City Of Amarillo Advises – Pet Proof Your Christmas!

At first, I thought this was kind of a joke, then I remembered seeing my cat wedged in my Christmas tree last year and me having to dig him out!  Yes, our furry little friends are curious!  And they find joy in exploring all those decorations and gifts!  So, for Amarillo to advise that you pet proof your Christmas, I thought it was a great idea to share!

We actually changed our entire set up this year.  We went out and bought a 4ft artificial tree and it's on a very tall table, like a pub table that you see at bars.  I've found that it's actually helped a lot!  The dogs are staying away from the presents, because they are out of reach, and our cat really isn't a fan of the table he rarely gets on it, so we haven't had a single incident this year with our animals, and it's been great! (fingers crossed!)

Having your tree, ornaments and presents in reach of your pets can cause huge problems, especially for your pets!

So what is the city of Amarillo throwing our way for advise?

City of Amarillo:

Think about how you can pet proof the following:

• Christmas Tree: Pets may knock it over, so you can either keep it in a room that can be closed off or put a barrier around it, such as baby gates or a portable kennel fence. Keep sharp pine needles swept up because they can cause intestinal problems if they are ingested.
• Plants: A number of holiday plants are poisonous to pets, including holly, mistletoe, and poinsettia. Make sure they are placed where your pets cannot gain access to them.
• Ornaments/decorations: Tinsel, glass ornaments, electrical cords, and various edible decorations all can cause problems if they are ingested. Make sure they secured so animals cannot get to them.
• Food: Chocolate, alcohol, and caffeine can make pets very ill, or even kill them in some cases. Do not give your pets any holiday food and keep platters of goodies out of their reach.

Every year veterinarians treat animals for electrocution, ingestion of foreign objects, burns, cuts from broken glass, and poisoning from toxic plants or chemicals.  So protect your pets from themselves and pet proof this year!