From Trees, Treats, And Guests: Keeping Dogs And Cats Safe Around The Holidays

How Can We Keep Our Pets Safe And Healthy During The Holidays?

Holiday magic can hide real risks for dogs and cats, and we’re here to make the season safer without losing any joy. We dig into the big hazards that spike in December—stringy décor, rich food, unsafe chews, chaotic gatherings, and freezing temps—and share practical, vet-tested ways to prevent emergencies. You’ll hear clear guidance on the Christmas tree zone, from anchoring and barrier ideas to why tinsel and ribbon cause dangerous intestinal blockages, plus simple cleanup habits that stop trouble before it starts.

Food temptations get a reality check. We break down why chocolate and xylitol land pets in the ER, how fatty meats and gravy trigger pancreatitis, and the real risks behind cooked bones and counter-surfing. Want to treat your pet anyway? We offer safer swaps, portion ideas, and training tips like a reliable leave it and planned enrichment to keep curious noses out of harm’s way.

Chew season also needs a rethink. We compare rawhide, bully sticks, and modern synthetic options, and explain how size, supervision, and chew style affect choking and blockage risks. For anxious pets, we map out stress relief tactics: quiet rooms, covered crates, visitor etiquette, sound buffers, and predictable routines that help animals feel secure when the house is full. Finally, we cover winter-specific safety—pet-safe ice melt, paw rinses, sensible coats, and a quick refresher on antifreeze toxicity that every pet owner should know.

If you want a calm, cozy holiday with fewer vet visits and more wagging tails, this conversation gives you the checklist. Subscribe, share with a fellow pet parent, and leave a review with your best holiday safety tip—we’ll feature our favorites next time.

To learn more about Abingdon Animal Medical Center visit:
https://www.MyAbingdonVet.com
Abingdon Animal Medical Center
19586 Dennison Drive
Abingdon, VA 24211
276-628-9655

Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:03):
Dr.
Harris, welcome to Tale Talkwith Dr.
O'Hara, where eastern Tennesseeand Southwest Virginia's
favorite pets get the spotlightthey deserve.
Combining small-town charm withstate-of-the-art veterinary
care.
Whether your furry friend purrs,barks, or just steals your

(00:23):
stock, this is the place fortips, tails, and a whole lot of
tail wagging.

SPEAKER_02 (00:31):
The holidays bring joy, but they can also bring
hidden risks for our furryfriends.
Welcome back, everybody.
Skip Mani back here on uh theAbington Animal Medical Center
Tale Talk with Dr.
O'Hara.
Dr.
O'Hara, how's it going?

SPEAKER_01 (00:46):
It's going great.
How are you doing, Skip?

SPEAKER_02 (00:49):
Doing fine, doing fine.
Getting ready for the holidays,which, you know, I don't know
exactly what that means.
Are you uh you ready forChristmas?

SPEAKER_01 (00:56):
I'm getting there, you know.
It's it's all about the kids,you know.
Got three kids, and I want tomake their Christmas pretty
great.

SPEAKER_02 (01:06):
Absolutely.
Well, that's good.
I'm uh I've got five kids and uhthey're all adults though.
So I, you know, it's a it's adifferent deal.

SPEAKER_01 (01:13):
You still gotta send them a well, you gotta send them
a present still skid.

SPEAKER_02 (01:17):
Oh yeah, oh yeah, absolutely.
They're just a little different.
They're a little different.
But speaking of that, and andthe family at Christmas, you
know, uh it's really important.
There's a lot going on at theholidays, uh, with a lot of
people around, strangers,strange stuff, trees,
decorations.
So wanted to ask, you know, howcan we keep our pets safe and

(01:38):
healthy during the holidays whenall this stuff's going on?

SPEAKER_01 (01:41):
There's a lot to unpack there, right?
I mean, we could start like withthings like with the Christmas
tree, you know.
I mean, you know, make sureespecially cats and stuff.
I've seen cats and dogs um, youknow, take down Christmas trees.
So, I mean, be careful there.
Be careful with cats, especiallywith like the ribbons and stuff
and tinsel and you know, thelittle hangers you put on the

(02:04):
Christmas tree.
I've seen cats ingest that andcause some issues, you know.
So you kind of just have tosecure that zone.
It can be difficult, Iunderstand, but the Christmas
tree is kind of a thing, right?
Some cats have, you know, theseeating habits of eating certain
things.
Um, my own cat, years ago, too,about no, about a year and a

(02:26):
half ago, I actually um ate apresent, basically like ribbon
thing, and he got it impactedand I had to surgically remove
it from his intestine.
So after you're done unwrappingall the gifts and stuff, if you
got a cat like that or dog likethat, make sure you get rid of
the wrapping pretty quickly.
It's crazy that like almost allthe holiday plants we think of

(02:48):
are toxic, right?
Um holly is toxic, mistletoe istoxic, poinsettas are toxic, so
to animals.
So don't let your your petsingest any of that kind of
stuff.

SPEAKER_02 (03:00):
Well, what about food?
I mean, I know there's a lot offestive, you know, there's food
around constantly, and you know,w w what do you think about
that?

SPEAKER_01 (03:08):
Yeah, sometimes I'm busy around the holidays with
dietary indiscretion.
Um and it's just because of, youknow, the chocolates, right?
Not good for your dogs.
Some of the candies havexylitol, which is very toxic to
your pets.
Um and then just the thefeasting, right?

(03:30):
It's a holiday and there's gravyand stuff like that, and then
try and you know, let your dogsnot countersurf and do things
like that where they get intothe the food because there's
risk of gastroenteritis or evenpancreatitis.
You don't want the bones.
You know, a lot of people dolike a rib roast or something

(03:51):
for you know Christmas orsomething, you know, and you got
fat content there on top of it.
So, you know, you don't want toget into high fatty stuff at
all.
So just like I said, the risk ofpancreatitis is you know not
worth it.
So no, no, really, you can make,you know, you can go online and
look and probably find healthyrecipes to make dog treats for

(04:14):
your own dogs or cats, you knowwhat I mean, for their holiday
if you want to get fested, youknow.

SPEAKER_02 (04:20):
Well, speaking of of that, I always like to try to
get my animals, which I'm I'mdown to one dog and one cat, but
I used to have four dogs and twocats, and always like to give
them a Christmas bone or youknow, like a chew toy kind of
thing.
Any thoughts on on that?
Like the the chew bones that arethat they can eventually eat, I
guess, or or chew up.

(04:40):
Is that bad, good, bad, or uhbully sticks, that sort of
thing?

SPEAKER_01 (04:45):
Yeah, well, I just if they can take just small
shavings at a time off of it,I'm fine.
The bigger the better, probablywhere they could just take small
shavings off of it.
They even make these syntheticbones that can do that.
Um what I don't like is if theyget like those rawhide bones or
something like that, and theythey get it real soft, and then
they'll at the end just try andscarf the whole thing down,

(05:07):
right?
That's not I don't prefer that.
You know, blockages, right?
I mean, that's that's the bigthing I I worry about, you know.
So and choking, you know, thatit's and choking, there's
choking hazards associated withsome of that stuff too.

SPEAKER_02 (05:23):
True, true.
Well, what um anyrecommendations on what steps
families can take to reduce, youknow, I'm sure it's stressful
for animals just like it is forpeople when there's a lot of
stuff going on, a lot of people,kids screaming, babies crying,
whatever.
Um, any recommendations on whatto do to help reduce that

(05:43):
stress?

SPEAKER_01 (05:45):
That's a great question.
I mean, I'm glad you hit youbrought that topic up because
right, the holidays can bestressful, you know, family
visiting kids, kids are allowed.
I mean, and coming in and now,and sometimes not all of them
interact, you know, they justyou know go right for the doggy
or kitty cat, and they're like,what's going on?

(06:05):
So I recommend, you know, ifit's getting too too rowdy, just
make sure you have a safe zonefor your your dog or cat where
they can escape that, you know,a room, a crate.
Some dogs feel very comfortablein a crate, you know.
You know, your cat may needtheir own room for the day or
something like that, so theydon't have to deal with it.
It just depends on the cat'spersonality, you know, just how

(06:26):
like people are different.
You know, cats are all differenttoo.
Some are very extroverted andlove the attention.
Pet me, pet me, and some arelike, whoa, you know, if
somebody comes over, they'rethey're gone, right?

SPEAKER_02 (06:38):
Very helpful, especially this time of year.
Um, and uh one other thing uh toremember is it's been really
cold of recent.
And uh uh so I guess that's uhworth mentioning as well, as far
as in the wintertime, how to,you know, make sure your your
your animals are warm, correct?
I mean, is there is there atemperature that you say

(06:59):
absolutely pet needs to be inthe in the in the house or you
know have some kind of heatsource?

SPEAKER_01 (07:05):
Yeah, that's that's another great topic.
Honestly, like 20 years ago, Iwould I would say that was a
huge topic because but now Imean I society is conformed more
to in dogs are almost all indoornow, right?
They have indoor-outdoor access.
Before it wasn't like that.
You know, you probably know inthe the older days, people just
kind of had strictly outdoordogs.

(07:26):
Um, but if you do, you know,they need a they need shelter,
right?
They need a shelter when it getstoo cold where they can go into
and stay warm for sure.
Um, also on the cold topic, likethe meltaway salts and stuff,
that stuff, you make sure it'spet friendly and don't let your
dog ingest that kind of stuffbecause it can be toxic.

(07:47):
And antifreeze um used to be abig thing, but I think you know,
we've gotten enough educationand there's the internet now,
but you know, we used to back inthe day see a lot of antifreeze
toxicity, and that's super nastyto the kidneys, but I don't see
that really anymore.
So I I'm thrilled about thatbecause that's that's pretty

(08:08):
deadly.

SPEAKER_02 (08:08):
So was it you think people just like would drain,
drain it out of their car andleave it somewhere where a dog
could get to it?

SPEAKER_01 (08:15):
Yeah, it in their garage or something like that.
And the antifreeze is actuallykind of sweet tasting um because
of the compound in it, but anddogs would get in it and and and
drink it, and I mean it'll shutdown the kidneys quickly, it
crystallizes the kidneys, formscrystals in the kidneys.
So I'm really glad I haven'tseen that in a long time.

(08:35):
So um I don't know if they'remaking the antifreeze different
or people just they're they'reaware of it.

SPEAKER_02 (08:41):
So well, I know there's probably been a lot of a
lot of talk about that over thelast 20 years because you're
right.
I have not heard of that eitherin a long time.
Good to know though, good goodreminder for folks, and uh very
practical.
We appreciate uh all yourrecommendations on practical
ways to keep uh keep our petssafe during the holidays, and uh

(09:02):
hope you and your family have agood safe one with your pets as
well.

SPEAKER_01 (09:07):
Oh, you too, Skip.
Thank you.
Have a Merry Christmas.

SPEAKER_02 (09:10):
Hey, you too, Merry Christmas, and uh we'll see you
in the next episode.

SPEAKER_00 (09:16):
Thanks for joining us on Tale Talk with Dr.
O'Hara.
If your four-legged familymember needs a checkup, a
stylish groom, or just a cozyplace to stay, give us a call or
text at 276-628-9655, or visitmyAvingdonvet.com to book your
appointment.
Abingdon Animal Medical Center,a small town field with state of

(09:39):
the art care and plenty of bellyrubber.