Four Tips for a Pet-Friendly Thanksgiving Celebration

Holidays can be extremely fun for humans, but are often a dreadful experience for pets. The culprits of the top Thanksgiving pet emergencies involve guests and food. Pet Sitters International (PSI) offers pet owners four tips to ensure everyone remains thankful this year.

Keep Medication Out of Paw’s Reach. One of the most common pet-related holiday emergencies is the consumption of human pharmaceuticals. If company’s coming, be sure that all guests safely store their medicine.

Knock, Knock. Who’s there? People will be entering and exiting the home and many of them may be strangers to your pets. Some pets will sneak out through an open door. Searching for a runaway pet or caring for an injured pet will put a damper on holiday festivities. So be careful with opening and closing doors. To minimize the risk, keep your pets in another room and away from guest traffic.

Stranger Danger! Pets that get scared from all of the hustle and hubbub of the holidays may bite or scratch, especially if a stranger tries to pet them or pick them up. Pets that are normally friendly and socialized have been known to become aggressive during the holiday commotion. Pet owners should know what to do if their pets bite someone and should also know how to protect themselves – and their guests – from getting scratched or bitten.

Watch What Fido and Fluffy Eat. Items such a rich, fatty scraps, bones from pork and poultry, alcoholic beverages and chocolate are all toxic to pets. It’s also important to keep all paws away from:

• Bread dough. When bread dough is ingested it continues to rise, causing an intestinal blockage.
• Xylitol. This sugar substitute causes a dog’s blood sugar to drop quickly. Xylitol poisoning can be treated, but causes liver failure if not treated properly.

For more information about PSI or to locate a professional pet sitter in your area, please visit www.pawsittingservice.com