IAR issues the Christmas Survival Guide for dogs and cats

International Animal Rescue has issued its top ten tips for giving dogs and cats a cruelty-free Christmas. IAR from Uckfield runs veterinary clinics for stray dogs and cats in India and also has a UK team that carries out sterilisation and vaccination trips abroad. During a recent seven day visit to Spain the team treated more than 200 stray cats. The charity also supported a rescue mission by local volunteers to help dogs caught up in bombing in Beirut by sending hundreds of pounds worth of veterinary medicines.

Now IAR is reminding the public not to forget or neglect the needs of our pets in the midst of the festivities by providing a ’Christmas Survival Guide for domestic pets’. The list of tips as follows:

• Resist the temptation to give an animal as a surprise giftOwning a pet is a responsibility that requires careful consideration and preparation. It’s unfair to give an animal unexpectedly to some one who may not even want a pet.
• Remember that Christmas can be a stressful time for petsas well as peopleWhenever possible try to stick to normal exercise and feeding patterns and be considerate of nervous or excitable pets who are unsettled by unfamiliar visitors or a change in routine. Make sure your cat or dog has a quiet place where he can escape and rest if it all becomes too much.
• Avoid giving your pet unsuitable Christmas foodMany items of food are bad or even harmful for pets - chocolate for example. There’s nothing wrong with treating your pet to a few tasty leftovers from the Christmas dinner, but make sure they go in his bowl and aren’t offered as titbits from the table.
• Be sure to make proper arrangements for your pet if you are going away over the holiday periodEnsure your animals are entrusted to some one caring and competent who will know what to do if any problems arise.
• If you come across an abandoned pet, contact your local animal rescue shelter.Tragically, some people actually abandon their pets when they go away for Christmas and can’t be bothered to get some one to look after them. Others have been known to dump older animals to make way for cute puppies and kittens.
• Remember that exercising your dog regularly will not only benefit himIt will also help you keep in trim from all the excess eating and drinking over the holiday period.
• When looking for a new pet to join the family,try to choose one from the many unwanted and abandoned animals in rescue centres around the UK.
• Don’t forget to keep your pet vaccinated, microchipped and insured,so that he’s healthy and safe in 2007.
• Help the stray dogs and cats abroadby supporting the vital work of charities like International Animal Rescue.
• Animal lovers who don’t own a pet can do the next best thingby sponsoring one of the resident dogs at the IAR rescue centre in Goa so that they receive all the care and love they deserve.