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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n“Holidays can be stressful to pets due to the high volume of visitors, loud noises, and parties,” Dr. Rao explains. “Try to keep your pets\u2019 daily routine as close to normal as possible. Let them do their normal activities that they are used to, in order to help reduce stress.” You can help by keeping your pet in a quiet part of the house and making sure they have a safe retreat from children and well-intentioned visitors if needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Watching Out for Overindulgence<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n People are not the only ones who sometimes indulge in too much of\na good thing. Table scraps, garbage raiding, and counter surfing can add up to\nlots of rich food in a pet’s stomach, which may lead to stomach upset. Even\nworse, too much rich food can lead to serious inflammation of the pancreas,\nwhich can be life-threatening. Keep pets on a normal diet even though they may\ntry to persuade you not to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Being Mindful When Decking the Halls<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Novel decorations like candles and greenery, and cat teasers like\ntinsel and cords, should be set up with your furry friends in mind. Pets don’t\nunderstand the words “breakable,” “family heirloom,” or\n“sentimental value.” Rambunctious dogs, cats, and ferrets have been\nknown to topple many an ornament and knick-knack, and sometimes even whole\nChristmas trees. <\/p>\n\n\n Help prevent tree mishaps by keeping larger and weightier\nornaments close to the floor, and valuable ornaments out of reach from curious\nmouths, noses, and wagging tails. Keep knick-knacks on shelves inaccessible to\nyour animal companions. Also, make sure Christmas trees are tethered to a\nnearby wall or window frame if you have ferrets or cats fond of climbing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dancing flames and shadows thrown by candles are tantalizing to\npets. But disaster can strike in an instant if a curious animal topples a\ncandle, or worse still, ignites itself. In addition to making sure candles are\nnever left burning unattended, make sure wagging tails and curious paws are\nkept a safe distance away from lit candles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Long, skinny pieces of plastic or string can be very dangerous to\nour furry friends. Cats and kittens seem to find shiny tinsel especially\nappealing. If eaten, thin pieces of string or tinsel can cause the intestines\nto bunch up and can even cut through the intestinal wall. Either situation\ncould be fatal and would certainly necessitate a trip to the veterinarian. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Some animals, especially puppies, may chew cords and put themselves at risk of serious burns or electric shock. An animal that has been electrocuted may appear normal immediately after the injury. However, approximately 1-36 hours following the chewing incident, pulmonary edema starts to develop. This means that the lungs begin to fill with fluid and the animal displays very labored breathing, with an increased breathing rate and coughing. It looks like the animal can’t catch its breath. Another clue that a pet has been chewing on an electrical cord is that the tongue or lips may have a white or seared area across it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/dachshund-dog-wearing-a-red-sweater-755380_sm-225x300.jpg\")
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