For most of us humans, Halloween is an opportunity to get dressed up and have a good time with friends and family. For our pets, however, it can often be confusing, alarming, and even dangerous. So it's our job to keep them safe!
Here are a few ways that you can keep your pets safe, healthy, and comfortable during the Halloween festivities.
Protect Your Pet From Unfamiliar Stimuli
The sights and sounds of Halloween — the doorbell ringing, children shouting "trick or treat!", footsteps on the pavement and up the front steps, people laughing and talking in the street, dressed in all sorts of strange and wonderful costumes — all seem like perfectly harmless fun to us.
For our pets, though, all these unfamiliar sights and sounds can be confusing, disorienting, and scary, because they do not understand what they mean.
To help protect your pet from stress caused by the unfamiliar stimuli of Halloween, it may be best to set them up with a comfy bed, food and water in a quiet, out-of-the-way room or corner of your home, preferably with the door shut.
Take Care With Halloween Decorations
If you are planning to decorate your home for Halloween, choose safe, pet friendly decorations. Avoid decor items with small parts, or anything that might be a fire hazard, such as candles or animated decorations with electrical parts.
Arrange your decorations carefully, making sure to hang them securely, or place them in spots your pet can't easily access.
Choose A Safe Pet Costume
You may be considering getting a cute costume to dress your pet up in for Halloween. If you plan to do this, be sure to choose a costume without loose pieces, strings, beads, or ties, as these can be choking hazards. You'll also want to ensure that the costume fits your pet comfortably, and is not too tight or difficult to move around in.
Be aware of your pet's reaction to the costume, and if it seems to stress them out, make them uncomfortable, or scare them, take it off.
Keep Your Pets Indoors For the Night
For most people, Halloween is just a time to dress up and have some fun with family and friends. But there are some people out there who use it as an excuse to cause trouble. Unfortunately, cats and even dogs may be targeted for cruelty on Halloween.
In addition, all the noise, unfamiliar smells, and new people running around could spook you pet, causing them to run off, hide, and potentially get lost.
For these reasons, it's important to keep your pet safe indoors on Halloween.
Keep Candy & Chocolate Out of Reach
Halloween candy and chocolate can be dangerous to pets in a couple of different ways. For one thing, it can contain ingredients that are toxic to them. Chocolate in particular is dangerous for dogsIt contains theobromine and caffeine, both of which can potentially be fatal.
In addition, Halloween candy usually comes in small pieces, making it a choking hazard for pets.
Be sure to keep all Halloween candy well out of your pet's reach to ensure their safety.
