Super Bowl 50: Simple Tips for Pet Safety

This weekend many pet owners will be hosting Super Bowl parties with their friends and family. Although a great way to enjoy the game, these gatherings present a variety of safety concerns for our pets. Here are some tips to help ensure your pet’s safety:

• Keep your pets safely cordoned off and away from the front door. This will eliminate the risk of a paw accidentally getting caught in a door and keep “bolting” pets from running outside as your guests come in and out.
• Consider creating for your pet a “safe space”— a separate room or area, stocked with your pet’s favorite treats, food and/or toys, where your pet will feel safe and comfortable despite the tumult of a larger gathering. This can be especially helpful if your pet is sensitive to loud noises.
• If you are planning to have your pets be around guests, let everyone know that certain snacks/foods should NOT be offered to your pets. These include dips and guacamole, which are especially problematic as they often contain onions, garlic, and avocados, none of which should be fed to pets. Other foods to keep away from pets are meat products containing bones, such as wings. See Modern Dog Magazine’s comprehensive list of most commonly eaten Super Bowl snacks to keep away from pets. 
• Be sensitive to how your pets may interact with your guests’ children. If kids are coming over who have never or rarely been around animals before, spend a few moments to let them know what they should and should not do around your animal companions. You can download this fun kid-friendly book on dog bite prevention to read with kids who may be coming over:
• As an emergency facility, we often treat or hear about an increased number of fight-related wounds which occur during these types of gatherings. If you have pets coming over who have not already been introduced to your pets, we recommend introducing them to each other slowly, allowing plenty of time for the animals to get gradually acquainted, and in a calm environment. It may be worth inviting the pet over before the game starts so that everyone has time to get to know each other. We also suggest keeping pets apart when feeding them—this will reduce the likelihood of any food-related scuffles.

We hope these tips are helpful, and we wish you all a very happy Super Bowl Sunday.