Make the Holidays Happy for Your Dog!

Most of us will celebrate holidays over the next few weeks, whether Thanksgiving, Christmas, Kwaanza, Hannukkah, or Boxing Day, to name a few. While we have so much on our minds, we must be cognizant of the new dangers that present themselves during such occasions. And those dangers are magnified if you have a puppy, who is experiencing all of the excitement for the first time.

This post will review some common concerns, while upcoming posts over the next few days will be specific about some of them so please check back to learn more.

There's nothing more that your dog would enjoy than his own "platter" of holiday food. It's okay in moderation. Stick with white meat of a bird, not dark. Under NO circumstances should dogs be given skins from the poultry. Bones are in that category too. Most dogs love vegetables but provide ones without creamy sauce or lots of butter. A bit of plain sweet or white potato is okay too. No dessert! Many are much too fattening for your dog and often have chocolate in them. Pancreatitis can develop which may turn out to be fatal to your pooch. Future posts will explain why.

Throw away bones, skin, the string holding the bird's wings and even the plastic bag you bake the birds in. Make this garbage absolutely inaccessible to dogs. Their noses will find them every time -- especially when you're not around to stop them.

Be careful of your decorations. Trees should be sturdy so the dog cannot accidentally knock it over while playing. Some holiday plants are poisonous and shouldn't even be in the house (check back for details).

If you have puppies or small dogs, be extra careful with them when you have a houseful of company as they may be overlooked and stepped on, leading to injury.

Try to keep wires away from the sharp teeth of puppies who will chew on anything, but especially something new to their environment.

There are other items to consider including candles, aromatherapy reeds, fireplaces, and more, but these can be issues not just on a holiday.

I ask you to check back for details only because this post will be extremely lOng! And concentrating on these suggestions will help your holidays to be happy for both you and your dogs.