The expert warned about dangerous New Year decorations for animals

Some elements of the New Year's decor may pose a danger to pets. Grigory Balagurov, head of the Law and Health Food and Packaging Quality Protection Fund, warned about this on Tuesday, December 23.

The expert recommended that pet owners buy small Christmas trees that can be placed on a table, windowsill or in another hard-to-reach place. He advised those who plan to install a large tree to take care of an obstacle that will prevent animals from getting close to the spruce. It can be a special fence or heavy boxes that will be difficult to move, he added.

"Remember that if an animal comes close to a Christmas tree, it may start chewing on its branches and needles, driven by curiosity, and in the case of kittens and puppies, because of teething. And those, once in the pet's body, can seriously injure its internal organs," Balagurov said in an interview with Lenta.Ru .

As an additional precaution, the expert urged cat owners to put a Christmas tree in the corner of the room and away from cupboards and other furniture.

"The fir tree can also be fixed or hung with a fishing line — in this case, even if the cat is on the tree, it will be protected from falling to the floor. Additionally, you can put objects next to the tree that scare away animals, such as vacuum cleaners and the like," Balagurov said.

In addition, Christmas tree toys can be selected from plastic, felt, paper and other materials that will not break into many pieces when falling. It is better to abandon glass products, as well as chocolate products. Tinsel and rain are very attractive to animals, and if a pet swallows such an ornament, then surgical intervention will be required to extract a foreign body, so they should not be used in the decor. Artificial snow is also undesirable, since the chemical composition of such products is often toxic and can provoke allergies and poisoning in pets.

"At the same time, no matter what the toy is, the basic rule for all such decorations is that it is better not to hang anything on the bottom rows so that the pet cannot reach the product and drop it. To further reduce the risk of falling, toys can be attached to the Christmas tree using a wire," the expert said.

He added that glowing garlands can also pose a danger to animals, as they can start gnawing on wires and get an electric shock.

"This risk can be minimized if you buy battery—powered garlands, so you don't have to plug them into an outlet. Or leave the products on only when you are in the room and can monitor what the pet is doing," concluded Balagurov.

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Earlier, on December 17, veterinarians reminded pet owners how to protect them during the holidays. This was reported by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food of the Moscow region. According to experts, when decorating a Christmas tree, it is necessary to leave the lower rows empty, as garlands, tinsel and other decorations pose a danger to the pet.

In turn, Ksenia Kuznetsova, designer and product director of the interior company Mr.Doors, said that in order to decorate small apartments for the New Year, it is necessary to follow several key principles. It is necessary to use lighting wisely, choosing garlands with warm lighting, candles, as well as toys with sparkly, glossy or mirrored surfaces.

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