As a pet owner, it’s important to do everything you can to keep your dog or cat healthy and safe, from microchipping to pet vaccinations. During the holidays, it's especially crucial to keep your furry loved one’s safety in mind. Some common decorations can be dangerous, so plan your choices around their needs. Here’s what you need to know.

How to Make Your Home Safer for Your Pets During the Holidays

1. Avoid Toxins

Many of the traditional plants associated with the holidays are toxic to pets, such as pine needles. Also, real pine trees are grown with pesticides that can be dangerous, so choose artificial trees instead. 

Avoid holly, mistletoe, poinsettias, and lilies. Finally, snowglobes and fake snow are choking hazards and pose other risks, so keep them out of your pet's reach by only spraying snow on the top of your tree and keeping snowglobes on an inaccessible shelf.

2. Consider What They Might Eat

One of the most common foreign items to wind up in pets' stomachs this time of year is tinsel. It's glittery and eye-catching, so dogs and cats like to chew on it; the long strand can get tangled inside their digestive system, causing a blockage. There's a similar problem with long ribbons.

Pets also go after tree ornaments, especially edible ones like cookies and candy canes, and they can swallow wrappers and wire hooks.

3. Minimize Disaster Risks

When you leave the house or go to bed, don't leave the tree lights on. Your pet might chew on the wires, causing a shock. Plus, they can occasionally start fires when left unattended.

Finally, keep candles out of reach, and blow them out when you're not in the room. A pet can knock over a burning candle by playing or climbing near it, causing a house fire.