Of course your eyes can’t be on your pet at all times, but the following behaviors could point to a problem, according to Dennis Slade, staff doctor at the Animal Medical Center: drooling, lip-licking, pacing, difficulty getting into a comfortable position, vomiting or “even just a retching posture and making the noise as if going to vomit” without anything coming out, he said. “Those are signs they may need to see a vet.”

Not sure if something is poisonous to your pet? Check the ASPCA website of foods poisonous to pets, or call their Animal Poison Control hotline at 888-426-4435, which is staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year (but note that a consultation fee may be charged).

Décor

Holiday plants can be danger zones for pets, especially if you bring poinsettias, lilies and amaryllises into your home. Dr. Slade said pets can also get upset stomachs by eating evergreen needles or drinking Christmas tree water if the water is stagnant, as bacteria can grow in it.

Tinsel is an especially dangerous to cats, who might think those long silver strings are playthings or ingest them by accident while self-grooming. It can even be more hazardous in their gut than “something like glass or a needle or a thumbtack,” he said. A long and thin item in the gut can lead to swelling of the abdominal wall or, worse, even saw through the lower intestine (the same is true for dental floss, so throw that out securely every time you use it).

Dr. Slade doesn’t like to leave lights on when he’s not around in case pets gnaw on their cords (because we’ve all seen what happened to the cat in “National Lampoon Christmas Vacation”). He said to make sure to cover up cords as much as you can at all times, especially if you have a puppy in the home, and not to leave candles unattended. He’s treated more than one cat whose tail has caught the Hanukkah spirit — literally.

People

The best way to set expectations of how your family members should address your pets is to talk to them beforehand, said Lisa Brateman, a New York City-based psychotherapist and relationship specialist.

“It’s really letting them know what the boundaries are,” she said. That could be as simple as saying before you sit down to please not feed your pet scraps from the table or, if this has been a persistent problem at family meals before, to have a phone conversation before the big day.