Posts Tagged: Pet-Friendly Holidays

The holidays are a time for loved ones, family, and friends, and our pets are included in the love. After the weeks of shopping, wrapping gifts, and going to parties and gatherings, we may not always take the time to include our four-legged friends. After all of the busy, busy, the holidays can be exhausting. Why not take a moment to think up ways to include your pet during the holidays, though? 

The team at Leon Valley Veterinary Hospital are here to help with these festive, creative ideas for merriment for your furriest pals.

We love DIY pet gifts! They’re fun to make and relatively easy when you have the right supplies/tools. But probably the best thing about making your own pet gifts is that you can customize them based on your best friend’s interests and preferences. Plus, it’s a labor of love to design and create items that you know your pet will enjoy.

For some, skipping the holiday madness is definitely the way to go. Whether that means foregoing gift-giving or taking a pass on hosting the annual feast, there’s certainly good reason to opt for a simpler holiday this year.

For pet owners, this new version of holiday “chill” is especially helpful for keeping a pet stress-free or when you’re looking to increase quality time with your animal companion.

If you want to shake it up this season and make some new memories and traditions, we have you covered. Here are some of our favorite ways to enjoy an easy-going, hard-work-free holiday with your pet.

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Is your dog patiently waiting for you to finish shopping, decorating, checking of the list of December to-dos, and wrapping gifts? Has your cat been cleverly waiting for you to retire for the evening, only to go ballistic on the decorations? Maybe this is a signal that your pets – as well-behaved as they are – may need a bit of attention and fun time during the holidays, too.

After all, they are a part of the family and sharing some seasonal joy with loved ones is what this time of year is all about! Continue…

As the holidays descend rapidly upon us, it’s time to consider more than the shopping and the Naughty-or-Nice list. After all, the holiday season is as ripe with excitement and temptation for pets as it is for their people. As with humans, pets can behave more easily when the temptation to misbehave is limited.

Christmas Trees

As we strive to bring home the tallest, most perfect tree and get it set up without putting a hole in the ceiling, our animals know exactly what we’re up to. The cat is sure you found it the most amazing scratching post. The dog knows it’s an intruder that must be vanquished. Continue…

For many of us, Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on all we have to be thankful for. Family, friends, our health, and prosperity are all common sources of gratitude, but for those of us fortunate enough to be pet owners, another blessing to be counted is our four-legged and feathered friends.

While we all have our individual reasons to be thankful for our pets, one of the greatest things that makes pet ownership so rewarding is how thankful our pets are for us. The unbridled joy they have to see us again, whether we’ve been gone five minutes or five days, can’t help but make us feel good. And, of course, the excitement and appreciation they show for being fed the same food every single day is not something we’re likely to get from our families.

Many studies have proven that having a pet helps us feel better, stay healthier, and live longer lives. But for many of us, one of the most poignant aspects of pet ownership is that loving and wanting the best for our furry beasts helps us learn to be unselfish.

Here are a few examples… Continue…

If you are like us, you have a long holiday to-do list looming in front of you. You may have special events to attend and, if you are hosting, lots of food and decorations to attend to.

While adding one more thing to your list may seem untenable, when it comes to your pet’s safety this Thanksgiving, emergencies can be prevented if you plan ahead. Let’s accomplish this task together by committing to the Thanksgiving basics we’ve listed for your success. Continue…