It’s the month of love and we’re in full celebration mode at Pets in a Pickle HQ. We love celebrating with our furry friends, who give us reasons to smile all year round, and who love us just the way we are!
Whilst we’re all for sharing the love, we do recommend you don’t share the chocolate…read our tips below to help keep your pets safe this Valentine’s month.
1. Beware of confectionery
A delicious selection of chocolates or a heart-shaped lolly might sound tasty to us, but they pose a big health risk to both dogs and cats! Methylxanthines in chocolate can affect their gastrointestinal and cardiac functioning making them potentially life-threatening and Xylitol in sweets can cause Hypoglycemia.
If you’re spoilt with something sweet this month, make sure to keep them in a secure place/container out of reach of curious pets!
2. Watch out for flowers
Another Valentine’s Day staple…flowers! Gorgeous to look at but harmful to our pets.
If you can give the sender a heads up to look for pet-friendly flowers or if they come to you by surprise check through them and remove harmful flowers such as Tulips, Lilies, some Roses (de thorn those that are safe) and Chrysanthemums.
Don’t forget our Pickle fam get 10% off pet-friendly bouquets at Zing Flowers! Get a quote today to access our range of Pickle Perk offers .
3. Blow out your Candles
Candles are great for adding ambience for a romantic dinner but also pose a hazard for pets and their owners.
Open flames are dangerous around pets as they could accidentally knock them over or burn themselves if they get too close.
Never leave a burning candle unattended and if possible opt for fake candles.
4. Wrapping, bows and Packaging
Ribbons from chocolate boxes, confetti, balloons, tape the list goes on. These trimmings of Valentine’s celebrations are very interesting to our ever wondering cats and dogs but can get trapped in their airways and digestive tracts.
Remove and dispose of all packaging and decorations as soon as possible in a secure bin.
5. Alcohol
Last but not least – Alcohol. Before you pop that cork on the bottle of fizz you’ve been saving for tonight, make sure your pets are safely out of the room.
Avoid leaving half full glasses or bottles around on easy-to-reach surfaces and mop up any spills as soon as possible.
Alcohol is harmful to our furry pals, causing vomiting, tremors and lack of coordination and in extreme cases respiratory failure and comas.
Those are just a few watch outs for this February (and all year round too).
We know things don’t always go as planned no matter how hard we try, but with a policy from us you can rest assured that your pets are protected. Bonus, as a policy holder you can access unlimited video consultations with trained vets via FirstVet.
If you haven’t already why not take out a free quote today!
We hope you and your pets have a wonderful, safe month this February, full of love and special moments.
For more pet information and facts, check out the other news on Pets in a Pickle. To find out more about the range of policies, get in touch with the team today. Call them now on 0800 044 1111, or contact the team online here.