We are in a new house for the holiday this year, but have found the perfect place of honor for the tree to sit and be admired until the new year. And while we found the perfect spot for the Christmas tree in the house we are still working on finding the perfect spot for all the ornaments to sit. So far we have had to move the glass and ceramic ornaments hanging from the bottom of the tree to above "dog-tail height"! Their happy swinging tails have broken two ornaments already and broken glass or ceramic can cut their paws and our feet. So this year we have learned the importance of taking the wagging tail into consideration when placing ornaments.
Last year we learned about the importance of "food" ornament placement on the tree. My daughter's girl scout troop hand-made and decorated ornaments using dough that was then hardened by baking. She proudly showed off the six ornaments she had made and decorated the tree with them. But after a few days we began to notice that her ornaments were disappearing. We moved them higher up the tree, but five of the six dough ornaments were eaten up despite our moving them higher up the tree. I think our cat, Martin, might have helped out his favorite dog buddy by knocking the higher placed edible ornaments off the tree! We discovered the guilty dog - and it was indeed Martin's best dog buddy - when we saw Rex vomit contents that looked similar to dough! This year the last remaining "dough ornament" has a place of honor near the very tip of the tree - so far it still remains there!
Lastly, drinking pine tree water can cause tummy upset as well. To avoid that potential hazard I do not trim away the limbs of tree that are close to the ground so the dogs cannot reach the tree stand full of water. Tree limbs close to the ground also keeps the gifts farther away from the tree and in plain sight which is important so that not only is the tree stand water less accessible, but presents that can be eaten are easily kept track of. It is my 9 year old son's job to keep the daily present count as I cannot be certain that one of our wonderful but mischievous dogs would not steal a present to unwrap and play with outside. Ingesting legos, matchbox cars, stuffed animals are just a few gift items that could lead to an intestinal blockage.
Kindest wishes and keep the pets safe,
Dr. Jacquie
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