Happy Holidays...?

Hey everyone, Gabe here. I keep hearing people at the clinic wish "Happy Holidays" and "Merry Christmas" to others. This is my first Christmas as part of Dr. Ray's family, so I'm really not sure what all of this means. I do know that some of my dog friends have some pretty scary stories about the holidays, so I'm really not sure what to expect. I wanted to take some time today to let you know what I've heard and share my knowledge with the hope that all of my friends can be happy and safe in these next couple of weeks.

My first and most obvious tip is to NEVER feed us pets table food. I know its hard sometimes with multiple people in the house that aren't used to having a cute furry friend around, but try to keep our human family in line. We can become very sick from all kinds of different foods, and I hate to see one of my friends in my mom's clinic being hospitalized. They can't enjoy their new presents if they are sitting here with us!

Something that people may not realize that a Christmas tree can be pretty dangerous for us. Try to make sure your tree is secured to something other than the stand. One of my mom's technicians ties the top of her tree with fishing line and secures the line to ceiling vents for extra protection. That tree can easily come down on top of us...especially if cats get mischievous and try to climb inside! Tinsel is also not a friend to pets. We get curious because tinsel is SO SHINY and magical looking. If we eat that tinsel, we can end up with a big problem in our intestines.

One last note, because we all know by now that I'm usually pretty jumpy. Loud noises and lots of people can really upset pets sometimes. We really would love a quiet place to go during festivities so we don't get nervous. A quiet room away from guests with our crate will work wonders for our nerves.

I hope my tips have helped to remind everyone how to make the holidays easier on your pets. We love spending time with everyone, but sometimes we just need peace and quiet. Call my mom's clinic if you have additional questions about your pet's safety this season, the girls would be happy to help you come up with an individualized plan that's right for your fur kid.

Have a great holiday!