Tena StetlerAuthor of Paranormal Romance/Suspense & Cozy Mysteries With Magic Spark!

Dec 18th Goes to the Dogs #L&SR’s #Wednesday’s Blog Challenge 12-18-19

Welcome to #L&SR’s #Wednesday’s Blog Challenge 12-18-19 Ten Gifts for People Who Love X.  Now I’ve got to be honest here, gift giving has completely wazzed me out this year. Just the thought or word gift makes me panic. Yes, I got my shopping done, but it wasn’t pretty.  So again this week, I’m going to take the liberty of tweaking the topic a bit to 10 Holiday Safety Tips for Dogs.  I know, I know…I’m a rebel with a cause. LOL

According to the AKC many things change in your home during the holidays. 

Packages and visitors come through the door, decorations adorn the house, big meals are prepared with special foods, and wrapped gifts surround a new tree in the main part of your home. As much fun as this can be, it can also cause stress and risks to your dogs. Here’s a few important holiday safety rules, tricks, and tips to help keep you and your pets safe and happy during this holiday season.

Lets Start with Deliveries

When visitors come to call, keep a leash and collar or harness securely on your pets, with ID tags showing your cell phone number. Be sure your pets are microchipped. Dogs can slip out the door in a heartbeat and be gone. Alternately, keep an exercise pen set up at the door so you can open the door, but your pets can’t escape.  

Electric Cords 

The skinny cords on Christmas tree lights are not well insulated and easy for a puppy to chew into. Electrocution can result, so safety is paramount. Keep the cords covered so pets stay safe. Also, consider keeping the lower branches of the tree free from lights. If you catch your dog chewing on a cord, unplug the cord immediately and move it out of their reach. Another thought is a fence off the Christmas Tree with a pet fence. We had to do this with out dog until she was three years old. Better safe than sorry.

On to Christmas Trees & Decorations

You can easily add a safety measure by tethering your tree to the ceiling with a plant hook and a thin wire. Curious climbing pups or those with enthusiastically-wagging tails will appreciate not having the tree fall over on them. Also, monitor and prevent pine needle and tree water ingestion.  Again a good reason to fence off the tree with an exercise pen.

Hang bells on the lower branches to help alert you to your pet’s exploration of the tree. Either keep your special, breakable ornaments at the tops of the tree or in storage the years you have young dogs romping around. Another option is to surround the tree with an exercise pen to remove any temptation to much on ornaments.

Tinsel, yarn, strings, and other items with long strands can be fascinating to pets. Avoid using these products in areas where pets can get into them. Strings of popcorn and cranberries may be especially enticing, so keep these out of reach.

Plants

Traditional holiday plants like mistletoe and holly are toxic to dogs. Yew, the evergreen many people have in their landscaping is extremely toxic. As a safety measure, avoid bringing clippings into your home to use as garland unless you can identify the variety.  Poinsettias are not toxic, but any plant ingestions can lead to oral irritation, vomiting and/or diarrhea.  Believe me cleaning up poop all over the house is the last thing you need.

Toxic Foods

Several common holiday foods that humans can safely eat are unsafe for dogs. These include chocolate, raisins and grapes, Macadamia nuts, and sugarless products containing xylitol. Avoid putting food-containing gifts under the tree, wrapped or unwrapped, when your dogs will be in the room unsupervised. Alcohol innocently set on a low table or the floor can be quickly raided by a pet, leading to serious consequences.

Gifts under the tree occasionally include meats and cheeses. Too much fat from these can be dangerous. Bones and fats from ham, turkey, and other meats can cause pancreatitis or intestinal blockages. Mesh wrappers and leg holders on meats can also smell tempting but cause bowel obstructions. If you’ve got a dog who gets into trash cans, be sure to empty them when they’re full of food.

Walking Outside With Your Dog – Avoid Sidewalk Salt

Avoid using regular sidewalk salt and instead, use cat litter or pet-safe sidewalk salt products. Wash your pet’s paws if they do track through salt that isn’t pet-friendly. 

Antifreeze

Ethylene glycol, antifreeze, is highly toxic to pets. It has a sweet taste and remains liquid when other water sources are frozen. Ingestion initially will mimic alcohol consumption, but quickly leads to irreversible and fatal kidney failure. Keep antifreeze wiped up and stored in covered containers. Suspected ingestion requires a trip to the veterinarian immediately.

Make sure pets have an unfrozen water supply available to them when they are outside. Heated water bowls are available, with a wire coil surrounding the cords to keep pets safe from chewing through a cord.

Dog’s &Candles & Oils

Dogs can easily tip candles over or venture too close to the flames. Even potpourri oils are dangerous when licked from the source or off their coats. Place these high or avoid altogether. Plug-in room scent products can be an alternative, but remember they are very toxic to birds of all kinds. Yep we have a parrot in our house along with an elderly  turtle. 

Dogs & Visitors

Identify which home-made treats are for your pets and which are for your family and friends. You don’t want to be the one who bites into a deliciously-decorated dog biscuit. Believe it or not this nearly happened last year. LOL

One Final Point

Make sure your guests are aware of what your pets can be given and can’t. Better yet, tell your guests you’d rather them not feed your pets. My parrot and turtle are on strict diets and some everything things can be toxic. People without pets have no idea what can be harmful, so best to nix all feeding of the pets by guests.

Alas, I need to get back to my writing cave where deadlines loom, so let’s see what other authors list as ten gifts for people who love X. L&SR

Pssst… While you’re here, don’t forget to check out my paranormal romance/mysteries click  here.

Squeal!! So excited! I’ve a new release, Charm Me Again.  Please check it out.  Pssst…. It makes a great Christmas gift.  Just say’n.

Teaser from CHARM ME AGAIN –

For several months a Scottish Highland Ghost has haunted Daylan, in his personal life, his professional life and at his forge. Yet, being a talented warlock, he is no closer to discovering what the ghost wants or why he chose Daylan. A trip to his estranged sister’s home in Colorado may have unforeseen consequences especially when family history leads him to a shocking discovery.

As his attraction blooms for Josie, a yoga instructor in his sister’s studio, he realizes there may be more to Josie than he can imagine. When an ancient rogue Fae Warrior set on revenge kidnaps her in an attempt to claim her as his own, a devastating curse comes to light.

Daylan’s world spirals out of control as he searches for Josie. Can he break the age old curse to save her and their future, or will she be lost to him forever?

Next week is Christmas, so no blog challenge here. See you in the New Year when I’ll endeavor to stay on topic of the #L&SR #Wednesday Blog Challenge! LOL  Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a safe Happy New Year!

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Posted in My Say What Blog by Tena Stetler with 15 comments.