Pet Halloween Safety

Tricks:

Remember that costumes and scary decorations may be fun for us, but they can be frightening for pets who don’t understand the concept of Halloween. If your pet is startled or stressed by people in costumes or Halloween decorations, then it’s important to try to keep their stress levels down. Making a safe place, like a room in your house, for your pet where he/she can go to escape the excitement of the holiday is a good idea. Keep the room decoration-free and don’t allow people in costumes to enter. Keep things as normal as possible for your pets to reduce stress as much as possible.

Treats:

Things that make great treats for humans, like chocolates and candies, can be dangerous for your pet. Chocolate is toxic to many animals, including dogs and cats. Other types of candies may contain harmful ingredients or pose other dangers such as choking. Xylitol, an artificial sweetener, is toxic, for example. Sugar, while not toxic to pets, can cause stomach upsets. If you’d like to treat your pet for Halloween, stick to safe and healthy treats made especially for your pet.

Tips for Selecting Dog Treats

Decoration safety:

Keep things like candles, wires, and pumpkins out of pets reach. Your pets may be attracted to these novel items and confuse them for fun new toys. Knocked over candles or chewed up cords can pose fire or electrocution risks. Decorations with small parts or parts that can be chewed off can pose the risk of chocking or impaction if your pet gets their teeth on them.

Costume safety:

Pets can look adorable in costumes, but not all of them enjoy playing dress-up. Keep pet costumes simple and comfortable. Costumes should not interfere with your pets moment, eyesight, or hearing. Keep your pet’s face and mouth free so that they are able to normally vocalize and of course breathe. Costumes should not have small parts that your pet might chew or hanging pieces that could get tangled around your pet. If your pet doesn’t enjoy dressing up, it’s probably better to keep them costume free. Or consider a very simple “costume” like a decorative collar, leash, harness, or bandana.

How to Choose a Halloween Costume for Your Dog

Stranger safety:

During trick-or-treat hours, it might be best to keep your pet closed in his/her safe room. Numerous strangers dressed up in costumes can be stressful to your pet. If your pet is friendly and doesn’t seem to be bothered by the many visitors, it’s important to keep an eye on them while opening the door to make sure they don’t run out. Remember that not everyone has the best intentions on Halloween. Keep an eye on your pets to make sure they don’t fall into the wrong hands.

ID’s:

Keep ID tags on your pets just in case they do accidentally get out. ID tags should be clear and easy to read. Replace old, outdated, and/or unreadable ID tags as soon as possible.

Happy Halloween!

What are you and your dog(s) doing to celebrate Halloween this year?  These days Fenrir doesn’t really like wearing costumes, but he does like treats!  I’ll probably try to bake him some homemade treats.  I recently, strangely, discovered that he really likes (small amounts of) cinnamon!  What are some of your dogs favorite flavors?

Fenrir and I hope that everyone is enjoying the fall, and that you all have an amazing, fun, and safe Halloween!

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