Thanksgiving for Pet Parents | What To Know To Keep Your Animals Safe

Over the years we have seen many cases of missing animals on Thanksgiving Day. It's not unusual for things to happen when you have a lot of people in your house or when you are out of town in a strange place. Pets get loose when miscommunications occur, when they are dashing around the house excitedly or when someone forgets to leash before opening the front door. Whether you are packing up the minvan for a road trip or hosting a dinner for several dozen relatives, don't overlook the safety of your four-legged friends.

Written by Lost Pet PR, Delmarva's Missing Pet Network
Updated Thursday, November 15th, 2018

Minimize the chances of an escape or accident by planning ahead with the whole family, assign walks to an older child or responsible adult person who is able to manage an overly-excited dog, and set ground rules for where the animals are to stay. Small children or adults who are unused to a dog are not your best choice for taking the canines out for a stroll - we know you may have your hands full with turkey and stuffing but situations like this is how accidents occur

If you are on the road and traveling out of state, far from familiar places - these are the worst kinds of situations to find yourself dealing with a lost pet. Animal shelters may be closed, traffic can be a nightmare and the cat just shot off into the woods at the rest stop. These scenarios do happen so don't take any chances.

• Remember that an accident can happen in seconds
• Don't open the car doors until doing a quick safety check
• Make sure pets have ID tags with current info (not the address/phone number where you used to live) 
• Skip the collar and go with a harness on a regular (non-retractable) leash
• Use a crate or carrier for smaller animals and cats and a seat belt harness for large dogs. (Pet supply stores sell ones that buckle right into your car and can keep a pet from flying through the air in case of an accident)

On Thanksgiving:

• Review with the whole family the importance of keeping pets away from trash and dangerous food items, who is allowed to walk the dog, etc.
• Have a safe, quiet place for the furry friends to hang out away from the food and noise.
• Don't let the animals wander around a packed house.
• Know where the nearest emergency vet is located and have their phone number available just in case.
• No table food for pets. Some plain turkey is okay, after you have picked out the bones of course, but for the most part avoid upsetting your pet's stomach with rich and unfamiliar treats which can make them sick.

"Being prepared is always best". Taking a few minutes to plan ahead helps you to set reasonable guidelines and ensures that everyone can enjoy a wonderful holiday. Happy Thanksgiving!

Established in 2011 as Delmarva's original lost pet network, we now cover Sussex County, Delaware along with the lower eastern shore of Maryland and Accomack & Northampton Counties in Virginia.