Christmas for many is a time of guilt-free over indulgence - an opportunity to eat one too many mince pies, gobble an abundance of chocolate and add that extra dollop of brandy butter on the Christmas pudding.

For pet owners, the desire to treat ourselves during the festive season, can translate into a tendency to over-feed our pets, often with human food, which is not only highly calorific, it can also be extremely dangerous. 

With the celebrations fast approaching, Purina's resident vet, Zara Boland, provides some top tips for avoiding the pitfalls of over-indulging your pets this Christmas:

1-Treats should never make up more than 10% of your pet's daily calorie intake! Compensate for extra pet friendly Christmas treats by feeding smaller meals, playing more energetic games and exercise.

2-Try to replace the impulse to give food as a treat with a fun game or a cuddle instead.  Your pet will really appreciate the extra attention.

3-Human foods should be avoided at all costs, particularly chocolate, which can be fatal for our four-legged friends.  Keep all chocolate well out of reach of your pet and remember that pets can get crafty when it comes to seeking it out. 

4-Tempting as it may be to share some Christmas dinner with your cat, please don't. The unfamiliar ingredients and high levels of fat can cause vomiting, diarrhoea and potentially lead to inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis).

5-Don't forget to throw away items such as any string used when cooking the turkey, tinsel and decorative wrapping ribbons. If eaten by an inquisitive pet it could cause problems in the intestines.

6-Download the handy Purina Lifestyle Diary from http://www.purina.co.uk/sizematters , stick it on the fridge and ask everyone in the house to fill it in, whenever they give any food and treats to your pet this Christmas.  This will help you to keep track of what your pet is eating and enable you to be stricter with your guests if they're tempted to over-indulge your pet.

For many households Christmas brings lots of guests, with friends and family coming together to celebrate the festivities.  This combined with increased noise levels, fireworks and bangs from Christmas Crackers, means that Christmas can be a stressful time for our pets. Here is Animal Behaviourist, Professor Peter Neville's top tips to ensuring your pet stays happy this Christmas:

1-To protect your pets from loud noises or lots of guests, which they may not be used to, try to set up a quiet room as a safe 'pet-haven'. Here they can relax comfortably with plenty of snugly bedding for dogs, or raised resting areas for cats.

2-Place your pet(s) in their haven well before the celebrations start, and play with them or, in the case of dogs, walk them first so that they settle more easily once the festivities get underway.

3-Provide distraction and amusements in the form of their favourite toys and/or chews.