!Hola, mi gente! Can you believe that it is already December? In less than a month, it will be the year 2022. Let’s take a second to let that sink in. Unbelievable, right?

We should focus on the topic for this column and forget about how quickly time is flying by, LOL.

Let’s discuss something very important around this time of the year: Holidays and the safety of our pets.

When we think about holidays, some of the first things that come to mind are friends, family and food. While most of us humans will be enjoying good food with our loved ones, we should remember to avoid giving our babies any table scraps. Many of our dogs and cats can be sensitive to different types of food that we consume easily.

The issues we may see after a pet eats table scraps can range from just mildly soft stools or a vomit to life-threatening repercussions that could require hospitalization and intensive treatments. It is also important to keep in mind that we often accidentally drop food, and, if our babies are around, they will likely get to them before we do. This is even more of a possibility when there are kids and/or alcohol involved.

Consider informing everyone ahead of time that your babies cannot have any table scraps or, even better, consider putting your babies away when food is served.

A danger associated with winter is the cold temperatures. Make sure your babies do not stay outside for too long, and also make sure they are supervised at all times. Considering how cold it can get during the winter, some families let their babies outside to go potty by themselves. But don’t forget that your pets can be attacked by wild animals outside. I have seen some sad situations happen when babies are left outside in the cold for long periods of time or when they are left unsupervised.

Christmas cannot be Christmas if our babies do not get gifts! But just like with us humans, there are some bad gifts.

If you have cats, avoid toys that have threads or feathers or toys that can break down to threads.

Consider catnip stuffed toys or interactive, robotic toys as options.
With dogs, avoid hard toys and bones, as such toys can fracture a pup’s teeth, and broken toys can be swallowed and cause major issues.

Also avoid stuffed toys if your dog is known for destroying them and swallowing them. I like toys that are durable yet not extremely hard. I am going to avoid mentioning brands, but there are these red toys that are commonly sold everywhere and they are excellent choices!

Also avoid fatty treats or changing diets abruptly. Healthy treats include baby carrots, apples and green beans.

What Christmas would be complete without a Christmas tree or festive decorations? Make sure that your decorations are pet friendly and can’t be easily ingested or broken by your babies.

Avoid having plants that are easily accessible to dogs or cats, especially if they may like to nibble on them. Some of these plants can be very toxic for our babies.

Make sure any electric cords are secured and hidden, as some cats and dogs can chew on them.

And when it comes to the gifts under the tree, keep an eye on those so that they don’t get destroyed. Oh, and if one of those gifts may be a kitty or doggy, consider adopting as an option, especially a pet with special needs or a senior baby. That being said, make sure you are making the right decision, as that baby will be relying on you as his or her new family.

Lastly, how can we “greet” a new year without fireworks? Sadly though, these are terrifying to many of our pets. Consider putting your babies in a room with a white noise machine and, if possible, away from the outside walls. If your baby gets very anxious, please consult with your veterinarian ahead of time on what options are available to help control this anxiety.

This year, like any other year, has had its ups and downs. For some of us, it may have had more challenges than others, especially due to this ongoing pandemic. Even though it is important that we are alive, we need to ask ourselves if we did the best we could to have the best quality of life we could have had, even with our limitations? If not, that is OK. We have a new opportunity every day to change in a positive way and guess what? Today is a new day!

Let’s start by being kind to ourselves and to the people around us. Then let’s set positive and realistic goals for ourselves and move forward! We need to make sure 2022 is a much better year.

Let’s do this!

And on that note, I hope you enjoyed my last Woof column of the year. ¡¡Feliz Navidad y abrazos!!

Dr. Josh owns Isla Veterinary Boutique Hospital at 14380 Marsh Lane, Ste. 110, Addison, Texas 75001 (Next to Tom Thumb). Call 972-738-1111 or visit IslaVet.com.