Keeping your pets safe this Halloween

Halloween is a favorite time of year for kids and grown-ups alike. Parties, candy trick-or-treating, haunted houses, and costumes make for fun and excitement, but your dog or cat may not feel the same way. All of the out of the ordinary activities can be stressful for some animals. Even if your pet is all for joining in the festivities, there are some safety precautions to take to ensure that everyone has the best Halloween possible.

For all pets, keep Halloween candy out of reach. Most dog owners already know chocolate is toxic to their pets, but ideally dogs shouldn’t have any candy. And certainly not the amount of candy they could consume if the found their way into the trick or treat bowl when no one is looking. If you want to include your puppy in the trick-or-treating fun, you could MAKE YOUR OWN TREATS for a spooky surprise.

Be wary of decorations. New lights, wires and other decorations can be hazardous both for your pet if the get into them, or because of your pet if they knock them down. Be very careful of flames, candles in jack-o-lanterns are everywhere on Halloween.

If you want to dress up your pet. Try on their COSTUME a few days before Halloween to make sure they actually like it. You don’t want to try something totally new on a day that is already different and potentially stressful even without a fancy frock.

If your dog is shy, or particularly protective, you may want to keep them away from the front door for trick-or-treating time. There will be a lot of strange looking strangers approaching the house and that could be extremely stressful for a pet. It won’t be any fun for you either if they are barking like crazy or cowering in a corner for the bulk of Halloween. Also keeping them someplace quiet in the house reduces the chance they could scoot out the door with all the opening and closing that comes with doling out Halloween loot.

Make sure they have tags with contact info, just in case they do get out. This is a really good idea if you plan on bringing your dog out trick-or-treating as well.

A little extra care on Halloween will ensure a safe and happy one for you and your pet.