Christmas is an exciting and busy time for many families, with Christmas events to enjoy and family and friends to visit. However, our senior pets do not understand why their routine changes at Christmas, which can be disorientating for some pets. Fortunately, you can make your pet feel more comfortable by making a few small changes to your festive plans, allowing you to help your senior pet through the festive period.
The Christmas season is a busy time of year with Christmas parties to attend and visitors to entertain, making it harder to follow our pet’s normal routine. For elderly pets, even small changes to their daily routine can be distressing. We can prevent our senior pets from becoming unsettled by keeping their routines as normal as possible.
Many families enjoy having visitors to stay over Christmas. However, not all of our senior pets find visitors exciting, with some becoming distressed by busy households. Many cats prefer to hide away in a quiet spot instead of joining in, while some dogs may become anxious to find strangers in their house.
It is normal to want to treat your pet over Christmas but try not to alter their diet by introducing new treats or food. Over Christmas, there is always an increased number of pets developing gastrointestinal issues (digestive upsets) due to being fed a new food or scavenging food scraps. So it’s best to stick to your pet’s familiar diet to prevent any illnesses.
Also, many senior pets are fed a veterinary-prescribed or specific diets, so it’s important they’re kept on their normal diet. However, if an elderly pet does become unwell over Christmas, it is important they receive prompt veterinary treatment because they may need more intensive treatment compared to younger pets.
Toxic foods are found more frequently around many households over Christmas.
There are many other toxic items found around our homes over Christmas, so if you are unsure if something is toxic for your pet speak to one of our vets for advice. If you think that your pet has eaten something toxic, seek veterinary advice.
It can be difficult to maintain our pet’s normal exercise levels over Christmas with the cold weather and early dark nights. However, our senior dogs will usually benefit from regular gentle exercise to prevent them from becoming painful and stiff if they have arthritis and to maintain their weight levels.
How to keep senior dogs safe when out walking,
Christmas can be a confusing time for our senior pets but a few small changes to our plans to help keep our pet’s routine the same can make a big difference and allow everyone to enjoy Christmas. However, if you think that your pet is struggling over Christmas, our vets are happy to discuss any concerns with you.
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