Christmas is arguably the most beautiful, joyful time of the year. It's the season of gift-giving, celebration, and quality time with loved ones. We spend months planning events and gifts, which allows us to anticipate what our silly season is going to look like. But for our pets, it can be a sudden shift in the daily routines they rely on for comfort and security.

Our furry family members thrive on consistency. So, the sudden influx of visitors, loud noises, and changes in household activity can often lead to confusion, anxiety, and stress. While we see holiday decorations and gatherings as exciting, pets might find this time of year very unsettling.

Pet Food Australia has put together a complete guide to a pet-friendly Christmas to keep our fluffier family members safe.

Keep Some Routines Intact

It's common for most families to enjoy some much-deserved time off over the Christmas and New Year period. However, this can be quite a confusing time for your pet. Suddenly, their pet parents are around a lot more, visitors pop by frequently, and their walk schedule starts to shift. These disruptions can unsettle your pet, as they rely on a routine for comfort and security.

To give your pet a sense of security, try to maintain some of its daily routines. Keep feeding times consistent, and aim to stick to regular walk schedules—even if things are a bit busier than usual.

Create A Quiet, Safe Space

It is essential to ensure that your pet has a safe space to retreat to when the festivities become too much, especially if they're not used to having screaming, excited, and sugared-up children run amuck in their home.

Create a space by putting one of their beds in a separate room or several meters away from the main celebration area. Add some of their toys and a blanket, and you may like to lead them there and give them a few pets so they know you support them.

Don't Feed Them Table Scraps

Do not feed your pet table scraps, and make sure you communicate with your guests that they aren't too either. While offering a few bites here and there is often met with good intentions by guests, it only takes a little for the wrong types of food to take effect on your innocent pets.

Some traditional Christmas foods are highly toxic to animals, so if you don't want to make that emergency vet visit during the already chaotic silly season, set a rule and stick with it.

No table scraps.

Also, most dog poisonings happen while visiting other people's homes, so keep your pets close. It's also a good idea to check with the house owner about whether they have any potential hazards, such as rat bait, fertilisers etc, in their garden that may harm your pet.

P.S. Reminder to stock up on Pet Food Australia food now so you don’t run out over the holidays.

Keep Decorations Out Of Reach

While decorations create a festive environment in our homes, unlike some pets, we're not tempted to take a bite out of them. So store your mistletoe out of reach, keep your festive scented candles on high benches and don't have any low ornaments on the tree that may be confused as being a treat.

Keep An Eye On Them

While it's natural to let your guard down during the holidays, Christmas is one of the most important times to watch your pet closely.

With the festivities taking over, your attention may be spread across many tasks. When entertaining kids, hosting guests, and managing food and drinks becomes your priority, who knows what your pet may be up to.

From a sneaky escape out the door to a quick snack of something they shouldn't be eating from a guest's plate, it's easy for small things to slip by.

To keep your pet safe, let your guests know your concerns, ask that they not feed them table scraps, and exercise caution while entering and exiting the house.

By all means, celebrate Christmas to the full extent of the holiday… just don't forget about your pet-parenting responsibilities. And, of course, make sure you put a little something under the tree for your pet to unwrap Christmas morning.