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Christmas is traditionally a time for, food, family and festivities. While you family may enjoy celebrating holiday traditions, your pets may not understand what all the unusual activity is about. Dr. Tedd Hammaker of Springfield Veterinary Hospital says the change in the routine during the holidays can produce stress for your pets.
Keeping things normal includes feeding pets their regular meals, and resisting the temptation to overindulge them with human food. Hammaker says houseguests can also cause stress for pets.
Pet owners are advised to keep potentially dangerous holiday decorations away from cats and dogs.
Hammaker says being mindful of pets' needs during the holidays can prevent unplanned trips to the veterinary emergency room.
Most veterinarians use an answering service with an emergency phone number over the holidays. If your normal vet is not available, there are emergency services in Springfield.
The Emergency Veterinary Clinic is open over the Christmas holiday. The clinic is listed in the phone book. From Springfield Veterinary Hospital, I'm Jenny Fillmer from KSMU news.