More than 31 million dog lovers will buy Christmas gifts for their pets. But just as children suffer injury every year from gifts with hidden dangers, so do our furry “kids.” An award-winning dog care book author offers tips for buying safe gifts for your dog.

It’s easy to buy gifts for dogs that their humans will love opening. Think canine sunglasses and jewel encrusted collars. But just as children suffer injury every year from gifts with hidden dangers, so do our furry kids. Save yourself heartache, not to mention horrendous vet bills, by putting all purchases to three important tests:

1)  The What-Is-It-Really? Test.  Will the peanut butter and wheat lurking in those cookies set off an itching attack in your allergy-prone dog? Will those rawhide chews swell and obstruct your dog’s throat or intestine? Is that indestructible gift really indestructible? Maryglenn’s Old English Sheepdog Garcia spent a week in intensive care after swallowing chunks of rubber bone. Thousands of dollars and tears later, Garcia barely held on to his life.

2)  The Goldilocks Test: My tiny Maltese Chiclet enjoys her squeaky toys for years, but Rene Breier, of the Walk for the Underdog rescue group, avoids squeaky toys altogether for her Siberian Husky. “After a few minutes of prancing and delight, Ookami will rip the toy up, find the squeaker and swallow it.” Hello emergency room. Goodbye $400.

3) The Porky Pooch Test: 40% of dogs are packing more than a few extra pounds. One small edible chew or treat might ring up 90 calories or more—a lot for a small dog. Even rawhide chews are fattening. Overweight dogs face major health risks and are vet bills waiting to happen.

When wrapping your dog’s gift (and your own), beware yarn, cord, ribbon and tinsel. If you spot one end of anything stringy hanging out of either end of the dog, DON’T PULL! Get the dog to the vet fast! The same goes if your dog eats holly or mistletoe decorations. They’re extremely toxic. 

With just a little forethought, your dog can have a safe holiday season. Happy Holidays to you and your furry friends.

Jan Rasmusen is the author of Scared Poopless: The Straight Scoop on Dog Care—Winner of the 2006 Ben Franklin Award for the Best Health Book of any kind and the USABookNews Award for the Best Animal/Pet Health Book. This book has 89 wild full color photos and makes a beautiful gift. It's available autographed and pawtographed with quantity discounts. Want some more gift suggestions?  Click here.