With the Holiday season in full swing, leading online pet health and wellness resource WebVet.com emphasizes the importance of identifying and addressing a number of potential seasonal hazards facing our cats, dogs and other small pets.

Webvet offers these veterinarian approved tips to keep in mind during the Holidays.

Chocolate: Chocolate is off limits for pets. The darker the chocolate, the more dangerous it is to pets. Theobromine and caffeine are the toxic ingredients.

The tree: Use wire to safely secure your tree and prevent curious pets from pulling it over on themselves. Also watch out for the tree preservative often put in the water around the tree trunk. If ingested, it can cause gastrointestinal problems in cats and dogs.

Seasonal plants: Poinsettias get the bad rap as the most poisonous, when actually they are fairly low on the toxic scale. Other problematic holiday plants to keep out of reach: Christmas cactus, mistletoe, holly, cedar, balsam and pine.

Table scraps: Rich, fatty foods are often holiday favorites, but they can result in life-threatening pancreatitis. Anything salty, spicy or greasy qualifies. Bones from chicken or turkey can splinter in the stomach. Keep table scraps out of reach, and be sure the garbage isn't accessible to your pet.

Ornaments: Tinsel can be too fascinating for a cat to pass up as a snack. Small decorations hanging low on the tree can be gobbled by both dogs and cats, and intestinal blockage can result.

Holiday guests: Guests who aren't used to keeping track of pets-and someone leaves the door open and out the pet will go. Besides alerting guests to your furry escape artists, make sure you have of tracking the pet. That means either a microchip, or at the least, a rabies tag or ID tag with your contact information, the vet's contact information, or both.

Visit WebVet.com for more information.


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