Keeping Pets Safe This Halloween

Decorations, unusual activities, and costumed visitors can all pose threats to our pets during Hallow’s Eve. Halloween is a fun day for families, but it can be a stressful or even dangerous day for pets.

These Halloween safety tips can help you and your pup to enjoy a safe and spooktacular holiday this year!

Keep all candy out of your dog’s reach — especially chocolate, which is toxic to dogs. Consumption of even small amounts can cause seizures, muscle tremors and vomiting while larger doses can be fatal. Stick to his own treats and he’ll be just as happy.

Be careful with your candles. Wagging tails can easily knock them over, spilling hot wax onto your carpet and furniture, or – even worse – seriously burning your pet and/or starting a fire. Even a pet standing too close to a candle flame can end up with singed fur or whiskers.

Keep your pet away from potentially hazardous decorations. Hanging decorations, like streamers, light strings, and fake spider webbing can easily become tangled around your pet. If swallowed, they could cause serious digestive problems. Small decorations can also cause choking, so keep these far from your pet’s reach.

Tack down or cover electric cords! If your pet bites through an electrical cord, it could result in a severe tongue burn. This could cause respiratory distress, because the burn will make the pet’s lungs fill with fluid.

If you decide to dress up your pet, make sure your pet’s costume is safe. Never leave a pet in a costume unsupervised. Costumes shouldn’t constrict movement or obstruct your pet’s vision, hearing, or ability to breathe or bark. Reflective tape on a costume may be for visibility, especially if your pet will be wearing his costume after dark. Also, make sure the costume doesn’t have any small, dangling, or easily chewed-off pieces that could hurt or choke your pet.

Some pets can be frightened of people in costume.  On Halloween, keep your pets securely inside, away from trick-or-treaters and other Halloween activities. They will be less frightened, and won’t feel threatened by exuberant costumed children. Keeping your pet securely in a bedroom or bathroom will also diminish any chance of your pet escaping through an open door. If your dog seems unaffected by all of the festivities and you choose to walk your dog around the neighborhood while children are trick-or-treating, be sure to use a sturdy collar, or harness and leash, and be careful around unfamiliar children and adults. Again, the costumes and masks may make your dog uncomfortable and frightened.

Holidays tend to involve a lot of visitors, who may accidentally leave a door or window open. It is important to make sure that your pet is wearing current identification.  If your pet is microchipped, please make sure that your contact information is current.