Maria
12-04-2003, 10:57 AM
These are great tips I found for pet safety and CHristmas Trees.
1. Think like an animal. Once you've put up all your decorations and hung the lights and laid on the tinsel, take some time to think like your pet. Get down on their level, and look at the tree from their perspective. The colorful lights may be irresistable to a curious pet, and the new smells and strange shiny objects might appeal to them as well. Notice how much larger the tree looks from their level. Would you want something that size to fall on your unprotected head?
2. Tinsel may look pretty, but it may also look like food to an unsuspecting pet. Loose tinsel around a Christmas tree is a temptation for cats, so make an effort to keep the area clean and tinsel-free. The good news is that most tinsel will pass through a pet's digestive track without damage, but you can never be too sure. Limit the use of loose tinsel to the higher levels of the tree, and discourage your pet firmly whenever you observe such 'sampling' of the loose tinsel.
3. Make sure your electric lights and ornaments are grounded properly. Many pets have a natural instinct to chew wiring, so an improperly grounded wire will not protect them from electrocution. Plug your wiring into an approved circuit-breaking power strip or a grounded (three pronged) wall socket. If you can't keep the wires above pet level, then at least do your best to bury them deeply into the branches of the tree. Surprisingly, the lights themselves are not usually seen as a temptation, but do attract the pet closer to other dangers, like the wiring.
4. Brace your tree and tree stand as securely as possible. Larger animals have a tendency to pull things to them for inspection, and a Christmas tree is one large inspection magnet. Besides the obvious aggravations of having to redecorate a fallen tree, the tree itself can maim or kill a pet in far too many ways. Have at least two separate systems working to hold up your tree, such as a sturdy tree stand and wires hooked to the wall. The water surrounding the base of a live tree is a notorious attractant, so discourage your pet from drinking from it through the use of commercial deterrents, such as bitter apple spray.
5. Broken ornaments and lights are an invitation to injury. Glass decorations are very thin, and leave a large pile of razor-sharp pieces when they shatter. People may have enough sense to walk around the debris, but pets sometimes get 'tunnel-vision' when they are on a quest. Make sure you gather up ALL the broken pieces of a glass ornament, then vacuum the area thoroughly, if at all possible. Pets have very sensitive foot pads, and a shard of glass imbedded in a pet's paw can become infected quickly.
And also don't forget about all the food and goodies at this time of year that are off limits to our pooches!
Keep all those boxes of chocolates out of reach! Some of us (I know I do) have counter surfers and chocolate can be real tempting!
And of course if anyone wants to add anything feel free!
1. Think like an animal. Once you've put up all your decorations and hung the lights and laid on the tinsel, take some time to think like your pet. Get down on their level, and look at the tree from their perspective. The colorful lights may be irresistable to a curious pet, and the new smells and strange shiny objects might appeal to them as well. Notice how much larger the tree looks from their level. Would you want something that size to fall on your unprotected head?
2. Tinsel may look pretty, but it may also look like food to an unsuspecting pet. Loose tinsel around a Christmas tree is a temptation for cats, so make an effort to keep the area clean and tinsel-free. The good news is that most tinsel will pass through a pet's digestive track without damage, but you can never be too sure. Limit the use of loose tinsel to the higher levels of the tree, and discourage your pet firmly whenever you observe such 'sampling' of the loose tinsel.
3. Make sure your electric lights and ornaments are grounded properly. Many pets have a natural instinct to chew wiring, so an improperly grounded wire will not protect them from electrocution. Plug your wiring into an approved circuit-breaking power strip or a grounded (three pronged) wall socket. If you can't keep the wires above pet level, then at least do your best to bury them deeply into the branches of the tree. Surprisingly, the lights themselves are not usually seen as a temptation, but do attract the pet closer to other dangers, like the wiring.
4. Brace your tree and tree stand as securely as possible. Larger animals have a tendency to pull things to them for inspection, and a Christmas tree is one large inspection magnet. Besides the obvious aggravations of having to redecorate a fallen tree, the tree itself can maim or kill a pet in far too many ways. Have at least two separate systems working to hold up your tree, such as a sturdy tree stand and wires hooked to the wall. The water surrounding the base of a live tree is a notorious attractant, so discourage your pet from drinking from it through the use of commercial deterrents, such as bitter apple spray.
5. Broken ornaments and lights are an invitation to injury. Glass decorations are very thin, and leave a large pile of razor-sharp pieces when they shatter. People may have enough sense to walk around the debris, but pets sometimes get 'tunnel-vision' when they are on a quest. Make sure you gather up ALL the broken pieces of a glass ornament, then vacuum the area thoroughly, if at all possible. Pets have very sensitive foot pads, and a shard of glass imbedded in a pet's paw can become infected quickly.
And also don't forget about all the food and goodies at this time of year that are off limits to our pooches!
Keep all those boxes of chocolates out of reach! Some of us (I know I do) have counter surfers and chocolate can be real tempting!
And of course if anyone wants to add anything feel free!