Plan ahead to keep pets happy over festive season

PLANNING the perfect Christmas or New Year’s Eve party takes time, effort and skill. There’s the food and drink, entertainment and music as well as plenty of things to keep the little ones occupied to think about but don’t forget the family pet as they have a few party requirements of their own.
By The Newsroom
Published 24th Dec 2011, 05:07 BST

The experts at Pets at Home have put together their top five party planning tips with pets in mind, to give pet owners a helping hand this year.

They are:

A place to call their own

Christmas celebrations can be loud, raucous and go on well into the night. To keep your pet feeling fresh and well, ensure you have a place just for them that is quiet with plenty of water for them to settle down for a bit of peace and quiet.

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Party treats to keep pets happy

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Christmas chocolates are delicious for us but to make sure your pets, especially dogs and cats, don’t help themselves keep your chocolates out of the way or hang pet friendly chocolates from the lower branches of the tree instead. We stock a huge range of Christmas pet treats from Christmas puddings through to artisan chocolates and even mince pies.

Deck the halls with bells and holly

Mistletoe, holly and poinsettias are guaranteed to give your home a festive feel but to keep the family pets feeling well, keep the flowers, berries and foliage away from inquisitive mouths as they can cause upset stomachs and poorly pets.

Decoration

Decorating our homes to look the part for the Christmas party is something we all spend ages doing, from putting the tree up to decorating the stairs. To make your home perfectly presented for pets why not try an artificial tree to keep their paws safe from sharp pine needles, keep tinsel and ribbon out of reach as they can get wrapped round mouths or even swallowed. Use plastic instead of glass baubles to keep paws protected and keep any wires out of reach to prevent them being chewed.

Keep pets warm and cosy

Christmas parties will see people coming and going throughout the night so keep your pets warm, cosy and away from any doors that may be opened letting cold air in. We stock a wide range of stylish coats for dogs and warm fleecy beds for cats and small animals, ideal to keep your pet feeling wonderfully warm.

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The final tip is to check your vet’s surgery opening hours just in case you need their help over the festive break.

In a recent study by Pets at Home, pet owners seem to be going to extra special lengths to pet proof their homes at Christmas. A quarter of pet owners have an artificial tree instead of a real one to keep their pets safe, 20 per cent use plastic baubles instead of glass ones and 25 per cent keep chocolate treats high up on the tree away from inquisitive pets.

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