Christmas and New Year events, or birthday parties, are times that should be enjoyed by people and companion animals. Take these precautions on 
:
- If you give your dog remains of a turkey or chicken, make sure they do not contain any bones. Spiky bone or tidbit of bones can penetrate the digestive tract. Crunched-up bones can cause severe constipation.
- Ensure elastic bands are disposed of carefully and promptly, because they can become attached to a pet’s tongue or be placed on a leg or tail by children, with disastrous results if your dog panic and starts running around during a party.
- Do not leave tin foil, wrapping papers, small toys or party favors lying around. They may be swallowed by your pet and lodge in the intestine, requiring surgical removal that will ruin your budget.
- Don’t go out and leave pets in a room with table light and tree lights switched on as they might play with them and the worst that might happen is that your pet might get electrocuted.
- Make sure that electric wire to party lights are correctly installed and are connected to a properly fused plug.
- Don’t feed your pet too many tidbits or large quantities of food it isn’t used to.
- Do not give your dog piece of chocolate as a treat or leave chocolates where dogs can pick them up. Chocolate contains theobromine, which is toxic to dogs even in small amounts.
- DO take precautions if your dog has a phobia about load noise and flashes of light.
It’s natural to want your dog to share in Christmas festivities or other household parties and to give it some extra treats from the meal, but be careful with chicken and turkey leftovers, make sure that all electrical connections are flawless to avoid hassle during the family party. In this way, you can enjoy the festivities and your pet can roam around and mingle as a family member without any accidents.