Halloween can be a truly spooky time for your pets. Creepy decorations, glowing Jack-o-lanterns, goblins knocking on the door … dogs, cats and other pets notice these strange new sights, sounds and scents in their environment! The American Veterinary Medical Association offers these 7 tips for making Halloween safer for your pet:
- Don’t feed your pets Halloween candy, especially if it contains chocolate or xylitol (a common sugar substitute found in sugar-free candies and gum).
- Make sure your pet is properly identified (microchip, collar, and ID tag) in case s/he escapes through the open door while you’re distracted with trick-or-treaters.
- Keep lit candles and jack-o-lanterns out of reach of pets.
- If you plan to put a costume on your pet, make sure it fits properly and is comfortable, and doesn’t have any pieces that can easily be chewed off, and doesn’t interfere with your pet’s sight, hearing, breathing, opening its mouth, or moving. Also, take time to get your pet accustomed to the costume before Halloween, and never leave your pet unsupervised while s/he is wearing a costume.
- Keep glow sticks and glow jewelry away from your pets. Although the liquid in these products isn’t likely toxic, it tastes bad and makes pets salivate excessively and act strangely.
- If your pet is wary of strangers or tends to bite, put him/her in another room during trick-or-treating hours, or provide him/her with a safe hiding place.
- Keep your pet inside during trick-or-treating, and throughout the Halloween season.
With some advanced planning and care, Halloween can be a fun and stress-free time for your pets!
See the AVMA’s original post here.
