Christmas is fast approaching. There is not much that spoils Christmas more than having to rush Fluffy to the vet. However a little bit of planning will keep your pet safe and your holidays happy.

Be mindful of your pet’s needs and feelings. People often get stressed over Christmas and your pets will pick this up. Paying them some extra attention will not only comfort them but will help with your stress levels too.

The most common danger for pets over Christmas, like people, is eating the wrong foods or too much. Dogs in particular are natural scavengers and will eat all sorts of things. Make sure Christmas food is securely stored out their reach. If your dogs are around during parties be careful of well meaning guests. Too much rich fatty foods can cause diarrhoea or worse pancreatitis. Pancreatitis is life threatening and incredibly painful. At barbecues cooked bones, especially chop bones, and satay skewers are common hazards and can be fatal. I would lock up dogs during barbecues because even the most responsible of people can be tempted with disastrous results. Be especially careful as well if you leave the cleaning up until the morning that the dogs donít clean it up for you.

Many cats and some dogs are very stressed by visitors or loud music so make sure they are secure and have a safe space of their own.

Remember also that the Christmas tree makes a tempting play ground for many pets, if you leave your pet in the house with the Christmas tree donít be surprised to find it has come crashing down.

Christmas is not all bad news though; Santa photos can also be a fun gift or card so make sure you bring your pets down to Marlows lagoon on the 20th November for photos with Santa. All money goes to the RSPCA. I’ll see you there…