5 Tips to Keep Your Pets Safe This Halloween

This year, more pet parents plan to involve their fur babies in Halloween celebrations than ever! While costumes are fun and Halloween is a great family holiday, it can be terrifying for pets. And that’s not just because of the spooky ghosts and goblins.

For starters, Halloween is up there with July 4th and New Year's Eve as a day for pets getting lost. There are plenty of loud noises that can startle pets, both dogs and cats, and make them want to run away. In addition, with trick-or-treaters showing up, your front door is likely to be open a lot more than usual. This could provide an easy escape route for a frightened feline or canine. Keep your pet in a separate room of the house, away from the front door, so they don't attempt an escape or feel threatened by the steady stream of costumed visitors. You can also simply keep your dog on a leash during trick-or-treating times, so you can keep an eye on them, and the dogs aren't stressed from being off in a room by themselves while the doorbell rings constantly.

Here are few additional tips to keep your pets safe this Halloween:

1. Consider Halloween costumes carefully - If your pet despises dressing up, don't force them to wear a costume. You can opt for a simple accessory, such as a bandana or bowtie. If your pet is okay with wearing a costume, make sure it doesn't limit movement, hearing, eyesight or the ability to eat food or drink water.

2. Keep an eye on Halloween candy - Don't leave Halloween candy lying around with pets. Chocolate contains theobromine, a substance that can be poisonous to dogs and cats. Raisins are also toxic to pets. And caramel apple sticks, candy wrappers and packaging can cause choking or an intestinal blockage.

3. Put Halloween decorations out of your pet's reach - Keep lights and extension cords elevated to a height your pet can't reach to avoid chewing and possible electric shock. Candles and lit pumpkin should be place far from wagging tails and curious noses and whiskers.

4. Don't dye your pet's coat as a costume - The dyeing process can be unnecessarily stressful for the pet and many dyes contain toxins that can irrirate your pet's skin.

5. Put your black cat someplace safe - While many think about black cats and Halloween, there could be those thinking about doing mischief to your dark-as-night feline. Unfortunately, reports of animal cruelty to black cats tend to spike around Halloween.

Truth is any animal, not just black cats, could end up hurt on Halloween, unless their pet parents follow these simple tips. It doesn’t take much to keep your fur babies safe and have a Happy Halloween.

Cheers,

Sam & Mallory

Founders of Dogs Love Walks