Keep your pets safe and healthy this holiday season by following these tips from Ardmore Animal Hospital, a clinic serving the mainline area, including Haverford, Bryn Mawr, Gladwyne and Radnor. We want to see your pets live a long and healthy life, so keep all treats designed for people out of the reach of your pet during the holidays. Be careful when wrapping gifts for both people and pets. Your dog or cat may want to chew through the paper, which can be potentially harmful. A dog or cat can also get tangled in ribbons and bows, leading to a holiday trip to the vet.

Don't Share Table Scraps

You may be tempted to feed table scraps to your pet during the holiday season or during a holiday party. Doing so can result in an unplanned visit to our veterinary clinic.

A lot of foods that are tasty to both pets and people can harm your pets. If you do not want your pet to have a stomachache or worse, avoid feeding him cookies and chocolates or any food with a lot of fat in it.

Meat that has bones in it presents a choking hazard and should never be given to pets.

Keep Plants and Decorations Out of Reach

While festive, plants such as poinsettias are poisonous to cats. If you have a pet, your best bet is to skip the live plants. If you must have them, keep them in an area off limits to cats and other pets.

Your cat or dog may also want to take a bite out of a shiny holiday ornament or play with a string of lights. A lot of dogs and cats spend their holidays at the vet after breaking glass ornaments or shocking themselves trying to chew through lights. If you use glass ornaments, hang them on a steady branch or wall, well out of the reach of your pets.

If you have questions or concerns about safety proofing your house this holiday season, please give us a call. Any member of our staff is happy to answer questions you may have.

What steps do you take to keep your pets safe during the holidays?