Your Guide to Super Bowl Pet Safety in 2025

Super Bowl LIX is right around the corner, with millions of Americans getting ready to watch the broadcast from the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. Like many of them, you’re probably planning your own at-home Super Bowl party with plenty of food, drinks, and maybe even a few friends. But while you’re checking off your grocery list and setting up the folding table, don’t forget about your four-legged family members and potential Super Bowl pet dangers.

Even if you're not having a big party at home, it's easy to become distracted by the game. All it takes is a few seconds for unsupervised cats and dogs to get into something toxic or otherwise harmful to their safety and well-being. That's why it's important for all responsible pet owners to take some time beforehand to review possible hazards to pets this Super Bowl Sunday and take preventative measures.

Whether you're cheering for the Philadelphia Eagles or the Kansas City Chiefs, or you're just watching for the commercials, it's time to root for Super Bowl pet safety as well as the players on TV. Go team!

9 Super Bowl pet safety tips

For most of us who watch the Super Bowl at home, the main risks for pets come from the abundance of snacks and beverages. It can be difficult to monitor cats and dogs when you’re distracted by the game, not to mention those famous Super Bowl commercials. You may also have company over, which your pet may or may not be accustomed to. While wanting to relax and enjoy things is understandable, preventing emergency trips to the animal hospital is undoubtedly more important.

Follow these Super Bowl pet safety tips to ensure dogs and cats are kept out of harm’s way.

1. Identify hazardous items

Some Super Bowl party staples may seem harmless, but if ingested by your pet, they could cause serious health issues. In addition to a variety of human foods causing toxic reactions in pets, other dangers include ones we consider inedible.

“Common items that may be present at a Super Bowl party are [chicken bones] and plastic utensils,” says Trupanion senior data analyst Malia Prescott. “The average bone ingestion claim is $600, and the average plastic ingestion claim is $550, with surgeries to remove foreign bodies easily surpassing the $1500 to $2000 range per claim.”

Instead of rolling the dice and hoping you don’t wind up with an expensive veterinary visit, it’s far better to prevent your pet from getting access to dangerous items in the first place. While you’re setting up for the game, you might want to make a list of things that are potentially hazardous to your pet and keep them as far out of reach as possible.

Common Super Bowl party pet hazards

• Plastic utensils (forks, knives, spoons, etc.)
• Wings (especially if they are not the boneless kind)
• Plastic bags
• Chocolate and sweets
• Macadamia nuts
• Raisins and grapes
• Beer, wine, and any other alcoholic beverages
• Chips and other salty foods
• Butter and other fats
• Garlic and onions

2. Use food covers

Even when placed on higher up tables or shelves, the smells of some Super Bowl party foods may be too enticing for your pet to resist. You can help reduce this by concealing dishes beneath buffet food covers or even microwave splatter protectors when not accessing them. You may also want to consider putting everything in Tupperware with sealed lids.

Even if you're pretty sure your pet can't reach something, it's good practice to go ahead and cover it anyway. Pets can be surprisingly clever (and agile!) when it comes to seeking out treats, and it's better to be safe than sorry.

3. Clean up as you go

As you’ve probably already noticed with your pet, dogs and cats can be quite fast and sneaky when they want something. That’s why it’s always a good idea to clean up as you go during a gathering, especially when harmful foods and plastic utensils may be sitting around. Once you or your guests is done with a plate, it should be cleaned up immediately rather than set down to wait. Likewise, open beer bottles and cups should never be left unattended.

You may want to consider having a trash can with a lid out in the living room with you just to make things easier and encourage people to throw things out as soon as possible.

4. Take measures to keep pets calm

For some pets, the excitement of a Super Bowl party at home can be overwhelming with all the new smells. Even just one or two visitors can add stress to the situation. In fact, any changes to your pet’s usual routine can cause anxiety. This puts your pal at greater risk of not listening to commands and engaging in unsafe behaviors.

Try to stick as close to your pet’s routine as possible during the Super Bowl. This may mean having to get up to feed them or take them on a walk during game time (modern technology means you can always go back and watch what you missed!)

Nevertheless, some pets may be so stressed out by newcomers to the household that they will be better off taken away to a quiet room all by themselves (with a bowl of water and a comfy place to curl up, of course). In some cases, your pet may just need a moment to hang out with you alone and become reassured.

5. Keep yourself relaxed

While you’re at it, you’ll also want to make sure that you’re managing your own stress levels. Dogs and cats can become very in sync with their human’s behaviors and emotions. If you’re acting stressed (which is understandable when hosting a Super Bowl party), your pet is more likely to do so as well.

6. Use room barriers

Some pets are better off being blocked entirely from any rooms with food or beverages, or away from groups of unfamiliar people. Dog gates can work well to keep most canines out of unsafe spaces, but you may need a taller solution or an actual door if you have a cat or a dog who likes to jump. Other pets may be best left off by themselves behind a closed door, with you checking in on them regularly.

If you’re only planning on having food out for the first part of the game, you could also put your pet in his crate just for while you’re eating. He can rejoin the group once everything is cleaned up.

7. Ask guests to not give your pet any food

While it should go without saying, the fact of the matter is that some people do need reminders that human food is harmful to pets. It’s a good idea to politely remind each guest upfront that your pet has her own food, and she’s not allowed access to any people food. If your guest can’t understand that, then it may be time to reconsider having them over to watch the Super Bowl.

Learn more about which human foods are and aren't safe for pets.

8. Keep an eye on your pet

Even when protective measures are in place, monitoring your pet throughout the day is still necessary to make sure he’s relaxed and not getting into anything he shouldn’t be. Always know where your pet is whenever food and drinks are out.

You know your pet best, so it’s up to you to pay attention to their behavior on Super Bowl Sunday and make adjustments to their situation as needed. For example, a dog that starts jumping up and trying to get at people’s food even though they were previously calm may need to be put behind a pet gate or put in their crate for a bit.

9. Know how serious Super Bowl pet risks are

Many people do not realize just how much their dog or cat is at risk during Super Bowl gatherings until a veterinary emergency arises. Making matters even worse, many pet parents are caught unprepared when veterinary emergencies do arise. In addition to the obvious health dangers to your pet, foreign object removal surgeries alone often surpass $2,000 per veterinary invoice (according to Trupanion claims data). Depending on the specific circumstances, your pet may require extended care and follow-up treatment.

Fortunately, by taking it seriously from the get-go, you can avoid this kind of tragic awakening. If you don’t have pet insurance coverage, there’s no better time than the present to enroll. But when it comes to the Super Bowl, the best thing you can do is diminish risk in the first place and practice pet safety throughout the day.