Festive Season Pet Safety Tips

The festive season is a wonderful time of year — filled with celebrations, visitors, food, and sunshine. While we’re busy enjoying Christmas lunches and summer holidays, it’s important to remember that this time of year can bring a few extra risks for our pets.

Here are some practical, South Australia-specific tips to help keep your furry family members safe, calm, and healthy over the festive season.

Extra visitors, noisy children, and changes to routine can be stressful for pets — even the social ones.

To reduce anxiety:

• Provide a quiet, safe space where pets can retreat
• Supervise interactions between pets and children
• Keep doors and gates secure to prevent escape
• Maintain feeding and exercise routines where possible

If your pet tends to become anxious, speak to your vet early about strategies, plans and options to help your pet.

South Australian summers can be brutal, and pets are very susceptible to heat stress and burns.

Hot?weather safety tips:

• Walk dogs early in the morning or later in the evening
• Check the pavement — if it’s too hot for your hand, it’s too hot for paws
• Always provide access to shade and fresh water
• Never leave pets in cars, even for a short time

Signs of heat stress include excessive panting, drooling, lethargy, vomiting, and collapse. If you’re concerned, seek veterinary care immediately.

Fireworks can be frightening for many animals, and South Australia often sees increased firework activity around Christmas and New Year’s Eve.

To help keep pets safe:

• Keep pets indoors during fireworks
• Close windows and curtains to reduce noise and flashes
• Play background music or TV for distraction
• Ensure pets cannot escape if startled

Very important: Make sure your pet’s microchip details and ID tags are up to date, with current phone numbers. Many pets go missing during fireworks due to fear?based escapes.

With more visitors and open doors, summer is a high?risk time for pets going missing.

Take a moment to check:

• Collar and ID tags are secure and readable
• Phone numbers on tags are current
• Microchip details are up to date with the registry

This simple step greatly increases the chance of a quick reunion if your pet wanders off.

With a little planning and awareness, the festive season can be enjoyable for both you and your pets. If you have any concerns about your pet’s health, behaviour, or safety over the holidays, our team is always happy to help.

From all of us, we wish you and your pets a safe, happy, and healthy festive season