Follow a few golden rules and if you are lucky the festive season may just pass without incident.

Christmas Eve: Santa "Claws's" mince pies and sherry – lots of fireplaces are adorned with nice treats for Santa on Christmas Eve. Opportunistic thieves on four legs may take a fancy too. One quarter of vets have treated a pet that had consumed alcohol in the past 12 months.

Christmas Day: A pet scorned – Christmas morning arrives and so do all of the presents. Don't forget to get a little something for the pet so they get to enjoy the day. An upset dog can be as problematic as a disappointed child.

Boxing Day: The leftover buffet – pets will be more than willing to lend a helping paw clearing up the leftovers. Pets that consume high calorie, sugar laden human food can experience dental problems, halitosis, stomach cramps and diabetes.

New Year's Eve: Things that go bump in the night – celebrating the New Year with fireworks can be hugely upsetting for animals. Every year the RSPCA experiences thousands of calls regarding fireworks and frightened animals.

The in-between days

Tinsel Frown: Tinsel is pretty to look at and to some, may be pretty tempting to eat. This festive decoration is a real choking hazard for our pets and shouldn't be made available for them to pick up in their mouths. If this does get stuck on its way down, it could cause a real headache accompanied with a trip to the vets.

All that glitters is not golden: The Christmas tree is still up though life has returned to normal. A tree provides animals with a playground and if left to their own devices they can bring the tree down with terrible consequences.

Things that go pop: Keep crackers and balloons away from your pets, they can prove to be very frightening.

No walkies equals "porkies": It is easy to flop after Christmas and forget your pet needs regular exercise. Our research shows that 31 per cent of owners admitting their cat or dog carried extra weight after the Christmas holidays.

Crowd Control: Always supervise your pet if there are children and toys around. Research carried out by Halifax Pet Insurance found the average cost to remove a foreign body from a pet is £532.

Prickly Paws: Make sure the needles from the tree are swept or hoovered up. These can cause pets trouble if they get stuck between their pads, swallowed or in some cases lodged in their ears.

Elecheck the Pet: Make sure pets cannot get at electric cables. If they get the chance they will chew through them with tragic consequences.

Get it Covered: Halifax Pet Insurance has found pet owners drastically underestimate the cost of veterinary care in the UK. The simple message is get your pet insured or it could cost you dear.