In all of the excitement surrounding Halloween, it is easy to forget about your pets. Their presence is easily taken for granted. Taking precautionary measures to ensure the safety and well-being of your beloved dog or cat will mitigate the possibility of any harm coming to them, and ensure a positive experience for everyone.
Tips for a safe Halloween for your pets:
Prevent ingestion of harmful edibles
Make sure your children do not leave candy where it is accessible to a pet. The ingredients in many treats often contain elements that can poison your pet, or make him sick. Have a filled water bowl and animal snacks placed where your pet normally eats to ensure he will be satisfied.
Guard against choking incidents
Discarded candy wrappers, costume accessories and other potentially dangerous items should be up off the floor where your pet cannot chew on them. Ingesting foreign objects will either cause your pet to choke or create serious digestive issues.
Eliminate stress
Your pet could be stressed out by a large contingent of strangers coming to your door. Put your pet in a safe environment, a closed-off bedroom, bathroom or den, where he can be comfortable and stress-free until the festivities are over.
It might seem like fun to dress your pet up for Halloween, but that seemingly innocent activity could also induce stress. If you attempt to costume your pet and he exhibits signs of resisting, have respect for his hesitance and curb your enthusiasm.
Ensure a safe environment
If your pet is normally kept outside, make an exception on Halloween night. Either put him in the basement or garage with a comfortable blanket, his water bowl and food. Older trick-or-treaters will not only potentially scare your pet and cause excessive barking, but you will be protecting your pet from vandals who take Halloween merriment to an unsavoury level and might view your pet as an easy target for their abuse.
Watch for the unexpected
A pet could easily slip outside an opened door unnoticed while you are distracted greeting trick-or-treaters. He could run out into oncoming traffic or nip at a stranger if he is startled. Confine your pet in a safe area of the home for his own benefit and yours. In the event your pet should manage to escape to the outdoors, proper identification tags on his collar might ensure his safe return.
No matter how well-mannered and friendly your pet ordinarily behaves, the activities happening on Halloween are not in his usual realm of experience and you cannot predict how he will react. Take every precaution, in regard to your pets, to ensure your happy Halloween is not disrupted by an unfortunate happenstance.
Safeguard your beloved pets and have a happy and incident-free Halloween.