From vibrant Christmas trees covered in brightly-coloured baubles and twinkling tinsel to Santa’s stockings and the presents within, your dog will probably view your festive decorations as perfectly irresistible playthings.
But dogs and decorations don’t always mix – putting them at risk of illness or destruction respectively.
The team at pet food experts tails.com have put together a list of ways to protect your decorations from dog-related damages, your dog from decoration-related damage, and help your baubles survive until Boxing Day at least.
Here are their top 10 tips.
9. Mistletoe
While the mistletoe leaves are mostly harmless to dogs, there are certain parts of the plant, such as the berries, that contain harmful toxins which will result in sickness if ingested. Consider only keeping your mistletoe up as a temporary feature - perhaps just on Christmas day itself - and be sure to tightly secure your mistletoe to your door frame, or wherever you choose to hang it, though try to avoid putting it in a place where it might get knocked. If your dog does eat any of the berries from the mistletoe, do not hesitate to contact your vet immediately. Photo: Canva/Getty Images
10. Wreaths
Since most people keep their Christmas wreaths on the front door of their homes, and usually on the outside, following this trend should be enough to prevent your dog from getting too close to your wreath. Be wary of any components of your wreath that fall off it, especially holly, ivy or any berries, as these sorts of things contain toxins which could lead to symptoms of poisoning if your dog were to consume them. Photo: Canva/Getty Images