Andrea Rosebrock 
As holiday preparations get into full swing it’s time to take a moment to think about holiday decoration pet hazards. Sure we all love the twinkling lights and pretty ornaments, the glitter and glitz and all of this may be interesting to our pets too.
Some of these new additions for our homes may also be a danger or hazard to our furry four-legged family members too.
Dogs are notorious chewers, especially if something smells good. Additions to the tree of decoration like strung popcorn, cranberries, old favorites, could be especially problematic. The strings with their goodies could cause serious blockage requiring vet intervention and even surgery.
Small ornaments are also swallow hazards as well as the classic wire hooks that are used to hang ornaments on trees. Try twist ties instead which serve the combined purpose of both keeping ornaments more secured and being a bit less of a swallow hazard.
Then there are all the new wires and electrical cords all over the place for lights and other pretty decor pieces. Electrical cords are always a hazard but in you average household, people usually have these problems out of the way of dog’s interest. Make sure you do the same with all the new electrical cords and extensions that will be showing up for the holidays. Not only could a chewed cord electrocute your pets, it could also cause a fire if it’s gone unnoticed.
The lovely greenery of the holidays, poinsettias, mistletoe, holly and pine, they embody the scent and look of Christmas but they are also pet no-nos. Think poisonous, toxic, dangerous and keep out of reach. Think how easy pine needles stick fingers, imagine what they could do to our beloved pooch’s insides.
And if you are using a natural tree to decorate, make sure the water under the tree is either covered, in an enclosed basin, or that you are at least using a pet friendly preservative for the tree. Many pets look at it as just another water bowl. Also, natural or artificial, make sure your tree is solid and sturdy, dogs jump and cats climb and trees fall over.
Pretty wrappings, papers and ribbons and bows, all also dangers. Make sure you do pickup cleanup so your pet doesn’t think of these are their newest chew toys. As pretty as they are to look at, they can be a serious hazard if they are ingested and get onto the intestines.
And last but not least of the list, all the yummies and goodies that seems to show up during the holidays. As tempting as they are to us, they are also tempting to our pets. There are many foods that are a danger to our pets such as chocolate, certain nuts and many others. Make sure you keep plates and bowls of goodies far from your pet’s reach.
Make this a happy and safe holiday season for all the members of your family!
Years ago, long before I was aware of animal welfare issues, I had a Christmas ornament that had rabbit fur on it. The ornament was a little mouse with a red cape. My roommate at the time had a big doberman. The day after we put the tree up, we came home to find the tree laying on it’s side. All that was left of the ornament was the red cape. Fortunately the dog was not any the worse for wear.
Tinsel is one decoration that we had to give up a long time ago, because our cats found it to be irresistible. The wake-up call came when I noticed Jade, our rescued Persian, had a one-inch length of tinsel hanging out of her mouth. I grabbed the end and very gently pulled-and pulled-and pulled, until I finally had it all out of the cat. It was over a foot long, and smelled like stomach contents. I didn’t realize until then how dangerous my action had been (I was only about 17 at the time). Thank God Jade didn’t suffer any ill effects from the experience. That tinsel definitely would not have been good for her little innards. We haven’t used tinsel since.