New Year's Eve Pet Safety

By Nan Talleno

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - With the new year comes plenty of celebration. Before you do, however, make sure your companion animals stay comfortable and safe throughout the holiday. Here are a few tips.

First, the most important thing you can do for them is to keep them on their regular schedule. Feed and walk your dog at the routine time and if you're heading out for the evening, provide an extra walk before you go and one again immediately upon your return and, if possible, have someone walk them in the time you are gone.

If your hosting a party, provide a room with a quiet place for your pet to retreat along with fresh water, a blanket or toy. Remember to take the time to give your dog a walk when necessary. Shy dogs and cats may want to hide under a table to avoid loud noises. You can even leave a radio to muffle the outside noise.

The ASPCA recomends that if your celebration includes holiday beverages, be sure to place any unattended alcoholic drinks where pets cannot get to them. If ingested, your pet could become weak, ill and may even go into a coma, possibly resulting in death from respiratory failure.

Keep confetti away from all of your pets, especially cats. If ingested, confetti can get lodged in the intestines and may even require surgery. Keep noisy poppers away from your companion animals as loud noises can terrify pets and may cause possible damage to sensitive ears.