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A couple of weeks ago I shared our rescue story with our dog Addison.  This is our first time having a big dog.  We are so excited to celebrate the holidays with her.  But over the last six months we have learned that life with big dog is very a very different experience than life with our 10lb Maltese.  She can easily reach things on the table and counters making it easy for her to eat whatever she wants  I wanted to share 5 Ways to Savor the Holidays with your Dog.

5 Ways to Savor Holidays with your Dog

Video: 5 Ways to Savor Holidays with your Dog

Food Safety

Like many dogs, Addison is extremely food focused.  For a recent blog post we made a Thanksgiving meal in October.  I cooked my first ever turkey.  My hubby was so excited that he gave Addition a turkey leg.  That was a huge mistake.  Minutes later she threw it all up.  It was a great reminder for us that we need to take food safety seriously, especially during the holiday.  We committed to two changes.  First we decided that we would make sure that we always feed Addison a food she enjoys before we eat to minimize temptation.

Before we went to the store we used Purina's My Plan website to determine what the best options would be.  Then we went to PetSmart to see the Purina Pro Plan® Options.  After reviewing all the options we selected the Purina Pro Plan® SAVOR® Adult Dog Food.  We know the importance of protein rich diets for us so we wanted to have the same for Addison.  Real chicken, beef, lamb, or salmon are the #1 ingredient in all their dry formulas.  Pro Plan® SAVOR® provides the nutrition they need and a taste they'll love, without compromise.  Backed by a team of over 400 Purina scientists, including nutritionists, behaviorists and veterinarians, each of our platforms offers outstanding nutrition. No ingredient is unnecessary—everything is precisely and purposefully selected.  I could not get Addison to look up for a photo she was enjoying her new food so much.  

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Second we reviewed the complete list of people food to avoid feeding your pets created by the ASPCA.  No surprise bones like the turkey leg we gave Addison were on the list.

• Alcohol
• Chocolate, Coffee and Caffeine
• Citrus
• Coconut and Coconut Oil
• Grapes and Raisins
• Milk and Dairy
• Nuts including almonds, pecans, macadamia and walnuts
• Onions, Garlic, Chives
• Raw/Undercooked Meat, Eggs and Bones
• Salt and Salty Snack Foods
• Xylitol
• Yeast Dough

Gifts for your Animals

Everyday I bring Addison with me to pick up B from school.  It is one of the highlights of the day for both of them.  It is so cute so she how excited they both get to see each other.  So you can imagine her excitement when I told her we were going to the Pet store and we could bring Addison with While we were at PetSmart we made sure to pick up some special toys for Addison.  B wanted to make sure she would have something to enjoy on Christmas morning too. 

Family Photos

I cannot wait to put our tree up so we can take some updated family photos.  We always keep it simple and just take pictures of our daughter and dogs in front of the tree at our home.  Or bring our daughter and dog to PetSmart for a picture with Santa.  They are sweet memories to have to see how your kids and pets have grown over the year.

Exercise

The holidays can be such a busy time of the year.  Don't forget to continue to exercise your dog even when you get busy.  One of our favorite ways to combine the holidays and exercise is to walk around different neighborhoods yo look at the lights.  We have found with Addison that the best way to have well behaved dog is to have a well exercised dog.

Holiday Decor, Plants and Wrapping

First make sure that your Christmas tree is secure in a sturdy tree stand so it does not fall over.  If you have fragile ornaments place them higher up the tree or place your tree up on a box or table.  Be careful for Christmas lights and ensure your pets do not chew on them. Holly, pine tree needles and mistletoe are both toxic for pets so keep them away from where they are reach them.  Last year my sister in law learned first hand how tinsel can attract pets and make them sick if ingested.

Do you have any other ways your savor the holidays with your dog?  Want to learn more about how to make your pets thrive, check out Pro Plan® U.  Get more great ways to spoil and engage with your pet click here.

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