Holiday Pet Safety Tips

The holiday season is a wonderful time to be had by ever single member of the family, whether they walk on two legs or four. But while we don’t associate the season with danger, there are certain holiday traditions that could make this time of the year more joyless than joyful for your pet.

No one knows more about this than Amanda Giese, star of the Animal Planet series, AMANDA TO THE RESCUE. As the founder of Panda Paws Rescue, Giese is used to having a menagerie of animals in and out of her home over the course of the year. She recently stopped by Animal Planet headquarters, where she offered some helpful safety tips for pets during the holiday season.

Don’t let curiosity kill the cat. Keep holiday decorations out of reach.

You may see the cord to the Christmas tree lights, but your pet could think it’s a tasty treat. Things like ornaments, presents, plants and other holiday décor should be kept as far out of each as possible.

“It’s like proofing your home for a toddler. If it’s knee height or below, I have to be prepared for it to get chewed up or ingested,” Giese said. “So everything that I do, I do from the knees and up.”

Family and friends can be exhausting, no matter what species you are.

As much as we love having our loved ones together this time of year, having so many people in the house can be overwhelming for both us and our pets. Giese recommends keeping a close eye on animals for changes in behavior around guests and having a quiet room ready for your them to decompress, if needed.

We love snow on Christmas Day (so long as you’re dressed for it).

A dog wearing a coat is absolutely ah-dorable, but there’s more to the look than just style. A Siberian husky will fare better outside in the winter, then say a pug or a chihuahua, so, depending on their breed, a dog should wear a coat and even booties if it’s cold.

“Obviously in the summer, we have to worry about dogs overheating and burning their paws on the concrete,” Giese said. “But during the wintertime, especially when it's extremely cold, snowy weather, we need to make sure that we're not burning their feet on the ice.”

We hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday season, spent at home with the people we love (and not at the vet’s office).