Are you looking for the perfect present for your pets this holiday season? How about a hazard-free household? While you fuss over shopping lists and who’s cooking the turkey, it’s your job to keep in mind the dangers to pets that come with the holiday.

“The holidays are supposed to be a time of joy for our families, but in preparing for the season, many pet owners run the risk of exposing their pets to household dangers that could present potential life-threatening hazards to their pets,” says Dr. Lori Pasternak, of Helping Hands Affordable Veterinary Surgery and Dental Care in Richmond, Va. “These latent hazards could derail your holiday season if your pets become ill as a result of these hidden perils.”

Here are four holiday hazards to be warned about, according to Dr. Pasternak:

1. Decorations

While holiday decorations can make a home feel more festive, they can be tantalizing traps for pets. Your clients should keep decorations and ornaments higher up on trees so they’re not consumed by pets. If a pet decides the colorful garland or tree trim might make a tasty snack, they can and will get stuck in the pet’s intestines, necessitating immediate surgical removal. Also, exposed cords from electric lights can cause electrocution or oral burns if chewed

2. Gift wrap

When it’s time to pull all the gifts out of hiding to be wrapped, your clients should make sure their pets aren’t in the room while they spread out all the wrapping paper, bows, and ribbons. “If a cat starts gnawing on the ribbon, it will literally ‘stitch’ the cat’s intestines together as it’s being passed through the gut,” Dr. Pasternak says

3. Holiday feast

While turkey and ham make up the majority of traditional holiday meals, turkey and ham bones can become lodged in the pet’s intestines if swallowed in large pieces. Tell your clients not to offer table scraps to pets. Cats and dogs could become seriously ill or even choke to death