Costumes, candy, jack-o-lanterns, decorations, and tricker treaters. Halloween brings much excitement for many pet owners, but what about the pets? Halloween can create much unneeded stress and can be potentially hazardous when cautionis not used. Here are tips to keep your pet safety during this festive holiday:
1. Costumes: Although dressing our pets up for Halloween can be entertaining for us, it can be very stressful on some pets. Some pets are not bothered by being dressed up in costume, but there are many who become stressed from this type of situation. Be aware of how your pet feels about being dressed up.
If you do dress your pet up for Halloween, make sure the costume excludes loose pieces in which they could potentially remove and choke on. It is also important to make sure that the costume is not too constricting. This can be very uncomfortable as it may dig into the skin or inhibit circulation.
2: Candy: Keep your pet away from the candy bowl. Chocolate is not good for pets and too much is deadly. Be aware of the sweetener, xylitol, which is extremely toxic to animals. Also, be consciences of candy wrappers as they could be a choking hazard.
3: Jack-o-lanterns: After carving our pumpkins, we often display our artistic skill by placing a candle inside the hollowed out shell. It is important to keep jack-o-lanterns in a safe place where they will not get knock over by pets. A knocked over jack-o-lantern could be a potential fire hazard.
4. Decorations: Be aware of decorations that include cords, wires, or lights. Pets could become entangled or possibly get burned.
5: Trick or Treaters: Halloween means tricker treaters coming to our front doors. To our pets, tricker treaters are strangers and their presence can create much stress. Tricker treating also means an open door, creating opportunities for pets to bolt outside. If you are welcoming tricker treaters to your house, make sure that your pet is in another room and away from the door. It is also a good idea to ensure that your pet has updated identification tags in case your pet does end up outside.
Halloween can be an exciting night for all of us. Let’s keep it safe, not just for us, but for our four legged friends as well.