This friendly advice article was provided to us courtesy of Tim Heise and Absolute Pet Care. Providing fully insured, bonded pet care service, Tim works hard to ensure your pet will have the proper care that it needs when you’re away on business or vacation, working long hours, or needing that mid-day dog walk. As a small business operating in Scottsdale, Absolute Pet Care came to Printing Solutions with a need for an affordable marketing solution to help grow their business. Our answer was custom door hangers and great looking full color postcards to help Tim spread his message and expose his business to a larger market.
The full version of this blog post can be found on the AbsolutePetCareAz blog
The Holidays can be an amazing time of year. Many people have their own holiday traditions which can be fun for everyone. It can also be a very busy time of year. People are usually coming and going. Holiday shopping, grocery shopping for Holiday meals, getting together with friends, booking travel arrangements to visit friends and family … Sometimes it may seem like your head spins until mid-January.
However, one thing we don’t want to take for granted or neglect, is our pets. One of the most important things in your life. People can easily become preoccupied with so many things during the holidays, making it easy to forget the daily responsibility of our most dependent family members, our pets.
One of the most important things for our pets is their daily routine. Dogs are creatures of habit. Most like to have their routine; regular scheduled times for feeding, walking, cuddling, playing, etc. Increased activity and visitors can easily upset your pet’s routine, so try to keep their schedule as consistent as possible. This can be a very trying time for them as well, so it’s important to give that extra love when you have a minute.
Not to dwell on the negative, but I will list a few of the dangers regarding your pets and the holidays. What is the saying? ”An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” I’m not sure that pertains to this subject, but we can never be too careful when it comes to our pets.
Your pets diet:
Your pet’s diet is extremely important to their health. Yes, we all enjoy the delicious food during the holidays. But please, don’t offer it to your pets. Our bodies can barely handle what we’re putting into them, and their little bodies aren’t made to digest all of the rich turkey, stuffing, and the seasonings commonly found in holiday foods. So please, DON’T. Especially refrain from giving the dogs bones. Poultry bones splinter easily. No one wants an emergency trip to the vet. Also, it’s important to communicate to everyone that your pet is not allowed to have any of the human food. While cooking, you may need to designate your pets to another area of the house to make sure they don’t find any dropped food.
Traveling with your pets:
Yes, our pets are dear family members, but not everyone welcomes them like we do. Traveling can add serious stress to their little bodies. Make sure that if you are traveling for the holidays, have a reputable pet sitter who will be caring for your pets and home while you are away. This is the busiest time of year for professional pet sitters, so please make sure you register and book your reservations as early as possible.
Plants:
Many plants associated with the holidays may be toxic to pets. I’ll just run through a list here:
– Ivy
– Holly
– Mistletoe
– Balsam
– Juniper
– Pine
– Fir
– Cedar
– Poinsettias
Holiday Dangers:
Tree ornaments should have metal hooks replaced with tightly knotted ribbons, yarn or twine.
Yes, bows and ribbons may look cute when tied around a pet’s neck, but please refrain from doing so. Pets can choke or even hang themselves if the ribbon is caught on an object.
Keep your pets from drinking tree water. If possible, immediately build a barrier using wrapped gifts in order to prevent your pets from drinking up the tree water.
Hang your tree ornaments higher to avoid being attracted by pets. Avoid tinsel. It isn’t toxic, but can become a problem if ingested by cats or kittens.
I hope this information is helpful. Please feel free to add anything else I may have forgotten to mention.
The Holidays are one of my favorite times of year. I know the importance of making it safe for each and every pet, while ensuring we all have a great time.
Happy Holidays to you, your families, and of course – your pets!
Tim Heise
– Certified Pet Care Specialist
Absolute Pet Care LLC