Valentine’s Day is just around the corner! This sweet holiday is all about love. While the focus here is often on romance, this is also a fun time to honor the other loves in your life: your friends, your family, and, of course, your dog. Here, a Norwalk, CA vet offers some tips on spending Valentine’s Day with Fido.
Dangers
Valentine’s Day has its own array of trappings … many of which are toxic to dogs. Chocolates are one big concern here. Even very small amounts can make your pup quite sick! You’ll also need to be careful with hard candies, as they often contain things like sugar, xylitol, and nuts, which are also unsafe. Alcohol is also on the no-no list. If you’re making a special dinner, you can set aside a bit of plain, cooked meat, fish, or chicken for Fido. Just remove the skin, bones, and fat.
Decorations
Bouquets are a traditional part of any Valentine’s Day celebration. Just keep the flowers away from Fido. Many popular ones, such as lilies, tulips, and daffodils, are poisonous to dogs. You’ll also need to be careful with candles. Don’t put them in places where your furry pal could potentially knock them over with his tail.
Stuffed Animals
Most of our canine companions get very, very excited when they spot stuffed animals. This is adorable, but it can be dangerous. Things like button eyes, ribbons, and squeakers can be choking hazards. Get Fido a toy of his own instead.
Photos
Valentine’s Day can make for some super cute photo ops! Take a picture of Fido, and use different filters and effects to add things like hearts or Cupid wings. You can never have too many cute dog pictures!
Grooming
Any proper date needs a bit of prep time. This is a great time to take your fuzzy friend to the salon for a beauty session. It doesn’t matter if you have a partner or not: either way, you’ll still enjoy getting cuddles from a clean pup.
Movie
Watching a movie is a wonderful way to spend a cold winter night. Our choice? You can’t go wrong with Lady and the Tramp. It has cute dogs, romance, and Italian cooking. Talk about a perfect Valentine’s Day agenda!
Please reach out if ever we can be of assistance. As your Norwalk, CA veterinary clinic, we love to help!
