Valentine’s Day Pet Safety

Each year, many vets see a rise in cases around Valentine’s Day that involve flowers or chocolate. While Valentine’s Day can be quite fun for pets, here are some safety tips to help keep the day safe!

Guard the Chocolate

Experienced pet owners are aware that all types of chocolate can be potentially life-threatening if ingested to pets. While we would never encourage anyone to avoid a specific food in their home, we highly encourage keeping it well out of reach for your pets. If you want to give them a holiday treat, why not give them a special, pet-friendly toy or treat for the holiday?

Roses are Red, Violets are Blue, and Lilies are a No

If you are sending flowers to a person who is a cat parent, please specify that the arrangement does not have lilies. If you are the recipient of a floral bouquet, please take a quick moment to look through the flowers and remove any lilies. If your pet seems lethargic, nauseated, or has diarrhea, he might have ingested some flowers. A guide to flowers that are safe around pets can be found through the ASPCA. 

Careful around sweeteners

Even though we might be craving something sweet, make sure your pets aren’t around treats that have been sweetened with xylitol. If ingested, xylitol can cause your pet to suffer depression, loss of coordination, and seizures.

Cheers

Although some spilled wine, champagne, or liquor is nothing to cry over, be careful with your pets. A curious pet could be damaged by ingesting adult beverages.

Decorations

After any gifts have been opened, take a moment to gather up any tape, ribbons, bows, wrapping paper, balloons, and/or cellophane wrappers. If these are swallowed, these items could cause your pet to choke or throw up.

Keep an Eye on Fire

While setting the atmosphere is nice, make sure any candles are put out when you leave a room. Curious cats and nosy dogs can easily burn themselves or cause a fire simply by playing with and knocking over unattended candles.

From our team to you and your pets, we hope you have a wonderful (and safe) Valentine’s Day!