Often times during the holidays, especially during family dinners, pet owners may want to treat their furry friend to a special helping of food, or give them a fun new toy. But the Alabama Veterinary Medical Association and the Selma Animal Shelter are suggesting otherwise, saying owners need to follow some simple rules to keep their pets safe and happy along with everyone else this Christmas.

The Alabama Veterinary Medical Association says that giving a pet a small amount of white turkey meat is acceptable, but to be sure not to give them any skin or bones.

“They need to keep an eye on their pets and make sure their cats [or dogs] don’t get on the table and eat any of the food,” said Nora Curtin, director of the Selma Animal Shelter.

Other foods that should be avoided being given to pets are grapes, raisins, excessively salty foods, onions, garlic, foods flavored with onion or garlic, desserts and sweets containing Xylitol and chocolate.

“A lot of people don’t realize that onions and stuff like that are bad for their pets,” Curtin said.

These foods are actually bad enough to cause illness and sometimes death in a pet.

The association said the fat from the skin on a turkey could cause pets to develop pancreatitis, which can quickly cause death in a pet.

Signs that a pet has pancreatitis include vomiting, whining or crying and they often walk with a hunched up appearance. If any of these symptoms are noticed, veterinary care is needed immediately according to the association.

They also recommend keeping an extra eye on the trashcan during family visits, as pets can become curious and get into something that could harm them.

During the holidays, a lot of people tend to be at one location, coming in and out of the door and can possibly cause an animal to get anxious or scared.

“If they can, they need to put their dog in a separate room of the house, because if there are too many people in there, their dog may get riled up,” Curtin said. “If we have a bunch of people over at Christmas or Thanksgiving or a gathering, I always put my dogs in one room of the house, and I don’t allow anyone to go in that one room.”

Christmas decorations, although cheery and festive, can cause real harm to a pet.

“Watch cats around the Christmas trees, because they’ll go after the flashing lights. They’re liable to climb up in there,” Curtin said.

Owners also need to pay special attention to electrical cords to keep puppies and kittens from chewing on them.

Decorations that many people may not think about being hazardous are holiday plants. Mistletoe, holly and poinsettias can upset a pet’s stomach and even cause vomiting. Lilies however, are often deadly to cats.

The biggest advise of all is just to keep an eye on pets during the holidays, and only give them treats made especially for them.

“They sell special treats for the cats and the dogs, and that’s the only kind of treats they should have,” Curtin said. “It’s made especially for their cats and their dogs.”

The Alabama Veterinary Medical Association said to be sure and keep a veterinarian’s phone number handy, just in case of an emergency.