Tips for a Happy (and Safe!) Holiday Season

It’s a busy time of year, but it’s important to make sure that your home is safe and happy for your pets. You can lighten your load by visiting the HSEC gift wrapping station outside Belk's in Greenville Mall. And employ our helpful tips to keep your four-legged friends safe this holiday season.

• Hang breakable ornaments high on your Christmas tree where animals can’t reach, and set up the tree so that your animal can’t knock it over. Only water the tree with plain water - no preservatives or chemicals. It’s common for pets to drink out of the watering bowl, so cover it if you can!
• Don’t put wrapped boxes of food under the tree - those noses are very sensitive.
• Avoid tinsel and clean up ribbons after unwrapping gifts. Both can cause serious problems if ingested.
• Keep light cords out of reach so they can’t be chewed on.
• Always supervise animals around lit candles.
• Don’t give out too many treats and make sure your pets won’t get into bones, trimmed fat, skin, discarded giblets, or those tasty little strings you used to tie up the turkey.
• Be careful to keep poisonous plants and decorations out of reach. Mistletoe, lillies, and some ivies are poisonous. Poinsettias, amaryllis, and hibiscus can cause severe digestive problems. Potpourri can cause skin and oral damage and can also be poisonous.
• Take standard party precautions. Cats in particular - even the friendliest - won’t want to be in the middle of all that noise. Keep shy animals isolated in a quiet, calm room with water and some toys to occupy them. If your pet is a true party animal, make sure that partygoers are treating them with kindness and common sense. No handfuls of greasy treats, no chocolate, and especially no drugs or alcohol.