Holidays and Your Pets
The Santa Barbara Humane Society offers these guidelines for helping your pet through the year:

Easter
Baby bunnies, chicks, and ducks, often recognized as symbols of Easter, frequently become the victims of unintended cruelty and neglect during this time of the year. These delicate baby animals can easily be mishandled, especially by children, causing broken bones or other serious injuries. Animals should never be regarded as toys, but rather as living beings in need of responsible, caring homes.

Many people act on impulse when purchasing a "holiday pet". There are many factors to consider before bringing home any animal, including a baby bunny, chick, or duck. How long will it live? How big will it get? What kind of daily care will it require? If these questions are not properly addressed in advance, the animal often ends up being relinquished to a shelter or, even worse, being abandoned.

The Santa Barbara Humane Society encourages you to resist the temptation to bring home a baby rabbit, chick, or duck for Easter. Instead, you can help prevent Easter cruelty by substituting a stuffed toy animal, an animal book, or a DVD about animals

Independence Day
July 4th can be very frightening for our animal companions. Pets don't understand why there are suddenly loud noises and bright flashes in the night sky. They may suffer from anxiety because they believe that they are in danger. They may hurt themselves or become lost in an effort to escape the threat. Pets should be confined indoors in a room with the windows and blinds closed during nearby fireworks demonstrations. If you won't be home to reassure them, background noise such as a radio or TV may help to keep them calm.

Halloween
Pets may become alarmed when a normally quiet evening suddenly turns into a loud and intrusive event with scary-looking creatures pounding on the door. It is not hard to imagine how threatening costumed trick-or-treaters would be to an animal. The sounds from outside as excited children run up and down the street don't help the situation. There are a few things you can do to reduce the danger for your pets:
  • Keep pets indoors. The best place for pets on Halloween evening is inside the house, away from the activity, especially away from the door. Owners of black cats are advised to be especially vigilant because superstitions about black cats can make Halloween a dangerous time for them. Also, children, without meaning any harm, may yell when they see a black cat, causing the cat to become very frightened.
  • Make sure all of your pets are wearing ID tags. The constant opening of doors on Halloween night makes escape from the house more likely than usual.
  • Keep Halloween treats away from your animals. Sugar is not good for pets and chocolate is toxic, especially to dogs.
  • Do not allow your pets near Halloween decorations. Lit candles, decorative "spider webs" and anything that could be chewed/swallowed present danger from burns, strangulation, choking, etc.

Thanksgiving
The following are some common hazards that could pose a threat to household animals during the Thanksgiving holiday:
  • Too many fatty, rich, or even just new types of foods can give your pet inflammation of the pancreas, stomach or intestines. Inflammation of these organs can be very painful and can lead to serious, even life-threatening, disease or illness.
  • Bones can irritate, tear or obstruct your pet's digestive tract. Turkey bones are especially harmful because they are hollow and can easily splinter in your pet's mouth.
  • The tasty string often used to tie up the turkey during roasting can tie up your pets' gastrointestinal tract, as can the bag your turkey came in or the little red "popper".
  • Onions, garlic, and chives often abundantly found in stuffing, are toxic to dogs and especially to cats. Ingestion of these common foods can cause destruction of the red blood cells, leading to anemia.
  • Too much chocolate, especially baking chocolate, can actually kill your dog, so keep it out of reach.
  • Raisins and grapes can cause kidney failure in dogs and cats.

Winter Holidays
Live animals do not make good gifts. Too often, the recipients of a gift animal are not prepared to take on the responsibility of caring for a pet. After the holiday season, many of these unwanted gifts end up in animal shelters. People who are ready for a new pet may want to wait until after the hectic holiday season so that the new member of the family can enjoy a quieter, less frightening introduction to his new home. Instead of actually giving an animal as a gift, please consider the following suggestions:
  • Gift-wrap a stuffed animal or a box filled with needed pet supplies--leashes, toys, and dishes --along with a gift certificate for the adoption of a pet from the Santa Barbara Humane Society. The recipient will not only have the pleasure of opening a package, but the opportunity to choose his or her special new friend as well.
  • Give a child an animal-related book or DVD. This will allow him or her to learn something about animals and their care before bringing home a new pet. Once the excitement of the holiday season subsides, plan to go together to find that perfect pet.
  • For someone who already has a pet, consider a membership to the Santa Barbara Humane Society. Memberships start at $25.00 per year and come with many benefits, including low-fee vaccinations for dogs and cats, dog and cat boarding, and a membership newsletter sent to members three times per year. Membership has the added benefit of helping to provide for animals who are waiting for a new home.
  • A pet owner may also appreciate a "care package" for his or her "best friend". Fill a holiday stocking with pet toys and treats, or maybe a new leash and collar set, special food dishes, or a new blanket.

Holiday decorations can be dangerous.
Tinsel and garland are indigestible. If you use either, keep it out of the reach of pets.

Glass balls placed low can be tempting and attract the attention of curious pets. Broken glass balls present an obvious hazard..

Electrical cords must be concealed from rabbits and other small animals who chew. You can conceal exposed cords by encasing them in plastic tubing (found at hardware stores). By splitting the tubing lengthwise with a utility knife, the cord can be pushed inside of it.

Burning candles and fireplaces should be supervised at all times.

Holiday plants such as Poinsettia and Mistletoe are poisonous to animals and should be kept only where they cannot be reached.