Growing up, I had a family dog that was violently allergic to turkey.  My dad found this out the hard way on Thanksgiving one year after sharing a few too many turkey scraps with Cuddles.  While that year was catastrophic for dad and the dog, at least we were able to identify the culprit and make sure that subsequent holidays didn’t end so explosively! 

Fast forward a decade or two and I experienced another pet holiday challenge – cats and curly ribbon.  While we were in college, my now husband came home one day with a tiny kitten who quickly stole our hearts.  Beetlejuice had a particular affinity for curly ribbon, so wrapped presents with curly ribbon were like a beacon in the night to him.  He would bat it, chomp it, pull it around and eventually – the most problematic – eat it.  Unfortunately, his stomach did not like curly ribbon as much as he did, so it quickly became a taboo item in our household.  

We added a beagle named Taco into our mix a few years after college and with him came a new set of holiday woes.  While not overtly disobedient, Taco is certainly opportunistic and will not pass up people food if given the chance.  He nearly met his demise in the form of a fudge Easter bunny one year.  His stomach quickly disagreed with the bunny, but fortunately, the only permanent damage was to our carpet and not Taco. 

Most recently, a second beagle named Gus has joined the family.  Gus has the nose of a true beagle and lacks all self-control over said nose.  If Gus is left unattended, the only safe place for food is behind a closed door.  Gus can scale counters, tables, and chairs in a matter of seconds if his nose catches a scent.  This past year, Halloween candy proved to be more than he could bare and he inhaled about 2 pounds of it when left alone at Grandma’s one afternoon.  His stomach seems to take his bad behavior in stride and generally only gurgles at his ‘snacks’ rather than completely revolting.

While I would like to think I’ve become wiser with age, it would appear that each new pet still outsmarts me with their antics.  With the life lessons from my pets in mind, below are some good things to remember as we approach the holiday season this year:

• Remind visiting relatives not to feed table scraps to your pets. Even small scraps can become problematic if you have multiple people handing them out!
• Do not feed bones from your holiday meal (turkey, ham, etc) to pets.
• Keep your pet first aid kit stocked in case pet stomach upsets do occur.
• Keep gifts and stockings out of reach of pets. Even empty stockings can be tempting if they have retained the smell of candy or treats from previous years.
• Company and travel are common during the holiday season, which can be stressful for pets. A variety of calming supplements are available over the counter.

For some additional tips for keeping your pet safe, check out this post.