Pet care tips at Christmas

Even if you have the friendliest dog or most social cat at home, changing their routine can cause them to fret. Perhaps more people might be coming around – more faces to meet, pats, playtime. It can be exhausting not just for you, but your pets too! Parties and loud noises may also put your feline or canine into a spin! 

Here are some quick tips to note before the festive season is in full swing.

If you’re having Christmas at yours with the family

• If you know you’re going to be flat out with guests at your home, assign an responsible adult (not involved in supervising children) to be in charge of your pet if you can’t be. An extra set of eyes will help notice if your pet needs a break from socialising.
• Give your cat or dog a safe place in your home where they can go to have a chill out from added noise and visitors.
• Ensure they have their bedding or a cosy hidey hole.
• Don’t forget to leave them water too!
• Set them up with a yummy, long lasting chew like KONG or their favourite toys.
• Play soft music in their area or leave the TV on, to help mask the sounds of activity going on elsewhere.
• It may look adorable, but dogs don’t like hugs and kisses, don’t allow children to hug or kiss your dog. Even cats will tell you off!

Can you read your dog’s body language? It’s a good idea to know the signs of stress in your pet! Read our dog body language article and brush up on your skills! You can also teach kids safe interactions with pets with a catchy song they can learn!

Can my dog eat that?

Over Christmas and the New Year it can be tempting to give your pet food they don’t usually eat as a treat, while healthy treats are great, other foods can be toxic to your companion. As a rule of thumb, try to stick to your usual feeding habits for your pet – changing their diet too much can leave them with upset tummies and unexpected trips to the vet.

Avoid danger foods and do not feed your pet: macadamia nuts, grapes, onion, garlic, avocado, fatty ham trimmings, cooked bones or chocolate. Don’t give your dog whole corn cobs to eat or leave husks laying around, they get stuck in your dog’s guts and require surgery! Christmas fruitcake is toxic to dogs as they contain raisins etc.

If you have food/chocolate as gifts under your Christmas tree, keep them out of reach of pets that may like to open presents early!

Gifting a plant? Make sure it's not toxic to pets in the household! Lilies are highly toxic to cats. For a full list of toxic plants and substances to pets visit the RSPCA knowledgebase with helpful links. For gardening tips to ensure you've got pet-friendly plants in your backyard, read more.

Travelling with your pet this festive season?

Heading away for the holidays? Sign up to the RSPCA's free Home Alone service. With calls about abandonment to the RSPCA Inspectorate increasing over the festive season, our team will know who to contact in cases of emergency should your pet be reported to us.

There are a few key things to remember when you go on holiday with your pet:

• Never leave your pet unattended in a hot car, on on the back of a ute, or tied up in the backyard. Why? Read more of our summer tips.
• Pack all their essentials - food, water, bedding, toys, medication, crates, leads, collars and harnesses
• Ensure your pet is wearing identification and that their microchip details are up to date
• Ensure your pet is appropriately secure within your car or on the back of your ute or trailer when travelling. Do you know the law? New legislation details:

When transporting a dog on the tray of a vehicle or on a trailer, they must be secured appropriately to prevent them from falling out of the vehicle. *This requirement does not apply to working dogs involved in moving livestock. The RSPCA doesn’t want to see a repeat of this dog’s fall from a ute.

The legislation also states that dogs cannot have more than their head protruding from vehicle windows when driving.

If you’re planning a camping getaway, you may also like to learn more about camping with pets.