From our vantage point, Halloween can feel like an exciting holiday that brings parties, costumes and lots of fun times. However, if you view Halloween through the eyes of a family pet, it can emit a lot of uncertainty and unexpected loud noises that can leave your pets feeling fearful and scared.
But fear not, with a little bit of thought and planning, you can easily make Halloween night a success for every member of your family . . . including your pets!
Here are a few ideas and tips for ways to help keep your pets safe on Halloween:
Keep Candy and Decorations out of Your Pet’s Reach
While this tip might sound obvious, feeding your pets Halloween candy can be hazardous, or potentially lethal, to their health. Candy often contains chocolate or xylitol, both of which are ingredients known to be potentially harmful to pets and could even threaten their lives. Halloween decorations that your pet might be curious enough to chew or ingest, should always be kept safely out of your pet’s reach. Other party items like glow sticks, lit jack-o-lanterns and candles should also be located up high enough so as not to tempt your pets.
Keep Pets Safely Confined Inside Your Home
Leaving your dog or cat out loose in your yard can be a really bad decision on Halloween night. As sad as it might be, pet’s left unattended in your yard on Halloween night can become the victims of naive & mean pranksters. Keep all pets inside your home and safely confined in a quiet room. This will also keep them from slipping away every time you open the door to hand out Halloween candy.
It might sound like a fun idea to dress your pet up and take them along with you to a party or while out trick or treating, but think again. While you might enjoy taking your pet trick or treating, it’s unlikely your pet will be having a good time. Pet’s crave routine and familiar comforts and the sights and sounds on Halloween night are anything but that. Worse yet, your pet might become startled and end up biting someone if they feel threatened. So resist your selfish urge to take Fido out trick or treating and leave him home where the environment is familiar and safe.
Take Care when using Halloween Costumes for Pets
While you might think it’s cute to see your dog dressed up like a pirate or your cat outfitted to look like a mermaid, its highly unlikely that your pet will actually enjoy wearing a costume. So if you absolutely must give in to your desire to outfit your pet in a costume, take care to make sure it doesn’t constrict your pet’s breathing, movement or their ability to bark or meow if they need to. Consider limiting your pet’s costume wearing time to short stints only for participating in family photos. This way, your pet can be a part of your family’s festivities and photo memories, but without harming them or making them feel fearful.
Now that you’ve had some time to consider things from your Pet’s perspective, it should be easy to celebrate this Halloween in a way that ensures all of you remain safe and well.
