How to keep your pets safe this Halloween

October 31, 12:43 PMDC Pet Care ExaminerErin Paquette

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It’s the one night a year where you and your pets can don a costume and become someone - or something - else. That’s right: Halloween is here again.

But with the great excitement of Halloween also comes the potential of great danger for your pets. To make sure that your pets are as safe as possible this Halloween, read the tips below and add any additional suggestions about how pets can stay safe this Halloween in the comment box at the end of the article.

Don’t Leave Your Pets Outside
 
Even if you pets are normally ‘outdoor’ animals, or if you let you cats out at night, do not let them out on Halloween. There have been reports of cats and dogs being abused by overexcited trick-or-treaters, and many cats have gone missing on Halloween. Animals can also become easily spooked if a lot of strangers stop by your house, and they might lash out at trick-or-treaters because they’re afraid. Either way, someone ends up hurt, so we recommend that you keep your pets in a place that is safe for them, and for visitors.

Put the Candy Away

One of the biggest dangers to pets on Halloween and the weeks following is the candy lying around the house. Even if you think that your pets are “too smart” to eat candy, they might be curious about the smell or be fascinated by the pretty color of the wrappers. For their safety, make sure that you keep candy out of reach (preferably in a jar or container that can be sealed) and make sure that your children do the same.

Be especially careful if you have young children in the home, as they are more apt to leave candy or candy wrappers lying around the house. They might also try to “share” their candy with your pets. A great thing to do when the children in your home try to share their candy with your pets is to have a few pet treats handy. Explain to your children that these treats are like candy for pets and that your pets would much rather eat pet treats than the human candy that they’re trying to feed them.

Don’t Keep the Candles Burning

Pets - especially cats - love brightly lit things, and therefore tend to gravitate toward candles. Needless to say, this can result in anything from singed whiskers to something more serious. If you plan on having lit candles during Halloween, consider putting your pets somewhere that they can’t reach or won’t be tempted by the bright lights created by candlelight. Designate at least one room in your home that will have no burning flame in it where you can safely secure your pets. If you have cats and dogs that don’t get along, consider using a bedroom in your home that is attached to a bathroom and putting your cats in the bathroom and your dogs in the main bedroom.

Decorate with Caution

If you are having a Halloween party, or if you plan on going all out with the decorations this Halloween, be contentious of where your pets are at all times. Things like cotton webbing or fake spiders are particularly appealing to pets, but if they swallow even a small part of them you might be in for a trip to the emergency room of your local vet.

If possible, designate a room inside your home where there are no decorations, and place your pets inside that room. Again, if you have cats and dogs or any other pets that don’t get along, consider using a bedroom in your home that is attached to a bathroom and putting your cats - or other pets - inside the bathroom, and your dogs inside the main bedroom.

The Perils of Pet Costumes

While your pets might look adorable in their Halloween attire, pet costumes can be fraught with danger. If you don’t plan on watching your pets for the entire time they’ll be wearing their costumes, take their costume off when you stop supervising them. Even though pet costumes are specially made for pets to wear, that does not guarantee that they’re safe for your pets to wear without your supervision.

In the case that your pet feels uncomfortable in their costume, they might try to chew off parts of their costume or pull their costume over their head. If they chew on their costume, bits might get stuck in their throat, and if they try to pull their costume over their head using their paws or by biting it, there is the potential for them to suffocate if their costume gets stuck. For their safety, make sure that you, or another responsible individual, area watching your costume attired pets at all times.

Hold the Liquor

If you plan on having alcoholic beverages in your home this Halloween, be sure to keep your pets away from them. Pets are naturally curious by nature, and if they smell something new and exciting they’re going to want to investigate and find out more about it. Since pets discover many things through smell and taste, you don’t want your cat sampling the wine cooler and ending up loopy or sick. Animals are much smaller than humans and have not built up an intolerance to even small amounts of alcohol. Small amounts of alcohol that might not effect a human could be fatal if ingested by an animal.

So if you plan on having alcohol in your home, consider putting your pets in a part of the house where there is no alcohol present. In the event that you are having a party, make sure that you clean up all the party glasses before you let your pets out of their designated area, as you don’t want them drinking out of the glasses left behind by guests. And if your pet does ingest some alcohol, take them to a vet right away.

Keep an Eye Out for Strays

If you’re out trick-or-treating and see a stray dog or cat cross your path, don’t take it as a bad omen: instead, try to help them. Either take the animal home and give it a good meal, or call your local animal rescue and see if they will come pick up the animal and take it to a local shelter.

Halloween is one of the worst nights for animals to be out on their own due to some of the horrible pranks that people will play. Animals have very few ways to help or protect themselves should an individual or a group of individuals try to harm them. So do your part and help prevent pet casualties this Halloween.

Learn More

If you'd like to read some additional information about keeping pets safe during Halloween, please visit the following sites:

• SnikSnak.com
• PetCare.Suite101.com
• AuthorsDen.com