Holiday Treats for Pets

Homemade dog treats.

You’ve been making your holiday gift list, and your dog will soon be the lucky recipient of some must-have goodies. Because he has been such a good boy this year, you plan to lavish him with a stocking full of toys and a new bandanna. He may even get to slurp some doggie ice cream.

And for the icing on the cake, you’ll make him some tasty homemade dog treats. These vet-approved snacks are really packed with nutritious ingredients from your kitchen. You might need a separate stocking just for these tasty snacks!

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New Year’s Resolutions for Optimal Pet Wellness

New Year's Resolutions for pets.

Half of all people make New Year’s Resolutions, and yet only a small percentage keep them going. It’s great to be optimistic about the future, but it’s equally important to keep our goals realistic. Luckily, when it comes to pet wellness, objectives are not only straightforward, they’re attainable to boot! Join us in discovering and supporting New Year’s Resolutions for our pets.

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5 Festive Ways to Include Your Pets in the Holiday Fun

A woman and her dog celebrate the holidays.

This holiday season, show your furry companions how grateful you are for their unconditional love by treating them to a jolly good time! Your friends at Androscoggin Animal Hospital have put together some suggestions for safe holiday fun you can have with your pets.

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Fun Pet Treat Recipes

Holiday pet treats.

While most store-bought pet treats are perfectly fine for your pet, sometimes you want to go the extra mile and make something from scratch to show your love. This way, you know all the ingredients that your pet is consuming, and can feel good about giving your pet something homemade. 

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Boo! When Only the Safest Pet Costumes Will Do

Dog as ghost-pet safe Halloween costume.

The overlap between safe and spooky isn’t impossible, but it does take some forethought to accomplish both. When it comes to your pet’s Halloween experience, it can be a tough sell to get them to wear a festive outfit. In fact, pet costumes can be the scariest part of the entire holiday! However, great timing, good choices, and loads of patience (from both you and your pet) can make all the difference. 

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Welcome Home: Holiday Pet Adoption

A dog wearing a Santa hat

Welcoming a new pet into your home at any time of year is exciting, but there is a special magic to adopting a pet during the holidays. So much so, that we can become giddy at the thought of surprising a significant other, a child, or a family member with a new pet. 

Of course, there are some special considerations with holiday pet adoption. For one thing, you don’t want a newly adopted pet to wind up back at the shelter or rehomed after the holidays are over. Even the best laid plans can backfire without some special planning and preparation. 

Keep reading for tips on holiday pet adoption from your team at Androscoggin Animal Hospital

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The Scary Truth About Halloween Pet Safety

Pet Halloween safety is important for keeping pets safeImagine that one day everything went from perfectly normal and acceptable to upside down and topsy-turvy. Pets experience this hair-raising surrealism throughout the year (Christmas, Fourth of July, etc.), but it’s never quite as freaky as the weeks leading up to, and including the actual day of, Halloween.

What can a pet owner do to not only make their pet feel safe, but reduce or eliminate potential hazards? Here is our Halloween pet safety practices to use at home and beyond!

The Usual Suspects

Candy must always remain out of your pet’s sight. Whether it’s out of boredom or hunger, a curious pet can land in a lot of hot water if they decide to sample the candy bowl or treat bag. Continue…

Using String, Ribbon, and Tinsel? Not for Holiday Cat Safety!

Cats can be pretty awesome during the holidays. Sure, they probably won’t wear the matching ugly Christmas sweater you knitted for them, but they might allow you to wrap presents while napping on top of the festive paper or attacking your scissors – if you’re lucky. Indeed, many cats like the lights, sparkles, and revelry as much as we do, but that doesn’t mean holiday cat safety can be set aside due to joyful pouncing.

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Letting the Cat Out of the Bag: Why Holiday Pet Safety is a Big Deal

time to playRemember when we were blogging about parasite prevention last spring? It’s hard to believe we’re already rounding the corner toward winter and the holidays, but here we are!

When you think about this time of year, perhaps only the good things come to mind. While scrumptious food, piles of presents, and beautiful decor certainly contribute to the general splendor, they also provide dangerous opportunities for your pet. That’s why we’ve got holiday pet safety on our minds – and we hope you do, too!

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