4 Halloween Pet Safety Tips
Do you feel that chill in the air? Or see the leaves turning colours? It’s that time of year again! Where pumpkins line doorsteps, skeletons guard people’s front doors, and candy is never too far away. That’s right – it’s Halloween! Halloween is a fun holiday every member of the family can enjoy. But Halloween also welcomes mischief, accidents, and oopsies. It’s important this time of year to keep all your family members safe and out of harm’s way – including your pets! We want to share some Halloween pet safety tips!
Halloween Pet Safety Tip #1: Keep pets indoors
The safest place for your pet on and around Halloween, is inside your home. Taking your pet outside or keeping them in the yard creates an opportunity for those up to no good to tease, torment, or even harm your animals. Some say that black pets are at a higher risk of inappropriate treatment on Hallow’s Eve. And although this is just an urban legend, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Because of this, some animal shelters won’t even allow black pets to be adopted in October.
Outside of the dangers from other people, there are other reasons to keep your pet inside on Halloween, like loud fireworks, busy streets, or other pets.
Halloween Pet Safety Tip #2: Be cautious of Treat-or-Treaters
Even though we humans typically enjoy having kids come to our doors in costumes ready for candy, our pets don’t always feel the same way. Some pets, especially dogs, get anxious and excitable when hearing the doorbell or a few knock-knock-knocks. Not only that, but those arriving are strangers who are often wearing masks or disguises. This can be frightening for pets. The pet may react with excessive barking, jumping, or even aggression. Because of this, we recommend keeping your pet in a quiet room with water, somewhere comfy to lay down, and a treat or chew.
Halloween Pet Safety Tip #3: Keep Halloween candy out of reach
The best part of Halloween? The treats! But sometimes pets can’t tell the difference between human ‘treats’ and pet treats. This is why we must keep all Halloween candy away from our dogs and cats. If pets ingest high amounts of sugar or chocolate, it can cause them to get sick and possibly need help from a veterinarian. Pets can also eat plastic candy wrappers, or sometimes even foil wrappers! That would cause quite the tummy ache to say the least. To avoid those vet trips, keep all ‘human treats’ safely away from pets.
Halloween Pet Safety Tip #4: Decorations can be dangerous
We aren’t saying you shouldn’t decorate for the holidays, but it is smart to be mindful about what you decorate with. Things like carved pumpkins or dried ears of corn can be tempting snacks for gluttonous pets. They can cause upset stomachs, cut mouth tissue, or even worse (we don’t know what you decorate with!). Cats are especially attracted to long, stringy decorations like garlands or fairy lights, so make sure you supervise your pets around all decorations.
In Conclusion...
There are many ways you can include your pet on Halloween. Like dressing them up or making homemade Halloween dog treats! Just remember, their safety is, above all, the most important thing. We promise your pet would rather be pampered in a quiet room with their own treats this Halloween.
Hopefully these Halloween pet safety tips will help keep your family safe this year. Have a happy Halloween!
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