December, Christmas and the New Year will soon be on our minds, and many of our thoughts will center around good food and fellowship. My suggestion for December and early January is for you to use care with your pets when rich food is on the table or in the house. 

Chocolate is a POISON for many pets, causing convulsions as the most serious problem, and only digestive upsets if you are lucky.  Baked turkey, ham, briskets and most of our delicious treats cause vomiting and diarrhea, or worse.  Your veterinarian does not want to treat any of these problems, so do all of us a favor and refrain from feeding your pets anything but their regular diet.  You may think it is dull, or that they really would like something better, but premium dog and cat foods(Hill's Prescription and Science Diets) are the best, and they adhere to strict nutritional standards. 

Cats love to play with them and their cords.  One bite through the insulation is all it takes to electrocute or severely injure your pet, so be careful.  At our house, Janet and I have found that keeping Callie and Jasmine in another room, away from the Christmas tree, is the best idea.  Callie has done this before, and luckily she was not hurt, but the next time could be fatal.  Jasmine, on the other hand, enjoys trying to eat the decorations, and they can cause just as many problems, so as I said before, think of keeping your pets away from the tree. 

In Texas, we never know if we will have any, but cold weather, rain, blowing north winds, freezing temperatures and ice or snow, are killers if pets are not protected.  I believe it is best to keep them in the house if temperatures fall into the low 30's or below.  They can be chilled just like you or me, and just as with us, they are not used to frigid temperatures and the conditions that go with them.  If a pet has to stay outside, be sure they have protection, a covered area with a wall that protects them from rain, snow and blowing winds.  Feed them plenty of nutritious food because while they are trying to stay warm, they burn tremendous numbers of calories.  Water is essential, but you must check to make sure that it has not frozen, and if it has, frequent trips outside are necessary to ensure you pet has water to drink. 

Now, having read these suggestions, make plans to put them to work, because it won't be long until those colder months.