Celebrate the New Year with safety and comfort! Does your new year’s resolution have something to do with pet safety and training? Why not start now! As we ring in the new year, let’s watch out for our pet’s health so that we enter 2023 with readiness. To assure a safe celebration, follow along to these 5 New Years’ Pet Safety Tips.
Say NO to Alcohol
Of course, your party guests can enjoy their cocktails and mixtures but remember that alcohol is very harmful to our pets. If ingested, pets can spiral into a depression, have an uncontrollable walk, get sick, and may drop in blood pressure and body temperature. Did you know some chocolates contain alcohol too? Make sure that your pet is not sniffing out these toxic items.
Watch Out For Drug Ingestion
Every year there is a spike in calls to the Animal Poison Control Center for pets who have eaten edible treats, pills, or liquid substances. These items can easily be snatched up by your pet during the festivities. Especially if they are after food-related items such as brownies, cookies, or candy, you may not realize that your pet is eating a product made with marijuana. If ingested, your pet will become unsteady, tired, and sensitive to noise and touch, and this can cause their heart rate to decrease as well as their body temperature.
If you suspect that your pet has ingested something they shouldn’t have, call your veterinarian right away or Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435.
Avoid the Fireworks Show
Happy neighbors and guests will most likely ring in the new year with a firework show. However, the chaos it brings will bring great distress to a lot of pets. To prevent any runaways, nervous breakdowns, and accidental ingestion of dangerous items, make sure your pet has a safe and enclosed area where they can wait out the fireworks. Provide a room in the home that is away from the front and back doors, has your pet’s favorite items, and has music/television playing to drown out the noise.
Don’t Leave Your Pet Alone
It may seem like a great idea to leave your pet home while the family goes out to celebrate the new year, but this can be very distressing to pets. If possible, have someone watch your pets or book a boarding spot for them in advance. If this is not possible, triple-check that your pet will be safe at home.
Keep them in a room filled with their favorite belongings and have some noise in the background to limit the outside chaos they are unfamiliar with. Secure all the exits and block access to the outside. Remove any dangerous items that could hurt your pet such as breakable items, plants, foods, medications, loose curtains, wobbly furniture, etc.
Double Check ID and Microchip Information
Before the celebration begins, double-check that the information on your pet’s ID collar and their microchip (if they have one) is up to date with the correct information. Their correct parent’s name should be listed, the right home address, the name of your pet should be spelled correctly, their age and what breed they are, etc.
With the unsettling night of celebrations, your pet may feel uncomfortable and try to run away. If they do, the chances that your pet is returned because someone found them and checked their collar is higher than if your pet did not have a collar. In that case, the microchip will come in handy if your pet was dropped off at the nearest shelter or vet’s office. From there, the facility can check the microchip information and call the number on file. Make sure to check that the information is correct before the celebrations begin.
Have a happy New Year’s celebration, from the Fire Hydrant Team!