How To Keep Your Pets Safe This Holiday Season

BALTIMORE (WJZ)– While you are opening up presents this holiday season, you may be someone who would want to include your pet in the celebrations. If you do that, there are some tips the FDA says you should follow.

If your dog has received a stocking full of treats, make sure your canine friend doesn't gobble them all up at once. If the dog eats the treats whole or eats too many at once, it may not be able to digest them. If your dog is in distress from eating too much too fast, contact your vet immediately. Some telltale signs include drooling, choking, or vomiting.

When decorating your Christmas Tree, you may want to keep an eye on where you leave your leftover string and ribbons. That's because if you have a cat, it may want to catch the sparkly decorations as prey. The FDA recommends to also keep the tinsel off the tree.

As for holiday plants like mistletoes and poinsettias, your pet may want to eat them. If this gets in your pet's mouth and stomach, it may cause vomiting.

When you're at the table, be careful with giving your furry friend some scraps such as fat trimmed from meat or skin from a roasted turkey or chicken. These fatty foods can cause a life-threatening and painful disease called pancreatitis. The most common symptoms include vomiting, stomach pain, restlessness, shaking, diarrhea, fever, and weakness.

For more information on how to keep your pet safe during the holiday season, visit FDA.gov.