Sparkly, Shiny, Pretty, and Dangerous.

We love Christmas but Christmas can be dangerous for pets.  Before you start decorating and putting the gifts under the tree (remember pets love gifts too), make sure your house is pet proof.

Here are six things to look out for.

1.  Christmas trees.  The biggest part of Christmas decorating in most houses is the Christmas tree.  Lots of families like to have a real live tree and the bigger the better.  They look and smell so pretty but if you have a cat, a real tree can be very tempting to climb which could make the tree fall, break the pretty ornaments and even hurt the cat.

Dogs may not climb a Christmas tree but they still could knock it down.

2.  Chemicals.  A real tree needs to have water all the time and most peoples put chemicals in the water to keep the tree fresh longer.  A dog or cat may not know that the water bowl under the tree is not for drinking.  If you have to use a chemical, make it impossible for your pet to drink from it by covering it with something they can’t take off.

3.  Angel Hair and Tinsel.  Shiny and so pretty but so bad for pets!  The old Angel Hair was made of stuff that they can’t sell any more but some peoples have really old ornaments they like so be careful.  Tinsel makes a tree look so pretty but if a dog or cat eats it, they can get really, really sick or even died.  Best to not use any.

4.  Candles.  Candles make a house look and smell so pretty but be careful where you put them.  A kitty jump or a waggy tail can easily knock one over and make a fire start.  The best thing to remember is to not leave a room where a candle is burning, even for a minute.

5.  Candy.  Lots of childrens make Christmas ornaments out of candy and other foods.  Sugar is not good for pets but we like it so if we see ornaments made out of candy or cookies, it is hard not to try to eat them. Candy canes are pretty but are made of lots of sugar too.

6.  Plants.  There are plants that are special to Christmas.  Some of these plants like Amaryllis, Mistletoe, Poinsettia, Christmas Cactus and English Ivy to name a few, are poisonous to pets.

That’s lots of things to remember but every one is important.

In our house the big problem is the tree skirt.  DixieLee thinks the tree skirt is a blanket and blankets belong in her crate.

Time to check to see how our decorating is coming along and then maybe time for a nap.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a Good Night.

Zeva

P.S.  Blatant self-promotion.  For the bestest Christmas gift baskets for  pets and the people who love them, check out pawpalsboutique.com 

The Good, The Bad and The Yummy

It’s snowy and cold but that’s okay because it is soon going to be Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is one of our very favorite holidays because it is all about food. Well, maybe not ALL about food, Mom and Dad get together with their human family and talk and laugh but for us, it’s about food.

There is soooo much food and it is one of the few times when we get to eat human foods. BUT not all of the foods that peoples eat at Thanksgiving are good for pets. Some is so bad that it can make dogs and cats died.

The bestest food at Thanksgiving is the turkey and of course the turkey has to be stuffed. Turkey is okay for pets (not too much) but the bones and the skin are really bad! Bones and fatty skin can hurt our tummy. A bone that gets caught in our throat or intestines could mean lots of pain and a trip to the Vet. Fatty stuff like skin and gravy and even the butter in smashed up potatoes can give us a belly ache.

Stuffing is bad because it probably has things like onions, garlic, scallions and some spices like sage, which are all bad for pets.

Lots of peoples like pretty salads like Waldorf salad, ambrosia or fruit salad. They look nice but grapes and raisins are toxic and can make our kidneys fail.

Sweet desserts are always part of Thanksgiving but many sweets are toxic to pets. Chocolate is super bad and the darker the chocolate the badder it is. Pumpkin pie is one of the favorite desserts and although canned pumpkin is really good for dogs, when it is cooked in a pie, it is not so good.

Apples pie is another Thanksgiving dessert. A slice or two of raw apple is a yummy treat but make sure you don’t eat any seeds because apple seeds are bad for dogs.

Alcohol is a BIG NO. Your humans know to keep their wine and beer away from you but what about rum cake or yeast dough.

There are some good Thanksgiving foods we can eat. A little turkey is okay. Sweet potatoes (not canned), carrots and green beans are super good. They have lots of good stuff in them but make sure they don’t have any added sugar, xylitol (fake sweetener), nuts or marshmallows mixed in.

I'm getting really hungry just thinking about our Thanksgiving dinner. Maybe I’ll check out the kitchen and see if I can get Dad to give us a snack.

Happy Thanksgiving All!

Zeva

P.S. Blatant self-promotion. For the bestest pet gift baskets in the universe, go to pawpalsboutique.com