Holiday's bring together family and friends, but it also can carry some hazards for pets. Holiday food needs to be kept away from pets, and pet owners who travel need to either transport their pets safely or find safe accommodations for them at home. Follow these tips to keep your pets healthy and safe during the holiday.

   Overindulging in the family feast can be unhealthy for humans, but even worse for pets: Fatty foods are hard for animals to digest. Poultry bones can damage your pet’s digestive tract. And holiday sweets can contain ingredients that are poisonous to pets.

• Keep the feast on the table—not under it.  Eating turkey or turkey skin and ham – sometimes even a small amount – can cause a life-threatening condition in pets known as pancreatitis. Fatty foods are hard for animals to digest, and many foods that are healthy for people are poisonous to pets – including onions, raisins and grapes. If you want to share a holiday treat with your pet, make or buy a treat that is made just for them.
• No pie or other desserts for your pooch. Chocolate can be harmful for pets, even though many dogs find it tempting and will sniff it out and eat it. The artificial sweetener called xylitol – commonly used in gum and sugar-free baked goods – also can be deadly if consumed by dogs or cats.
• Yeast dough can cause problems for pets, including painful gas and potentially dangerous bloating.
• Put the trash away where your pets can’t find it.  A turkey carcass sitting out on the carving table, or left in a trash container that is open or easily opened, could be deadly to your family pet. Dispose of turkey carcasses and bones – and anything used to wrap or tie the meat, such as strings, bags and packaging – in a covered, tightly secured trash bag placed in a closed trash container outdoors (or behind a closed, locked door).
• Be careful with decorative plants. Don’t forget that some flowers and festive plants can be toxic to pets. These include amaryllis, Baby’s Breath, Sweet William, some ferns, hydrangeas and more. The ASPCA offers lists of plants that are toxic to both dogs and cats, but the safest route is simply to keep your pets away from all plants and table decorations.
• Quick action can save lives. If you believe your pet has been poisoned or eaten something it shouldn’t have, call your veterinarian or local veterinary emergency clinic immediately. You may also want to call the ASPCA Poison Control Hotline: 888-426-4435. Signs of pet distress include: sudden changes in behavior, depression, pain, vomiting, or diarrhea. Contact your veterinarian immediately.

If you’re hosting a party or overnight visitors, plan ahead to keep your pets safe and make the experience less stressful for everyone.

• Visitors can upset your pets. Some pets are shy or excitable around new people or in crowds, and Thanksgiving often means many visitors at once and higher-than-usual noise and activity levels. If you know your dog or cat is nervous when people visit your home, put him/her in another room or a crate with a favorite toy. This will reduce the emotional stress on your pet and protect your guests from possible injury. If your pet is particularly upset by houseguests, talk to your veterinarian about possible solutions to this common problem.
  Learn about dog bite prevention.
  • If any of your guests have compromised immune systems (due to pregnancy, some diseases, or medications or treatments that suppress the immune system), make sure they’re aware of the pets (especially exotic pets) in your home so they can take extra precautions to protect themselves.
  • If you have exotic pets, remember that some people are uncomfortable around them and that these pets may be more easily stressed by the festivities. Keep exotic pets safely away from the hubbub of the holiday.
• Watch the exits. Even if your pets are comfortable around guests, make sure you watch them closely, especially when people are entering or leaving your home. While you’re welcoming hungry guests and collecting coats, a four-legged family member may make a break for it out the door and become lost.
• Identification tags and microchips reunite families. Make sure your pet has proper identification with your current contact information – particularly a microchip with up-to-date, registered information. That way, if they do sneak out, they’re more likely to be returned to you. If your pet isn’t already microchipped, talk to your veterinarian about the benefits of this simple procedure.
  Learn more about microchips.
• Watch your pets around festive decorations. Special holiday displays or candles are attractive to pets as well as people. Never leave a pet alone in an area with a lit candle; it could result in a fire. And pine cones, needles and other decorations can cause intestinal blockages or even perforate an animal’s intestine if eaten.

Whether you take your pets with you or leave them behind, take these precautions to safeguard them when traveling over the holiday or at any other time of the year.

Your pet needs a health certificate from your veterinarian if you’re traveling across state lines or international borders, whether by air or car. Learn the requirements for any states you will visit or pass through, and schedule an appointment with your veterinarian to get the needed certificate within the time frames required by those states.
Learn more about health certificates.

Never leave pets alone in vehicles, even for a short time, regardless of the weather.

Pets should always be safely restrained in vehicles. This means using a secure harness or a carrier, placed in a location clear of airbags. This helps protect your pets if you brake or swerve suddenly, or get in an accident; keeps them away from potentially poisonous food or other items you are transporting; prevents them from causing dangerous distractions for the driver; and can prevent small animals from getting trapped in small spaces. Never transport your pet in the bed of a truck.
Learn more about properly restraining pets in vehicles.

Talk with your veterinarian if you’re traveling by air and considering bringing your pet with you. Air travel can put pets at risk, especially short-nosed dogs. Your veterinarian is the best person to advise you regarding your own pet’s ability to travel.

Pack for your pet as well as yourself if you’re going to travel together. In addition to your pet’s food and medications, this includes bringing medical records, information to help identify your pet if it becomes lost, first aid supplies, and other items. Refer to our Traveling with Your Pet FAQ for a more complete list. 

Are you considering boarding your dog while you travel? Talk with your veterinarian to find out how best to protect your pet from canine flu and other contagious diseases, and to make sure your pet is up-to-date on vaccines.

Don’t forget to protect your family and loved ones from foodborne illnesses while cooking your Christmas meal. Hand washing, and safe food handling and preparation, are important to make sure your holiday is a happy one. The U.S. Department of Agriculture offers tips for handling, thawing and cooking turkey, as well as saving your leftovers.

Be Cautious Traveling 

The holidays are a time for traveling and sending gifts, which means it’s also time to make sure you’re not carrying or shipping something that nobody wants — a pest!

The truth is, the gifts you send and receive could be hiding dangerous, hitchhiking pests or plant diseases that could wreak havoc on our local agricultural industry and our environment.

That homemade fruit basket could have mealy bugs. There could be gypsy moth eggs hidden in that wreath you got from grandma’s house, whiteflies in those hand-picked poinsettias, or a dangerous plant virus in the citrus you picked from the backyard.

So remember. Don’t pack a pest!

Every year San Diego County’s Department of Agriculture, Weights and Measures inspectors — human and detector dogs — work hard to keep out invasive pests like the goldspotted oak borer, light brown apple month, Asian citrus psyllid and South American palm weevil.

How can you help?

• If you’re traveling — whether it’s out of state or out of the country — leave whatever you find on your trip right where you found it. Don’t bring home a keepsake clipping from Aunt Penny’s holiday wreath, or those bulbs you found in Florida, any citrus branches, leaves or stems from anywhere, or avocado leaves from Mexico.
• Don’t transport any fresh, raw, uncooked, untreated foodstuffs. Same for seeds, beans, nuts, rice, dried fruit, decorative greenery, untreated wood items, animal products or soil from almost any foreign country.
• If you are traveling and think you may have accidentally packed some plant or animal item away, declare those products when you’re asked by an agricultural inspector if you have anything in your luggage.
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For more information about dangerous insects, plant diseases, and Agriculture, Weights and Measures — and everyone’s — role in protecting our local environment and agriculture, visit the department’s Insect and Plant Disease Information webpage.

Winter is finally here and that means pumpkin spice lattes, bonfires, and prepping your backyard coop for colder weather! It’s time to create a winter wonderland to keep your flock snug and warm as the cold weather rushes in. Take a look at our short list of essential care tips for raising chickens in the winter months.

THE COOP & RUN
Nobody likes a drafty coop so be sure to patch any holes, gaps, or cracks you find. This will minimize drafts and fortify the enclosure against rain and snowfall. It’s important to maintain adequate air flow, even during the cooler months. A good way to manage temperate while reducing humidity is to place vents near the roof so that the chickens are kept out of direct air flow (brrr!).

Try a mesh vent with a hatch for easy venting during the day and convenient closure for the chilly night hours.

BEDDING
If you’ve never heard of the deep litter method, you’re in for a game changer. This technique provides a sustainable way of managing litter, while insulating your flock. Layer pine or aspen shavings an all-natural, quality chicken bedding over the floor of the coop. Stir the litter daily with a rake to create natural movement and aeration. Lastly, top the litter off weekly until a healthy compost layer forms. This allows good microbes to flourish in a self-cleaning environment while bad bacteria is readily consumed, keeping the coop insulated all year round.

FEEDING TIPS
Chickens, like humans and other animals, expend more energy in the cold. This means more calories are necessary in the winter to maintain health and wellness. As a rule of thumb, it’s a good idea to feed 1.5x more than you would over the spring and summer. In cooler months, chickens are recovering from egg laying and require extra carbohydrates and protein that is found in a gamebird feed. Supplement your chickens’ normal feed with tasty snacks like oatmeal, mealworms, scratch or nutrient dense leafy greens. Healthy treats are a great way to show your chickens some extra love while looking after their seasonal needs. 'Tis the season after all!