into the water, which can cause some upset stomachs.

Lights and Bulbs – We all love our Christmas lights on the tree. White lights or colored, there is just something happy about having the lights on a tree.

While lights are pretty they can easily cause electrocution, if swallowed. Chewing on a string of lights can cause intestinal issues.

Ornaments – I love ornaments and have a big collection from my Mother and Grandmother. Unfortunately, dogs think they’ve gained a tree full of dog toys.

Keeping the ornaments out of reach. Or blocking off the tree with baby gates. When you can’t watch your pups will keep them safe.

Holiday Travel with the Dogs

No matter if you’re taking your pets with you or leaving them at home, there are some things to think about with your dogs and traveling.

Car or Air Holiday Travel – Whether your traveling across state lines or out of the Country. Your dog will need a health certificate.

The United States Department of Agriculture has a list of State requirements for traveling with your dog by air or by car. Click here to view their site.

Vehicles – Never leave your dogs in a locked vehicle no matter what the temperature is outside.

Keep your Dogs Safe while Traveling for Holidays

Both Ruby and Callie have PPSC approved seatbelts.

The PPSC are a group of manufacturers who work together. PPSC work to develop the best materials for restraining our pets.

I have them harnessed and seat belted in for their protection and ours.

An unrestrained dog at 75 lbs can produce approximately 2,250 lbs of force in a going 30 mph. That’s a lot of force for us in the car, and for our pets.

PPSC stands for Pet Product Standards Council. These harnesses and restraints are tested for superior strength in their materials.

Best Harnesses for Car Safety

Both Ruby and Callie have the Mighty Paw Dog Harness and love it!

It’s the best fitting and most well made harness I’ve tried.

I have it combined with the Mighty Paw Seat Belt. These seatbelts are so easy to use! Just clip them in you would a child.

I’ve even taken it on the airplane with me. Easy peasy to use and operate. I love knowing my pups are safe.

Pack for Yourself and Your Dog

When traveling, don’t forget to pack their food. Medications, and copy of medical records.

Keep your pets microchip information handy. I store Ruby and Callies’s microchip number as a phone number in my cell phone. This way I always have it.

Sign up for your FREE Dog Packing Checklist Here:

Holiday Gift Picks for Dogs

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Barks! Please share Woof!