How to keep your pets happy and healthy over the holidays

A Saskatoon vet is urging people to make sure all members of their family even the furry ones have a safe and healthy holiday.

"We often really humanize our pets," Jordan Woodsworth with small animal clinical sciences at the University of Saskatchewan said. "So we just figure that the things that are OK for us are automatically OK for them as well."

Woodsworth said pets can be left in pain or requiring emergency aid if they eat the wrong things.

Most dog owners are aware that chocolate is dangerous for their pets, but Woodsworth said not everyone realizes some meats can post a danger as well. Rich meals, Woodsworth explained, can make pets sick especially if it's food that the animals aren't used to.

"We typically say anything that's high fat, high sugar, high salt are the things to avoid giving our pets over the holidays."

Other foods that pose a danger include artificial sweeteners, grapes, raisins, onions, garlic and rising bread dough.

When it comes to plants, poinsettias and lilies are both hazards. As for tree decorations, cats will eat tinsel, which can require surgery to remove.

Woodsworth said if your pet ingests something over the holidays that concerns you, you can check online pet poison lists to see if there's a danger. The small animal clinic and the university is also open over Christmas.