(Courtesy of Pet Sitters International) For pet lovers celebrating Chanukah, Pet Sitters International offers these quick tips to ensure your pets remain healthy and happy during the eight-day celebration.

To avoid your pet being burned or causing a fire, ensure that your pets are confined away from the room containing the lit menorah.

Keep holiday game pieces, such as the dreidel, out of reach from your pet to avoid accidental ingestion. Likewise, keep chocolate gold coins in a location that cannot be accessed by your pets. Not only can the bromine and caffeine in chocolate be toxic to your pets, the shiny foil wrapper can also cause intestinal issues if digested.

Chanukah treats, like latkes and sufganiyot (doughnuts), should also be kept away from pets. Ingestion could lead to a variety of gastrointestinal issues, including vomiting and diarrhea. Also, some ingredients can have even more dangerous consequences. The onions in latkes, for example, can cause Heinz body anemia in both cats and dogs.

Should any of the nightly celebrations keep you away from home during your pet’s typical walk or potty-break time, PSI recommends using the services of a professional pet sitter. Pet owners can download a free pet-sitter interview checklist from the PSI website and search for local PSI-member pet sitters at petsit.com/locate (there are several in Bergen County).