Christmas
As we all know, us humans can be tempted to over-indulge over Christmas, for many it is a time of great joy and fun. For our dogs though there can be some areas that risk them stress, anxiety, pain, illness or worse.
The team at RFFDMSUK has produced the following to help all pet parents to navigate through the festive season safely.
Decorations
Tinsel, Baubles, Indoor Trees, Lights - they look so magical in our homes. However, year after year they are a huge problem area for many of our members and their pets.
When first introducing your pet to decorations, they may show fear or they may demonstrate curiosity.
Some dogs may try to eat the tinsel, after all it looks like a shiny rope almost, or play fetch with baubles. it is vital though that any play with decorations is trained out as parts of these items can be ingested and cause serious harm to pets. If your dog consumes parts of a decoration, contact your vet immediately.
Candles can also be easy to knock over, especially by a waggy tail or an excited dog, so ensure flames are well out of reach and bear in mind that scented items can actually affect dogs' behaviour and even cause reactions so take extra care.
Dress-up
The RRFDMSUK team do not judge whether you dress your dog up or not, this is your decision, however if you do, please do bear in mind that your dog's health, safety & welfare is paramount so they should not wear anything restrictive around any part of the body, constant checks should be made to ensure they are not showing signs of pain, discomfort or distress, and they should be gently desensitised to the articles of clothing over a good few weeks before the event.
Anxiety
If you are planning to go out and leave your dog home alone, you will need to consider their anxiety. Have they been used to being alone at night? Are they going to lose their normal routine?
There are things you can do to help including giving them a safe space, some calming music, and completing some test runs prior to the main event.
Although many online forums mention using chews or enrichment to entertain your dog whilst you are out, RFFDMSUK do not recommend doing this as it does pose a choking risk. Your dog should be exercised, calmed, fed, toileted and settled before you leave the house.
Food
Of course, it wouldn't be an event if there wasn't food involved! Be sure to take your own treats with you if trick or treating with your dog so that you can control what they get and avoid unwanted stomach issues.
It is also crucial to highlight that chocolate is toxic to dogs and should never be fed! Pigs in Blankets, Stuffing, Gravy, Cooked bones, Raisins, Cooked fats, pastries, cakes, sweets - all of them can be a danger though some more deadly than others, so take care if entertaining with your dog or if you take your dog elsewhere. If your dog consumes a food that is toxic, contact your vet or out of hours vet for assistance.
Fear
Christmas can bring about fear for many dogs, with noises ranging from excited running children to loud voiced adults, to constant well-wishers, to even fireworks.
On top of this, change can be fear inducing for dogs so seeing strange costumes or hearing strange noises may induce a fear incident for your dog,
If your dog is not able to be desensitised to these situations, you can try implementing support such as those available from Dorwest Herbs, Proflax, Nutravet, a holistic vet, or even a conventional may be needed in some cases for medical intervention.
Safe Space
Whether you are in or out, home alone or entertaining, it is crucial that your dog is given a space to retreat to should they need to. For many dogs, this is a crate, for others it is under a desk, or in a certain room.
The space should be known throughout the household, including to visitors, as being off limits to humans as this is where your dog goes to escape and feel safe.
The space should be large enough for them to stand up and turn around easily, they should be able to access water still as and when they wish to, and it should be comforting with bedding and a cover potentially too to help drown outside noises away.
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